Description:
Skydasher is one of the fastest pegasi — and one of the stronger pegasi. With her speed, she can magically manipulate the air in various ways. There's just one problem: she is prone to airsickness.
Of the "Spectrum 7", Skydasher is the neurotypical of the group. As she's been learning, no one is born with social skills. No one learns them in a vacuum — everyone learns them from interacting with real people. It's just that Dasher learned some basics before she could remember (as have most others), initially confusing early learning for superiority.
Skydasher loves sports — especially racing and doing stunts. As she learns, she can do sonic booms, along with "sonic explosions" (by landing at high speed and using the air as a giant cushion). She also learns how to make small tornadoes or whirlwinds. Unfortunately, Dasher's airsickness handicaps her, making it hard for her to be one of the best. When she pukes, her puke is colored like the rainbow — which gained her the nickname "Rainbowbarf".
Skydasher loves people regardless of whether they're strong or weak. She stands up for those in need — as her religious parents have taught her to do. She doesn't despise anyone for their limitations — yet she's prone to regarding herself for her strength. It is hard for her to admit her own special limitations.
Skydasher doesn't care much for books, except for comic books. She often considers herself too cool for school. As it turns out, Dasher is secretly dyslexic. Most first-graders can read more easily than she. With comics, at least she has pictures to help her get the story — and without the potential stigma associated with an adult reading picture books.
It seems Skydasher's talk of being too cool for school is largely a defense for her self-esteem. In the town of Friendsville, many ponies do fine without a high-school education — learning various trades instead. Skydasher has been pursuing that route. However, all her friends except Gearheart have high-school diplomas. Deep inside, this makes her feel kind of dumb.
Despite her love for people, Skydasher loves getting into some mischief. Sometimes, for example, she teases people, pulls pranks, and does some willfully stupid things. She sometimes hurts the feelings of her more sensitive friends by mistake. When she sees that she really has hurt someone, that's when she really feels bad.
As Skydasher is learning, what counts as social skills varies from culture to culture. Many times, groups of autistic people have their own cultures. Their cultures may seem weird to many — but not necessarily any more so than any other foreign culture. Ironically, autistic people often feel cultural shock when meeting other autistic people.
Dasher finds that she can help her autistic friends understand one another. She just has to listen to their feelings and try to see their perspectives. When she does so, she finds that a neurotypical can often be an autistic person's best friend. With the right attitude, Dasher can teach them to see things that are initially harder for them to see.
When it comes to physical stuff, Skydasher is mostly fearless. She's not afraid to get dirty. When it comes to admitting certain weaknesses — that scares her more than many dangerous activities. That's when she really fears rejection.
Long ago, Skydasher dropped out of high school — finding it too hard for a lot of education she saw no practical use for. She's long convinced herself that school is for nerds and eggheads … until she starts to appreciate that playing sports is also a science. Then she really starts to feel uncool for being unable to read well.
With the support from her autistic friends, Skydasher finds that she's not so afraid to face those who might bully her. Autistic people may be more prone to getting bullied. But when they stand together, they can command respect like anyone else!
—————
Art by Tsitra360. Colored by me.
Of the "Spectrum 7", Skydasher is the neurotypical of the group. As she's been learning, no one is born with social skills. No one learns them in a vacuum — everyone learns them from interacting with real people. It's just that Dasher learned some basics before she could remember (as have most others), initially confusing early learning for superiority.
Skydasher loves sports — especially racing and doing stunts. As she learns, she can do sonic booms, along with "sonic explosions" (by landing at high speed and using the air as a giant cushion). She also learns how to make small tornadoes or whirlwinds. Unfortunately, Dasher's airsickness handicaps her, making it hard for her to be one of the best. When she pukes, her puke is colored like the rainbow — which gained her the nickname "Rainbowbarf".
Skydasher loves people regardless of whether they're strong or weak. She stands up for those in need — as her religious parents have taught her to do. She doesn't despise anyone for their limitations — yet she's prone to regarding herself for her strength. It is hard for her to admit her own special limitations.
Skydasher doesn't care much for books, except for comic books. She often considers herself too cool for school. As it turns out, Dasher is secretly dyslexic. Most first-graders can read more easily than she. With comics, at least she has pictures to help her get the story — and without the potential stigma associated with an adult reading picture books.
It seems Skydasher's talk of being too cool for school is largely a defense for her self-esteem. In the town of Friendsville, many ponies do fine without a high-school education — learning various trades instead. Skydasher has been pursuing that route. However, all her friends except Gearheart have high-school diplomas. Deep inside, this makes her feel kind of dumb.
Despite her love for people, Skydasher loves getting into some mischief. Sometimes, for example, she teases people, pulls pranks, and does some willfully stupid things. She sometimes hurts the feelings of her more sensitive friends by mistake. When she sees that she really has hurt someone, that's when she really feels bad.
As Skydasher is learning, what counts as social skills varies from culture to culture. Many times, groups of autistic people have their own cultures. Their cultures may seem weird to many — but not necessarily any more so than any other foreign culture. Ironically, autistic people often feel cultural shock when meeting other autistic people.
Dasher finds that she can help her autistic friends understand one another. She just has to listen to their feelings and try to see their perspectives. When she does so, she finds that a neurotypical can often be an autistic person's best friend. With the right attitude, Dasher can teach them to see things that are initially harder for them to see.
When it comes to physical stuff, Skydasher is mostly fearless. She's not afraid to get dirty. When it comes to admitting certain weaknesses — that scares her more than many dangerous activities. That's when she really fears rejection.
Long ago, Skydasher dropped out of high school — finding it too hard for a lot of education she saw no practical use for. She's long convinced herself that school is for nerds and eggheads … until she starts to appreciate that playing sports is also a science. Then she really starts to feel uncool for being unable to read well.
With the support from her autistic friends, Skydasher finds that she's not so afraid to face those who might bully her. Autistic people may be more prone to getting bullied. But when they stand together, they can command respect like anyone else!
—————
Art by Tsitra360. Colored by me.
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