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fly-pow-bye · 5 years ago

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DuckTales 2017 - “The Duck Knight Returns!”

Story by: Francisco Angones, Madison Bateman, Colleen Evanson, Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow

Written by: Francisco Angones

Storyboard by: Vince Aparo, Emmy Cicierega, Ben Holm

Directed by: Tanner Johnson

The big mid-season finale!

I knew right from the beginning that, yeah, this episode's going to be the big one. It turned out to be even bigger than I imagined. I must say something first.

If there's anything that should disqualify myself from reviewing this episode, it's that I'm barely familiar with Darkwing Duck. I have watched a few episodes, knew about some of the villains, and, of course, know that amazing theme song, but I wouldn't call myself a huge scholar of the subject. In another way, that should make it even better for me to review it, because, for the most part, the little kids this show is targeting have likely never watched any episode of Darkwing Duck. It's not on Netflix, for one. Let's get to the episode.

This episode begins with a masked villain who aims to blow up an orphanage by setting up bombs in the sewers. No real reason, he just wants to be bad. He is going to be stopped by the terror that flaps in the night, the pebble in the penny loafer of depravity, and someone who is willing to do things in a non-comfortable way. He words that slightly differently, of course.

He's not too sharp, ending up stepping on every land mine. However, he never gives up, and ends up living up to his notoriety, as whoever this bomber is seems to know his name. All in all, a good way to introduce the character for people who don't know who he is. He grabs the villain, and then decided to reveal who he really is...

...himself?! To be concluded...coming absolutely never! This turns out to be the cliffhanger series finale for the series. This was first detailed in Friendship Hates Magic, but this is the first time we actually get to see what would have led to Darkwing Duck's Finest Hour. There was this one villain from the original that could easily be what the payoff was, but there's no way anyone would known in-universe.

This all turns out to be something shown by the ever-so-proud-of-being-Darkwing-Duck Jim Starling at a special event attended by the biggest fans of Darkwing Duck. A comics convention? A Darkwing Duck convention? A Darkwing Duck comics convention?

No, he's at an opening for Siesta Rick's, a furniture store, being a last minute replacement for the much-more-fitting-for-this-event Johnny from the Ottoman Empire. No, Djinn, not that one. Can't help but notice it was just Johnny, too; apparently the two brothers have yet to make up after their incident from The Outlaw Scrooge McDuck. However, there's no time for that plotline.

I wasn't lying about how it was attended by the biggest fans, the plural only justified by Launchpad not being alone. This guy is just as excited as he is, wondering what he could possibly say to the actor who played his biggest idol as a kid.

I felt this episode was a lot longer than most of the previous episodes, though a reason for that is that we get an even shorter intro than usual. It's longer than just having the DuckTales logo fade in and out, but far shorter than the shortened intro that appeared after certain episodes. However, they did color the logo purple.

Right from the get-go, we see that Jim Starling is this washed-up superstar, sitting mostly alone, telling his agent that he is "the one and only Darkwing Duck" and he deserves better gigs. All he needs is an exorbitant price tag for one of his autographs, and I think that was mostly implied by him snatching the bills from the president of his fan club before he can even say his name. By the way, his name isn't revealed until the very end of the episode, and it's actually a minor twist to people who know the original. I'm just going to call him That Guy.

He's far more excited to see a young kid, in this case, Dewey, which makes a lot of sense. Darkwing Duck was a kid's show, and seeing someone from the next generation. Unfortunately for him, Dewey's just here to get an autograph for the pilot who's fainted a few feet away. After taking a photo of Jim Starling awkwardly smiling with a fainted man with his signature on him, Dewey notices a logo popping up as soon as he types the hashtag #DarkwingDuck.

Darkwing Duck has become a trending topic on their version of Twitter, alongside theories about Gizmoduck, National Pants Day, not that widely celebrated in this universe, and some horrible opinions. Hopefully not mine! The reason why it became trending is because a new Darkwing Duck movie was announced, and the boys take it to themselves to investigate. You'll see that will be fitting for pretty much all of them for different reasons.

While trying to keep Launchpad from looking at the rear view window to see the faint-causer, Dewey does raise that question of why they have to be the ones to bring "the one and only Darkwing Duck" to the studio making his new movie, and Launchpad merely agrees with the sentiment. To Launchpad, Starling is Darkwing Duck, and Starling lifts his head up and agrees in a way that indirectly calls him a buddy.

In an obvious chain of events, he ends up crashing. This fainting gives it a different reason beyond any inability to park a car, so it's still up in the air if that "surprisingly good parker despite everything else" gag is still happening. Dewey gets worried about this studio not taking kindly to someone who crashed a car into their studio opening, but it turns out said studio is owned by someone who knows that Launchpad and crashing go hand-in-hand.

That someone being Scrooge McDuck, who is in a meeting with Alistair Borswan, who is totally not Christopher Nolan. He's trying to get some more funding for the big finale of his new Darkwing Duck movie. This will be tough, as not only has he spent a lot of money already, Scrooge hasn't seen a film since the 30's. The only films he ever funded before this were instructional videos starring Donald doing stuff that workers shouldn't be doing. Kind of wish we could see those, actually; the DuckTales equivalent to those Goofy shorts I always loved as a kid that didn't need any guy to say "BLAAAM" over them.

Before Alistair can prove that he can use those funds to give Scrooge his much wanted profits, and be convinced by Scrooge's idea of giving the villain a giant mustache to twirl, Dewey, Launchpad, and Starling show up to crash this meeting, all for different reasons. Dewey wants his cinematic dreams to come to life, Starling wants to begin this great creative partnership, and Launchpad starts to stare at the poster for the upcoming film.

Launchpad: Aw, cool! A big budget reboot of a thing I loved as a kid! Those are always great!

See, it's funny because it's usually not true. See, not only is this going to be a new Darkwing Duck film, it's going to take Darkwing Duck in a different direction! In other words...it's a reboot. I was practically destined to review this episode, it seems. I review nothing but reboots on this site; it wasn't an intentional theme, but it became a theme nonetheless.

Alistair can think of only one thing to stop all of the questions: show the trailer. Hey, it would be good focus testing!

Unlike certain reboots, it's quite clear we're seeing a very different Darkwing Duck, not a continuation. One could say it's a Beginning of a Dark Knight that will eventually Return. People are running away from the "Dark-Wing", the entire movie is set in the nighttime, and Darkwing Duck is told by the not-Commissioner Gordon character that he shouldn't go flapping in the night, but he's too dark to go by anyone's rules, like "don't set the streets on fire with your initials". Darkwing: First Darkness, not suitable for children!

We do get one early reaction shot from the well-established biggest fan of the show, and let's just say that this trailer is not going to get a lot of thumbs ups.

We get to see the reactions from everyone involved, with only Alistair grinning at his own work. Launchpad is offended at the prospect of a Darkwing Duck that sets fires and harms innocent people that aren't accidental. Starling liked it, if only because he still thinks he's going to be a part of this. As for Dewey, he absolutely hated it; he couldn't tell who the villain was, or what was even happening.

He then describes his ideas for this movie. See, everyone has their own ideas to reboot a beloved series. Look at, say, Looney Tunes. Along with the normal "Bugs Bunny in the forest outwitting his foes" reboots, it's been a sitcom with everyone in a house, and even an anime-esque superhero show set in the future. What I'm trying to say is that Dewey seems to be batting for a Loonatics Unleashed, suggesting that there should be aliens and ninjas.

Scrooge decides Dewey should be in charge, because, hey, this is for children, and Dewey's the most childish child he knows. This sets up a sort of B-plot. I don't really remember too much about it, to be honest. Jim Starling has different ideas, and it should be him that should have them, because he's obviously going to be the star of this movie. Even though he did not appear in the trailer, nor did he know anything about this movie until Dewey told him, he has to be the star, right? Right?

What very few would have guessed, unless you took a good look at him and realized he's practically a splitting image of Darkwing Duck sans mask, is that the role is going to That Guy. The one grown man that wanted his signature who didn't faint at the mere sight of him. Hopefully, the guy who claimed himself as the "one and only Darkwing Duck" isn't too stabbed in the heart about it.

...sorry, I had to reference that at least once.

To make a long story short, Starling ends up getting thrown out of the building. Launchpad shows up, and his dislike for the movie's new direction has cured his inability to stand along Starling without fainting. Either that, or they realized that fainting joke was getting old.

Starling goes into his limo and comes out as the one real, original, don't-call-him-old Darkwing Duck. Jim Starling's to bring the glory of his original masterpiece in the only way he can, and calls Launchpad his sidekick. Hey, just like the original! This makes Launchpad faint again, which would have been a little more powerful if it wasn't a gag.

Starling's first plan: while Darkwing Duck distracts the guards with his ability to disappear into any role, which is definitely exaggerated by the far-too-over-himself Starling, Launchpad has to break into That Guy's trailer. Launchpad questions if this is really "heroic", but Starling talks him into it anyway.

Launchpad: Now I wait for that phony actor, lock him up, and us, the good guys, wins. Totally heroic.

I'll be honest: I know, it's Launchpad, he says stuff like this. Practically every line seems to be him unsarcastically saying something that should be said sarcastically. He does think he locked himself inside the trailer, until his savior shows up. That Guy recognizes him, and asks what he's doing in his trailer.

This leads to a fight scene, though Launchpad is completely apologetic about all of this. Eventually it stops when he finds out he was going to beat him with a vintage Darkwing Duck shampoo bottle, and almost suplexes him into a complete run of the Darkwing Duck Adventures comics.

Eventually, this just leads to two grown men playing with their toys. I mean, that's pretty much what this show is; a bunch of grown men who grew up with the Disney Afternoon playing with action figures of their childhood favorite shows, except it's animated, fully funded by Disney, and is generally really good. Eventually, we get to hear That Guy's story, and not just in any way, either...

...but in comic book form! Much like Launchpad, he idolized Darkwing Duck as a kid, buying his merchandise, and even using him as an inspiration to stand up against his bullies. Even if he got knocked down, he'd always get back up, and he has Darkwing Duck to thank for that. If the art style looks familiar, that's because it's drawn by Michael Peraza, as his signature at the end of this comic proves.

There's easily a contrast between the two Darkwings. That Guy just wants to inspire kids just like his idol did, while Starling, the man who played said idol, just selfishly wants his most famous role back, seeing himself as the "one and only" Darkwing Duck.

While That Guy convinces Launchpad to change his motives, Starling is a bit busy with the guards. What could possibly be a good cover for a purple-cloaked guy with a cape?

How about hiding in a crowd of several other purple-cloaked guys and girls with capes, courtesy Dewey and his wacky ideas? Finally, the Dewey plot actually managed to tie in with the other plot. The only real time it does outside of one other thing at the end.

With some convincing from Launchpad, That Guy confronts Starling, saying he's sorry for everything. He offers him the chance to teach him how to be the best Darkwing Duck, give him the opportunity to fix the movie, and just maybe, this new Darkwing will inspire generations to come!

This seems like this would be the passing of the torch from the old actor to the new actor, and it almost seems like it as he begins to shake his hand. And...there's 8 minutes left, is there?

Jim Starling: Yes...

Jim Starling: ...I will!

Right from the beginning, it seemed that his only problem with the movie is that he's not in it. But maybe he just needs a little more convincing of his own!

Forcibly taking over That Guy's role, Jim Starling tells a wandering Launchpad that the new guy told him he can be in the finale. Launchpad really questions this, far more than the apparent villainy from the last couple scenes. When Launchpad is not buying it, that's really something.

The scene is the big finale, directed by Alistair, Dewey, and a little mustache-related advisory from Scrooge. This is where, in a shocking twist, Darkwing will have to surrender to the classic villain, Megavolt, who, most important to Scrooge, has a villainous mustache.

Starling is not too happy about that script, though Dewey's new lines making Megavolt say that he's awesome doesn't exactly please Alistair either, and he ends up doing some improv. He ends up doing everything Launchpad didn't want a true hero like Darkwing Duck to do: harm innocents and cause fires!

Launchpad is certainly not happy about that, but before he can point out the obvious, he hears someone in the distance. It turns out it will take a lot more than just doors getting slammed into his face to stop That Guy.

We even get a fight scene, a real one with no apologies, between the new Darkwing Duck and the old one. I've seen FV shows with less violence, and I don't even just mean that other show! Not a bad thing, by the way.

In an excellent bookend with the first scene, we see that That Guy is well deserving of his role when it comes to not giving up. And not in the way that Starling "didn't give up" by not following the script. A box full of dynamite detonates below him? He just gets back up. A piano falls on him? He gets back up, spitting out those piano keys like that old cartoon gag. He even takes on Megavolt's gun, which was actually electric!

Launchpad eventually comes in. Even Scrooge talks, in a more in-character way, that this seems way out of character for him. However, since he is a huge fan of Darkwing Duck, Launchpad is actually far more qualified to speak to two Darkwing Ducks. Speaking of electric, he's also a guy who's really qualified to get into some sort of accident, as this electrical tower is about to electrocute him, and this could be a good chance for either one of them to show their heroism.

I don't like spoiling episodes unless I have something significant to talk about it beyond just outright ruining it for anyone who didn't watch the episode. Honestly, I felt the same when I spoiled the commercial break twist here, but this review would have been quite short.

Well, maybe I could talk about the ending of the Dewey part, which just ends with him apparently recording over the footage of the fight scene he wanted to use the salvage his movie. When did he even get the time to do this? I don't really care. The Dewey plot is definitely the low point of the episode. Really, that isn't saying anything, and it's really just low compared to the rest of the episode.

There's a lot of spoilers I didn't want to show off here. It's shocking, satisfying, and well worth a watch. In the end, at least one of them proves that he is worthy of his namesake, and the other...well, you'll see.

How does it stack up?

With good commentary on reboots, great new characters, and tons of twists and turns, this episode is just incredible in every way. The Dewey plot would have just taken away from it if there was more to it, so it's not that much of a problem. A Top 5 episode, a must watch.

What's going to happen next? A trip to the moon, that's what.

← The Dangerous Chemistry of Gandra Dee! 🦆 What Ever Happened To Donald Duck? →

#fpb dt 2017 #fpb reviews #ducktales 2017 #ducktales #disney

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enchantedbride · 5 years ago

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I'm gonna do what I did to Tay. Gimme all of the nsfw asks with Claude!!

@blackquills-wife*wiggles eyebrows* ALL OF THEM? ALL OF THEM! (Since I have two self-inserts, I’m gonna use Claunna as my ship for answering these asks since that ship is the most developed at this point, and Joanna is well… basically me but a manakete XD).

Reminder that my not safe for work tag is #joey’s citrus garden. Do not interact with posts with this tag unless you’re 18 years of age or older, or you will receive an automatic block.

1. Is your f/o loud or quiet during sex?

Claude tends to be on the quieter side, but mostly because he’s very good at staying in control of himself in the beginning. But the more he comes apart, the harder it is to stay quiet. That being said, he’s never super loud, even at his most vocal. Although there are other ways for Joanna to tell she’s doing a good job, for example, if she gets him to start devolving into pure profane utterances or his sentences are more broken and scattered, that’s definitely a good sign. >:3c

Joanna on the other hand tends to be pretty good at staying quiet herself, and one of Claude’s favorite things to do is find out how he can draw out more sound from her, what will render unable to help herself.

2. What is your favourite sex position with your f/o?

…Do I have to pick just one? It probably flusters her to think about it, but Joanna really enjoys being bent over and taken from behind. She’s also quite partial to being face to face while she rides him. But really though, she’s down for almost anything and both of them do like to experiment.

3. Do you fantasize about your f/o in a sexual way often?

Joanna didn’t at first, but that’s not unusual for her as someone whose demisexual and just… doesn’t have a sexual interest in anyone right off the bat if/when sexual interest occurs at all. But more recently… she’s been thinking about Claude in that sort of context a lot.

4. Does your f/o prefer to be a dominant or submissive?

I think Claude has about an equal preference and gets enjoyment out of the experience whether he’s the more dominant or submissive partner. Joanna does have a strong tendency towards being a sub so he does tend to be the dominant partner more often than not because of it, but he does try to encourage her to take the reigns on occasion, and enjoys every minute of it when she does.

5. Does your f/o prefer giving or receiving oral?

Claude slightly prefers giving because he enjoys turning his partner (in this case, Joanna) into a mess but make no mistake, he’s totally down for receiving oral too. Wheras Joanna is equally interested in both giving and receiving.

6. What kink does one of you have but the other doesn’t?

Claude is probably more into bondage than Joanna is, so if there’s any tying up to be had, it’s generally him that’s tied up. Likewise, Joanna is more into the idea of being blindfolded while Claude’s not too keen on it, at least for himself, though he’s down for it if the other partner is the one blindfolded.

7. What kinks do both of you have?

Both Claude and Joanna like to experiment and explore each other’s bodies, and both of them definitely enjoy body worship. Both of them also really enjoy having sex while not undressing completely (although there’s a lot of fun to be had in undressing and redressing each other too), and in the case of a quickie there’s a certain thrill to cleaning up quickly and resuming their daily schedule as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened and laughing about it later when together before bed at night. Claude likes to tease in bed just as much as he likes to tease in general, if not more, and despite the fact teasing is a bit of a hit or miss subject for Joanna in general social situations, she loves being teased in bed.

8. Does your f/o like it rough and fast or soft and slow?

I tend to think Claude would actually prefer more soft and slow so he can take his time with Joanna and prolong their enjoyment, but things can get rougher and faster from time to time. When their schedules only allow for a quickie, those tend to be on the rougher side.

9. If you could live out one kink you and your f/o both share, what would it be?

Oh boy… another one where it’s difficult to choose just one.I guess what comes to mind is more of a scenario. I like the idea of the two of them being in perhaps a private office that Claude uses. Claude locks the door so they won’t be intruded upon, and the two of them start getting frisky in said office. After Claude has sufficiently gotten Joanna worked up and he’s removed a few articles of his own clothing, he bends her over his desk and lifts up her skirt, pulling down her undergarments and teasing her about how wet she already is for him. She teases him back, but he’s a bit better at goading her into pleading for him. Of course, he happily obliges her when he’s satisfied that she’s ‘demonstrated enough’ how badly she wants him. He tells her to be as quiet as she can, but warns her he won’t make it easy for her, and of course, he doesn’t.

10. Has your f/o caught you masturbating or vice versa?

Yes, it’s probably happened on occasion. Although the two of them sometimes like to make a game out of purposely watching the other and seeing how long it takes before the other one can’t stand it anymore and pleads to let them touch the other. I have a bit of a mild voyeurism kink so…

11. How do you two feel about shower sex?

*sweats* Uh… Joanna really likes it. Like, a lot. Claude probably isn’t as into it as she is, but he’s definitely down for it. For her it’s a sensory thing because she likes the feeling of being soaked from head to toe and running her hands all over Claude when he’s the same way. (Although she also really enjoys showering/bathing together as a form of non-sexual intimacy too, as a way of gentle touching and caring for the other person.)

12. Is there anything about your f/o that stands out sexually?

I’m not entirely sure how to interpret this question. Is this about kinks? Size? Stamina?

I do like to headcanon that Claude has good stamina and can recover pretty quickly to go for another round if he and Joanna are up for it. I don’t have any particular headcanons about his dick other than the fact he and Joanna fit very well together in a more… physical sense. *winkwink*

13. Do you think your f/o would roleplay with costumes or would that be too silly?

Neither of them really do that sort of thing much, although they’ve tried a couple of things at least once. They do like to tease each other and ‘play fight’ on occasion (although Claude and Joanna always make sure the other person knows it’s pretend and not a real fight, especially since Joanna’s autistic traits mean she’s more likely to read a situation literally without some help). Once Claude learns about Joanna’s past as a major religious figure in her homeland, he does at least once make a joke about how even though he’s not particularly religious, there is a goddess (or rather a goddess’s envoy) he’s quite happy to get on his knees for.

14. Does your f/o cuddle after sex or do they prefer to do other things?

Claude is definitely a cuddler and he’s a bit disappointed when he doesn’t get to cuddle afterwards. Although tbh Joanna’s very much the same way so it works out.

15. Is your f/o into pain during sex? if yes do they give or receive it?

I don’t think either of them are particularly into it especially, although Joanna does like to bite and nibble, especially on his ears and neck. He does a little bit of it himself to her, especially giving her pointed ears a little playful tug with his teeth every now and again.

16. Who finishes first during sex?

Joanna. You kind of need to be watchful with her because she’s got some major tactile sensitivity. There are some spots where if you really abuse them she miiiight come a little too quickly. Unless that’s what Claude’s aiming for, which is the case in some circumstances.

17. If you have more than one f/o, do you have sex with them individually or at the same time?

Claude isn’t currently involved in any polyships of mine (although Manakete!Joanna is in one version of her Awakening verse), but if he were Joanna would probably do both (have sex with her partners individually as well as at the same time) unless for some reason or more of her other partners wasn’t cool with that.

18. Did you two have sex on the first date?

No. But it took a while for both of them to come to the point of falling love with one another romantically (I don’t headcanon him as demi, but because he is slow to trust normally it still takes time for certain attractions to form and have staying power), and by the time they confessed Joanna’s sexual attraction to him was already beginning to bloom. So it wasn’t terribly long before they did start sleeping together.

19. Are there any specific things your f/o needs in order to enjoy sex? e.g. having the lights on or off, being on the recieving end of the pleasure etc.

I headcanon that for Claude, sexual and romantic attraction are difficult if not impossible to separate. And he needs to really trust a person before romantic attraction can form because of his past. So, indirectly, he really needs to trust someone in order to have/enjoy sex with them. Luckily with Joanna that’s not an issue as he trusts her completely (and of course the two are madly in love and hopeless romantic dorks about it). But other than that I don’t really see him as needing anything in particular.

For Joanna, she can’t really get into it if she thinks there’s a good chance they’re going to be caught/walked in on. As long as she’s certain they have some privacy or at least have a good chance of not being intruded upon, she’s good. (So semi-public sex or stuff that’s in an unusual location isn’t off the table, she just needs reassurance that they’ll generally be safe to do it there.)

20. What kinds of things does your f/o say during sex subconsciously? Is it just swearing or do they blurt out dirty talk?

He swears a little, although he doesn’t really devolve into just swearing until he’s close to coming undone. He tends more towards dirty talk for certain, and he’s learned the right kind can really have quite the enhancing effect with Joanna. There are some words he avoids though since certain words make her upset due to trauma reasons (degrading names for example, or any degradation really is absolutely off the table. he’s not really into that sort of thing anyway but he was thankful Joanna told him ahead of time anyway.).

#something worth everything (claunna)#joey's citrus garden #not safe for tumblr (n/s/f/w)#thekingaboo #oof this took forever to write

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notesofarichlycolorednight · 6 years ago

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I have the headcanon that Luke is a Venus Legacy. She's very important in the Roman mythology. And there's more: he has the power to redirect Aphrodite/Venus magic,like firebenders can redirect lightning (very risky and a bit difficult, though). Okay, I'm so obsessed with those headcanons that I can't believe May to be totally mortal. On the top of that,Luke seems to be way above his siblings in power and skill,and we all know that mortals aren't much in Percy Jackson,with the exception of...

Continued. With the exception of Sally,Rachel, perhaps Frederick and Paul(that doesn’t bother me, though. I have (little more than) a bit of bias against the badass normal trope,in most cases. They want to pass them as everymen with cleverness,but I can’t buy someone like Ty Lee as an everywoman. Sokka is great, though). Frank is way more powerful than even Clarisse, despite his lack of experience. Is May that much of an snowflake to have a powerful demigod from an ordinary god?

Continued. Or is she a legacy? Okay,Luke is probably a perfectionist workaholic,so he gets the credit. But being strong enough to get to host Kronos’ essence? Sorry about the length and the anti badass normal rant.

BTW,I love your prankster/mischievous Luke Castellan. I usually am not fond of that kind of headcanon for him,since fandom usually makes him too much like Travis and Connor,and Luke is very different from his brothers (Percy himself even lampshades it). Besides,the whole “silent mischief” fits his personality better,IMO. Luke didn’t come across as a loud guy to me,and he seems to act responsible most of time(for good and for bad, though). 💗💓💝💓💓💓💓

hi there! thanks for being patient with me on this. been busy ;_;

under cut bc it got longer than i was expecting

i really like this idea that May is a legacy. it’s interesting you pick Venus, but given how good-looking Luke was described as and how charming (tho, that could reasonably come from Hermes bc con-ppl are often charming) it makes sense

not to mention, as you say Luke did seem more powerful than most other demigods, being able to take on the curse of Achilles, hosting Kronos, not to mention holding up the sky for however long he did. i think it was Chiron who mentioned that only the greatest heroes are able to hold up the sky, but Luke was so clearly on the wrong side, and Percy even notices that in the books, but it’s like…never explained???

so for him to have more than just half godly blood in his system would make a lot more sense than the “it’s complicated” explanation we’re given in canon

i really like that hc that he can redirect Venus magic (my mind first went to charmspeak) but that it’s difficult and dangerous. like it’s such a cool concept, tho i’m not sure how much it applies to Luke? like maybe that’s a skill that any child or legacy of Aphrodite/Venus would have, but Luke was unable to unlock that power, or at least the full potential

bc it’s just that, and i think it’s mentioned by Annabeth in moa, but a big reason that Luke fell into Kronos’ trap was because Kronos fed Luke a lot of what he wanted to hear, manipulated his thoughts and it’s implied by Annabeth that Kelli also had a lot to do with manipulating him by using charmspeak

like i guess if it’s difficult and dangerous, it would make sense that he was unable to redirect her charmspeak, esp with Kronos also manipulating his thoughts and emotions, but it doesn’t quite fit…tho i think that has a lot of potential to be a story arc regarding the development of Luke’s character, kind of like how it was for Zuko and lightning

but that would also imply, following Zuko’s story arc, that Luke eventually realized the error of his ways and joined the gods’ side

altho, it would be more interesting, playing off him being able to hold up the sky, despite not being the “hero,” if he learned how to redirect charmspeak but remained “loyal” to Kronos

anyway /tangent

i can see where you’re coming from regarding the normal badass trope. i’m not sure how well Rick executed it (if he even did) bc in my opinion, it’s not necessarily that Sally, Rachel, Paul, and Fredrick are what i would term as a badass. Sally can see thru the mist and Poseidon loved her so much he offered immortality. that speaks to her character, but isn’t exactly badass. Rachel is the oracle, but doesn’t have any combat skills to speak of. in en extenuating circumstance, Paul used his sword-fighting skills to help protect Sally and others, but i doubt he’d have much else use for swordsmanship except if he were to take up acting. like Paul, under extenuating circumstances, Fredrick piloted a plane and shot at monsters with Celestial bronze bullets he’d made himself, tho i imagine that’s as much action that plane is going to see for the rest of Fredrick’s life

the acts themselves are certainly badass, but it doesn’t necessarily speak to their character as being a badass.

now, of course, being a badass doesn’t constitute being able to beat someone up. Rachel throwing her hairbrush at the lord of titans is p badass. and sally charming one of the Big Three gods so much he offered her immortality, not to mention killing Gabe and his buddies indirectly, is v badass. so being a badass can take many forms, i’m not denying that

but it doesn’t quite fit what i see the trope being, as defined by society, whereby to be a badass, you have to have some combat and strategic planning skills or smth. i hope that makes sense

i guess this is all just more complicated than i was originally thinking, bc if badass can be defined in so many ways, so can normal?

you mention Ty Lee, right? now i haven’t watched a:tla in forever, but from what i remember of her character, i never actually saw her as some everywoman. she was friends with a sociopathic princess whose father colonized the rest of the world. that’s not exactly normal. i mean even taking away the sociopathic and her father part, she’s friends with a princess! that’s not exactly what i’d constitute as normal you know?

but it’s hard to say what’s normal in that universe, right? bc nonbenders, like sokka, are considered “normal” and average bc they can’t bend, when a majority can. and sokka is often talked abt like he’s “normal” but his tribe taught him how to be a warrior from a young age. his father went off to war, and his mother was killed by a firebender when Ozai began colonizing the other tribes. that’s not normal. even in that universe, bc the avatar is supposed to keep peace b/t the different benders

so it comes back to how society defines the trope, where normal is your average person (no special powers, no secret talents, just goes abt their mundane day at a nine-to-five and binges TV shows on Netflix when they get home) and badass is having that hidden talent (that they most likely don’t even know abt) or learning to be a badass as their character arc and as the story progresses

gosh, hope that all made sense. long story long, i agree with you that it’s a tired trope (in that we’re introduced to someone we consider and are supposed to think is average but, surprise! they actually have a hidden talent that turns them into a badass), but i think if done right, it can be really cathartic and exciting

/tangent 2

yes, i think being legacies definitely affords demigods more power, bc they have more godly blood. and you make a good point: why was Luke so powerful and special? esp as a son of Hermes. i think a reasonable explanation would be that he’s a legacy

by definition, tho, him being a legacy means that May is also a legacy, bc Hermes can’t have other godly blood from other gods with him being a god himself already (disregarding the fact that gods don’t even have DNA)

no worries! as you can see, i kind of went into some rants too!

oh thank you!! i’m glad you liked those hcs. yeah, i like to think that Luke definitely pulls pranks and enjoys it too! but the way he’s portrayed in the books, he’s much more serious than Travis and Conner, probably bc of the house he had to grow up in, being on the run at a young age, and then going thru so much heart-break and trauma before he even turned Travis and Conner’s ages. that ought to subdue you a little

so i wanted to make sure i expressed that in my hcs, long story long lol. i like to think of Luke, before Kronos and all that shit, as a fun and easy-going guy but in a quieter and more subtle way than Travis and Conner specifically

thanks again for sending these!! i love, love, love talking abt to ppl abt stuff. my inbox is always open!

FEED ME SEYMOUR

#oh god for shame! i do not even know your name #notesofananonymousnight #asked and answered #luke castellan #pjo hcs #pjo meta

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semirahrose · 6 years ago

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I have seen Civil War only once because I hated it so much, haha. So I can't hang with your take, I honestly don't have the memory for it. But I'm interested in what you think as an unbiased party seeing the fued between Cap and Tony, what are your thoughts on the accords and the fallout from Civil War?

I’m sorry it’s taken a while to reply to this! My inbox is a disaster.

[ Re: this response I wrote to a piece of MCU meta that crossed my dash ]

Makes sense! I saw it twice, I think, because I ended up watching it again with my dad, but I wasn’t too broken up about having to see it again. My favorite character is Bucky, and since he is—at best—a ghost of a shadow of an implication in most other Marvel movies, it was a treat for him to share some major screentime in that one. I can understand why you wouldn’t want to go back and rewatch it, though! It’s been years for me, so my memory is not the freshest, either! I owe any freshness of memory to my discussions with @monkeysatemylastrolo, who loves Tony and is super amazing, and deserves the credit for any coherence in this trash-fire of a response.

(As for the start of your ask… To me, it’s pretty clear to me that Tony, in his grief, did a few things that were unquestionably lethal. A repulsor beam to the skull seems kinda like a no-brainer re: lethality. However, it was also clear he calmed down as the fight went on. But that’s not what this post is about, so…)

In short: I am the farthest thing from knowledgeable about the franchise or its characters. I have never read the comics. I will try my best to answer, but please bear with me.

Okay, so.

What do I think about the feud between Captain America and Iron Man?

Honestly? I think it was inevitable. For both of them. And I don’t really think it was as much about the politics as it was about their own personalities and experiences. I’m not trying to excuse anyone, but I also can’t really criticize either of them, because it’s hard for me to imagine them making any other choices. Of course the politics played a role, but if that alone were the case, I think they had enough of a friendship under their belts to reconcile their differences without violence. So, deep-seated fears and insecurities it is.

Cut for length. Some of this I’m making sense of as I type it. Sorry in advance.

To me, it seemed like at least part of the reason that Tony felt so strongly about the Accords was his past experiences. He had been made to doubt himself and his own decisions. He has been betrayed. His good intentions have—through no fault of his own—turned against him. It makes sense that he’d agree with the Accords, because there is security in having many voices. Guilt and shame and trauma led him to associate his (and the team’s) individual choices with death and destruction.

To Steve, I think his history pushed him inexorably in the opposite direction. Way back when he was actually young, before he went in the ice, he was already a contrary fellow, but the war only pushed home his mistrust in government authority and oversight. I mean, Hitler. I don’t really think I need to say much more about how living in that time could instill a mistrust of authority in people. But that’s not nearly enough, of course, to justify his position. Enough to explain…. maybe. But then he comes out of the ice and helps to hold off a massive alien invasion as part of a government sanctioned group of enhanced individuals. Then the next Cap movie was all about how the organization he trusted and allied himself with was pretty much 90% Hydra, an organization that was still very much alive and well and which had kidnapped his closest friend, brainwashed him, repeatedly destroyed his memory, and forced him to kill. And ooohhhhhhh boy, the individualist streak is back. Anyone could be Hydra, and probably everyone is working for their own gain, anyway, with secret agendas from here to Mars. He withdraws. He only trusts himself. And you know, maybe that’s still not enough to justify his resistance, because the Accords were signed by so many countries and were supposed to really help things (though… I’ll get to that). Honestly, I can’t say that I see Steve as a terribly chilly, rational person. He’s hot-headed, and he does what he believes to be right, damn the consequences.

But honestly, forget everything I said above, because while those probably had something to do with it in the beginning (and reasonably so, since I think our experiences do shape our perceptions and are difficult to change or unlearn). It probably wasn’t about any of that, and I doubt he could have expressed it if someone had asked. I think it was largely about Bucky. As soon as Bucky became a target, Steve was out. The Greater Good or whatever the flip might have been a footnote at the back of his mind, but

a) his only link to his past and his closest friend was being falsely accused and targeted

b) he didn’t know that it was unrelated to all the other stuff going down

c) since when has he been a cool-headed decision-maker?

So, honestly? Both of their positions make sense, just based on their personalities and experiences. Based on the fallout from some of their very major battles (though with battles of that magnitude, the damage doesn’t necessarily fall on them, because it’s most often driven by malicious forces), Tony’s position makes sense. They need permission. They need oversight. They do not have the right to just invade and destroy. It’s disgusting and disrespectful, and Tony has enough to have nightmares about.

But for Steve, the Accords likely seem like red tape. Bureaucracy and hemming and hawing about things have, in his experience, not often led to good things. It’s what meant the division his friend worked with—captured, tortured, and imprisoned—didn’t mean enough to save. To the absolute detriment of the big picture, he focuses on people. (See: Infinity War. Killing one man could have stopped or delayed everything, but he couldn’t justify it to himself. To him, the people he cares for are the universe. It warps his sense of scale.) So, as he is wont to do, he said, screw all of you, and he went off to free Bucky’s unit. Once again, in Civil War, the “greater good” came (quite indirectly) at the cost of Bucky. …I can’t say his actions surprised me, considering his history with the perversion of authority and government.

What did I think about the Accords?

Honestly? They sounded like they could have been very good. I really can’t speak to them, though. I genuinely can’t, because the movie told us nothing of their particulars. Their detractors are citing weaknesses that are not explicitly there, and the supporters of the accords are touting benefits that are also not explicitly present. We know many countries signed them. We know they’re pretty hefty. We know Wakanda signed them, which is a big point in their favor, though—crap. Actually… pre-Black Panther, Wakanda was a very insular country, denying outside influence. That could have affected their position. Anyway! The sheer amount of support they got means that the Accords likely seemed pretty solid to the majority of countries (if not necessarily the majority of the world, because there are a couple countries that hold a bit more sway, population-wise. I dunno if there’s a list out there of countries that signed, so let’s just assume the majority of the world).

Honestly? It sounds like, as long as there were provisions in place for emergency action (like in the case of another alien invasion) and some Mutant voices on whatever committee made decisions (crap, enhanced human? Are mutants a thing in Marvel? I know some characters weren’t allowed to be Mutant because of some weird dispute with Fox or something, so they just ended up enhanced in Marvel movie canon, but I don’t know if Mutants are a thing in this universe)—anyway. It sounds like they could have been good.

But honestly, I don’t know. And since that one really moustachey guy—was his name Ross??—was a) a jerk and b) the unofficial chain-yanker in the movie and the emblem of the limitations that would be placed on the Avengers, the accords didn’t get as good representation to viewers as they should have, and it became clear that, regardless of how amazing they were, there were already people set to take advantage of them. (Inevitable and irrelevant, I know. Just because there are people who will take advantage of a good thing doesn’t make it bad, but it wasn’t a beacon of reason to change Cap’s mind, either. It only drove home his presuppositions about authority.)

The actual content of the Accords didn’t get much representation at all. So honestly? I can’t say anything about them. They could have been awesome. They could have sucked. They could have streamlined the process wonderfully and made taking action easier and safer for everyone… or tied the Avengers up in red tape and prevented them from apprehending Really Bad Dudes.

I don’t know, and I don’t think I can confidently say one way or another.

Also, it has become apparent to me that I really need to watch all of the Avengers movies, but I just don’t have the motivation.

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walsiegirl · 4 years ago

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You don't have to answer this question if you don't want to, but it's been bothering my mind quite a bit lately - how did you come to your conclusion in believing Geoffrey to be innocent in his case? I'm not judging or hating, I'm just curious. This is all coming from a fan new to him and his work, who really admires him but is feeling unsure. Again, you don't have to answer if you're not comfortable. I've looked at both sides and I'm just very, very confused as to what the truth really is, so I figured getting an older fan's perspective would help me understand anything I might be missing. Thank you in advance.🙏

Hi Anon! Sorry it took me a while to get back to you, I’ve been away and stuff.

This is a tough one and there honestly isn’t a right or wrong answer; it’s absolutely fine to be unsure and I cannot say one hundred percent he is innocent, nor can I say he is guilty. The way the case was initially reported was unfair to both parties, and they both went through essentially a trial by media, with others jumping in either with their own accusations or opinions, before anything really came to court. From a legal perspective, yes Geoffrey has won his case against the newspaper as there was, to over simplify it, little evidence to the contrary, which was a relief for those of us who have always admired him. But does that mean he hasn’t done anything wrong at all? It’s truly impossible to say.

When I very first heard about the allegations, I was confused, devastated and I wondered if I had got him completely wrong from the start. It’s taken time, reflection, and coming to terms with the fact that even people one admires may fuck up some times (some bigger than others) to help me feel, if not sure about things, then at least able to come to terms with it all to a degree. So straight off, I’m sorry I can’t give you a definitive answer, but I can ramble around the points that are central to the reason I still feel able to enjoy his work and the memories he gave me.

Firstly, I think Geoffrey Rush has enough integrity as a person to own up if he’s fucked up. Again, I’m going on my gut, it’s fine to disagree with me and people will. When presented with the allegations, he denied them, but he also stepped down from any positions of responsibility he felt he should not hold whilst being under scrutiny, and also apologised to former co-stars if he had made them feel uncomfortable with his work methodology. That isn’t him being silent and not acknowledging the problem, it’s taking a stand to start to work through it without being arrogant enough to go on as normal. It’s about starting a discourse.

Rolling on from that, I think the “making co-stars feel uncomfortable/sexually harassing co-stars” is probably the area of contention. I don’t personally feel or believe that Geoff would intentionally go out of his way to demean, oppress or harass people - again I am open to being proved wrong, this is just gut feeling and intuition - but Geoffrey is a naturally cheeky, playful, possibly even controversial character who I could easily see pushing boundaries in professional spheres - perhaps being overly extravagant, overly touchy-feely, overly jokey. This could easily make people feel uncomfortable and harassed. I think sometimes it can be too easy when you’re successful to become complacent and forget that not everyone is onboard with your ways of doing things and ways of being, with your self confidence and ego. A lot of people, myself included, are very good at being polite and tolerating things they find uncomfortable because they’re too worried/scared/tolerant to say otherwise. If you’re faced with an A-list actor who has a lot of clout, then by all means you may feel unable to speak up about feeling uncomfortable or not enjoying the way they treat you or work with you. It’s like being faced with the person at work who has been established at your company for a long time and is being overly familiar with you - do you dare tell the boss their favourite is too much for you? Probably not, you want to keep your job. And this kind of power imbalance may be where the issue lies.

So you are saying the allegations are all true? you’re probably asking now. No but I can easily see where there are lots of grey areas in this debacle rather than two black and white possibilities of guilty and not. Things may have been taken out of context or blown out of proportion - or not, who knows? When you’re acting and in close bodily contact with other people, and in theatre/film/tv this is a constant, there is a high risk you might touch people inappropriately. Was there true harassment in this instance, or were actions misjudged? Were comments said in jest, in humour, in affection misconstrued as creepy and inappropriate, or was that their real intent? When you only have two contrasting views, it’s impossible to know the truth. Also everything an individual experiences is relative - what one person may feel is harassment, the next may think is a funny joke or not even notice. This is where consent and communication come in - it’s important people, particularly those in positions of “power”, check in on their other halves/colleagues/co-stars once in a while to make sure everything is ok. If there isn’t trust and communication, then you end up with dumpster fires like this.

So what else can I ramble about?

People fuck up. All the time. The difference with being accused of fucking up when you’re an A-list Oscar winner is that the whole world will know about it and lynch you for it, regardless of your guilt, and the internet is very good for spreading information quickly, both truth and lies and everything in between. Though it is fine to hold people to account and question accusations, it’s worth remembering that we all have fucked up in our lives; not all to the same degree, and some things it is utterly fine to not to forgive someone for, but I think one of the reasons I came around about things was that I can think of a few occasions in my life where I have royally fucked up, and if I had been famous I would not have lived it down. As I’m not famous though, the fuck-ups were resolved to a greater or lesser degree and now are mostly forgotten - except by me who can never forgive myself and will think about it until I die. I guess I just realised that I cannot judge because I have been a dick in my time, too. It’s not an excuse, I’m not trying to say that fuck ups are excusable if they have happened, but again there has to be a point where we move on or else we just get stuck feeling suicidal and not being able to recover. The important thing is to make amends and face your mistakes if they have been made. Can we let celebrities fuck up and come back? Depends on the fuck up of course, and sometimes it may be they lose their liberties, they need to regain trust, but sometimes there can be rehabilitation and success again - like Robert Downey Jr.

And though positive past conduct does not mean a person will never do or hasn’t done wrong, a lot of people who have worked with Geoff either as a co-star, or have directed him, etc, have voiced their support for him and enjoyed working with him. On a personal note, I will always have ridiculously positive memories of meeting him and writing to him. It’s a totally different kettle of fish to working professionally with him, of course, but I can’t forget that during the 2000s he used to like to keep a distant eye on the discourse between his fans online; he liked to know if his fans would be at such-and-such an event, and he even brought me a promo book about The Golden Age as a thank you when I dragged my arse down to Norfolk in the UK to see him at an event in 2007; he often felt more friend than celebrity to us. He was polite and curious, asked little questions like what you studied at university, what dog you had, what your username meant. He was exceptionally trusting of us, too. And I just remember how chill he could be - I remember him texting his wife when a group of us met him in NY after his play there, or he’d step out for a smoke, and you’re like that’s a normal person, he’s checking in with his fam, doing his own thing, but he’s still got time for us. He was always a down to earth, friendly guy, beyond generous with his time and we all as a fan community felt appreciated by him. It was beyond cool. And I can’t forget that kindness, the fact he made me feel that I mattered. His benevolence has naturally garnered much loyalty in me.

And finally I also ask myself, if this was a family member, or a close friend, would I abandon them in bad weather? And the answer is no. Even if they fucked up badly, you help family and friends get through things, you help them rehabilitate, you support them making amends, and support them making reparations to anyone who has been hurt or wronged if need be. When I have fucked up, I haven’t been abandoned; yes reprimanded, yes cowed, but I’ve been given the opportunity to make amends and bounce back.

So long answer is, there is no answer. I have never affirmed or denied his innocence or guilt because I can’t. It has to come down to gut feeling in the end and trying to weigh up the mass of information and misinformation. It’s about invading the professional and private lives of people we probably have no business looking into. It’s about understanding that celebrities are just people, and they can potentially fuck up as badly as we do, but they may also be innocent of accusations like we can be too. It’s accepting that we can’t know any truths unless solid evidence is presented either way. So at present, I will continue to enjoy his films, his tv shows, his legacy, and appreciate everything he ever did for me either directly, or indirectly through his work. But I am also open-minded enough that if any hard evidence ever presented itself to the contrary, there may come a day I need to reappraise my position. But hopefully he is true to his word and to his success in winning his case, and he can work toward recovery and potentially even acting again, though the blow has been great, both to him and his accuser. He may never work again. My greatest fear is that if he is genuinely completely innocent of everything, then he has had the greatest joy in his life taken from him. I try not to dwell on that too much.

I hope that diatribe helps. It’s the elephant in the room that is hard to acknowledge but no one can tell you how to feel about it. It has to come from your own heart and soul. I also appreciate there are many other elements to consider but I can’t possibly cover all bases. It’s probably worth saying that I have been a victim of being groomed by a man so I understand the importance of women or vulnerable peoples having a voice, but that doesn’t necessarily mean every accusation against men is true, either.

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eeveelutionsforequality · 7 years ago

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(1) As much as I know of the self diagnosis vs self advocacy debate, I haven't seen anyone talk about how to self advocate when it comes to mental health. I strongly suspect I am bipolar, since I have a confirmed history of major depressive episodes, but I also have periods of experiencing symptoms of hypomania. I was also subjected to bullshit social skills classes in high school (I'm autistic), which among other things, taught me to communicate indirectly to avoid hurting people's feelings.

(2) I know it is caused me problems with communicating, but I am still in the habit of doing that, and I realized that may be why I'm not getting anywhere when I bring it up to my therapist. I'm not comfortable with resorting to self-diagnosis at this time, but I also think the lack of a correct diagnosis is why therapy has not been helping me cope as much as it could. How do I bring it up in a way that will let my therapist know I want her to address my concerns?

I praise self-advocacy as an alternative to self-diagnosis, because those ballsy enough to walk into a psychiatrist's office or a conversation and declare "I have [thing]" are probably able to more rationally approach the subject in a "These are my symptoms and I think it could be this..." way. But just like how autobiographies aren't the only kind of biography, self-advocacy is far from the only kind of advocacy.

You don't need to be your own advocate, somebody else can come along and advocate for you - a friend, a family member, a volunteer from one of the local advocacy groups, etc. There's a group near me that advocates specifically for autistic people, for example.

If your conversation skills are inhibiting you from being able to adequately discuss things with a professional, you don't have to do it alone - it's definitely worth doing some googling, popping into some places that have leaflets for that sort of thing, etc, and finding out what's available near where you live if there's nobody in your life that can do that for you.

I have two advocates - one is a family member and one is an honourary family member. I do research, send it to them, and they keep notes about my symptoms, fluctuations, things I've shown them, etc, so that my memory issues don't become a barrier between me and what I want to explain. It's a life-saver.

At my last appointment, one came along and helped me fill in the forms, meaning that I got about twice the information down that I would've got down if I was relying on only my own brain. When I had to go to a tribunal, one came along then too, and they were excellent at spotting how the judge was trying to twist my words and butting in to correct him.

If you're more comfortable self-advocating then there are a number of things that you can do to make the process easier.

Firstly, keep a diary. Every day you need to write down your symptoms, your mood, notable moments, things you want to ask the doctor, food, fluid, sleep, alcohol, etc. Take that with you.

Secondly, go over that before the appointment and write yourself a "script". It doesn't need to be detailed or word for word, just get down the most important points and the way in which you want to convey them (NOT the way in which the memory of social skills classes tells you to convey them, but what you'd want somebody to say to you if they were trying to convey this effectively to you). Take that with you.

What I did with my DID was write a draft script on a piece of A4 paper a couple of weeks beforehand, and then I let my alters add to it or make notes on it with their opinions - I took that in with me and showed the doctor, and the differences in handwriting and wording had a much bigger impact than I was expecting and really helped in getting them to seriously consider that possibility.

Thirdly, don't waffle. I know it's tempting to be like "I have to get all of the details out in the first speech", but the therapist is going to ask questions afterwards. Boil what you need to say down to its key components, the facts that you need her to understand as the foundation moving forwards, and work out how to effectively convey those in less time than somebody would get the urge to interrupt - no tangents, no innuendo, just "This. That. The other thing too." But don't skip important details for the sake of brevity - find the balance.

Fourthly, make sure that you have the right psychiatrist. The counsellor that I had in college and the clinical psychiatrist that I had in hospital were both able to pick up on the things that made me more comfortable and more able to speak, and both knew not to interrupt me - the two of them learnt more about me and made me more comfortable than any other professional, just by letting me drink a hot chocolate and doodle on my phone. The psychologist who did my mindfulness therapy, on the other hand, insulted me for using my phone and my wall became 87% thicker in less than a second. You have to be working with somebody who lets you speak and who understands the way in which you speak.

Fifthly, if you know what helps you speak, tell them; if you don't know what helps you speak, begin the conversation with words to the effect of "I'm really struggling to get this out, but I prepared really hard, so I'd really appreciate it if you'd let me say my piece, and then we can discuss it afterwards instead of you interrupting me and making it harder for me to get out what I need to get out." If they then interrupt you, remind them that at the beginning of this they promised not to do so.

Remind yourself mentally that this is your therapy, this is your recovery, this is for you, this is important, and you deserve to be heard.

Sixthly, do research but downplay how much research you've done... "I stumbled across something that accurately described my experience and they called it hypomania" sounds a lot better than "I heard of hypomania on tumblr and spent twelve hours researching it" because the latter says to a doctor "I convinced myself that I have this because it sounded cool".

I was seeing psychiatrists back when the emo fad started, I was talking to them at the height of "Teenagers are all pretending to have depression because they read about it on the internet and think it's cool" days, so I know first-hand how eager some professionals can get to jump to that conclusion - unfortunately, there were times when seeing doctors felt more like a test of my ability to word the truth in a more digestible way than an opportunity to actually talk about how I was feeling.

An essential part of research should be to get your terms right - I fucked up back in the day because I referred to my compulsion to mime slitting my wrists or shooting myself in the head when I'm panicked as a "suicidal gesture" (however there's a medical term, "suicide gesture", that sounds almost identical and it means when you feign a suicide attempt by injuring yourself in a non-deadly manner, typically for attention) and not as a compulsion, which is part of how my OCD diagnosis got wrongly changed to a BPD diagnosis. I had never even heard of the terminology, I was just saying "I have to do a suicidal gesture when I'm panicking" meaning "When I'm panicked I have the compulsion to mime ways in which I envision killing myself", it was just poor wording, I had no idea that it was a medical term with an entirely different meaning. That created a huge misunderstanding, as you can imagine.

Seventhly is some advice that a friend gave me and honestly it's one of the best things that I've ever heard and comes in two parts: 1) play to your strengths, and 2) use your acting voice.

So part 2 is the easy one, everybody has something called a chest voice - it's a deeper voice that you use when singing or performing that projects better. Look up some YouTube videos on how to use your chest voice and practice it - it conveys a confidence that most people's normal voices do not. You could also stand in front of a mirror and work on your facial expressions.

Part 1 is a little more complicated and probably something that people will frown upon me for saying but... in this world you gotta be a little manipulative sometimes, you've got to assess situations and respond accordingly, you've got to word things certain ways.

I'm a very small, quiet person with an accent that immediately halves my IQ to everyone who hears it, it is near enough impossible for me to convey an air of superiority and maturity, but it's easy for me to play dumb and sweet. I can't get the psychiatrist to shut up by being somebody who sounds like I know what I'm talking about, if I get annoyed or snap it won't look like anger (I'm too quiet and I physically do not possess angry face muscles, I hate it), but if I go quiet and stare sadly at the floor then people notice and ask what's wrong. I can't get somebody to inherently assume that when I name a disorder I know what I'm talking about, but I can pretend that I've never heard of it or heard it in passing, and lead them into suggesting it.

I'm an extreme case in this regard and it's usually not a good idea to hide your real emotions and act when you're in a scenario where somebody is literally monitoring your body language for signals... there are definitely hardcore disadvantages and risks to that, and I am most certainly not recommending misleading your doctor, in fact I'm actively advising against doing that (I'm just saying that I do that sometimes, because I'm a dick and because my voice trying to yell "Shut the fuck up!" when I feel that angry usually only earns an "It doesn't even sound like swearing when you do it, that's adorable." because I'm fucking cursed).

What I am saying though is that I can't tell you exactly how to act (in fact, I'd be encouraging you to do something that I literally just said is bad if I did tell you how to act), I can't tell you exactly what words to say, where to put your hands, etc. The tip here is that you've got to be able to improvise, to assess the situation, to adapt, to know what you are and are not capable of and work within that, to see when a path is either going nowhere or going off topic and figure out how to direct it back, you've got to know how to talk to that specific person (professionals are just people, at the end of the day, and every person is different in how they speak and how they like being spoken to - some respond best to you casually bringing stuff up, some respond to structure, some click with you, some really don't).

Eighthly and most importantly, don't let any of this get you nervous. This advice is almost a "How to survive some of the shittiest doctors I had" sort of thing. The most likely outcome is that they're going to listen intently to what you have to say, trust you, respect you, ask the appropriate questions, and help you make sense of what's going on.

I have no doubt that you can do this and that you will absolutely rock it - you don't need that confidence in yourself, but reminding yourself that it's going to go well, that you're badass, that the professional is there to help you, and that they'll want this information as much as you want them to have it, that stuff will help. Believe in the heart of the cards, or the power of friendship, or your Pokémon, or something.

So, to put all this into something vaguely actionable (although I can't really give you much specific advice because I don't know what's going on in your head, so this is just like... idk vague template example thingy), the foundation of what you want your doctor to know is "I have the symptoms of hypomania, I want you to seriously consider the possibility that this is bipolar and not just depression."

In your symptom diary, keep track of the symptoms of hypomania - irritability, sleeplessness, recklessness, elation, etc - note down when they show up, how bad they are, how they impact you, your food and fluid and alcohol intake, the times of day when certain things happened, how well and long you slept, etc, but also jot down the depressive episodes and other potential symptoms, in case you need to answer questions in regards to those.

Next, write down the key points that you want to bring up on a separate note: how often did the symptoms generally show up? for how long? which are the most damaging? what is the worst thing that happened as a result?

Now you're in the appointment with your note and diary, you've told the doctor "You know I have some communication issues so I really need you to let me say what I've prepared, because I feel like the fact that the things I'm about to discuss aren't being addressed is really inhibiting my therapy." The doctor has agreed to let you speak and you've got your notes in front of you, and you say (a more applicable to you equivalent of) "I started a symptom diary a little while ago, I've brought it with me - I made note of symptoms, food intake, medication, sleep, and so on. I noticed that I was getting exceptionally irritable and hyperactive, especially during periods of a few days when I wasn't exhibiting as many of the depression symptoms, and I've ruled out sleep, food, and other factors as causes. On the fourth of last month, I got so restless that I couldn't sit down and I actually gave myself blisters pacing back and forth for six hours - while during the depressive episodes I can barely even manage to walk to the bathroom let alone pace. I came across an article online while looking up ways to ease the irritability, and I found that a few people described things incredibly similar to what I was going through, and they used the term 'hypomania'. I was hoping that we could talk through the symptoms that I've documented, and you could help me get my head around what's going on and how to treat it."

Then the doctor asks her questions, you answer as honestly and fully as you can, and try to cite evidence from your symptom diary.

If you can't manage to say the words that you need to say to start off such a conversation, then instead of just writing notes you could fully write out what it is that you want to say, and ask them to read it - explaining that you feel especially anxious about your ability to vocally express this, but it needs to be addressed because it's negatively impacting your therapy and your state of life.

Or, as I suggested at the beginning, have somebody else come along as an advocate.

That's just my advice stemming from my own experience... for some people, this advice might be unhelpful. As I mentioned earlier, you need to assess your situation, assess what you are and are not capable of, assess how your doctor usually responds to you, what they respond well to and what they respond poorly to, and so on - everybody's situation is different, so there isn't a list of "This is exactly what to say and do to get a doctor to listen to you" (as much as the crowd of people who adore convincing doctors that they have the next fad would love for there to be something like that). Ultimately, like any conversation, it's about what works best for the two individuals involved in that specific conversation.

Since I've broached this less from a general self-advocacy stand point (heck, I may even have pissed off self-advocacy people because a lot of this was "tips on how to stop shitty doctors being shitty" rather than all of the stuff about keeping records and knowing your rights and so forth) and more from a "personalized tips pulled from Vape's ceramic jar of ways to avoid my shitty mistakes", I'm now going to give you a handful of links to some more professional self-advocacy sites, and I recommend that you do proper research on the topic for a few hours on google. As flattered as I am that you came to me, and as hopeful as I am that my advice helps in some way, me waffling about the ways I avoid getting screwed over again isn't professional advice - I'm very aware, as someone who's worked in a youth group, that I am not the fountain of all knowledge and that it is my job to pass you on to those more capable and to ensure that you know that my word isn't law.

So check out some of these and do more specific research and googling when you have the time (these aren't all about self-advocacy in medical care, some are about self-advocacy in other areas or advocacy in general, but I hope the advice may still be useful):

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/advocacy/#.WlaI26CnzqA

http://www.familyaware.org/how-to-model-mentalhealth-selfadvocacy/

http://www.cooltanarts.org.uk/what-we-offer/self-advocacy/

https://www.voiceability.org/support-for-you/self-advocacy/

http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=39797

https://www.ncld.org/archives/action-center/what-we-ve-done/self-advocacy-5-tips-from-a-student

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/9767596

https://www.includenyc.org/resources/video-detail/10-self-advocacy-tips-for-young-people-with-disabilities

https://www.kidney.org/content/5-tips-self-advocacy

Also, full disclosure, I haven't thoroughly read all of these and I'm low on sleep and running on way more caffeine than I should really have had... I'm probably not in the best state to be imparting important information right now, but I really hope that somewhere in this jumble I said something that was useful. (I also love how the quality just gradually declines after I start craving a cigarette at the midway point... I'm so sorry.)

EDIT: PS I'm sorry that I got pronouns and job titles and stuff jumbled up all through this, uhh, my brain is running on super fast mode right now so it's not really accessing all of the important files or deeper processing. I'm sorry, again.

Alternatively, if your therapist is super great and trusts you "I think I've been experiencing hypomania, and I think this may be bipolar and not just depression" will work fine... but the symptom diary, that is a good tip for anybody and everybody, regardless.

~ Vape

#Mod Vaporeon #I really do hope this helps #also sorry if I'm acting a bit weird and sporadic #speaking of mania #I don't get many manic phases lately so I'm really not prepared for if this one lasts #and the caffeine is making it worse

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deadmomjokes · 7 years ago

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Hi there! I hope I'm not bothering you, but I wanted to know how to work at an animal shelter? What are the requirements? What does it entail? What is it like? What sort of jobs are there? Hope you have a nice day!

Not bothering at all!

It’s going to be different at every shelter, and it also depends on how the shelter is run. Some are run as a charity (501 c3), some are contracted NGOs (nongovernmental organizations), and some partner with city/county animal control to replace the ‘pound’ system that puts down unclaimed dogs. I work at the last kind, which I think is super great! It helps with the funding issue shelters often have, by having the county take care of things like the electric and water bills, some of the supplies, vet costs, etc. It doesn’t solve all of that, and we still love and rely on donations, but it helps us take in more animals. Plus, it keeps animals from getting put down just because nobody came to claim them. Instead, they go up for adoption! :)

I can’t speak on every point for all shelters, but I can speak for the one I work at, and so that’s how I’ll base my answers. There are a few constants in all shelters, and I’ll go over those too. This is gonna be a long post, so sorry to ramble on at ya, but I love my job and love talking about it!

Experience Necessary/ Requirements

For my interview, we went over my experience working with animals. For me, I’d volunteered with a shelter in the past, so it helped my credibility. I’ve also trained animals, and owned animals all my life. I have some minor experience in animal grooming and wound care, so that helps too. But the only official requirements for the position were: Willing to/able to clean lots of stuff (I’ve worked custodial in the past, so that helped), willing/able to lift up to 40lbs (tho I use this rarely), not afraid of animals (mainly cats and dogs, but also reptiles, birds, etc), some experience with pet animals, clean criminal check, and no allergies to pet animals.

In most shelters, those are going to be the main requirements. Some shelters may not have the criminal record thing, but due to our shelter working with the police system indirectly, and dealing with peoples’ information (to get your dog out, you have to show id), we have to have that requirement. But the necessities in a shelter environment are moderate physical strength, not fearing pet animals, not being allergic (you’d pretty much die if you are allergic), and being willing to get dirty. People with physical or mobility issues may be able to work the front desk, or work to help people coming through, but most shelter positions are very physical, as you may have to deal with dangerous animals.

Shelter positions/duties

Most of my position involves cleaning, and most shelter positions are going to be essentially cleaning jobs with animal interactions and other duties sprinkled in. Animals take a lot of cleaning when they’re kept in high numbers, and especially when kept indoors! Our cat kennels are made of stainless steel, and we have a vet-grade cleaner we use to eliminate the ammonia from the urine, and kill germs so they don’t get sick. They get their kennels cleaned every single day, and they get newspaper put in the bottom, a litter box, a blanket, a food dish, and a water dish. These also get cleaned or replaced daily.

Dogs stay in kennels with heated floors (so they don’t need a blanket; many dogs will shred blankets and/or eat them, so we just forgo the need except in cases of very small or old dogs). They are basically divided fences, giving the dog enough space to move and gently play. Our kennels have drains that run down the middle of the kennel and have covers so you can hose the poops right down the drain instead of having to go at it with a poop scooper. Some shelters use the poop scoop method, but the hose method is a lot quicker, safer, and more sanitary. There are sliding dividers in the kennels so you can put the dog on one side and hose down the empty area, then switch sides and do it again, this way the dog doesn’t chase the hose or get soaked. Dog kennels get cleaned with a disinfectant and detergent to make sure germs don’t grow or spread.

Then there’s dishes. We have to wash all food, water, and litter dishes, and it piles up fast. Then you have laundry--cat beds and cleaning rags, mostly, but also some towels or the occasional doggy bed. Sweeping, mopping, dusting, and disinfecting various surfaces are also involved. Lots and lots and lots of cleaning.

It’s not just cleaning, tho. Me and my coworkers who are also animal care attendants (that’s our official position title) feed and water all the animals when we clean the areas, and we watch for any signs of sickness. In cats, you’re looking for sneezing, coughing, nasal or eye discharge, vomiting, or drooling. In dogs it’s sneezing, coughing, runny/bloody stool, or repeated vomiting. We also give vaccines to all incoming animals (kennel cough for dogs, and a combo for cats), and our shelter is authorized for doing rabies vaccines at redemption or adoption. This is only done at a few shelters, as rabies vaccination is highly legally controlled, so it probably won’t be at many shelters. We also do pre-adoption checks on all animals getting adoption, where we check health markers to make sure they’re not visibly sick. We intake animals (do their basic paperwork, which varies by shelter, set up their kennel, feed them, take their picture, scan them for microchip, sex check them, etc). We also walk through the people looking for a lost pet. That last one will be unique to shelters like mine that replace the pound system.

There are other positions at our shelter. We have the front desk staff, who do all the paperwork, licensing, adoptions, and so on. They help with some cleaning and animal care, but that’s mostly on the animal care staff. The front desk staff deal with people mostly. They also do temperament testing on the animals to make sure they’re safe for adoption

Every shelter has their own positions and duties, but most shelters will need cleaning/feeding staff and desk staff, and that’s where most of the jobs are. Some, however, need communications/PR people, advertising people, community liasons, etc. (Our shelter combines those duties with the front desk people. We just don’t have the funding to separate the duties.) Every shelter is unique, so check descriptions carefully, and if you get an interview, ask questions!!!

What it’s like

There are great things about working in a shelter, and not so great things. The not so great things are probably obvious--lots of animals who are lost and sad and waiting for a forever home. (***VERY SAD ANIMAL THINGS CW, IF YOU DON’T WANNA READ ABOUT SAD ANIMAL THINGS SKIP TO THE NEXT “***”) It can drain you emotionally, especially when the same animals keep getting passed up for adoption and just stay there for ages. Sometimes animals don’t make it. As hard as we try to keep them all healthy, some animals get really sick while at the shelter--stress wrecks the immune system, not just in humans. Cats in particular are really vulnerable (which is why cat-cuddling volunteers are so vital!) They also refuse to eat or drink when very sick. So sometimes animals pass, and sometimes it takes a while and they start to suffer. It’s really hard to see that especially when you can’t do anything about it. Sometimes animals come in and they’re injured, and the vet can only do so much, or your funding for the month has run out and you can’t take him to the vet so you just do what you can. Sometimes people surrender their pets to you for many reasons, and it hurts to see them do it. Sometimes (for our shelter), animal control officers bring you animals that were killed, and you have to store the body for an owner to identify. Taking them back to id the body is the hardest part. Another really, really hard one is when (at our shelter) dangerous or suffering animals have to be euthanized. Not all shelters do that. Some are in areas where ‘rehab’ rescues come collect the dangerous ones and work to get them people-safe. Some just keep the animals forever, which is neither safe nor good for the animal. Our shelter is in an area without a rehab, so the dangerous ones have to be humanely euthanized. But the fact that it’s humane doesn’t make it any easier. I don’t do it, tho, so that’s good. It takes a lot of authorization, so none of us animal care staff are allowed to, and I’m glad for that. But it’s still really hard knowing.

(***SAD THINGS OVER***)

There are also great things. Seeing people find their pets is amazing! Seeing animals get adopted is the best! You also sometimes have time to cuddle kitties and walk a dog or two. And as you clean, you get to kind of play with the animals, sort of. But it’s amazing just knowing that you’re helping animals that would otherwise be living or getting hurt out on the street. It’s wonderful when you get to see an animal’s journey from coming in as a dirty, injured stray to a happy, clean, healthy animal going to a new forever home.

Note that I made that ‘not so great’ section longer than the great section. That doesn’t mean it’s more sad than not. I just want people considering shelter work to be prepared for the hard things that are involved, because they are very taxing, especially if you don’t know what you’re in for at first. You have to be prepared for awful things, or sad things will knock you down really hard.

Some other considerations: you’ll be dealing with scared, sometimes aggressive animals, so you have to be able to keep your cool. You have to follow your shelter protocols, or you or the animals might get hurt. You can’t skimp on regulations, or you risk injury or an outbreak of major disease among the animals. Shelters are a delicate balance, and one missed hand-washing could cause a whole row of cats to come down with feline distemper. You have to be willing to be meticulous.

How to land a shelter job

The first thing is knowing what shelters are in your area. Look them up, and get their contact information. Find out if they take volunteers. If they do, do it!! Volunteering with a shelter is an amazing way to get to know if it’s a good fit for you, and also to get an in with the shelter. It also looks great on a resume for if you move but still want to get into shelter business.

Don’t be afraid to ask where they would post if they ever have job openings. That’s your best way to find out if they’re hiring, or when they will be hiring. You can ask those questions! I stumbled upon my job by checking city/county job boards. Just keep an eye out.

I’m sorry that was such a long answer, it’s just something I’m super passionate about! If you have more or follow-up questions, let me know, and I’ll try to be more brief next time. :)

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haikyuulovercompany · 8 years ago

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I'm the Bokuto fangirl again, sorry HAHAHA. May I ask for a scenario for Bokuto and his crush slash s/o in a date at an owl café? Please and thank you ^^

Hello again, love!! I’m glad to have you on my asks again! I hope you like it!!

——

The whole situation was odd. They had gone to the same school for threeyears, and all of a sudden he had invited her out. Not in the normal fashion,though. He had said he knew this amazing place he wanted to check out, but heneeded someone to go with. He said it and stood on his place with his winninggrin, and hands on his hips watching her. She immediately understood. He wantedher to go with him.

She said she would gladly go with him.

Bokuto and her had been friends for a while. Her best friend was thevolleyball club manager, so it was only logical that she spent a lot of timewith the team. Bokuto and her had always got along perfectly fine. They talkedregularly, and she had even given him her notes before an exam a couple oftimes. It was just the bizarreness of being alone with someone for the firsttime.

She still didn’t understand why he had decided to invite her from allpeople. Bokuto was friends with practically everyone. Then again, maybe histeammates who were his usual clique were all busy. Her own friends had insistedit was a legit date. She was skeptical nonetheless. He hadn’t legitimatelyasked her out. He had indirectly suggested it would be nice if someone wentwith him to this magnificent place. She would decide at the end of the day ifshe had a date with Bokuto Koutaro or not.

But from all surprises, the place where he had taken her was the biggestof them all.

They had met at the bus stop, and Bokuto was already shaking withexcitement. She had known since she met him that he had a thing for owls, sowhy hasn’t she seen something like that coming?

“I had no idea a place like this even existed,” she said. She was ingenuine awe. She wasn’t an owl fanatic; nevertheless, the idea of seeing a trueowl up close was exciting.

He did his best to keep his cool. He had been trying to keep his coolsince he invited her out. And according to him he was doing an excellent job.

He had been crushing over that girl for the past months. They had beenfriends for the last three years, but for some reason it wasn’t until then thathe started to feel different towards her. Maybe he had grown too fond of her.Maybe he fell for her after he completely knew her. He wasn’t sure. He onlyknew he really liked her.

So not only he was alone with the girl he liked, but the anticipation ofcarrying an owl was killing him.

He didn’t answer her. He felt that if he talked, his voice would comeout wrong. He walked to the door, and opened it. He stood there waiting for herto enter first. Both of them gasped. There were owls here and there.

She felt an increasing aura besides her stopping her from sayinganything. Bokuto walked straight to the counter, and she followed.

“A table for two. Please,” he asked. His voice was strange, and loud, asif it was difficult for him to talk. She noticed his shoulders were slightlyshaking.

“Bokuto-san, are you okay?” He only nodded in response.

She took a couple of steps forward so she could look at his face. Shehad to cover her mouth with one of her hands to stop the laughter thatthreatened to leave. Bokuto’s mouth was tight, and his cheeks were pink. He wasliterally flustered.

A waitress came with two menus on her hands ready to take them to theirtable. “You want to choose an owl now or…”

“YES!” Bokuto finally exploded interrupting the lady. He was no longerholding back his smile. “Take us to the owls!” He blurted lifting both hisfists. The waitress nodded fast.

“F-follow me,” the waitress said nervously.

Bokuto took _____ by the wrist, and softly pulled her. She swore hercheeks grew a little bit warmer than usual. She let him drag her. The waitresstook them to a room that simulated an aviary. All kinds of owls were standingon fake branches that were installed everywhere in the room.

She pulled her hand from Bokuto’s grip, and walked up to one of thebranches as if the animals had hypnotized her with their immense eyes. Her facewas as happy as his. She was now realizing how feverish she was as well. Shelooked at the owls with shimmering eyes. They all looked at her, and movedtheir faces studying her. She took a couple of photos with her phone.

She gasped when she saw a little black owl, which eyes watched herboringly. She giggled. “This one looks like Akaashi, Bokuto!” she said enthusiasticallypointing at the animal.

She turned around, and her jaw dropped.

Bokuto had owls in both his shoulders, and forearms. He was trying tomake another owl climb up on his arm. The waitress was staring at him interror, clearly not knowing how to stop him. When the owl finally acceded, helet out his typical shrieking scream. Surprisingly, the owls were unfazed byhow loud, and sharp the noise was.

“Look at me!” Bokuto said to her showing the biggest of all smiles. “Theowls love me! Take a picture! Quick! Quick!” She did as he said. She almostlaugh at how hyped he looked even in the photo. She stared at the photo alittle bit longer. “I want to take them all to the table.”

“Uhm, ahm,” tried to say the waitress. “You can only… two is themaximum. You can’t take that many.”

“Huh!? Why!?” he asked. The waitress jolted on her place.

“Hey,” she said attracting his attention. She needed to intervene;otherwise the poor waitress was going to pass out. “Let’s not give her a badtime. Let’s choose two.” In response he only pouted in petulant annoyance.

She quickly scanned all the owls. Her eyes stopped at a grey one thatwas gazing right back at her with its yellow eyes entirely open. The owl wasone of the most funny looking owls there. The face it had was priceless. Shecouldn’t help to see Bokuto from the corner of her eye. He was gazing at her inthe exact same way the bird in front of her was, which made the whole situationfunnier. She smiled, and faced him. “I want to take this because it looks likeyou.”

“Like me?” He moved his arm so he could see the owl more clearly. Hemoves his had to a side, and the owl followed. He tilted his head, and the owlfollowed again. Bokuto grinned. “Oh! I see what you’re talking about!”

“We’ll take that one to our table,” she said to the waitress.

“Wait, I want another one.” Bokuto said taking a couple of steps backwhen the waitress walked to him ready to take all of the owls off of him. Shewas simply impressed by how calm the owls on Bokuto’s arms were.

He started to look at them one, by one. A frown appeared on his face. Hewas notable frustrated by having to choose only one. They spent twenty moreminutes there. By then the waitress had grown impatience.

____ cleared her throat. “I think we need to leave the aviary,Bokuto-san.”

“AH! I choose the smallest one,” he said defeated. She was surprised byhis choice. She had sworn he would choose the biggest owl. Then again, if youlooked at the small, puffy brown owl with the same big yellow eyes as the otherthey had chosen, you would understand why it was impossible to leave it behind.

If relief looked like something, it was the face of the waitress whenBokuto decided which owl he wanted, and finally let her take the rest of thebirds off of him.

He sighted with grief when they were almost obligated to leave theimprovise aviary. She rubbed one of his forearms trying to console him. Shefelt a couple of bumps on it. She gasped.

“Bokuto-san, your arms are full of scratches,” she said alarmed. He checkedthem out.

“You’re right.”

“Must have been from the owls’ claws,” she said as she delicately held his armstudying the wounds totally unaware of the sudden pinkish color on Bokuto’sface. He swallowed hard, and shook his head trying to recover his cool.

“Go to your table, please,”said the waitress behind them giving them a little push from behind breakingtheir little moment. She had enough of them.

After they sited, she brought two wooden stands, and then brought thetwo owls with their leashes, and secured them.

“Be gentle with them,” said the waitress leaving two pair of thick,leather gloves on the table.

If they hadn’t tormented the waitress enough, now they were too busywith the owls to even look at their menus.

Unlike Bokuto, she had been afraid of holding the bird. It’s persistenteyes on her made her even more nervous. He moved his chair beside her, andhelped her get the own on her hand. She didn’t know if she wanted to laugh, orcry. The animal couldn’t keep its eyes off of her.

“It’s going to bite me.”

“No, don’t worry,” he said reassuring her. The owl moved on her armcloser to her face. She moved her head away from the bird, and closer to him.

“It’s coming for me,” she whispered terrified. He inevitable laughed,and the bird flapped its wings. She shrieked. “Time to put you back on thestand.” She laughed nervously as she shook her hand so the bird would get off.Once she succeeded, she sighted relief. “I don’t know how you do it.”

Bokuto shrugged. He was abnormally calm looking straight at her. Hiseyes were piercing through her. She had never been victim of such a look. Ifthe owl had gotten on her nerves, those eyes were about to send her intocardiac arrest. “It’s all about trusting nothing will happen to you, I guess.”

She swallowed hard. “Well, maybe next time I’ll try that.”

“Are you ready to order?” the voice of the waitress asked out ofnowhere. She turned to face her. Bokuto frowned. That lady was definitely ontohis case. It was the second time that day she had interrupted them. She wassurely taking her sweet revenge.

The rest of the evening went smoothly. Bokuto was sure the waitress keptroaming them making sure he treated the owls well, and making sure she wasthere to interrupt any kind of advance he dared to make.

Needless to say, _____ had to make a great effort to take Bokuto out ofthat place. It was getting late, and she had to get home. After she literallydragged him out of the café with all the strength she possessed, they took thebus back home.

On their way, Bokuto couldn’t stop complaining about the waitress, andhow they should let people stay in the aviary. She shook her head. She waslooking at the photos they had taken. She stumbled with the photo of Bokutocovered in owls. She couldn’t help to smile.

“This is a really good photo of you,” she admitted out loud. Bokutoraised his eyebrows and looked at it.

“Send it to me! I’ll show it to Akaashi on Monday.”

She nodded. She stared at the photo a couple of seconds, and then staredat Bokuto. She would be lying if she said she didn’t have a great time withhim. Her friends had texted all day, but she had purposely ignored them.

She had said she didn’t want to jump into conclusions, but by then theday had felt like a date, more than just a casual gathering. She suspiredmaking him to look at her.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Yes, I… I had a good time. Thank you for today,” she said. Bokuto’seyes opened wide reminding her of the owl she was incapable to carry. He wasastonished, and she felt confused there for a second.

“Really? You really had a good time?” he asked as if he couldn’t believewhat he heard.

“Yes?” she chuckled. “Why? Why is it so hard to believe? Today was fun.”

“You want to do it again?”

Now she was totally puzzled.

“Do what? Go to the owl café again?” He shook his head.

“Go out with me,” he bluntly said.

A remarkable bright pink blush, that Bokuto would never forget, appearedon her face. She smiled nervously.

“Yes. I would gladly go out with you again… on a date.”

“Yes, another date,” he confirmed.

And there was her answer.

The oddest thing about the whole situation probably wasn’t how he hadasked her out, or the place he had taken her to. It was that she was looking forwardto the next time. She was already inpatient for their next date.

How odd was to think she might have fallen for Bokuto in an aviary.

——

Thanks for the request!! I hope you liked it!

#bokuto #bokuto kotaro #koutaro bokuto #bokuto koutaro #fukorodani #haikyuu #haikyuu!!#haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu!! scenarios

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mrm64 · 3 years ago

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hello! i know it's a bad idea to engage in any shipping discourse but for the sake of constructive criticism, i asked an sns shipper if she thinks there's atleast potential in ss if ever sakura had that capacity to stand up to sasuke and if she wasn't as much fixated on him during shipuuden and the war arc. i even brought up the wasted opportunity of sasuke vs sakura that was shown in the game. the sns shipper gave a very structured and well-versed answer and i do agree with some of her points. i'm not even anti-sns and i understand the support this ship gets. but this person really hates sakura. so her answer to my question if ss has potential is straight up NO. hate is an understatement. she explicitly said she DETESTS sakura and ss xD. granted, her hatred is valid since sakura's writing is very flawed and inconsistent. what i didn't like was when she said why am i trying to change sakura's personality (her standing up to sasuke whether physically or verbally) when "she's constantly on heat when he's around". gosh, i really wanted to retaliate here and say it's called freakin character development. i mean, that's what she's mainly hated for right? the fact that she's obsessed and a pushover when it comes to sasuke. having that change especially during the war arc doesn't mean she's out of character, it means development. but gah, sakura haters are really hard to argue with so i just stayed silent.

to briefly summarize, her main point of argumentation is that sakura was toxic to both naruto and sasuke. sasuke's relationship with naruto is more defined than whatever he had with sakura. she brought up ss's pt.1 moments and said that sasuke would do the same to naruto, if not even better. as for naruto's case, sakura was a mean bitch and was so unfair to him throughout the series. simply put, even if sns has questionable elements, they are more organic and healthy than sasusaku.

this got me thinking. between sasunarusasu and sasusaku, despite both having toxic elements, i think the reason why there are relatively more sns shippers is because there's balance. compared to sakura, sasuke has shown more consideration towards naruto and we all know naruto cares for sasuke just as much and he isn't afraid to stand up to this guy.

idk what i'm even trying to ask here. i guess i'm just ranting lol. i've always seen your comments in youtube vids defending sakura and ss and i know you have an extensive knowledge of the naruto manga in general. you could only imagine how shocked i am when i found out you're a male. it's really rare to find someone like you. :)

anyways, i just feel so disappointed and pressed lmao. ss shippers couldn't catch a break from haters. like yea, some of us know it has shit writing in the canon and explanations regarding their relationship in the series is very limited. i already accepted the fact that they are underdeveloped and was borderline toxic. but then, between kishimoto's pitiful inability to write female characters properly and SP's biased treatment towards sasusaku plus the manga's main narrative focusing on naruto and sasuke, i just feel like it's kinda unfair for antis to shit on ss shippers when in reality, most of us just hold onto it because of nostalgia. most sasusaku shippers came to be when they were very young. i even found comments saying they started shipping them when they were 6 or 7. in my case, i was 12 lol.

it's kinda unfair since sns has the upperhand bcoz the series is mainly about them. naruhina has retcons and SP and what does ss have? small pt.1 moments, headcanons, fanons and to top it off SP's biased ass shitting on it. the ss fandom isn't perfect and has its fair share of immature stans as well, but i'm still glad that didn't stop authors and artists from making content. ss has got some of the best fanfictions, fanarts and doujinshis. i just wished antis won't attack them as much.

anyways, i'm not even asking a specific question. i just ranted. i just needed to get this out of my system. sorry for that 😅

Hey! It's been a long while since I got asks like this lol! Once tumblr went all anti-nsfw a few years ago, we all kinda migrated to Twitter for our SS/Anime cravings tbh but I'm glad and flattered you decided to ask me on my thoughts! :)

I won't write long as again, tbh, I'm kinda retired from debating/arguing with antis on things of SS/Naruto/Etc (unless I'm simply too triggered to let it go lol. You've already probably seen my long Sakura video so I won't go too much into details of what I already covered with Sakura's character. But to answer you, I'll keep it to the point.

It's ok of course to say Kishi's writing is flawed, I mean he is human and we know Naruto has holes. Every manga/story does of course. When it comes to SS, I personally bring it to this: Sasuke and Naruto's relationship is NOT Sasuke and Sakura's relationship. And that's (imo) ok. Sasuke and Naruto obviously have a bond only they have. Both lonely and orphaned, rivals with each other, haters to brother, you know it all. But Sakura is different. She's simply a normal, head-strong and caring girl. Kishi wanted to write a normal girl, and he did a darn well good job, because just like normal girls (or people in general), they're imperfect. That's why she first appealed to me.

Anyway, to the point, SS is pretty easy to follow. Sakura likes Sasuke....what's the problem? Where's the toxicity, lol. Sure she fangirls over him as a 12 year old girl, but again, Sakura is normal. Most girls I knew that age did the same thing. Most BOYS I knew were super...*cough* ready to be with girls (*cough cough*, puberty, everyone, *cough*). Sasuke is cool and confident. Sakura lacked confidence, so naturally she was drawn to Sasuke. Sasuke at first found her annoying (as he did with Naruto too) but as the became a team, she bonded. SS' bond is NOT NSN's bond. SS's bond is built upon a simply caring basis. Sakura always cared for Sasuke, and Sasuke always was protective of Sakura. Forest of Death, Sand Invasion, etc...add in the angst of Shippuden (nobody can tell me one was better than the other during Shippuden, Sasuke was 'bout to axe everyone while in darkness lol), blank period bonding, and then Boruto. There it is in SIMPLE terms.

As far as "standing up" to Sasuke...not sure where this person is coming from....again, NSN is NOT SS....Sakura has stood up to Sasuke at times. In the FOD where she indirectly called him a coward, when she pleaded with him to not fight in the Prelims and threatened to tell the proctors of the curse mark, trying to stop him from leaving Konoha., etc. If she was a "doormat", she would have said "Ok Sauske, you do whatever you want, it's all ok my love!" That was chapter 3 Sakura. A LOT of haters can't move beyond that chapter tbh...moving on. The main thing is, she wasn't STRONG enough to stop him by FORCE. She wasn't written to. Sure I woulda liked some angsty moments of them fighting, TRUST ME, you already know. But Kishi wanted the fighting to mostly be between Naruto and Sasuke, as most battle Shonen go. It's Goku and Vegeta, Deku and Bakugou, you name it. She was written to LOVE him unconditionally. And despite Kishi's misses here and here, it's clear as day to many people that they do indeed, love each other. Sarada is a product of years of redemption, forgiveness, and understanding between SS (which is....literally some of the themes of Naruto....Zabuza...Haku...Gaara...Pein...Obito....list goes on...).

And of course Naruto and Sasuke's relationship got more spotlight. They're essentially the Shonen "duo" like I explained before with Goku and Vegeta. It's a common tope which can be a bit annoying imo since other characters get shafted, but they're gonna be seen more by the public. At the end of the day, Kishi modeled NSN after his relationship with his BROTHER....that was one of Naruto's main story plots. AGAIN, OF COURSE it's gonna be pushed and seem like it's more "balanced"...it's a battle Shonen, not a love story lol. The love stuff is sprinkled in. This isn't a Shojo. If it was, SS would be the main focus (or...I guess NSN if Kishi WANTED to go that route).

So to finish off, you're right with the SP thing. But it can't be helped. If people wanna say NSN has more "development", let them. At the end of the day, they're shown more to the viewers because they're the Goku and Vegeta of Naruto. They push the narrative, not a romance. They're Kishi's go-to boys. They're the essential main character and rival. It's nothing new. But you know what else? They're. NOT. A. COUPLE. SasuSaku is, and again, romance is SPRINKLED in. It's N O T a Shojo and not the main focus. Honestly...the arguments that NSN shipper used are a bit weak knowing full well that SNS represent Kishi's brother and himself.

I mean...tldr, I could just say "Kishi and his bro are Naruto and Sasuke. SO nah bro, NSN has no romantic development. I wasn't meant to lol."

Typed longer than I thought, but I hope this helped! At the end of the day, ship SS in peace. We have an amazing fandom for the most part with wonderful content and we ain't stopping anytime soon :)

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