#The answer may be yes but man... No to be autistic on main but.... I want to belive people I like are like me | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tiffanylamps · 1 year

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🔥🔥🔥🔥 of course, some beyond evil hot takes 🔥🔥🔥🔥 but also, what is some controversial opinion that you have about something entirely mundane :^0

ask me ask me ask me baby (Disclaimer: I started writing this, then had dinner, watched an episode of Bros on Foot, then had a shower and now I'm pretty exhausted (thanks rona + bad health). So my answers may seem a lil disorganised... they most likely are) Oh, gosh. I don't think I have that many opinions that are actually controversial when discussing be. But I shall still give it a go. I going to put a break here 'cause I really didn't know when to shut up. Also, sorry Iva but I feel like my answers are things we've already spoken about. So, I don't think any of this is new information to you 😩 TL;DR: Dong Sik and Joo Won shouldn't be represented by one aspect of their character. They're more complicated than that. (Including a mundane opinion at the end) (please excuse any weird funny business in this post (writing, grammar, spelling, clarity), we're trying our best here at Lamps HQ)

i. We as a fandom baby Dong Sik too much. I love Dong Sik. I adore him. He has seen and experienced far too many traumas, and I want nothing but good things for him in his future. What happened to him and his family when he was 20 was a tragedy that could have been avoided if the system (which should be in place to aid victims) wasn't systemically corrupt. He was beaten by police officers whilst in custody. He was framed and belittled, degraded, and humiliated. (the trauma he experienced is so layered and would take a lifetime for him to unpack and get closure from).

It almost completely ruined his life and future prospects, and it would have been done if Nam Sang Bae hadn't come in with his lvl 100 guilt and tried to make up for his actions. Dong Sik tried to make the best out of the awful circumstances that befell him and I sincerely admire him. Not everyone is as kind and loving as Dong Sik.... But but but... Buuuuut that doesn't absolve him of his actions. He murdered someone with his bare hands and allowed the system that was once put against him to be used in his favour.

Police officers shouldn't be murdering civilians. full stop. Yes, he was emotionally compromised- technically it could be seen as self-defence, but an unconvicted man, a suspect, was murdered and Dong Sik didn't face repercussions. Nam Sang Bae skewed the evidence so Dong Sik didn't get into trouble. Dong Sik took a year (?) off work after that event and to "help" him recover, Sang Bae got Dong Sik transferred to his substation (which Sang Bae had been demoted to as a result of one of his rookies dying on the job. Although, it wasn't deemed much of a punishment considering he was so close to retiring anyway). All the while, Dong Sik feels justified for his actions (as he did when he moved Min Jeong's fingers). (Screenshots from the translated script book/author's notes doc)

I think it's best that when discussing and exploring Dong Sik's character, we remember that he is a man capable of murder. He is a murderer. (Do I blame him for what he did? No, not really. I can see why he did it. Objectively, I fucking love it for the narrative lol). But yeah, he isn't a guiltless sweet baby angel who never did anything wrong in his life. (DISCLAIMER: obviously jokes are just jokes. I love them and I never want them to stop. I am super guilty of participating in this line of joking and I'm not about to stop any time soon. But when discussing DS in serious conversations, we shouldn't erase his history. By doing that, we are devoiding him of agency and retribution (which is one of the main arcs/themes of his character development)).

ii. Joo Won is autistic and people need to stop calling him stupid. I will die on this hill, I don't care. I fully encourage everyone to bully Joo Won, because, well, he fucking deserves it. I know that bullying him is a hilarious love language the fandom has developed and I fully participate in this pastime. I honestly love it. Yes, he has done a lot wrong and shouldn't be absolved of his sins (that being said, we should allow him the space to learn and grow. We should learn to forgive whilst still keeping him and ourselves in check). But where I draw the line is when people outright laugh at his characteristics/actions which are derived from the fact that Joo Won is coded as autistic.

I know not everyone is going to be particularly versed in neurodivergent symptoms and that is completely fine. I even didn't fully clock Joo Won being autistic the first time I watched the show- I "labelled" his actions as a result of one) his obscenely privileged upbringing and two) the fact that he (imo) has some degree of OCD (which is a type of anxiety disorder). Then it hit me one day that he is soooo autistic. A few examples (I'm too ill to list each one or go into full detail): 1- People say that he's a bad detective. Which, ugh. 2- That he should have seen the "obvious" signs that Dong Sik wasn't the killer earlier. This sentiment completely ignores the timeline of the show and the fact that the viewer is provided information that Joo Won doesn't have access to. And it also removes Dong Sik's accountability for being purposely obtuse and antagonistic. 3- the whole (very minor) narrative that joo won is lame because he has terrible people skills (or something along those lines, I can't quite remember the tags I read as it was a while ago). This one, in particular, ties in with Joo Won's autism coding. With a (relatively sound) understanding of what autism looks like in male adults, to me, it would seem that a lot of what Joo Won does (speaking bluntly, getting easily confused when provided a lot of information during an intense situation, overwhelm, struggling to gauge people's emotions/tone, being very black and white, hyper focussing on a topic of interest, struggling to adapt to new social environments, masking, issues with food and sensory stimulation, etc) can be credited to autism. Perhaps I'm connecting dots that don't exist and am projecting an ideal onto his character, but as someone who grew up with multiple friends and family members who are neurodiverse (and is neurodiverse myself), I can see so many similarities between Joo Won's actions, thought processes, and mannerisms to that of a person with autism.

^ (credit) here is an overview of some characteristics of autism in adults (obviously, it's a complex topic which differs from person to person. But I can definitely connect many of these examples to joo won's character and actions). [I feel like I could say a lot more about this subject, but it would be distracting away from the original point. I have thoughts on Joo Won masking and how he struggles to mask around Dong Sik]

How does this relate to Joo Won being "stupid"? One may ask. I will try to explain it as best I can (even though I don't fully have my answer planned out). Labelling Joo Won as stupid, as a stuck-up nepo baby who did nothing for the storyline, or just a useless dolt that needed Dong Sik to spoon-feed him, completely misconstrues the source material. Joo Won is intelligent, hard-working, determined, stubborn, foolish, annoying, pompous, proud, narrow-minded, snobby, short-sighted, dedicated, loyal, loving, persistent, and perceptible to change (and even more than that). We wouldn't have a story if Joo Won was stupid. We wouldn't have a conclusion if Joo Won was stupid. Downplaying Joo Won's intelligence and chalking up his characteristics as something that makes him less-than does a complete disservice to his character as well as his importance within the story. Beyond Evil is a story with TWO leads. It's not the Dong Sik show. I can NEVER subscribe to the act of bringing one character down in order to hold another up. Dong Sik is not this all-seeing, all-knowing, flawless character. If he was, he would have never been framed for murder, he wouldn't have been stuck for 20 years, and he wouldn't have needed help in uncovering the truth. He needed Joo Won (and Ji Hwa, Jae Yi, Jung Je, Ji Hoon, Du Soo, Sang Bae, etc). Without Joo Won, he may have never found out the full truth of what happened to his sister (as how many people in his life had a part to play in the traumas he faced). So, I think it's about time that people start to recognise Joo Won as a neurodivergent character (and stop giving him a hard time for not seeing signs that WE were given), as well as stop downplaying him. Kim Soo Jin, Sim Na Yeon, and Yeo Jin Goo created such a multi-dimensional, complex, flawed character with good and bad qualities, it does a disservice to their creativity and hard work when one belittles Joo Won down to one descriptor. Dong Sik and Joo Won aren't just the idiot and the downtrodden. They're more than that and fan interpretation shouldn't rewrite the facts of the show.

Anyway... there's a point in there somewhere... I think... I have no idea if I managed to construct a reply that makes sense. I don't think I fully relayed all my thoughts on this particular matter, but we live. tbh, I feel very icky when an autistic character gets labelled as stupid or useless. It gets on my nerves and if it wasn't obvious, I am pretty protective of Joo Won (maybe I shouldn't be, but... well... here we are!). Also, as a note: I don't expect anyone to agree with my opinion that Joo Won is autistic. But yeah, I was going to include more "controversial" opinions for be, but I have already said way too much. This post reads like a rant - which it probably is - and I don't want it to ruffle anyone's feathers. It's not an attack, it's just my opinion.

As for the mundane opinion: iii. kiwis are the scum of the fruit world. They're nasty and a lot of effort to eat (considering they don't taste great), and their texture is gross. But I do think their furry shell is pretty neat, even if it makes my skin cruel. (idk why this was the first thing that came to mind lol)

(sorry Iva. Maybe one day I will learn how to give short answers😂🫣)

#ask answered #ask game #chatty lamps #thank you <3 #beyond evil #i'm ill and yet I manage to write this beast of a post. this is what this show has done to me. i just can't help myself 😂#i do have more opinions for be that are less intense and a lot more fun but... i guess i wanted to have a bitch and moan #as a pre-emptive warning:#rn i will not be taking constructive criticisms. maybe in the future. but right now??? I'm trying not to be miserable #soooo if anyone thinks i suck for what i wrote then... 🤷‍♀️ idk... maybe keep it to yourself

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usaigi · 2 years

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Steven & Mr. Knight

Lunar sys au character cards | Read all chapters on ao3

‘Mate, I’m not gonna lie, everything time you tell me about what you do as Moon Knight I want to imminently text our therapist but I know everything you do is technically illegal and we would get sent straight to jail,’ Steven says, examining at himself in the mirror, running his fingers over all the newly acquired battle scars. Steven is starting to suspect that Khonshu is getting lazy with healing the body as a middle finger to Marc and himself.

Mr. Knight had just finished giving Steven a download of everything he did, sparing no bloody details for ‘transparency sake.’ It was something Marc and Steven disagreed on; if Marc takes control of the body after Mr. Knight, he does not want to know about ‘any of Khonshu bullshit’ while Steven refuses to stay in the dark.

‘Yes, well, protecting the travelers of the night does not conform well within the confines of the law,’ Mr. Knight states.

‘What exactly is your justification? I thought you were all by the books and all,’ Steven asks, raising a brow at that comment.

‘I do adhere to pre-established set rules, however, those rules don’t always align with ‘the law.’ I am not opposed to bending rules if it's for the greater good,’ Steven sighs. This justification seemed to be the common response for all vigilantes. Despite what others may think, Steven isn’t naive. He knows that the system itself is corrupt, that racism and discrimination against the powerless have built the foundation of society, that money speaks louder than the truth. Steven didn’t even need to be a brown, Jewish, autistic man with mental illness to see it. So maybe an outsider is able to fill the gaps of injustice.

But even since Steven found out they were back in Khonshu servitude, the ethics and morality of being a vigilante pondered in his head. It had been easy when he was roped into all the bullshit with Harrow and Ammit because of course genocide and eugenics are bad. Again, he didn’t need to be indigenous, Jewish, autistic, and mentally ill to come to that conclusion. But is he naive enough to believe that what they’re doing when they’re wearing that mask is for the great good? That Khonshu, being a god of justice, can fairly judge a human for their sins. Are they preventing further harm or are they just contributing to the endless cycle of violence? Are they even acting out of their own free will or has the bond to Khonshu been written in the stars?

‘Very utilitarianist of you,’ Steven groans.

‘Are you opposed to my methods?’

‘Well, I don’t exactly appreciate that every time you return the body to us it feels like it’s gone through a meat grinder. Or that you stole my look. I guess my reservations are what your exact motives are. Are you really in it to protect people?’

‘It’s a benefit,’ a benefit? Steven stops, looks up to meet his reflection in the mirror.

‘And your main drive is…?’

‘I enjoy it,’ Mr. Knight answers with a smile.

#moon knight #marc spector #steven grant #jake lockley #marvel #mcu #mk lunar sys #moon knight fanfic

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fizzybugpop · 10 months

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For the awesome tism ask game 💚💚

8, 9, 12, 24, 25, 34

Okay bestie I know I said I deleted the app but my mistake I actually wasn't paying attention and DIDN'T so I'm going to real quick answer this and then hop to it!

8. If you have any, what are your special interests?

Okay so my most current special interest is, of course, the "with M*rkiplier" series (hoping to keep this out of main tags because I'm embarrassed teehee) and all related content to that. It's both an extremely welcomed but also HELLISH change from my previous special interest in SPN. Because on one hand, the "M*rkCU" (as many of us affectionately call it) is genuinely just fucking better is basically every way to SPN, but the major downside? Utter. Lack. Of content. Especially content that specifically caters to me and I want really badly!

I'm on the brink of making my own blog (which I was tempted to do while in the SPN fandom as well), but I'm just a nervous bitch.

Now that I mention it again though, I'm very tempted to take the plunge and go for it. Like, why not, right? Seeing as I plan to delete this app for a little while though it'll have to wait a minute longer, lol.

9. What was your first special interest?

Okay, usually when I'm asked this question, I think of the Sonic franchise. It's one of the earliest ones I can reach back into my memories of without having to think to hard and say with utter certainty that yes, that was a special interest.

However! With more thought put it it, I think my first special interest may have been merfolk, and by extention, the ocean. Something about merfolk has stuck to me no matter what, even into adulthood though I feel it's less intense now due to just...continuous disappointment with how merfolk get depicted by most people. It isn't dead though, rest assured, I still get excited seeing merfolk related content (especially in my fandoms).

And the ocean, man, that absolutely is sticking with me for the rest of my life, I think. It's such an incredible, awe-inspiring simultaneously terrifying and beautiful wonder! It's the fucking ocean!! I might incorporate it into my blog theme at some point when I get back. Maybe. We'll see!

12. Do you headcanon any characters as autistic? If you want, tell us why you headcanon them as autistic.

Okay I'm spinning this question around my head like it's a microwave, this is about to be a long-winded answer, so bear with me.

Some background: I've admittedly been suuuper hesitant to fully commit to the autistic label for the longest time before now.

Because despite the fact that I've known a lot about it, have friends with it/heavily suspect they have it (and I absolutely would never invalidate their experience especially when they match up with so many of the symptoms), many of whom suspected me of having it, my brother has it (and my mom said it came from her side of the family), and I had a reeeeeally good feeling that I did indeed have it, I still felt like I'd be an imposter by using the label myself. (Tale as old as time, canon event, etc etc, I know.) It was just yesterday I finally found a PDF for the autism DSM checklist and was like, "oh, yeah, this is definitely me." And has cemented me using this label with full confidence.

With that in mind, I very very rarely EVER saw myself in fictional characters. I could relate to them in some ways, or I'd feel attraction to them, but it was (and still is) an incredibly rare occurrence for me to actually look at a character and go "oh shit that's literally me fr!!".

That is until I got into SPN and C*stiel came into the story. He was the first character who ever provoked that reaction out of me and I DEEPLY related to him on SO MANY LEVELS to the point it ended up making me truly upset that the show seemed to be INCREDIBLY unfavorable toward him and I'm STILL salty about it. He deserved way better! (And by extention so did I, haha.) He is suuuuper autistic-coded to me, to the point I just consider it canon in my mind. It just fits.

I won't drag this out much longer but I do have another character I feel very strongly about headcanoning as autistic - which is The D*strict Att*rney/The Captain from the M*rkCU. Trust me, the hilarity of saying that isn't lost on me, but I stand by this so seriously in my head. This is my blorbo and they are SO fucking autistic, just like me, partly because they are me while simultaneously being their own character. (And go figure that by feeling this way about them, there is naturally an even fiercer lack of content that caters to me in the fandom, lmao.)

24. Do you have meltdowns?

From what I now understand about meltdowns - and as far as I can account for - no, I haven't experienced them. If I ever had one (or multiple) as a child it'd be up to my mom to confirm that for me as, largely due to C-PTSD, my memories of my childhood are an extremely hazy soup that blurs together.

(I'm not going to ask her anything about possible indications I was autistic as a child though, at least not this soon, because I'm deeply unsure how she'd react and by extention how helpful she'd be in that regard, just based on things she's expresses in the past.)

Considering how intense they sound though I am fairly doubtful I have experienced them, because I'm fairly certain I would remember it happening or at least surrounding factors, if the things I have retained are anything to go by.

25. What about shutdowns?

Oh my god, YES. I actually wasn't familiar with this term before last night so I DEEPLY appreciate you asking this, actually. It prompted me to look into it and this is definitely something that happens to me and it SUCKS so fucking bad, especially so when it occurs while I'm at work. It can even be hard to type of I'm feeling/what I'm thinking during when they're happening.

34. Do you enjoy hugs? Or are they sensory hell?

I absolutely adore hugs!! They're one of my favorite ways of showing and receiving affection, and I've been told I give very good ones, much to my delight <33!!

I'm very very much a sensory-seeking autistic who's more prone to understimulation (but I do and have experienced overstimulation as well and ohhh my god does it suck ass and I hate it).

This is also possibly influenced/is intensified by my touch-starvation. I'm very thankful for my current roommates because the two of them I've grown close to dish out physical affection very casually and often and I love and appreciate it so much!

#chatterbox #long post

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newsmutproject · 2 years

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Cunning Linguists Author Interview: jem zero

Alyx swallows hard, eyes locked with Junko, still poised with her arms out after pushing Alyx backward into Reb, sprawled on a velvet loveseat. Alyx lifts their chin, hair sliding against Reb’s silky button-down shirt as they look up at zir, cataloging the barely-mortal line of zir jaw. Sharp. Dangerous. That searing bladelike smile welcomes their gaze, drawing heat to pool in their belly.

“Are you scared?”

“Intimidated,” they answer without thinking.

“Don’t be,” coos Junko, settling beside them. “I know first-timers usually are, but we are very easy-going. You can ask for anything, and stop whenever you need to. Communication and consent are key.”

Reb traces one pale finger up the bridge of Alyx’s nose, then taps their forehead. “We’ll be gentle,” ze promises.

Forbidding caution, biting back all hesitation, Alyx says, “I don’t want you to be gentle.”

-from “Sky-High at Aquarius” in Cunning Linguists

I’m jem zero, a disabled and autistic transmasc, and I’m extremely excited to appear in my second anthology with The New Smut Project! My piece in Erato, A STUDY IN CIRCUITS AND CHARCOAL, won Best Feminist Sex in the Good Sex Awards—super unexpected, super exciting, and I’m very grateful to the editors for making that piece the best it could be. I believe they’ve done the same with SKY-HIGH AT AQUARIUS.

What inspired you to write this story?

Writing a piece geared to make the language itself sexy was both easy and difficult. Easy because I love sexy words and use them in most of my writing, difficult because I wanted to make this stand out. I’m endlessly amused at how I decided to emphasize the sensuality of language in this story, because if I was asked to do the same thing my main character does, I’d have been a nervous wreck. That’s kind of the point, though.

What’s your favorite sexy word?

Out of all the sex terminology I use and prefer, “cunt” has to be my favorite. It catches some heat, but I like the sharpness; how raw it is. I am also a “pussy” defender. Yes, I use both. Gleefully. On the flipside, you’ll never catch me writing “cum” in the narrative. I use “come” for both the act and the fluid. My wife has strong opinions (negative) about that, but this is one issue on which I will not budge—“cum” is a silly word and it makes me giggle. If not “come,” I also like “ejaculate”, or the very simple, literal “semen.”

What stories are you working on now? Do you have some upcoming or recent releases readers should look out for?

My current Works In Progress include a paranormal romance about shifter and werecreature infighting, and a fantasy romance about an immortal man who wants to die. Both are queer and trans! If you’d like to support me, checking out my full-length novel HOME WITHIN SKIN, a romance between a homeless trans man and an alien sex worker, would be the best way to do it.

jem zero (ze/zir) is an autistic and disabled transmasc who lives in a house built by zir great-grandfather with zir family, two greyhounds, and three ornery bengals. Ze writes queer SFF with strong themes of romance and social justice. More of zir work can be found on zir website (www.jemzero.com), including zir award-winning sci-fi erotic short and full length sci-fi M/M romance.

Cunning Linguists comes out May 18th, 2022! This anthology of language, literature, and lechery is up for preorder at

Gumroad (use coupon code newsmutprojectfan for $1 off your order!)

Amazon (paperback)

Smashwords

Barnes and Noble

Other retailers – Books2Read

in paperback at Bookshop.org

Indiebound

Book Depository

Alibris

and is listed on Goodreads and LibraryThing

#Cunning Linguists #jem zero #science fiction romance #trans and nonbinary #swingers

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exclamaquest · 2 years

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This may seem dumb but how do you see something is coded? For example in the new encanto moive, the main character has a little blue, pink, and purple rainbow embroidery, so people headcanon that character as bi. Would that be coding?

As I always say, there are no dumb questions. I'm more than happy to answer as best as I can!

Coding is when a character is implied to be something without it being outright said.

For example, if a character mentioned eating apples and honey in September and fasting for a day, and said they'd never celebrated Christmas, you could easily say that they are Jewish coded without them having to outright say "I'm Jewish".

Coding can also be intentional or unintentional. Take the contrast between Nekomaru's gay coding and Taka's autism coding.

Nekomaru refers to his outings with Hajime in Island Mode as dates, is a walking example of the bara stereotype, and pointedly shows no interest in women even when Akane is topless next to him. He also shows interest only in men in both canon and UTDP, including his name being a reference ("Neko" is slang for bottom). He does not need to say "I'm a gay man"--he intentionally has enough markers to show that he is gay.

Taka, on the other hand, wasn't supposed to be a depiction of autism. I highly doubt the writers at Spike Chunsoft sat down with a list of common autistic traits and went "okay, how can we fit these into a character?". Instead, all the character traits they gave him contribute to how easily he is able to be read as autistic. His insistence on repeating the same clothing, his preoccupation with rules and routine, his lack of both social skills and volume control, and even his character growth including learning how to get past black-and-white thinking all combine to create a character who is undeniably autistic.

However, it's important to remember that one or two things does not coding make. For instance, Byakuya has a lack of social skills and an inappropriately intense interest in true crime--but those are the only major autistic traits he has. He can definitely be read as autistic, yes, but he is most definitely not autistic *coded*, or anywhere near how autistic coded Taka is. There simply isn't enough there.

I feel like Mirabel squarely falls into the second camp. If she had more bi coding, then yes, the pink, blue, and purple embroidery would be another clue as to her sexuality. However, there is nothing else to support the theory. It's a good headcanon, don't get me wrong! It's just not coding, especially when it's only one or two things.

#fandom stuff #theo.ask #theo.txt #danganronpa #coding #anon #ok to rb

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erin-gilberts · 2 years

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Do you have any favorite scenes from the original Ghostbusters films?

I definitely need to rewatch Ghostbusters 2 to remember what all happens in it, but -

1) Undoubtedly the courtroom scene from the second film is one of the most entertaining scenes from all four films. It's just a fucking delight. The guys look so excited to be back, and the sound of them switching on their proton packs after a long absence while they do that oh-so-very-autistic "do re Egon" thing is like a crescendo without music. It builds and you hold your breath while it does. Makes the audience feel like kids again. SO good. And the judge just hollering like a jackass until the ghost attacks him is very funny to me.

2) I think time has made us misremember the team from the first film as these badass heroes, but really? In GB1, they were just some guys. Doing their best. Often failing stupendously at it. Very average guys even if they were very smart. When they roll up to the Shandor to a crowd of New Yorkers and reporters cheering them on and hoping they succeed, they're immediately swallowed up by a sinkhole like, oh sorry, these guys you were counting on to save the world were instantly, immediately killed. They don't die, of course - and then they have to take dozens and dozens of flights of stairs up to where the action is even happening. They're not heroes who know everything is going to work out for them because they're the main characters of the story, they're just Some Guys doing their best because it's the right thing to do. I find this super endearing about them.

3) "When someone asks if you're a god, you say YES!" - Winston Zeddemore

4) The whole scene where Gozer tells them to choose the form of the destroyer. The fact that Venkman technically chose J. Edgar Hoover. The way they all turn on Ray and he sputters that it just popped in there; he tried to think of something that could never hurt them - the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

5) "I lOvE tHiS pLaN! I'm excited to be a part of it!" - actual leadership behavior from Peter Venkman! Him encouraging his team about a plan he's not enthusiastic about one bit because it needs to be done.

6) Walter Peck is a goddamn delight in every scene. I love when Janine basically tells him to get a warrant, follows him down the stairs shouting "I tried to stop him!" and joins Egon in defending the power thing from Peck. I love when Stay Puft steps on the church and the person on the ground having a real bad day looking at this is Walter Peck. I love when the marshmallow fluff starts falling from the sky and he just lets out the most frustrated scream you've ever heard in your life. He's having a bad day by his own design.

7) The citizens celebrating them at the end of GB1. Answer the Call holds my favorite "we believe you" response from the citizens because it's so subtle and so powerful - the lights on the buildings demonstrating how the impact you have on the people who matter the most can far outweigh the official recognition or gratitude you deserve but may never receive, can far outweigh that they might call you crazy for doing the right thing. We know, those lights whisper, we always will, and our knowledge of what you did for us can't be censored away, as much as others may try. The crowd response in GB1 strikes a different tone; it's much more openly celebratory and relieved, but it's all-in-all pure and wholesome af. I love seeing the city come together to validate and celebrate them. I love how they cheer for the Ghostbusters and they seem crushed when they think the team has been sucked into the sinkhole.

#erin is talking #asks #ghostbusters #ghostbusters 1984

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wolpertinger-prince · 3 years

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Tagged by @queenevac

Who are my top 5 comfort characters?

I mean, they interchange depending on my current hyperfixation, but...

1) Ratchet (Transformers, particularly Bayverse): I love the grumpy old medibot that’s allowed to be Not Nice while still clearly being a good guy. But I love him in Bayverse the most for how while that could still be present, it’s not the main focus of his character; he’s implied to be a lot more kindly or at least polite than other incarnations. Sure, the actual films don’t really go into his character much, but I’ve fallen in love with what we’ve got of him nonetheless. Just this worn-torn and tired old man mech that remains kind in spite of everything, values life, and makes the most out of his new home on Earth by enjoying its beauty. And also he’s handsome. I mean that unironically. Not only is he physically handsome, but god his voice...

2) Gordon (Catscratch): Gordon has been with me since I was probably 9 years old. I always adored him for his courage, his sense of justice, and his kindness. Also, much like him, I love to eat. I kinda connected to him since I saw the promos for the show before the first episode debuted. So much so that getting inside the house and down the basement on time to catch the premiere was an event for me. But anyway, of all the hyperfixations on cartoons I had as a kid, Catscratch is the one that stuck with me. Probably because it came out during a weird time in my life, when I kinda started to notice that I wasn’t like my peers. So, during that confusing time, I had Gordon; I’ll always cherish him for that.

3) Stranger (Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath): Stranger is me. From his being sort of socially inept despite his intimidating demeanor to his isolation to the fact that he’s constantly disguising himself both for his own safety and because he doesn’t think he deserves to present as what he really is to him being mostly self-serving... Yep. Stranger is me. His story resonates with me the way so few main characters in any media do. Like yeah, I relate to Abe from the same franchise, too, but Stranger is like Oddworld Inhabitants made an allegory for my life, made it into a video game, and made me a cool cowboy centaur creature. But the question remains: do I relate to Stranger’s journey of self-acceptance as an autistic person, as an nonbinary person, or as a person that’s both aspec and arospec? The answer is yes.

4) Cookie (Rayman: The Animated Series): Cookie is both me and what I wish I could allow myself to be. Simply put: Cookie sucks. He’s cranky, complains constantly, and is full of anxiety that holds him back from truly embracing his freedom after escaping captivity at the circus. It’s not that he sucks: it’s that he’s allowed to suck. And that sounds like a weird reason to like a character, especially since that’s the exact reason why many other people that have viewed this obscure little cartoon find him really annoying. However, as an autistic person that didn’t get diagnosed until later in life and therefore feels the need to mask constantly, it’s kind of important for me to see that and analyze what it means to me. Cookie isn’t adventurous like the rest of the main crew are, and that’s something he and the others have to deal with. His friends may get upset with him for his constant complaining, but he still says what’s on his mind and allows himself to feel, all while still clearly being a competent adult with a skillset that his friends are heavily reliant on.

5) Hunch (Rock-A-Doodle): Possibly being an even stranger choice for a comfort character than Cookie, Hunch came at a point in my life where I knew I was probably mentally ill, but didn’t bother bringing it up with my parents because I knew they weren’t going to do anything about it. I was about to turn 15 when curiosity got the better of me one quiet morning and made me sit through Rock-A-Doodle in like 15 parts on YouTube (yes, really). I had watched the Nostalgia Critic review of it, but the critic never mentioned this manic little dude. So I got attached to him right away because it was like I discovered him myself. And I’m not sure if I liked him at the time because he made for a good projection of my own anxiety, depression, and god knows what else, or just because he was a funny little owl that sucked at being evil. Either way, he’s the reason why I have a soft spot for obscure-ish, non-threatening evil henchmen today, like the weasel guardsmen from Conker’s Bad Fur Day or Killer from All Dogs Go to Heaven. Either of those characters could be in this same spot, but something about Hunch’s cackling, manic nature puts him above the rest for me. Or it could be the fact that he suffers abuse at the hands of a family member that he spends the duration of the film trying to impress, and then at the end gets to chase that same abusive family member away into the sunrise and presumably eats him. Aaaah, karma.

Tagging: @tragischehagelslag @kid-mera @the-little-animals @x-de-con-struct-ed-x @groovy-rat-man

#about me #tag game #psst you really dont have to explain why theyre your comfort characters in this amount of detail #i just like talking about myself

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arrow-guy · 4 years

Text

Talk to Me

Original request from @scrawlingwithstyle: Here's a request I've been sitting on for a bit. ClintxReader; Clint is deaf and most people rely on his lipreading skills, but Reader knows some ASL from when her family thought her autistic younger sibling would never speak (they became vocal close to seven years old). They have secret conversations across the room, thinking no one else on the team understands. . . . They're wrong. Adjust however you like!

A/N: Okay, it’s taken probably close to a year to actually get around to this, but i kind of breezed through writing it? And it was a whole bunch of fun to finally put down in a document. I didn’t change much about your request, but I definitely added to it, and made it a little romantic? Idk if it’ll come off as romance, it’s kind of goofy (it’s Clint, there needs to be a goof somewhere.) I really hope you like it, though!!

Page dividers by @carryonmyswansong

Pairing: ClintxReader

Word Count: 5.5k

Warnings: None

“Are you sure about this, Bruce?” I ask. “Ross let me go as soon as you went AWOL. I haven’t worked with people like this in years.”

“Of course I’m sure! You were the best back in the day.”

“Back in the day,” I laugh. “You make it sound like we’re ancient.”

“We’re not as young as we used to be,” he says. “But that’s the point. You’ll bring some much needed experience to the table.”

“But I’m not a spy and I definitely don’t have any powers.”

“Trust me, (Y/N), superpowers are not all they’re cracked up to be, and both spies have long since ceased their spying activities.” I cock one eyebrow and he laughs. “For the most part.”

“Saying a spy stopped being a spy is like saying you misplaced the hulk.”

“Ah, very true.”

“I’ll do it, though.”

“You will?”

“Well I can’t very well leave you to fend for yourself, now can I? As it stands, I’m already a shitty friend, working together can’t hurt things.”

Bruce grins and grips my shoulder. “I’ll see you Monday, then.”

I roll my eyes, but can’t fight back my smile. “Do I need to pack a bag, or will I be allowed to go home at the end of the day?”

“Not sure yet. Might as well bring a change of clothes and a toothbrush just in case.”

“Alright, then. I’ll see you Monday.”

“I can’t believe you actually pulled it off, Banner,” Stark says. “You wrangled a counselor for the team?”

“What,” I say. “Like it was supposed to be hard?”

Bruce laughs and reaches out to place his hand on my shoulder. “I’ve known (Y/N) for just about as long as I can remember. I’m sure she’ll be a good fit.”

“As long as you can remember, huh?” I look past Captain Rogers and find a sandy haired man. He grins when I meet his eyes. “Just how long?”

I bob my head from side to side. “Somewhere between twenty years and most of our lives.”

He whistles. “Pretty long time, then.”

“Mhm.”

Bruce clears his throat. “I’m sure (Y/N) wants to see where she’ll be working, so I’ll just show her to her office.”

Everyone in the boardroom waves and Bruce leads me out of the room. As soon as we’re out in the hall I sigh and bow my head, finally able to let my shoulders relax.

“That was a lot.”

Bruce chuckles. “Trust me, it’ll either get worse or stay exactly the same as time goes on, depending on who you’re talking to.”

“The blond guy who spoke up, that’s Hawkeye, right?”

“Clint Barton, yeah.”

“Will I be seeing much of him?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t really know much about the guy. He seems pretty happy-go-lucky and stable most of the time, though.”

“Huh.” I shrug and hitch my bag a little higher on my shoulder. “You never know with some people.”

“True. I’m sure you’ll deal with him at least once more after this. He’s the curious type.”

“I guess I’ll have to look forward to that, then.”

Bruce hummed in agreement and leads me to the elevator bank and takes me down to what will eventually be my office. He gives me a basic rundown of the facilities and shows me which restroom is closest to my office. I ask for a baseline reading on everyone on the team and Bruce rattles off what he’s noticed about the main five.

“Steve will most likely drop by to make small talk, but it may take some time for him to open up in any way that counts. Tony will joke about therapy, but once he warms up to you it’ll be impossible to get him to leave.”

“Oof, that bad?”

“He’s long-winded.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to enforce appointments with him when he starts to take interest.”

“Probably wise.”

“And Natasha?”

“I doubt you’ll see much of her. She has her ways of working through her issues on her own.”

“Do they involve murder?”

“Don’t know, and I don’t care to.”

“Got it. None of our business. I’ll let her come to me if she needs anything.” I plop down behind my new desk. “What about Thor?”

“Who knows. He shows up when he wants and tends to be a pretty jovial guy.”

“Ah. Is there anyone else outside of the tower I can expect?”

“Wanda, Sam, and Rhodey will be around from time to time. If Steve has his way, Bucky will move in at some point, and Wanda is currently in the process of moving into the tower, so you may see her more after that. I’m not sure how often she’ll drop by. She’s fairly private due to her powers.”

“Energy manipulation, right?”

He nods. “That, and other mind tricks.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“But that just leaves Clint, and we’ve already gone over what you can expect from him.”

“It doesn’t just leave Clint, Bruce.” I fold my hands on the desktop. “I expect to see you in here at least once a week. Ideally twice.”

Bruce scowls. “(Y/N), you know how I feel about that.”

“Yeah, well, I listen to your opinions on that stuff when I’m just your friend. Now I’m your therapist, and you’re going to listen to me because I know what works for you. So I expect you to get your pasty ass in here when you’re scheduled.”

“You’re making appointments for me now?”

“Until I’m sure you’ll come to me on your own, yes.”

He rolls his eyes. “Fine. Send me the schedule. I’ll see you at my appointed time.”

“Wonderful.” I relax my shoulders, letting my professional mask slip. “Thanks for this, Bruce. I mean it.”

“I know you do.” He cracks a smile. “You’re the only person I trust to get to the root of our issues.”

“I appreciate that. I’ll try not to let you down.”

“Believe me, (Y/N), if anyone’s gonna let me down, it’ll be the team.” I laugh and he heads for the door. “I’ll see you later. Good luck with your first day.”

“Thanks, Bruce. I’ll see you later!”

“So, (Y/N),” Tony says, spreading out on the couch across from my chair. “What’s your deal?”

“My deal?”

“Yeah, what makes you tick? What motivates you to try and heal the fragile minds of the Avengers?”

“I’d say a decent paycheck is a pretty good motivator, Mr. Stark.”

He seems disappointed with my answer. “Is that it?”

“Well, that, and I want to make sure Bruce is doing alright. He’s struggled with therapy in the past, and I want to make sure he’s getting the kind of help that he needs.”

“I see.” He presses his lips together and folds his arms. “You’re not even curious about the rest of the team?”

“Of course I’m curious, but nothing discussed in this tower will be shared with anyone outside. I take my patients privacy very seriously.”

“You sure you don’t just fear for your life?”

“Living in New York, I fear for my life constantly. That doesn’t mean that I’m worried about getting merced if I get a little loose lipped outside of work.” I sigh and lean back in my chair. “That being said, I won’t be sharing your confidential information with anyone you haven’t specifically given authorized access to your records.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah. It’s almost like I’m a professional, right?”

He smiles. “I’m really starting to like you, (Y/N).”

“Then I guess I have a lot more of this to look forward to, then, don’t I?”

I laughs and hauls himself up from the couch. “We’ll see.”

I make a note of his response in my open document. “Sounds like a tentative yes to me, Mr. Stark, and I’ll be here so long as you deem my services necessary.”

He nods and exits my office. He leaves the door open.

“How are you liking it here so far, (Y/N)?”

“It’s been quiet, Captain Rogers. It’s a bit like pulling teeth trying to get anyone to make use of their resources.”

“I guess it would be. We’re a relatively private bunch.” He pauses a moment. “And, please, call me Steve.”

“Right, Steve. Is there anything that I can do for you today?” I ask. “It’s entirely alright if you just want to make small talk.”

“Oh, well, uh…” He awkwardly clears his throat and shifts uncomfortably on the couch. “I guess I just wanted to get a lay of the land.”

“I understand.” I glance around my office. “I should probably bring in some art and plants. Make it a little less sterile in here.”

Steve laughs. “That might help.”

I smile. “Maybe an area rug?”

He shrugs. “Whatever you think would be best.”

“I appreciate the creative freedom.” I close my laptop, set it to the side, and settle back in my chair. “Is there something on your mind, Steve?”

“No,” he says quickly. He immediately looks conflicted. “I… well, kind of.”

“Feel free to speak. Nothing you say will leave this office.”

“You hardly know me.”

I shrug. “I know how stressful this environment can be. And, while your team is very good at what they do, they’re also the ones who are causing your stress.”

“I don’t know if I’d say that.” I watch him chew the inside of his cheek. “I guess I’m just concerned that things might not get better, even when Bucky’s moved in.”

“Why’s that?”

“I don’t know. I’m worried that it might not be a good fit for him, or that the team won’t accept him, or that he might not even want to be around me.”

“Those are all valid concerns. Have you mentioned any of this to him?”

“God no. I don’t want to stress him out more than I already have with all of this moving business.”

“I might suggest bringing it up. He might be having similar worries himself, and, as helpful as it is to work towards what’s troubling you with me, I won’t be able to settle your nerves.”

“Maybe you’re right…”

“If nothing else, it might open up a new line of communication between the two of you, which couldn’t hurt.”

Steve stays for another hour, just talking. When he leaves, he asks if I want the door open or closed. I don’t give him a definite answer and he leaves it open, just a crack. I laugh and start on his profile.

Someone knocks on my door and I glance up from my paperwork to see Clint standing in the doorway.

“Mr. Barton,” I say. “I was wondering when I might see you.”

He shrugs. “Here I am.”

“After two weeks, I was starting to think you were avoiding me.”

“If I was?”

“Then it’s none of my business.”

The corner of his mouth lifts in a smile. “I like that answer.”

I rise from my desk and gesture to the couch. He raises his eyebrows, but takes a seat anyway. I sit across from him and watch as he tries to decide just how he should sit. In the end, he leans heavily on his knees. Nothing about him is relaxed.

“I’m starting to think Bruce was wrong about you.”

“What’d the green bean tell you about me?”

“Nothing concrete,” I answer. “He just mentioned that you seem to have a positive outlook on things most of the time.”

He snorts. “Great.”

“Mmm, I see. It’s a facade, then?”

He frowns and presses a finger to his right ear. “Could you say that again?”

“I said, it’s a facade, then?”

“Sometimes.”

I nod. “Interesting.”

He barks out a laugh. “Yeah, interesting.”

I watch him look around the room, examining the art on the walls and the stacks of paper on my desk. When he turns his head to the left, I notice his purple earpiece and something suddenly clicks. He tilts his head to the side when he sees me staring.

“What?”

“Would it be easier if we signed?” I ask, signing along as I speak.

He looks surprised. “You sign?”

I laugh. “Yes. My little brother is on the Autism spectrum. When he was a kid, he was almost entirely nonverbal. Mom taught him sign, and the rest of the family learned along with him.”

“That must’ve been really nice for him.”

“It was nice to be able to communicate with him when he couldn’t vocalize what he wanted to say. He eventually started speaking when he was about seven, though.”

“And you still held onto the signing skills?”

“Of course! It’s not like he just, bam, started talking. It was a long process, and he still has nonverbal days sometimes.” Clint starts to actually smile and it warms my heart. “It’s come in handy in my particular line of work too. Deaf and hard of hearing folks need counsellors and therapists too.”

“Which brings the topic of conversation back to me.” He shakes his head and leans back against the couch and signs, “You’re a tricky one, (Y/N).”

“I’m not tricky!”

“Then what?”

“I’m accommodating.” I speak again, but continue to sign along. “You don’t have to tell me everything, or anything, really. But I’m here to help, if you need me.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course, Clint. Any time.”

“Seems like you and Clint are getting close,” Bruce says.

“I don’t know what you mean, man.”

“He’s in here all the time, (Y/N). There’s no way Barton needs therapy five times a week.”

“It’s not always about therapy, Bruce. I strive to make my office a safe space where everyone knows that they can speak freely. He knows that he can come here and chill out without worrying about the rest of the team.”

“Barton doesn’t really worry about anything, though.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”

Bruce stares at me, eyes narrowed, and snaps his fingers. "You like him."

I roll my eyes. "I do not like him, Bruce. And you're not even here to talk about Clint, you're here to work on yourself and managing your stress levels."

He rolls his eyes. "I'm sure there's something we could talk about aside from me."

I sigh and hold my head in my hands. "I've been here for two months. I haven't been around long enough to form anything more than tentative relationships with the rest of the team. I'm more concerned about whether or not they can open up to me than I am with my love life."

“Right,” Bruce clears his throat.

“Thank you.” He looks thoroughly ashamed and I have to laugh. “I appreciate the interest, but it’s just not something that you need to worry about.”

“No, I understand.” He smiles and shrugs. “I guess I just miss having that easy rapport with you.”

“I mean, we still have that, Bruce. It’s just not something that I want to talk about in the workplace. It’s one thing to shoot the shit over lunch on a Saturday, it’s another to discuss my patients with another patient, all of whom are my coworkers.”

“I didn’t think about it like that.”

I smile. “It’s fine. Did you want to pick up where we left off on Tuesday?”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

“(Y/N)?”

I’m startled by the woman in the doorway. “Ms. Romanoff?”

She shakes her head and steps into my office. “As long as you’re not a government official, it’s just Natasha.”

“Ah, right.” I sit a little straighter in my chair. “What can I do for you, Natasha?”

“Clint’s said you’ve helped him a lot.”

“I don’t know about that. We just talk. He does all the helping.”

“I figured you’d say that.” She moves quickly across the room and takes a seat on the couch. “I’d like to talk to you, if you have the time.”

“Oh.” I scramble up from my desk to sit across from her. “What about?”

“I need help working through a recent case.”

“Are you sure I’m qualified for that?”

“Well, you said Clint does all the helping. Maybe what I need is a sounding board.”

“Fair enough. Where are you caught up?”

Natasha rattles off the details of a recent mission. I do my best to follow her, but she loses me when she starts explaining the intricacies of a piece of Hydra technology they discovered. Eventually, she perks up, almost looking like she wants to jump up from her seat and run from the room.

“I think I’ve got it.”

“That’s great!”

She calmly gets to her feet and walks to the door. “Thank you, (Y/N).”

I shake my head. “It was my pleasure.”

“Even so, you helped me.” She flashes me an unexpected smile. “I appreciate that.”

“It’s not a problem, Natasha. I hope that we can speak again at some point.”

She nods and heads for the door. “I’ll see you around.”

In the hall I hear, “Oh, hey, Nat.” and Clint pokes his head in soon after.

I smile. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He leans in the doorway and folds his arms. “What’d Nat dump on you?”

“Doctor patient confidentiality, Barton,” I say. “I can’t tell you.”

His arms fall to his side and he dramatically slumps into the room. “I thought you trusted me!”

I laugh. “I do trust you, Clint. But it’s not my information to give.” He drapes himself across the couch and grins at the sight of me fighting back my smile. “If it were, Bruce would have full access to what we talk about in our sessions.”

“That’s private information, (Y/N)!” He laughs. “I see your point.”

“Good.”

“Did you want to grab lunch later? That weird little cafe down the street started serving some kind of coffee burger.”

“Ugh, and you want to eat that?”

“(Y/N), it’s a coffee burger.”

“With all the heinous shit you put in your body, it’s a wonder you’re still alive.”

“If you think I’m bad, you should meet my dog.”

“Is that an offer?”

“Maybe.” He shrugs. “Guess you’ll have to stick around long enough to find out.”

I roll my eyes. “It’s been four months, Clint. If I haven’t run for the hills yet, I’m pretty sure it’s not gonna happen for a while yet.”

Something twinkles in his eyes. “That’s good to hear. I was worried I might scare you off.”

“If anyone were to scare me off, it’d be Tony.” I shake my head. “That man is a handful.”

“What happened to patient confidentiality?”

“Since when is Tony being a handful a secret?” He laughs and I relax in my seat. “But, yeah, I’ll get lunch with you.”

“Really?”

“Someone has to make sure you don’t keel over from physically eating coffee.”

“Oh come on! It’s not like they solidified the coffee and stuck it on a bun!”

“How do you know they didn’t? Maybe they turned the coffee into jello, passed it through a meat grinder, and threw it on a griddle.”

His face scrunches up in disgust. “Ugh, that’d just be burnt coffee.”

“I’ve watched you drink an entire pot of burnt coffee.”

“Desperate times, (Y/N). They call for desperate measures.”

I sigh and shake my head. ”I guess it’s fine, so long as you’re not addicted to caffeine pills.”

“Those don’t do anything for me.”

“That’s terrifying.”

He laughs, hauls himself up from the couch, and offers me a hand. “Shall we?”

“Shall we what?”

“Head out for lunch.”

“Now? I thought you said later.”

“It’s been like five minutes. It’s later now.”

I laugh. “I can’t just go now. I have an appointment with Steve in twenty minutes. We can leave after that.”

He pouts. “Fine.”

“Don’t give me that look, Clint!”

He sighs and trudges towards the door. “I guess I’ll just have to make a reservation for one thirty.”

“That’d be great.”

He flashes a brilliant smile before disappearing out into the hall. I shake my head and move back to my desk.

“That man is gonna get me in trouble.”

“I thought you said you weren’t involved with Clint?”

“I’m not, Bruce.”

“Then what’s this?” He places his phone on my keyboard.

I pick up the phone and find an article titled “Hawkeye’s New Flame, or Just a Fling?” pulled up. A picture of Clint and I at lunch the other day sits just below a paragraph speculating who I could be. I snort and hand him his phone.

“Clint and I went to lunch. That’s all.” I sit back and fold my arms. “What’s the problem, Bruce?”

“I don’t want you getting dragged into some kind of media storm because you work with us.”

“It’s one article!”

“There’s at least four more like it that I’ve seen.”

“I’m not worried about it, Bruce. Clint just went out for lunch and some pap caught us talking. That’s it. There’s nothing more to it, but I can’t stop people from talking.”

“You shouldn’t have to deal with it.”

“No one should have to deal with anyone plastering their personal life all over the internet, but you know what? I’d rather get caught out in public with Clint than Tony.” I laugh. “Can you imagine the shitstorm that’d kick up if that happened?”

Bruce tries not to laugh. “I guess you’re right.”

“It was bound to get out that the Avengers brought in a counsellor at some point. It’s better that it’s like this instead of some media outlet picking up a rumor and deciding that you’re all unstable.”

“Well…”

“I’m not saying you’re the most sane bunch, but that’s no one’s business but yours. Regardless, don’t worry about this. It’ll be fine.”

“Alright.” He pockets his phone. “You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?”

“Of course I would, Bruce. If something comes up, I’ll let you know.”

I sit on the floor of the gym and lift the collar of my shirt to wipe the sweat from my face.

Clint plops down on the floor beside me and tips his head to the side.

“Definitely didn’t expect to find you in here,” he says.

“What, I can’t work out?” I groan and lay back. “Ugh.”

“You okay?”

“No. I knew I should’ve just stuck to the treadmill.”

“What’d you do to yourself?”

“Weights.”

He laughs. “Why did you do that?”

“I don’t know. Is wanting to be able to lift a very large dog a good reason?”

“I wouldn’t say it’s a bad reason.” He lays beside me and props himself up on his elbow. “I could help you, if you want.”

“I don’t know how I feel about being all sweaty gross around you.”

He pokes my stomach and I laugh and shift away. “I don’t know, (Y/N), sweaty’s the new sexy.”

“Aw, that’s sweet.” I laugh and scrunch my nose. “Also kind of gross.”

“Sweet and kind of gross, I think you’ve pretty much summed me up perfectly.” I laugh so hard that I snort and he grins. “So, do you want help working out?”

I press my fist to my mouth to quiet my giggling. “If you’re willing to, I really would appreciate it.”

“Then it’s a done deal.” I thank him and his smile softens. “Sorry about those articles last week, by the way.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

“I should’ve warned you, at least. I’m used to it, but you didn’t sign up for pap shots and gossip columns when you took this job.”

I scowl. “Honestly, Clint. If you’re not gonna read my lips, read my hands. It’s totally fine. I don’t care. I had a nice time at lunch. A few dumb articles won’t change that.”

“You mean that?”

“Well, yeah. I like spending time with you outside of all of this,” I say, gesturing to the tower in general. “With, y’know, no expectations of maintaining all of the professional bullshit.”

“Pretty sure you’re the most professional one here.”

“Thanks, I’m glad that comes across in the day to day, but do you understand what I’m saying? Like I genuinely do not care about what a shitty news outlet says. At the end of the day, the only opinions that matter are ours.” I sigh and settle on the floor. “Sorry.”

“Sounds like we’re not the only ones who need therapy.”

I hum. “Maybe I do.”

“No shame in it.”

I smile at him. “I know.” I sit up and get to my feet. “It’s getting late, I should head out.”

“You’re in tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll be around till noon. I’ve got a wedding later in the day.”

“Not yours, right?”

I laugh. “No, definitely not mine.”

“Cool,” He smiles up at me. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Since when do we have staff meetings?” Clint asks.

“Since we brought on a counselor,” Tony says.

I frown. “I’ve been here six months and I’ve never been to any kind of meeting.”

“I’m going to ignore the fact that you brought that up and just keep moving with the meeting.”

I snort and shoot Clint a look. He laughs and signs for me to stop. I wave him off and turn my attention back to the head of the table.

Tony rambles on for about half an hour before Steve cuts in and the two of them start going back and forth. They bicker for twenty minutes before Thor swans in, greeting everyone with his bright, booming voice. I was stuck in my office the last time he was on Earth, so our paths never had a chance to cross. Steve takes a moment to introduce the two of us and Thor vigorously shakes my hand, unintentionally jostling me around the whole time. He takes his seat on the other side of Bruce and the conversation picks up again.

I catch Clint’s eye twitching in my peripheral when Thor speaks a little too loudly. I gesture to get his attention and he raises his eyebrows when he meets my eyes.

“You good?” I sign.

He nods. “Can’t pay attention to save my life in these meetings.”

“I’ve never known anyone to compliment your attention span.”

He mouths, “Oh, ha ha,” and I laugh.

“You’re mean, (Y/N).”

“And here I thought you liked me.”

“Never said I didn’t.” He grins. “The way things are going, I’d say you’re probably just my type.”

I shake my head and hide my smile behind my hand. “Stop.”

“Aw, you're cute when you're embarrassed." I flip him off and he laughs. “That's a compliment!"

I snort. “Pay attention, Clint.”

We manage to make it through another hour and, by that time, someone has turned off the lights and started giving a presentation. I fold my arms on the table and rest my chin on top and beg myself to stay awake through this meeting. I’m sure it’ll only be a little while longer.

Clint’s hand creeps into my line of sight and he taps the table to get my attention. I shoot him a quizzical look and he lifts his eyebrows.

“You still with us?” he signs.

“No.”

“It’s going longer than I thought it would.”

“I’m honestly about to fall asleep.”

“Aw, (Y/N), no.”

“This is how I go out. Avenge me, Clint.”

“No!”

“It’s your job. You have to.”

“But who will help me through the trauma?”

I cover my mouth to muffle my laughter. “I’d be dead, that’s none of my concern.”

He shakes his head. “And you call yourself my friend.”

Natasha clears her throat, startling me away from the conversation. I try to pay attention to the presentation, but I just can't wrap my head around what they're talking about and Clint easily distracts me again.

"Quick question."

Surprised, I sign, "Shoot."

"Would you want to go out with me?"

My brain stops working for a second. "Wait, what?"

"I said, will you go out with me?"

My heart hammers in my chest. "Like as friends, or on a date?"

He sighs. "We've been hanging out as friends for months now. I'm asking you on a date, stupid."

My face heats and I sit back in my seat. “Oh.”

He laughs. “Did I break you?”

“A little.” I frown.

“Just say yes!”

Startled, I glance up the table, only to find Natasha glaring at Clint and I. Everyone is looking at us and I suddenly want to disappear.

“What’s the problem?” Steve asks.

“I’m sick of watching the two of them flirt with each other,” Natasha says. “You’ve been mooning over each other for months. Just say yes and be done with it.”

“Nat, they haven’t said a single thing since the beginning of the meeting.”

“They’ve been signing at each other the entire meeting.” She looks directly at me and signs, “I see everything.”

“Sorry.”

“Just say yes.” She looks very pointedly between Clint and I. “You’d be good together.”

“I thought you said you didn’t like him!” Bruce says.

“That was months ago, Bruce. Things change.”

“Don’t be hard on her,” Natasha says. “Clint’s an acquired taste.”

“I’m just gonna, um…” I gesture to the door. “I’m just gonna go.”

I see Tony and Steve nod and I shove my chair back from the table and make my escape. The door shuts behind me, and I’m free. I sigh, relieved to be free of the weight of everyone’s eyes on me, only for the embarrassment of having my crush exposed to my coworkers to settle deep in my stomach.

I press my fingertips to my temples and walk down the hallway. “I knew he was gonna get me in trouble.”

I make the decision to just go back to my office. Maybe I can at least get some work done or, at the very least calm down. I turn as the elevator doors close and catch a glimpse of the conference door opening at the end of the hall. I shift slightly so that it’s not in my line of sight.

The elevator ride feels like it’s too long and I immediately flop down on my couch as soon as I’m in my office. I can't get comfortable and shift around until I'm upside down with my legs over the back of the conch, staring at the ceiling. I press the heels of my hands over my eyes and groan out of frustration.

“I left without even answering him,” I mutter.

The door suddenly opens and I freeze, pulling my hands away from my face, waiting for whoever it is to announce themselves.

"(Y/N)?"

"Clint?" I try to sit up and smack my head on the edge of the coffee table. "Shit."

"Are you okay?" he asks.

I rub my forehead and sit up a little more carefully. "I'll live."

He takes a seat on the coffee table and watches intently as I sit upright on the couch and face him. He reaches out and gently touches my forehead, only to jerk his hand back when I wince.

"Sorry."

"Don't, it's fine."

"Okay." He sighs softly and shuffles awkwardly on the table. He stills when I touch his knee and takes my hand in his. "I'm sorry about the meeting. I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that."

"Honestly, Clint, you don't need to apologize," I murmur. "I got flustered and then embarrassed when everyone else got involved."

"I know. I probably like pushing your buttons a little too much."

"That's not it."

"But I do push your buttons."

"Yeah, but only 'cause I let you." He smiles and I squeeze his hand. "But I'm a deeply private person. To have Natasha butt in like that, no matter the good she meant by it, really set me on edge."

"I had no idea."

"I don't feel like I have to keep everything close to my chest when I’m with you. You tease me, but it’s never from a place of malice and you know me well enough that you never take it too far.”

“I mean, you give as good as you get.” He doesn’t meet my eyes as he runs his thumb over my knuckles. “But still. I should’ve just asked in private, but you know me.”

“Yeah. You’re sweet, but kind of stupid sometimes. More than a little impulsive. And way too fond of coffee.”

“Aw, I thought that was endearing!” He smiles when I laugh. “The invitation still stands, but you don’t have to say yes.”

“What’re you talking about?” He meets my eyes and I shake my head. “I’m not about to turn you down. You haven’t introduced me to your dog yet.”

“Oh, I get it, you only want me for Lucky.”

“Mhm.”

He shakes his head and kneels on the floor in front of me. “Shoulda known.”

“I know, I’m pure evil.” He grins and takes my face in his hands. “I should be fired, right?”

“Without a doubt.”

I hum softly and lean forward to bump my nose against his. After a moment’s hesitation, Clint closes the distance between us and gently kisses me. I place one hand on his forearm and tilt my head to the side to kiss him back. He smiles against my lips and pulls away, his eyes flitting over my face.

“So… about that dog.”

I have no idea what would happen to them after that, but I’d like to think they’re having a great time, petting dogs and continuing to mess with each other, all whilst falling in love.

I’d love to know what you guys thought of this little one shot. Did you love it, did you hate it? Did you breathe out through your nose a little bc you kind of laughed but also didn’t? Be sure to like, reblog, comment, or shoot me an ask and tell me all about it!

If you’d like to be tagged in future fics, please let me know!

Tag list:

@ghostlyhamlet, @claws-of-vibranium, @creaturefeatures101, @buckysendoftheline, @imagine-assembling-the-avengers, @ptprocrastination, @1950schick, @amayasymone23, @arfrona-and-marvel, @ek823, @fanaticfangirl001, @furrywerewolfcollector, @kissofvenom922, @dawn-phantomhive, @fangirlwithasweettooth, @mairhof1, @starryeyesbadguys, @trap-house-homiecide, @buckywhitewolfbarnes, @kaepm981, @howdoesoneadult, @pcdmesamidala, @thefandomplace, @sian22redux, @skeletoresinthebasement, @lady-thor-foster, @jazzcutie, @gaytonystark, @geeksareunique, @nyxveracity, @breezy1415, @feelmyroarrrr, @darling-loki, @lemonadeorange73, @princess-unicorn124, @hermionie-is-my-queen, @tofeartheunknown, @queenoftheunderdark, @avengerscompound

#clint bartonxreader #readerxclint barton #clint barton x reader #reader x clint barton #clintbartonxreader #readerxclintbarton #clint barton #hawkeye #reader insert marvel fic #my perfect birdie boy

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alexthepartyman · 3 years

Text

When I’m Saved (Part 2)

“The press looks horrendous,” Agent Jareau says, looking out towards the front of the hotel as the team exits their SUVs. “Ah, Lieutenant Kim.”

“Agent Jareau. Rossi, Reid, Prentiss. Where are Hotchner and Morgan?”

“They retired. These are Agents Simmons, Alvez, and Section Chief Cruz. We have an Agent in Peyton with Dmitri’s father,” Agent Prentiss answers. “How is the group coping?”

“We should get inside.” The lieutenant says, escorting the team into the hotel’s back entrance. “The hotel has been placed on lockdown, only law enforcement is coming and going. We’ve questioned all of the kids and the chaperones. Some of the kids are devastated, some are pleased that Dmitri is gone. The kids are in their respective rooms, and the chaperones are in the Monterey ballroom. The girls are in Room 407 with the colour guard staff and two chaperones, officers have been stationed outside the room.”

“Pleased?”

“Dmitri isn’t so well accepted outside of his friends. One of the kids in his grade claims Dmitri broke his nose, and other kids have backed up the story. Dmitri has also been the subject of a few harassment incidents in school. Here is a list of people that know Dmitri the best.” Section Chief Cruz takes the list and scans over it.

“How is Mr and Mrs Tremblay taking this?”

“Mrs Tremblay hasn’t had much of a reaction. Mr Tremblay is angry about everything, but has cooperated. The colour guard staff, Dmitri’s direct coaches, are taking it very hard.”

“How is the colour guard taking it?”

“Most are sad, confused, angry. Some of them don’t see Dmitri favourably. One is exclusively regarding to Dmitri as Rhys.”

“One of them was a next-door neighbour?”

“Yes, LeAnne Owens. Dmitri was a friend of hers before they moved away into a neighbourhood that suited their Mormon beliefs more.”

“Religion? Peyton’s separated by religion?” Agent Prentiss asks.

“The town is mostly Mormon, a church on nearly every block in the downtown area. Those who aren’t Mormon aren’t treated very well once the others find out, apparently. Dmitri has been shunned for a few years, most kids only interact with him during group projects.”

“They probably took advantage of him because of his intellect,” Dr Reid comments. “Dmitri’s IQ is apparently one hundred and eighty seven. Autistic individuals tend to be more excluded by their peers and have troubles relating to neurotypical peers. The other kids would likely not understand how he functions and behaves, and he would struggle to maintain friendships. He would likely just think they were being his friends and not be able to see that other people were manipulating him to get what they wanted.”

“Our command center is in the La Paz ballroom. We have five officers monitoring the tip lines, and the media has been running broadcasts since one am.”

“What have the media been saying?” Agent Jareau asks.

“We told them that Dmitri disappeared, and that anyone who might have seen what happened to him should call the hotline. We haven’t confirmed or denied that Dmitri was abducted, but it’s starting to look like that’s what happened. Park search came up empty, we issued an Amber Alert for Los Angeles and the neighbouring counties around three am, stressing that Dmitri’s health is fragile. Free coffee in the lobby, but warning, it’s as bad as our station coffee.”

“Matt, Reid, go up to Room 407,” Agent Prentiss says. “Ask very specifically about what happened last night and our unsubs. Ask them if Diego or Jacob could have taken Dmitri. The adults may not know about what happened, so tread carefully. Luke, you and Rossi should go to the Monterey ballroom and talk with the Tremblays, Mrs Mellencamp, Mrs Kilburn, and any other chaperones that interacted with Dmitri yesterday. JJ, Cruz, and I will set up in the command center, touch bases with PG and Tara. We’ll text you any new information that comes in. Mobiles on. Head out.”

“Sanchez. Escort Agent Simmons and Dr Reid up to Room 407,” Lieutenant Kim says, stopping a passing officer in his tracks. “BAU. They’re going to question the kids.”

“Of course. There’s only one functioning elevator in this hotel, but staircases in every corner. Come with me.” The buff Asian and the pipe cleaner with eyes break off from the group, heading back towards the nearest staircase.

“Only one elevator?” Agent Jareau asks as the team follows the lieutenant towards the lobby.

“Yes, only one. If they couldn’t grab the elevator, the kids would drag their things up the staircases. There wasn’t much comment on Dmitri’s mobility, but Mrs Kilburn did share with us a picture of Dmitri in the Main Street USA parade.” Agent Prentiss squints at the picture and takes a picture of it with her phone. “What is it?”

“Look at the way his left hand grabs the pole vs how the others in the picture are holding the pole, and how his smile droops on the left side of his face.”

“What does that mean?”

“The right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, it looks like that’s where he took the most damage. Look at those transition lenses.” Agent Alvez points to the glasses in the picture. “Those would hide a drooping left eye.”

“This is the Monterey ballroom,” Lieutenant Kim announces, pushing the door to the conference room open. Agents Alvez and Rossi nod and pass through the door, closing it behind them.

“Excuse me,” Agent Rossi asks, approaching another officer. “We’re with the FBI, and we’re looking for John and Amy Tremblay.” The officer points towards an older, balding man and an older woman with red hair holding his hand at a table. “Thank you.” The Italian Stallion and the buff, steaming mug of hot cocoa then head to the table, Agent Rossi sitting across from the couple. “Mr and Mrs Tremblay, we’re Agents Rossi and Alvez with the FBI. We’re a few of the agents helping to find Dmitri.”

“FBI?” A woman with dark curly hair asks, ending her hushed conversation with a woman with red curly hair.

“Yes, ma’am, FBI. We have a few questions about Dmitri. The more we can understand about his behaviour, the more we can figure out what happened to him and how to help him. Who might you be, ma’am?”

“I’m Jill Mellencamp. I assist with band finances and keep all the records. This is Connie Hiratsu, she’s one of the chaperones.”

“When did you last see Dmitri?”

“Nine pm. He was with his friends, leaving Splash Mountain,” Mr Tremblay answers.

“What was he wearing?”

“Our grey shirts we gave the kids, rainbow shoes. A rainbow bowtie, rainbow ears.”

“Interesting attire. Do you know of anybody Dmitri would know here in Los Angeles? Did he tell you he was meeting up with anybody?”

“No,” Mr Tremblay answers, his piecing blue eyes beaming through the agent in front of him.

“Has he ever been caught speaking to strangers?”

“This one time, last year, I had found him after our halftime performance, and a tall man was holding him while he was crying. I separated them and had our drum major and seniors watch over Dmitri. He did not tell me why he was upset or who the man was.”

“He knows better than to talk to strangers. He’s in high school, he knows the rules,” Connie argues.

“Connie. He’s hurting right now. Arguing about it isn’t going to help him.”

“Are you guys going to tell them how much trouble he is?” She retorts.

“Connie-”

“He threw a water bottle, had a tantrum, and screamed at me, like he was a toddler. Was I supposed to just let him represent our school and organisation poorly? Other people might think we’re snobs if they saw that-”

“Mrs Hiratsu. What exactly was happening?”

“He was upset, and he threw a water bottle at the ground, and I told him that high schoolers don’t throw things, and he wouldn’t calm down or tell me what was going on. He was throwing a tantrum-”

“Connie. Loud noises and crowds stress Dmitri out. He was freaking out because he didn’t have his ticket into the park and he couldn’t find Ressa Kilburn, so I had him go through the security checkpoint with me and my family, and afterwards, he ran away, but he came back to the group after a few minutes. Mrs Anderson told us she went to talk to him.”

“He aimed it at the ground or at someone?” Agent Alvez asks.

“At the ground, but it shouldn’t matter. He was acting out of line.”

“Mrs Hiratsu, Dmitri has autism, and he gets overwhelmed and shuts down. Now when he shuts down, he might be aggressive or defensive, throwing things or screaming,” Agent Alvez replies. “Him aiming the bottle at the ground is better than if he aimed it at a person. It means that he is semi-aware of his surroundings in his state, and he is empathetic and doesn’t want to disrupt things.”

“Then why would he do that?”

“He doesn’t want to do it, but he just does. He probably feels embarrassed that he reacts like that.”

“He is rather empathetic. If you raise your voice at him, he’ll think you’re mad at him, and then it takes forever for him to get that you’re not mad at him. He always thinks Jill and I are mad at him.”

“How is he, socially? Does he get along well with the other kids?”

“No, he’s always closed off from the others. Most people don’t even realise he’s there.”

“If he had his way, he’d be in the corner with his music and his notebook,” Mrs Tremblay adds.

“We try to get him to participate with others, but he always just does his own thing. Jill, you’re also involved with the musical theatre program, and you interact with Dmitri there.”

“Yes, I do, but he’s practically the same way. He gets really embarrassed to have to talk in front of other kids, just almost shuts down, he starts stammering and stuttering and panicking.”

“He wouldn’t tell anyone if there was something wrong.”

“Exactly. Nick, Lily, and Arthur have better luck getting him out of his shell, but he still doesn’t ask for help unless you start the conversation. I can see it when it’s just the guard, but I don’t know how to explain it. He laughs more, smiles more with them. Nick and Lily tell me that he actually reaches out to the new guard kids, which is unheard of.”

“Could any of you tell us how Dmitri changed after his last concussion, three weeks ago?” Agent Alvez asks.

“He smiles more, laughs more, asks more questions. He’s definitely more outspoken, but he falls asleep everywhere. I don’t know how he falls asleep on the school bus seats, but he does.”

“I caught him sleeping in the doorway one morning during musical theatre class. He’ll just take little naps during class. He seems to be a lot dizzier, falls a lot more.”

“Yes. He falls when he laughs, and since he laughs at everything now, he always falls. He’s been walking around with hoods up, headphones on, using the walls as supports.”

“Do his eyes glaze over? Does he eat enough to compensate for the high activity levels? We noticed he’s smaller than most.”

“The nosebleed. Do you think that was anything serious?”

“He acted like it was,” Connie asks.

“A nosebleed?”

“He bled out all over the boys’ bathroom once, and it took half an hour to get him to stop bleeding. He was accepting the sugar we provided him, but he freaked out once we mentioned afrin, wouldn’t let us give it to him, he thought we were going to give him aspirin. He couldn’t figure out what was happening to him, and he was texting his grandparents.”

“Okay, okay.” The four adults fall silent, appearing to hold a lifetime back. “Thank you. We’ll come back if we have any more questions.”

#jennifer jareau #tara lewis #Luke Alvez #Matt Simmons #mateo cruz #emily prentiss #penelope garcia #spencer reid #Criminal Minds #Criminal Minds Fanfiction #DavidRossi

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livdede100 · 4 years

Text

Interviews on Autism

As Educators in the field of special education, general education or other specialized services, we tend to know a few key terms, facts, or ideas about Autism. We may have even had a student with autism or have talked to a colleague who works with children who have autism. I found myself wondering: what does the average person know about autism? I interviewed four different people, they ranged in age and professional and recorded their responses below. Last names are not included for identity purposes.

RoseMary-RoseMary is 76 years old, and she was a general educator teacher 40 years ago. RoseMary likes to spend her time reading about history, reading non-fiction and fiction books or watching Jeopardy.

In a few sentences, tell me what you think autism is.

“I don’t think it is only one thing, I think it is a combination of many problems, ranging from severe to less severe.”

What do you think autism is caused by?

“I don’t think they know yet, possible gene combination.”

Do you think there is a connection between certain vaccines and autism? Why do you think so?

“I don’t think so, just from what I read; they have never proved that there is a connection. Many people thought so, but it has been disproven.”

How many American children do you think have been diagnosed with Autism? (1.5% or 1 in 68 children)

“5%.”

I told RoseMary the statistic.

“I’m glad I didn’t say a higher percentage

Do you know any characteristics of autism?

“I know that some children don’t like to be touched, they show repetitiveness, and sometimes physical motions that repeat, like flapping their arms or rocking back and forth.”

Do you know any movies or TV shows where the main character has autism? Or books?

“Yes, what’s that movie with Dustin Hoffman? Oh it’s rain man. I don’t really remember the movie.”

How would you interact with someone who has autism? Would you treat them the same as you would a person with a non-disability? Or differently?

“I think I would act differently, try to be more patient and more understanding.”

What is one thing you would like to know about autism or have always wondered?

“I would like to know why it happens and what causes it.”

Katie – Katie is 47 years old and she is a Special Education patient psychiatric autistic support classroom support teacher. Katie was a deaf and hard of hearing teacher around 20 years ago, then later in her career switched to working with troubled youth. About 3 years ago her work assigned her to work in a mental health hospital, some but not all students have autism.

In a few sentences, tell me what you think autism is.

“A neurological disorder affecting behavior, executive functioning, social skills and sometimes academic skills. “ What do you think autism is caused by?

“Something genetic, possibly environmental.”

Do you think there is a connection between certain vaccines and autism? Why do you think so?

“No, I read the science and read the re buttle of the only one scientific document that cited that autism is caused by vaccines.”

How many American children do you think have been diagnosed with Autism? (1.5% or 1 in 68 children)

“13.5%”

In responding to my answer of only 1.5%

“Oh, that is lower than I thought.”

Do you know any characteristics of autism?

“Yes, repetitive movement, echolalic, scripting, and social awkwardness.”

Do you know any movies or TV shows where the main character has autism? Or books?

“Atypical (Netflix series), the curious incident of the dog in the night, parenthood (ABC series), Martian child, the movie about temple Grandin. You should really watch Atypical, it’s good, it’s about a family and one of the children just happen to have autism and it’s about their life.”

How would you interact with someone who has autism? Would you treat them the same as you would a person with a non-disability? Or differently?

“The only difference I would probably make is allow for a little more wait time and wait for a reaction to see how they are doing.”

What is one thing you would like to know about autism or have always wondered?

“I want to know why they pick some of the stims like repetitive movements or vocalizations. Why they pick the ones they pick.”

Luke- Luke is 13 years old and likes to solve puzzles, create mazes and play outside. Luke has a younger sister, a twin sister and a cousin with special needs. Luke fore-warned me that he does not know a lot about autism.

In a few sentences, tell me what you think autism is.

“I really don’t know.”

What do you think autism is caused by?

“I think that you are born with it.”

Do you think there is a connection between certain vaccines and autism? Why do you think so?

No I don’t think so. How would that even happen?

How many American children do you think have been diagnosed with Autism? (1.5% or 1 in 68 children)

“ I think maybe 10% or 1 in 30.”

When I let Luke know the statistic, he said he was not surprised.

Do you know any characteristics of autism?

“Yes, they can show violence, and they can be really loud.”

Do you know any movies or TV shows where the main character has autism? Or books?

“El deafo the book, oh wait, I think they may have just been deaf and Rules the book which I read.”

How would you interact with someone who has autism? Would you treat them the same as you would a person with a non-disability? Or differently?

“Yeah, I would act way differently, I would be more patient and nice.”

What is one thing you would like to know about autism or have always wondered?

“I wonder why they are the way they are.”

James - age 25. James is a student at University of Penn studying international relations. James likes to read about current invents, history, and anything that may interest him. James dates someone who is a special education teacher and who is currently enrolled in the Special Education/Autism Endorsement Program at the local university.

In a few sentences, tell me what you think autism is.

“I think that Autism is a neurological disability that leaves those who suffer from it to experience a varied/different experience/perception of the world. I know people who have autism have a high IQ, but it could be a misconception.”

What do you think autism is caused by?

“A number of factors, such as developmental issues within the womb. It could be genetic and possibly be caused by outside chemicals when the child is young, it could be from cleaning supplies or led paint, they banned led paint from everything.”

Do you think there is a connection between certain vaccines and autism? Why do you think so?

“Yes. Anecdotal scenarios that I have heard from people I trust. They said that they brought their children to get their first set of vaccines and they said they “stopped” developing mentally, I am still unsure but kind of leaning towards it a little bit. I don’t think all autism is caused by it, maybe a little?”

How many American children do you think have been diagnosed with Autism? (1.5% or 1 In 68 children)

“Under 1 percent.”

I told James the rate, and he responded- 1 in 68 children is a little higher than he thought.

“I am also curious to see how the autism rate differs in parts of the world with vastly different living situations. Like urban vs rural, or eating habits.”

Do you know any characteristics of autism?

“Anti-social behavior, sort of OCD traits, and high IQ.”

Do you know any movies or TV shows where the main character has autism? Or books? “Rain man movie. I think that was my first time ever seeing anybody with autistic characteristics and I was impressed by him because he had so much attention to detail, but I also felt bad because he was so trapped by routine and his own comfortability.”

How would you interact with someone who has autism? Would you treat them the same as you would a person with a non-disability? Or differently?

“I would be much lighter around them, or gentler. I would monitor how they react. Whichever ways I find them feeling comfortable I would continue to do that.”

What is one thing you would like to know about autism or have always wondered?

“I wonder how autism rates are different in different parts of the world. The definite causes, how does it happen?”

I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing various people about autism. I was pleasantly surprised by all answers, most people seemed to have an understanding of autism. Every interview elicited more conversations about autism. I hope that the people I interviewed may start more conversations and spread the word about autism.

#autism specialeducation interview rainman atypical

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ekakinomi-forgrownups · 4 years

Photo

"Better luck next time, fellas!" ~Mr. Peanut to 2nd and 3rd contenders Geniusman (Tottemo! Luckyman) and Mettaton EX (Undertale) as he proudly shows off his "Loving" Cup that he won for being the official Winner Of My Heart this year

Hi, everyone! How are you today? I bet you're pretty tired of being mostly cooped up inside. But don't worry--I have something right here that might catch your interest.

As some of you may know, March is National Peanut Month. Now, that's not exactly something worth celebrating for peanut allergists...but, on the other paw, March is also National Nutrition Month, National Kidney Month, Optimism Month, Spiritual Wellness Month, National Women's History Month, Irish-American Heritage Month, and International Listening Awareness Month, among even more things. March is also, of course, the first month of Spring. So there's much more to celebrate in March than just peanuts.

However, in this blog post, I'm going to celebrate peanuts. I could go on and on about peanut butter, my favorite food ever, the average jar of which is made with hundreds of peanuts. But, I'm just going to focus one one peanut this time--one of the most famous peanuts of all time--the one and only Mr. Peanut, mascot for the Planters brand of nuts and snacks. Why? Because he's my biggest cartoon crush.

.......say waaaaaaa~~~t?

But isn't he dead?

youre just posting your april fools joke too early

Nope. It's all true!

All the recent hub-bub about Mr. Peanut, including the infamous commercial where he literally dies, reminded me of this earlier commercial I saw on T.V. back in 2018 (the first video featured in this post), which utilized the same sleek design he was animated in during his passing. After finding it on YouTube, I found other videos of him, and this social media browsing eventually brought me to his Twitter account, where I browsed all of his posts from 2018/19. I immediately fell for his optimistic attitude, his sweet personality and especially his support for his friends and followers...and the rest is history. He has the looks, he has the heart--and now he's helping me to grow up.

But why him?? How could an overdressed anthro peanut top, let alone compete with, these practical princes of men? How would crushing over a cartoon help me grow up in any way? And last (and strangest) of all, why am I suddenly going "nuts" over the now-defunct version of a character who just 2 months ago died and came back as a baby?

I will answer all those questions in approximately...right now!

Being autistic, I have a more child-like mind-set than others my age--one facet of this is the ability to immerse myself in imaginary worlds and connect with characters. Thinking of characters, "talking" to them and even trying to act like them has gotten me through many a tough time. As I take inspiration from their personalities and actions, I find more fun and creative ways to spice up my every-day life, stay calm when things get stormy, cheer me up when I feel down, or pep me up when I get sluggish and demotivated. I use different characters to help me with different aspects of life. The two types that always helped me the most were characters with pure hearts, and characters I had crushes on.

Recently, though, I had been looking for a character that would help me take on one of my toughest challenges--accepting the fact that the world is equally as cruel as it is kind, while staying a calm and collected person, and then handling it all just by myself--to put it in two words: growing up. I won't go into detail (in this post, at least), but life had been extremely cruel to me last year. I had a lot of trouble accepting it, and I was losing my self-control. But considering that I'm going on 23 now, I knew that I had to get it together, or else I would stay a crying ball of nerves, trapped on a bed, forever. Being one of the less restrictive aspects of having the heart of a child, I knew that modeling myself after a good-natured fictional character would be a perfect start--but I needed one exceptionally powerful character to pull this off. I needed a crush with a pure heart.

Then it suddenly and silently occured to me, as I continued to take in his various pictures, videos, GIF's and Tweets, that Mr. Peanut was it.

His sleek and curvy body, his elegant limbs, refined features and gentlemanly disposition--not to mention the fact that he's wearing white gloves and has one eye always covered--immediately calls to mind my best cartoon crushes: Geniusman from the anime "Tottemo! Luckyman" and Mettaton EX from the game "Undertale" (who are both looking salty alongside Mr. Peanut on the winner's podium in the top picture). But what really got me was what he didn't have that the other crushes did, he made up for with his unique personality, that my other crushes, in turn, didn't have:

You see, Mr. Peanut rests comfortably on two fine lines that few characters have even been able to stand on. The fine line between "handsome and stylish" and "conceited and mean", and the fine line between "peppy mascot" and "mature and modest gentle-man". All except for a "brief" 10-year stint where they tried to "re-invent" him (Yes, I'm talking about the one who spent the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade dabbing), he's always been a gentle, friendly, quiet character whose main goal in life (besides selling nuts) is to help people and make them happy, "shelling out" plenty of pep while also remaining proper and well-composed.

He never got angry for more than a second or two, and handled (almost) any problem he faced in the smartest, most dignified and most fun way possible. And of course, he's very sweet and always thinks of those he cares about first. He also, despite being a mascot for snacks, loves to play sports and stay fit and healthy--and he encourages others to do the same. And finally, despite being a mascot in general, he always had this quiet, unassuming air to him. He made all his necessary appearances and entertained his customers, yet he always acted very natural about it and never hammed it up or acted super wild and goofy--a thing that most other cartoon mascots fail to do.

So he's not just eye-candy--he's also a perfect role model. That covers the "first of all". Not only does he give me the incentive to be a dignified lady who always does the right thing first, but he gives me that euphoric, limerance-enduced energy I need to really want to act upon it. All my aspirations to be more courteous, be more proper and elegant, be more brave, lead a healthy and active life-style and be a good mascot for Ekaki No Mi are finally coming to fruition. That covers the "second of all".

Yes, this all sounds very silly. But In a "nut-shell", he's the reason I'm finally growing up, so in a way, this is all anything but silly. I would be a hot mess without him...which is exactly why I'm speaking of him in present-tense (using "is" instead of "was"), and pretending he never became Baby Nut or even died in the first place. Here's where I cover the "third of all".

For those who don't already know about his apparent death and resurrection: for their big pre-Super Bowl LIV commercial (the second video featured), Planters took a very unusual, very controversial approach: Their preview commercial depicted Mr. Peanut sacrificing himself to save his friends by letting go of a branch on a cliff that was too heavy to hold him and actors Matt Walsh and Wesley Snipes. The actual Super Bowl commercial (the third video featured) depicted his funeral, which the Kool-Aid Man, among others, attended. A magic tear from the Kool-Aid Man caused a peanut plant to grow out of the ground and sprout a "Baby Nut"--the official reincarnation of Mr. Peanut. Here are the two commercials, in order:

But what people often don't realize is that Mr. Peanut is a cartoon--a form of art--and art, except in very specific cases, is meant to be interpreted by the viewer. If the story isn't satisfactory, people can ignore some parts and pretend that others play out differently, until it fits what they believe in. And the characters and their actions can hold secret meanings that only the viewer sees. In fact, the same character can don different personalities and clothes, and exist in different universes, doing different things--all at the same time. (Think of all the different versions of Mickey Mouse that exist at the same time, even today.)

So is the case with Mr. Peanut. As long as his original likeness still exists--anywhere in this world--he's still alive and well. And even if the actual Planters corporation says he's Baby Nut now, he's still the same old Mr. Peanut in another part of the Internet, in another part of the world, or in any alternate universe. Many, actually. In one of them, he could be "Miss Peanut". In another, he could be a radical "Teen Nut". And in another still, he could actually be the evil capitalist peanut everybody says he is--you know, the one who struts around in his aristocrat clothing while roasting his fellow "pea-ple" and selling them to humans as food in order to get richer...

...which I like to think is not true, because the real peanuts he sells for your eating pleasure could never have flexy bright-yellow shells or humanoid features, could never breathe, cry, blush, say "Whoa!" when startled, wear clothes, be cuddled by a person with a peanut allergy without triggering it, and couldn't even survive on their own for more than 4 months, let alone 104 years. When they grow, it doesn't happen in the blink of an eye--peanut plants take about 3 or 4 weeks to mature (on days that strictly aren't frosty, no less), and the peanuts themselves grow under the ground--totally different from how Baby Nut came into being.

In short, the peanuts we eat aren't cartoons, like Mr. Peanut is. And since he is, I can interpret him any way I want, just as any other person can. So he doesn't have to be a cannibalistic capitalist. He can be the dapper yellow fellow who sells and eats yummy, natural and nutritious morsels that happen to look a bit like him--think of how humans eat little crackers and gummies that look like other people--and, most importantly, is not dead and never will be, because people still love him and believe in him, and belief and imagination transcend death, at least when it comes to fictional characters.

(I especially have the right to believe he's dead because it's one thing to kill off a character in a series for story reasons--it's another thing to kill a revered and internationally-known brand mascot just to create a social media buzz and generate profits. Now that's capitalism!)

But at the same time, I can't help but admit that it was at least a unique social media experiment, and despite the nasty secret intent behind it all, it was very interesting to finally get to see how Mr. Peanut would die, how he got born (and reborn), and what he looks like as a baby. And honestly, with his big round eyes, squidgy body and dainty features, I actually think Baby Nut is pretty cute--certainly too cute for me to want to break out a mortar and pestle and make peanut butter out of him--but he's just not Mr. Peanut. Mr. Peanut was such a unique character that it takes some very special minds to make a character that even comes close to a replacement--sadly, Baby Nut just doesn't make the cut.

Thanks to the power of love and imagination, though, he's still his good old self in my heart. Besides, he may just grow up and come back some day. So in conclusion, he still is, not was, and always will be, the best role model and "husbando" I could ever ask for. He's got the looks. He's got the love. He's cute. He's graceful. He's dapper. He's daring. He's silly. He's sexy. He's serene. He's cheerful, and he always brightens my day. He's everything I could ever want, and more.

Some day I plan to release an art collection featuring the lovable legume sometime in the near future. I would have each picture creatively high-light a different aspect of his personality, taking inspiration from charming vintage art-work that would fit the theme of the picture as well as actual Planters merchandise, and I would utilize various retro art styles and techniques from different time periods to give each picture a distinctive "old-fashioned" vibe.

The collection will be available on all my art web-pages, including my possible future Patreon (if I can get enough subscribers!), and I'm hoping I can also get it shown off in a gallery somewhere (if there are enough Mr. Peanut fans here in Athens to want to see it.)

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One of my favorite commercials featuring him ever, back when he was (canonically) alive and well.

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The commercial where he literally dies.

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The commercial where he comes back to life as a little baby peanut.

And that concludes my post. The credits for the videos go to Planters and KraftHeinz, and the cover photo for this post goes to my imaginary friend, Mini Minoux. Do you love Mr. Peanut, too? And if you do, what do you love about him? And what about Baby Nut? Is he “yea” or “nay”? I'd be happy to hear your thoughts in the comments--though please, keep it reasonable and don't be too harsh. We're in the company of a gentleman. ;.3

#mr peanut #baby nut #cartoon crush #blog #national peanut month #peanut #peanuts #planters #ekakinomi #cartoon crushes

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