Smarter Than the Average Squirrel

 And May is Mental Health Month, so it's time for my annual offer to make use of my education and chosen career for the general benefit of fandom. Ask me about mental health stuff, friends list! I will answer anything put to me, to the best of my ability. That means both fandom-related stuff ("Do you think [insert character here] could have [insert psychiatric condition here]", "How can I portray mental health issues more accurately in my fanfic?" etc.) and IRL stuff ("What's your opinion of this antidepressant medication?" "Is this an issue I should be seeking help for?" "I'm worried about my friend/family member, what can I do?") and anything in between.

If you feel more comfortable asking something privately, send me a PM or comment anonymously. But unless you flat-out ask me not to, I will be posting answers publicly. Because chances are, if you're asking, you're not the only one it's relevant to.

So let's raise some awareness, kick stigma to the curb, and perhaps even have a little fun, eh? 

 angel_negra asked if doing this meme was a good idea. And overall, I'd have to say yes. It's given me the opportunity to think about and post about some interesting topics. And hey, if I somehow contributed to the existence of more Ji/Jayden's dad fic in the universe, that is an unexpected but welcome bonus.

I'm a bit annoyed with myself for not managing to post every day, but as I had mentioned before, there's been some recent medical weirdness that's rather nerfed my motivation on some of the days in question. 

(Relatedly, if you are prone to spine-related shenanigans, I would NOT recommend attempting Couch to 5k, as I'm pretty sure attempting to force my weirdly built body to run is how I have fucked up my neck. End PSA.)

But all whining aside, since I didn't get to all the topics this month, the only logical thing to do is continue. Maybe something like one post per week, or whenever I get bored. 

 rivulet027 asked about why I identify Yellow as my Ranger color. 

( Color theory and some other stuff )

 rivulet027 asked for my top three favorite pairings?! From ANY fandom? That is the most unfair question ever!

( I am going to flip a table )

 Augh, the posting streak is over! Sadness. :( :( Alas, I've spent the bulk of the past week with the Inexplicably Persistent Headache of Doom leaving me without the brain capacity to do much more than work, sleep, and browse Tumblr like a zombie. Fortunately, I'm feeling a tad bit more functional this evening, and that means I owe punkpinkpower a post on...

( THE WORST PAIRING EVER! )

 OK, I had better apologize in advance for this post, because I have been drinking wine out of my Autobot Pimp Cup for the past few hours, and this post may not make complete sense. But it's Saturday night and I'm bored on the internet, and I realized there were things that needed posting about that were not meme related, so. Yeah.

Point the First - Alpha fics, yatta! Oh my god, you guys, there was SO MUCH good stuff written for this fest this year, I can't even. I still need to go back through and kudos-review all the things. 

I wrote One of Their Own for thesecondbatgirl because we're ridiculous people. It's rare that I say this, given that my self-esteem is generally less than stellar, but I am actually proud of this fic. And hey, if I had to watch the same three episodes of Goseiger on repeat for the sake of writing it, it was still a worthwhile venture. 

I received TWO fics, woohoo!

First, Mistel Me What You're Thinking by Revieloutionne who...I don't THINK has a DW otherwise I'd be linking him right now? IDK. This is one of those wonderful situations in which I prompt the thing, I don't expect anyone will actually write the thing, someone DOES write the thing, and it's WAY BETTER THAN I EXPECTED IT TO BE. Seriously, I can't say enough good things about this fic. It has it all. Gia and Jake having an awesome bromance! Prank wars! Troy backstory! Troy having an angst! How often does a fic inspire both laughter and wibbling? I rec the FUCK out of this fic, it is AWESOME. 

And second, Something Fishy This Way Comes by queenriley , in which so many of my favorite things happen, let me count the ways. 1, Billy showing up in seasons where he ought not be. 2, there is FINALLY FIC ABOUT BOTH BILLY AND ANTONIO BEING AFRAID OF FISH, 3, he still makes Antonio eat sushi but he is SO MUCH NICER about it than Ji was in canon, 4, Billy totally knows what motivates Antonio and tells him to DO IT FOR JAYDEN. I am so happy this fic is a thing. 

And even though these were not fics for me, I'd be remiss if I didn't give a bonus rec to Private Lessons by tptigger , which is the Rocky and Justin friendship backstory I've always wanted but was too lazy to write myself, and The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship by queenriley , which is far and away THE BEST social worker!Rocky fic I have ever read. 

I swear, this fest gets better every year. <3

Point the second, I have plane tickets now, so I am officially going to visit thesecondbatgirl for couchcon again! Huzzah! I can't wait for another extended weekend of hanging out with awesome fandom people, watching ridiculous amounts of toku, writing fic and making my liver hate me. <3 <3 <3

 punkpinkpower requested that I talk about a favorite story or song from my childhood and what it means to me now.

( Which means it's time to talk Tolkien )
Tomorrow's post is on the best and worst mentors of PR, as requested by thesecondbatgirl . And Day 12 will be general headcanon rambles as requested by tsukino_akume 

 thesecondbatgirl requested a post about color theory. 

( Ho boy, time to open the can )Tomorrow's post will be on why Rocky is awesome and Rocky-related headcanon as requested by rivulet027 . And for Day 10, punkpinkpower asked that I post about a favorite story or song from childhood and what it means to me now. 

 fly_buggy_fly asked me to discuss why I love robots!

( Ah yes, my other great fandom love...the Rangers are getting enough attention )

 I finished my Alpha fic, yay! Only posted it 2 hours late, too! Can't wait till everything's revealed and I can read all the things.

thesecondbatgirl requested that I discuss my favorite fictional therapists. Which, YAY.

( YAY. )

Tomorrow's post is on ROBOTS and why I love them, as requested by fly_buggy_fly . And Day 7's post will be on why Billy is my favorite Ranger, and my headcanon pertaining to him, as requested by rivulet027 .

And can I just say, these topics you guys have been giving me are ACES. All of them. <3