#*herding

[bertharussellgf]

only 2 things i consider myself an absolute authority on in this fandom and it’s the fact that mulder was saying sorry after the bee sting to commiserate with scully’s pain, not bc he thought he was the source of her pain, and that the millennium kiss was in no way platonic bc in the history of genuine, unironic, on-the-lips, lingering new year’s eve kisses, i think it’s safe to say that 0% have been platonic.

[herdsheep]

your icon makes me os happy

s…ame! SAME!

i made it for pride month but??? i didn’t want to change it once pride month ended b/c??? pluto is So Gay and So Proud and happy about it and they’d want this very gay icon to stay up.

anyway, tha nk YOU! i’m glad it makes you happy!!!! that’s very much the intention.

[herdsheep]

Pluto is the best!!

:0 thank you!!!!

i am… very happy you think so!

[herdsheep]

i was wondering - how does Pluto consolidate their ocd with the more dirty aspects of shepherding? fending off wolves, healing the sheep's broken bones, birth etc.

great question!!!

so, pluto does have ocd, but their obsessions are not cleanliness related (which is the most common type of ocd, so i totally see why you’re asking this; espec b/c i, myself, have undiagnosed cleanliness ocd). while pluto does take care of their hygiene (as best they can as a traveller), they have no obsessions or anxiety over it.

ocd doesn’t have to be about cleanliness. it’s simply obsessions (thoughts/feelings/impulses that cause great distress/anxiety that are beyond just real life worries or are excessively so) and compulsions (repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the person feels compelled to do in response to their obsessions that help ease the anxiety of the obsession but are not logically or realistically preventative or are excessively so).

pluto’s ocd can be slotted into two common ocd categories: checker and counter.

a checker repeatedly checks things over and over. this is usually due to worries that are harm or danger related. for example, pluto counts their sheep three times in a row three times a day b/c they’re obsessively worried one of their sheep may have fallen into a ravine or gotten lost or attacked and the only way they can somewhat relieve that anxiety is through the compulsion of checking constantly.

a counter follows superstitions they have about certain numbers. even though it’s illogical (and even though pluto is aware of this) they feel there is some kind of safety and protection in the number three. if they do things in sets of three and/or restrain things to threes, they’ll be okay. for example, they swallow three times in a row whenever they take a bite of and eat something b/c three feels safe and if they don’t swallow three times they get anxious that they’ll choke. their superstition of three is so strong that there’s actually an anxiety now associated with numbers that are not three and they have to do counting three compulsions to counteract that (for example, when walking, pluto only has two feet, so they walk in thuds of two, but this makes them anxious, so they have a walking stick that can act as a third thud every three seconds and/or after they’ve taken two steps).

you may notice that these two compulsions–checking and counting–intermingle with each other. they’re not independent. checkers usually have to check things an exact, certain amount of times in a row otherwise it doesn’t help alleviate their anxiety and doesn’t feel right and they have to do it over again. for example, as mentioned earlier, pluto checks on their sheep (checking) but they do this three times in a row, three times a day (counting). this kind of intermingling is common in ocd. if pluto was interrupted or they lost count while on their third counting in a row, they’d have to start all over and recount three times in a row.

[thingsinspaaace]

My mom used to byb boxers (yes, bad) when I was a kid in the 90s which means I especially looooooove boxers. LOVE boxers. But they are giant cancer machines and brachy on top of it. But i love those stupid bouncy snuffly farting goofy dogs!??!!! Why do they have to be so bad at health???

[herdsheep]

she points at the artifact in their hands. 'that's older than you and i. three times over.' a frown pulls a line all the way up at her brow. centuries old, and not even a breath of rust. curiosity coils deeper than the unease that should be brewing at the prospect of something so peculiar. 'what did you do to it?'

Pluto continues to carry the vase like a sack of flour--one-armed, and curled under the base. The arm which holds the vase shrugs and the neck of the vase bumps into their jaw. As open as the field they are walking through:

          “I fill it with water. My sheep drink from it. It holds water well, longer than my hands can.”

[herdsheep]

you’re an absolutely amazing and inspiring writer and person! thanks for being you!

wow! hey! i had a burst of motivation to write some pluto tonight so i logged on here and saw this msg! how kind of you to say so! and so unprompted (considering ive not written on pluto lately)! i!!! super appreciate it! whatever sparked you to send this msg, thank you! what a lovely, warm compliment! very glad you enjoy my stuff!