hello fellow cryptids

these aquarium kids are getting so much independence!!!! they are, at most, 3 weeks into their internships. I literally walked into my hoofstock internship WITH EXPERIENCE WITH THOSE EXACT ANIMALS (not the species, THE INDIVIDUALS) and I was not allowed the level of independence these kids are getting. I was always babysat by another keeper for any animal experience and was frequently excluded from training exercises due to keeper preferences and animal neuroses (the second reason is slightly understandable but - aquarium tries to train their critters out of those neuroses...)

I often talk about reality checking and going along with it when helping someone deal with delusions, but I felt as if I didn’t really make it clear to what I meant when I said it.

First box: Have they asked you to give them reality checks when they have a delusion. Green “yes” leads to a green box reading: Reality Check. Pink “no” leads to a pink box reading: Let it be / Go Along With It. Black “no, but im still worried” leads to a box reading: Have you asked if you can give them reality checks and they said?

Green “yes” leads to a green box reading: Reality Check. Pink “no” leads to a pink box reading: Let it be / Go Along With It. Black “they said no but im still worried” leads to box reading: Have you asked if there is anything else you can do instead.

Green “yes” leads to green box reading: Do that instead. Pink “no” leads to a pink box reading: Let it be / Go Along With It.

Image #2: Pink box with text reading: What Letting it Be / Going Along With It Is Not: (red “X” bullet points)

adding new information to the delusion / trying to send your friend deeper into the delusion

“that must be scary to believe something that isn’t real”

“keep that to yourself, the more you talk about it the more you’ll encourage yourself”

dismissing your friend’s delusions, saying “everyone thinks like that once in awhile.”

trying to distract your friend from their delusion or act as if it’s a game

What Letting it Be / Going Along With It Is: (blue checkmark bullet points)

allowing your friend to vent or express themselves ( sometimes just talking about their delusions out loud can help them question it )

“I’m so sorry that you’re going through that”

encouraging your friend to express their delusions through poetry, song, art, or other non-harmful things they enjoy

“If that becomes too over whelming for you, you can call me and ask for comfort or a distraction”

allowing your delusional friend to feel safe around you, allowing them to healthily express themselves

Image #3: Green box with text reading: What Reality Checking Is Not: (red “X” bullet points)

“Snap out of it, it’s just a delusion.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Think about it for a second, then you’ll snap out of it”

forcing your friend into the hospital

calling the police on your friend

trying to fix or stop the delusion

What Reality Checking Is: (blue “checkmark” bullet points)

“Could you describe the evidence you have for your belief?”

“How firm are you with this belief? Would you be okay with other suggestions on what could be happening?”

“You’re going to be okay, what you’re fearing won’t hurt you.”

“Can we take a step back? Is what you’re going through effecting those around you?”

“Has what you believe happened to anyone else? What is the likeliness of this being real?”

Helping your friend question the delusion or become aware of how the delusion is affecting them.

I really just have to summarize Thomas's entire life:

He was in a committed relationship with a male swan named Henry for 18-24 years before a female swan named Henrietta showed up and mated with Henry.

Thomas was initially jealous of the pair and attacked them, breaking 2 of the 5 eggs Henrietta had laid. However, once the remaining eggs hatched, Thomas warmed up to them and helped raise them.

Henry couldn't fly because of an injured wing, so Thomas taught the cygnets how to fly.

When they needed to reduce the goose population in the pond where Thomas and the swans lived, they dyed Thomas's feathers red so he wouldn't be separated from Henry.

Henry, Henrietta, and Thomas remained in their happy throuple for years and raised 68 cygnets before Henry died in 2009. After Henry's death, Henrietta found another swan and flew away, leaving Thomas alone.

Thomas finally met and mated with a female goose in 2011 and had his own babies. However, another goose named George stole them and raised them himself.

As Thomas grew elderly and blind, he was relocated to a wildlife center where he raised orphaned cygnets.

His caretaker at the center described him as "pretty high maintenance."

Thomas died in 2018 at the age of around 40. He had a funeral that included a small coffin and a procession that was led by a bagpiper. He was buried under the stone where Henry was buried, the two finally reunited in death.