PARENT: I got "rubber duck" for my child's "bath" and she loves it.
AUTISM RESPONSE: Rubber ducks and other rubber bath toys can accumulate mold on the inside because of small holes underneath where moisture becomes trapped. The mold often goes unnoticed because it's not visible from the outside.
CORRECT RESPONSE(?): That's nice, I am unaware of how mold could impact this situation.
So my parents are actually microbiologists, and my brother and I had an army of rubber ducks/fish/etc. for the bathtub as kids. There are a couple tricks to making sure they don't get moldy:
Squeeze all the water out of the toy at the end of bath time. My parents would make us kids do this ourselves to instill "clean up time" and "taking care of your shit," and then they would do an extra, just-in-case squeeze with grownup dexterity on anything they though we might not be able to squeeze effectively. If needed, give the toy a good whack up-and-down to encourage water from the extremities to move toward the hole.
If a toy can be disassembled, do that at the end of every bath.
Any cloth or foam toys should be hung up to dry so that air can circulate around all sides.
Large toys (like a water-safe baby doll) should be oriented with the hole facing down to let water drip out.
Try to have the toys live somewhere well-ventilated in-between baths (mesh bag, open basket with holes, etc.).
Check toys every so often for mold. Give them a good sniff and hold them up to a bright light. If they smell weird or have any dark patches that can't be accounted for by the toy's inherent design, they are probably moldy and should be thrown away.
Beware of prime suspects: Toys with odd or angular shapes, large toys with too-small holes or just 1 hole, toys with rubber or plastic that is so stiff an adult cannot easily squeeze it.
Give your kids cups, bowls, colanders/sieves, and ladles in the bath. This doesn't really stop mold, but it lets them practice drinking and fine motor skills without too much mess, uses stuff you already have, and may distract them from slurping out of the tub toys. Yes, it's fine if they drink a little tub water.
I know people will say their kid will be heartbroken if they have to toss a beloved-but-moldy toy. Bearing in mind that I'm not a child development expert, I would say it can be an opportunity to explore the concepts of change, loss, coping with undesirable situations, and caring for the health, safety, and cleanliness of ourselves and those around us in a low-stakes way. I absolutely remember a few tub toys having to go, and while I was sad, I was not traumatized by it in the least.
Try framing it as "[Toy] is moldy and icky inside. It is not the kind of icky we can clean. If we keep using [toy], it can make us sick, so the best choice we can make is to say goodbye to [toy.]" Maybe give them a day to say goodbye/grieve, thank the toy for all the good times, etc., before it goes in the trash (preferably in a bin the kids can't access).
Also, hot tip, if any of the shitty paint on your rubber animals fades over time, just Sharpie the design back on. The Sharpie will eventually wear off, too, but you can just do it over again. My father kept one of our rubber duck's eyes on this way for about a decade for the low, low price of like $0.005 in ink.
i do not minmax i do not play competitively i do not optimize my build i do not grind i do not topscore i do not give a shit about leaderboards. i play to have fun and if im not having fun i go do something else
another fic prompt freebie im DEFINITELY not writing this myself pet died no time/energy but take it & run
reverse sahsrau amphoreus somehow youve been simulationceptioned and YOU are a character to THEM and THEY are trying to figure out how to free you or why you've suddenly become conscious of them
personally I'm thinking of Anaxagoras not just bc I like him but bc he already figures out how to get in the guts of his reality and change stuff around I think it might be easier for him to pull you out
ok everyone knows im an aventio truther DUH but....sometimes....on occasion....as a little treat....i do really really enjoy.... avencae....HEAR ME OUT
HEAR ME OUT
i think its sweetums !! I dont see any of it like anywhere and ik its a little bit of a rare pair but i dont know why bc i think its lovely, there is pOTENTIAL here people you just have to see it how i see it okay—
I'm a sap for the trope of like, plucky strong willed protagonist with so much patience and empathy who people just cant help but be infatuated with, ESP when theres a crazy man doing everything in his power to push him away but when he realizes thats never happening and the protag wont ever stop trying to save him from himself ??? SWEETUMS !! the idea that nothing aventurine could do would scare him away ?? that after everything aven did, caelus only cared that he was alive and safe ??? ...SWEETUMS
and i loved the way aven softened up and lowkey got so shy after nihility, he texts caelus like "hey uhhh wanna play a game bc i really wanna talk to you and tell you about how im doing but god forbid i say that and show you im weak ?? haha no pressure or anything lol also i cant sleep anymore and while i guess im happy i survived i am now constantly plagued by horrible nightmares and depression and im lowkey seeing the hat man in my room and i worry the darkness will one day consume me BUT WE ALSO DONT HAVE TO TALK IF IM ANNOYING YOU BC HONESTLY I TOTALLY GET IT I REALLY HOPE I WASNT TOO MUCH OF A BOTHER ): "
which...god aventurine i love you to death bc i 100% believe him when he says that but also wdym "i hope i wasnt a bother" you damn near TOTALED A PLANET YOU WEENIE YOU GRABBED CAELUS BY THE LEG AND CHUCKED HIM ACROSS THE ROOM also the fact that you CAN say like "no yeah you're a bother" and aven will just go ): and leave the chat ???? YEOWCHHHHH DONT BE MEAN TO MY HONEY BUNNY AVENTURINE HE DIDNT EVEN MEAN IT (he literally did)
but then caelus is like "nono you arent bothering me, im just glad to hear from you and I'm happy youre alive (:" and then aven is like "oh....oh.....hm....this....feels odd..."
i think of them when i hear that audio on tiktok thats like:
"whats wrong with me HUH? You dont like me ?!?!"
"I like you !! D: "
".....whats WRONG with you?!?!"
lol i also like that aven pointedly doesnt visit caelus on the express ?? like he's one of the only characters we had such a close personal moment with who refuses to come visit BUT he will send caelus tons of gifts in the mail like the model train ?? bro is SHYYYY WHATS HE SO BASHFUL FOR HUH he's like "oh god i cant go visit i dont deserve to....but...i dont want mr stellaron to forget all about me....maybe ill just send something small" *sends the most obnoxious pile of gifts possible*
esp since aventurine is so convinced he himself carries no worth, it makes sense he doesnt bother spending time with us and he instead sends us money and gifts because thats the only way he can physically prove he's "worth" something, meanwhile caelus is flattered but the whole time hes like "i kinda miss him..."
i also love the thought of aventurine being fucking WHIPPED and caelus not noticing a damn thing, i personally like to headcanon stelle as the more direct / no nonsense / tough love character like nothing gets past her, and caelus as the sweet, happy to be here guy...so i love thinking aventurine is fucking cooked bro is like doodling hearts on his papers kicking his feet pulling petals off flowers paying witches at the ren fest to tell him if he has a chance...meanwhile caelus is like :) ??? NO clue. like I think caelus in general would be like "i mean yeah the guy is gorgeous and kinda dangerous and rich af who WOULDNT like him ?? he's WAY outta my league tho i literally play in a trashcan for fun but its nice to dream"
but aventurine likes him SO BAD this is the first time anybody has ever seen the ugliest sides of himself and chose to keep him around, he is pacing around his penthouse shaking pulling his hair out like "oh god oh god oh god he'd never pick me he has so many other options SO many other people want him what do i DO i cant look stupid I have to win his affection but i am such a dumbass...okok what do people do in hallmark movies...they buy gifts i CAN DO THAT i'll buy him the most extravagant gifts and I'll get 50—no, 100 roses oh NO would he like red or white roses ??? god DAMN it u are so stupid how could u not know that ??...red seems so intense it might scare him off...but is white too platonic??...he wont know my true feelings if i fuck this up ohhh GODD I HAVE NO SHOT"
meanwhile caelus is like on a bench somewhere eating an ice cream cone like " :) lalalala"
and then the way aven wont stop bugging us about working for him post penacony ?? I think he brings it up like three times hes like "pretty pretty please come work for me let me be ur boss i'll take care of you i'll pay you so well cmon give me a chance ): " HMMM A LIKELY STORY YOU BIG BLOND QUEER
and I like the thought of them going on a date, caelus being so normal just happy to spend the day with aventurine meanwhile aven is damn near about to throw up obviously overdressed you can smell the cologne from a mile away, he's hiding behind a pillar but he has the biggest bouquet of roses in the entire world so caelus can clearly see him and hes like " ??? aventurine get over here" LMAO
but then there is ofc the open door for the spicer dynamics...of which i will also make angsty and sad because i am in fact the mayor of frown town NOBODY can be happy on my watch, i think a lot like how ratio understands aventurine is literally just some guy, caelus would as well, which is good for him esp when he's peacocking around, trying to be desirable and entertaining and attractive so caelus wont get rid of him...i feel like caelus is the type to be like "dude dont do that, just be yourself I literally like you" meanwhile aven is short circuiting like "m-my...myself ??" SWEATS
luckily for him though caelus is like the most patient guy ever and he enjoys the entire process of getting to know all aven's quirks, and it makes him love him even more ^_^
that was my argument for avencae thank u have a great day
If I had a nickel for every time I've seen in star rail a robot that has something to do with an insect, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice
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