What is this I don't even

I'm mostly known as Shelbeans, Xanadar, or SoftVelvet or even just Velvet in different circles online. I don't like to share my personal info I tag my personal bs blogs with #personal so you can block those out if you wish, but usually I like to share fun things that I come across. I have a couple of "inspirational" blogs for my characters that I roleplay with, along with a couple of other pages I use for whatever. Here they are:

[babyanimalgifs]

The Black Footed cat is the smallest wild cat in Africa and one of the smallest wild cats in the world.

[peachychip85000]

Here’s an adult kitty for size comparison:

[kakaphoe]

too smoll

[geekwithsandwich]

OK but you can’t mention my all-time favorite cat without also mentioning that these little motherfuckers are legendary for being 1000% ready to throw down with anyone at any time, they’ve literally been seen trying to fight a giraffe and are known to successfully bring down sheep by getting underneath them and ripping their bellies open like what the fuck, chill

Their name in Afrikaans means “anthill tiger” because they’ll hide inside a hollowed out anthill and then jump out and try to rip your face off

They are perfect and I love them

[bead-bead-deactivated20190901]

Aw, look at these little murder muffins.

[ayellowbirds]

smallest and deadliest wild cat. Observed at a 60% success rate in hunting, and averaging a kill every fifty minutes—a lion might succeed in hunting twenty, twenty-five percent of the time. Their small, energetic bodies require a rate of a-murder-per-hour in order to sustain their metabolisms.

(“miershoop” can also mean “termite mound”, which is one of their preferred places to sleep)

[jerkbitchidjitassbutt]

Wittle smol murder babies.

[avi-why]

every writing tip article and their mother: dont ever use adverbs ever!

me, shoveling more adverbs onto the page because i do what i want: just you fucking try and stop me

[quarter0master]

May I add something, because I will never shut up about this book (Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark):

[jackironsides]

Finally, some good fucking advice

[catastrophic-cuttlefish]

Watercolour cats by Endre Penovac

[5ecardaday]

Niambi, Faithful Healer

If you’d like to support what I do, find free pdf’s for my content, get insight into my design process, and get access to other exclusive homebrew content, feel free to check out my Patreon, whose link can be found on my page.

[pandashell]

Yes, the phone was sanitized. This is me, beginning my shift at work. I am never without any of this gear, and I only change out the gloves between patients because of the lack of supplies. I never pull my phone out in a patients room unless it is so the patient can see or talk to their family, but most of all, I try to put on a smile for each of my patients because they need to know that I am happy to help them, that they are not draining my energy, that they can let us be strong for them.

[llleighsmith]

i told ya we’ve canceled discourse n we’ve moved on to homesteading skills

[smartmurderation]

it’s just choppin wood and harvesting vegetables and herbs from here on out

[llleighsmith]

amen!

[barbarianarchy-deactivated20200]

unironically this

[pinetreeanarchism]

[frederick-the-ii]

Please hit me with more homesteading concept drawings

[saltrat88]

[unclebeanbag]

[the-aspiring-maverick]

Good reference material here.

[flavoracle]

My brain during sane hours of the day: “I have a good job with benefits, a stable social network with supportive friends and family, and I’m a nerd who thrives on advanced technology. Also, I dislike the taste of fish.”

My brain on Tumblr at 3:30am: “Y’know, abandoning all technology and leaving civilization behind looks like a lot of fun! And I could teach the kids how to build a fish trap!”

[pandashell]

[pandashell]

[vampires-and-witches]

I saw everyone on twitter tearing Emma Watson apart for saying she’s self - partnered instead of single and decided to watch her interview for British Vogue to know what the hell was she trying to say with that. I was very surprised to find a 30 minute video in which amongst other things she talks about the following:

She felt undeserving when she was appointed as UN Women goodwill ambassador and sought out Gloria Steinem to learn about feminist activism.

She thinks the criticism she received for being a white feminist was useful because it made her educate herself.

She says there’s a desperate need to reform the education system in the UK to change the way they are taught the history of how Britain has been involved in foreign affairs and how they profited from slavery.

She felt anxious about approaching 30 because there’s a lot of pressure to have a husband and a baby by then and she’s still figuring her life out.

She was so young when she was casted in Harry Potter that she doesn’t remember much of her life before it and she went to therapy to deal with her issues with fame. She used to feel very guilty for being unhappy because she thought she should enjoy fame more.

The interviewer is a transgender woman and they discuss transgender issues for a while. Emma is in regular contact with a trans child which makes the topic of trans rights emotional for her because she’s very anxious for this kid’s safety.

She talks about her role as Meg March in the new Little Women movie and defends that unlike what many people say choosing to be a wife and a mother doesn’t make Meg a less feminist character and quotes a line from the movie, “Just because my dreams are different than yours it doesn’t mean they are unimportant.”  

She wishes more people would realize she’s not Hermione Granger but also understands why they want to see that in her because Hermione is a symbol for her too.

She used to think she could never be happy without a partner and now that she has learnt to navigate that better and is genuinely happy single she’s started to think of herself as self - partnered in contrast to the time when she thought of herself as single = lonely.

Every media outlet decided to focus in an out of context quote from the three minutes she talked about her dating life when the actual interview had a lot of depth and way more important things were discussed. I’m sad and angry but not surprised.

[pandashell]

Another case of people not reading the full account, and looking for shit to be negative about.

[dementia-by-day]

Stop taking people with dementia to the cemetery

“Oh yeah, every time that dad forgets mom is dead, we head to the cemetery so he can see her gravestone.”

WHAT. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard some version of this awful story. Stop taking people with dementia to the cemetery. Seriously. I cringe every single time someone tells me about their “plan” to remind a loved one that their loved one is dead.

I also hear this a lot: “I keep reminding mom that her sister is dead, and sometimes she recalls it once I’ve said it.” That’s still not a good thing. Why are we trying to force people to remember that their loved ones have passed away?

If your loved one with dementia has lost track of their timeline, and forgotten that a loved one is dead, don’t remind them. What’s the point of reintroducing that kind of pain? Here’s the thing: they will forget again, and they will ask again. You’re never, ever, ever, going to “convince” them of something permanently. 

Instead, do this:

“Dad, where do you think mom is?”

When he tells you the answer, repeat that answer to him and assert that it sounds correct. For example, if he says, “I think mom is at work,” say, “Yes, that sounds right, I think she must be at work.” If he says, “I think she passed away,” say, “Yes, she passed away.” 

People like the answer that they gave you. Also, it takes you off the hook to “come up with something” that satisfies them. Then, twenty minutes later, when they ask where mom is, repeat what they originally told you.

[drgaellon]

I support this sentiment. Repeatedly reminding someone with faulty memory that a loved one has died isn’t a kindness, it’s a cruelty. They have to relieve the loss every time, even if they don’t remember the grief 15 minutes later.

[stripedsilverfeline]

In other words, don’t try to impose your timeline on them in order to make yourself feel better. Correcting an afflicted dementia patient will not cure them. They won’t magically return to your ‘real world’. No matter how much you might want them to.

It’s a kindness of old age, forgetting. Life can be very painful. Don’t be the one ripping off the bandage every single time.

[prismatic-bell]

I used to work as a companion in a nursing home where one of the patients was CONVINCED I was her sister, who’d died 40 years earlier. And every time one of the nurses said “that’s not Janet, Janet is dead, Alice, remember?” Alice would start sobbing.

So finally one day Alice did the whole “JANET IS HERE” and this nurse rather nastily went “Janet is dead” and before it could go any further I said “excuse me??? How dare you say something so horrible to my sister?”

The nurse was pissed, because I was “feeding Alice’s delusions.” Alice didn’t have delusions. Alice had Alzheimer’s.

But I made sure it went into Alice’s chart that she responded positively to being allowed to believe I was Janet. And from that point forward, only my specific patient referred to me as “Nina” in front of Alice—everyone else called me Janet, and when Alice said my name wasn’t Nina I just said “oh, it’s a nickname, that’s all.” It kept her calm and happy and not sobbing every time she saw me.

It costs zero dollars (and maybe a little bit of fast thinking) to not be an asshole to someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Be kind.

[starryfromcosmiccove]

I wish I had heard this stuff when Grandma was still here.

[satr9]

I read once that you have to treat dementia patients more like it’s improv, like you have to take what they say and say to yourself “ok, and” and give them more of a story to occupy them and not just shut it down with something super harsh.

[witch-of-the-west-country]

A nurse I used to work with always told us: “If a man with dementia is trying to get out of bed to go to work, don’t tell him he’s 90 and in a nursing home. Tell him it’s Sunday and he can stay in bed. If a woman with dementia is trying to stand because she wants to get her husband’s dinner out of the oven, don’t tell her he’s been dead for 20 years. Tell her you’ll do it for her and she can sit back down.”

Always remembered that, always did it. Nothing worse than hearing someone with memory loss ask the same question over and over again only to be met with: “We already told you!”

Just tell them again.

[steel-phoenix]

I’ve worked with elderly dementia patients, and I agree with all the above. Treat them as you’d like to be treated in the same situation.

[ruby-white-rabbit]

Same. I’ve worked with patients like these and even my grandma was convinced for a day that I was my aunt. Just roll with it.

[pandashell]

I have been working with people with different levels of dementia for over a decade, and as long as the patients are not doing anything that will harm them, there is nothing wrong with letting them believe what they do and to go along with it. There are very gentle ways to “guide” their behaviors so that they sleep/eat or agree to go to appointments that help them. It can be a bit tiring to have to convince someone every night that they do not need to stay up until their children are home, or that it is alright to have a meal without their spouse, but that is why they say working with geriatrics is *not* for everyone. Not that this lessens anyone who does not do it, but it takes certain life experiences and skills to be able to handle repeating behaviors that slowly become more and more aggressively difficult to deal with.  Please be sure to thank those that care for our elderly. Nurses, the Nurse’s Aids... they go through so many emotional ups and downs from caring for our aged family members, providing care and emotional support as best they can.  And... if you don’t see this sort of care for their patients, you need to find a new “home” for your loved one.

[asynca]

When your preferred slash ship hasn’t become canon at this point, that is not clear proof the devs are homophobic or that all interactions between your preferred couple were queerbaiting. Sometimes the creators for a show have a different idea about where the characters will go, and you not liking it isn’t automatic proof the devs regressive bigots and bad writers.

It would be fantastic if we, as fandom folks, could stop using terms like ‘homophobic’ and ‘queerbaiting’ to attack devs for simply making different decisions than we personally wanted. It would also be fantastic if we didn’t assume we could militantly strongarm creators to do exactly what we want with their characters, keeping in mind that our opinion on the characters is only our opinion. Other people, including the devs, may want different things for the same characters. 

Please be respectful fandom citizens and not aggressive shits who throw tantrums and attack people when they don’t get what they want. 

[abolishice]

Don’t forget that:

[greyisbetterthangray-deactivate]

I love them

[fuckyeahasexual]

Some people at my school held this pride thing (painting flags on faces/hands/wherever). And like. I was super nervous to ask for an ace flag (bc some people don't include aces and i wasnt sure of their viewpoint). But the person said yeah and when they were done they said "just know you are loved and part of the community." And honestly? Having heard that made my day

[thegreatandlovelydescent]

someone said ace dragons?

[catsbeaversandducks]

By Jan and Odee

[sadiepickles]

Be careful with marijuana, bipolar, paranoid, and psychotic folks. You may not realize until you’re already in it, but marijuana can trigger psychotic episodes, paranoid episodes and make bipolar mania worse. There has been a fair amount of research on this and google is free. 

For only anxious/depressed folks, do whatever helps you. Just be aware the marijuana doesn’t help everybody and the persistent “Marijuana is Cool” culture can hurt people. 

[ultimaid]

also! if you’re on lamictal, pleeease be careful around marijuana since it has triggered seizures in folks on lamictal in the past!!

[felicitousfeline]

Shit this is extremely helpful to know. I’ve been put on Lamotrigine (Lamictal) since my last encounter with marijuana. Stay safe!

[acidic-pixie]

marijuana has a vasodilation effect meaning it expands or “dilates” blood vessels, which in turn lowers blood pressure, which in turn speeds up heart rate. people with anxiety, including myself, can sometimes suffer actual worsening of anxiety with marijuana due to the brain misinterpreting the physical effect. this has happened to me multiple times. I’ve had a friend go to the ER because her anxiety got so much worse after smoking weed that she thought she was having a heart attack. even if you only suffer from anxiety, be aware of the possible side effects weed can have.

[cyanwrites]

As an ER doctor, I see patients with marijuana side effects fairly frequently. A lot of people don’t know that marijuana can trigger latent psychosis, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder; even if you don’t have any symptoms of these conditions you might get them from using marijuana, and it can happen the first time or the hundredth time. If you have a close relative with any of these disorders, you have a particularly high risk of triggering them in yourself.

I know marijuana is a very popular drug, and for some people the effect of using it is worth the risk - after all, everything has a risk; I see patients who’ve been in traffic accidents every day too, or fallen off horses or bicycles, and most of them go right back to driving/biking/riding… People do things that might be a little bit dangerous because they consider the benefits worth the risk. But it’s important to educate yourself about the risk so you can make an informed decision. :)

If you do use marijuana and see a doctor for some reason, even unrelated, please tell us! We aren’t allowed to tell anyone else (breaching patient confidentiality will have our medical license revoked), and marijuana can interact with medication (as mentioned about Lamictal above), so it’s very important that we know it when treating you. :)

[hella90s]

MY HOUSE PARTIES JUST GOT 10X BETTER!!

Don’t want to drop $100 for a decent wireless speaker or even more for Hue Bulbs? Do you want to be able to change the color of the lights in your room? Well, our best-selling Wireless Bluetooth Speaker Bulb solves both of those problems at an affordable price.

Our new technology allows you to pair your light bulb with any of your Bluetooth-enabled devices and play music through them! Dim the lights to relax to your slow jamz or enable party mode for that club experience. 

Check them out HERE