#theflashisgone

[thebibliosphere]

Covid being the gift that keeps on giving, I'm newly asthmatic and my asthma is wildly out of control. I discovered today that I now need to pay attention to air quality because it was windy and therefore dusty and my lungs are *pissed*. Do you or your followers have any recommendations for air quality apps? The issues specific to my area are blowing dust, blowing fungus (coccidioides), and wildfire smoke in summer.

*wince* I’m sorry, friend. That sucks majorly.

The one I use is AirNow.gov. I can’t remember if it checks for all those things and I can’t reach my phone (thanks POTS) but I’m fairly certain it tracks for all of those...

[elsewhereuniversity]

Everyone's giving you pens, so here is a package of Ticonderoga pencils and one of those glass pencil sharpeners that looks like an inkwell.

Treasured! I’ll be keeping these for myself, so let me offer in turn the Dark Version of your gift: an object that is ostensibly a pencil, fading from the classic bright yellow around the tip to a deep crimson at the eraser-end, although the eraser itself is the uneasy white of new teeth. It does not seem to dull, which is just as well because it breaks every sharpener it uses. On closer inspection the lead seems to be encased in a sort of bone rather than wood, and there is a glossy sheen to the words written with it that doesn’t seem entirely natural.

[talesfromtreatment]

I realize you don't work adoptions, but do you have any suggestions on how to weed out the potential adopters who are going to end up being massive problems? Like, the people who end up resenting their pet for not being "grateful" for being adopted, or the people who call three times a week waffling over whether to return the pet for ever having a single health problem that might need treating.

I would say more education at time of adoption? Being frank about their personalities and the realities of having a living being?

“This cat is very shy and takes a while to warm up so don’t be surprised if she hides under your bed for a couple weeks.” ...

“This dog finds having people reaching for the top of her head to be terrifying. Don’t do that because you don’t want her looking at you as being another source of fear.”...

“While this kitten is healthy now it’s a good idea to develop a strong relationship with your vet so when she does eventually get sick or get hurt you’ve already got good rapport... Yes, most animals do have at least a couple health problems in their lives, even when young. They are living creatures after all and just as human kids and teens get sick sometimes, so do young animals. They might get into something, or take a fall and hurt themselves. And as they get older, they might develop certain conditions like (things). This is why having that good relationship with your vet is so important.”

[ask-a-vetblr]

Can any of you recommend resources on enrichment for fish? I just got two baby comet goldfish, and the tank they'll be going into when they're done quarantining is set up to be an engaging environment for them to swim around in, but I want to raise them with more mental stimulation than just stuff to swim through in the tank. I tried dropping live crickets in once with a previous fish, but they don't break the surface tension of the water, and I'm also no longer comfortable offering live prey.

gettingvetted here.

A note: comet goldfish should really only be kept in ponds and will need to be placed in one likely within a few months of acquiring them as babies. If a tank must be used, one should aim for 50-75 gallons of water per comet, and should use a filtration system that has the capacity for double the size of the tank (100-150 gallons of filtration per fish). 

Plants can be really good enrichment for fish, whether live or artificial. I prefer silk plants in tanks, rather than plastic, just to prevent any accidental tearing of fins. Also, with artificial plants, you can move them around and switch them out occasionally, which is a lot harder to do with live plants. Obviously, fake plants generally aren’t used in ponds, however. Offering of a variety of foods is also great and can often carry over to ponds - this is where live plants can come in handy as goldfish will eat them. Bloodworms or other frozen or freeze-dried food can be great treats as well.

[systlin]

I think you posted a while back about a substitute for fabric softener, but I can't find the post. I live in one of the hardest water areas in the country and my clothes are fossilizing. How do I get the hardness out without dissolving the fabric in softener?

Oh sure!! It’s super easy; vinegar. 

Seriously. 

Just regular vinegar. Put it in the fabric softener place. 

[theshitpostcalligrapher]

Can I get "Okay, I guess you're allowed to have nipples"? This is a fairly common statement at my job at a cat clinic, when I'm trying to decide whether a belly lump is concerning.

amazing 

Askbox is currently closed as I work my way through these older asks

[dedicatedfollower467]

📂

Celiquillithon Sidebottom is both autistic and ADHD, and stims by playing with the many totally unnecessary straps, flaps, cords, and buckles on their clothing.

[hattedhedgehog]

Do you think Krem would take T and/or get surgery if it was available to him? My headcanon is that he probably can't actually bind much because the risk of damaging his ribs or losing lung functionality is too high and such an injury would be devastating to his career.

This is a tricky question I think, because every trans guy has such differing experiences with his own body and would want different things for Krem. I feel like there isn’t…a right answer, because there are so few trans men characters and Krem means so much to so many people, and he can’t be definitively everything at once. I occasionally find myself projecting my own feelings onto him, and having to remember that even though I cosplay Krem I can’t speak as if my view of him should be EVERYONE’S view of him. Just because I personally want T and top surgery doesn’t mean that he inherently does.

I suppose his choice for medical transitioning depends which ‘verse he’s in. In the game he tells the Inquisitor that he wouldn’t change if he had the choice, because he doesn’t want that sort of magic near himself and he’s in a place of self-acceptance with his body. But that’s specifically about Tevinter magic, which he’d be understandably wary of. I’ve seen some fics where he uses special salve like a Thedas equivalent of TestoGel, which was cool. 

In modern AUs where, unlike game Thedas, medical transitioning DOES exist, maybe he WOULD want that. But there are more variables now too; it’s rarely as simple as “does this person WANT to transition medically”. Maybe he wants T and/or surgery in theory but accepts that it’s something he has to wait a long time for because he can’t afford it, or maybe he doesn’t trust doctors, or the wait list for consultations is years long. Maybe he’s terrified of the idea of recovery time and having to be taken care of by others, even if it leads to a positive outcome. 

If I’m honest, there is something comforting about having an example of a trans guy who is at peace with himself pre-T and pre-Op, and whose found family accepts him as he is. As much as it might feel weird to not be able to relate to him about changing, his is a valid trans experience.