#a full time job

[chaotic-orphan]

When will you post thr next part of Heroic betrayal?

Probably next week, keep an eye out for Wednesday👀 but, also… it’s me we’re talking about, so if I say Wednesday that means Thursday, so I’ll aim for Tuesday to have it up by Wednesday 💃i love ✨gaslighting myself✨

[syoddeye]

copy pasting my favorites into every piece of media is a hobby

[worship-of-the-gods]

Just to give folks a perspective on why I push my commissions so much

This was my income 2023

I pay roughly 300 rent a month to my grandma so for a year that’s about 3600

Then I have to buy food which I honestly am not sure how to calculate

I’m very much in the poverty range so yes I push my commissions and I’m sorry if it’s sometimes a lot and annoying but a poor autistic trans guy gotta do what they can

[romanoffsbish]

When you have lots of differently located mutuals, and you must make sure they sleep.

[sunshinemage]

i'm tired, i'm so tired

so so tired

[yakamozarda]

The job i want might barely pay the bills and im afraid of it being lowkey risky due to reasons and im genuinely scared of moving back to angara and Roleplaying As an Adult Who Has Her Shit Together. Like what bothers me is that i want my economic independence bc 1) i want to be independent in general and 2) shit is expensive man. I cant rely on my family forever like they are able and willing rn but im tiiiiired of this guilt. But at the same time. Well. Turkey

[wrishwrosh]

one neat bonus of being a picky eater as a child is that adult life is filled with so many beautiful discoveries. have you guys heard about caesar salad? im turning 26 this week

[frostedpuffs]

does anyone else hate that work takes up like 90% of your life and you literally are always working and have to form plans and important things and even seeing friends or eating meals around work. it's always just work. im spending my life just being At Work. i don't have time for hobbies or for seeing friends bc it’s always Work. like two days off a week isn't even enough because my days off aren't consecutive so i just spend those days exhausted or doing errands or house chores. there is not enough Time. all the time goes to Work. WHY IS LIFE THIS WAY. humans were not meant for this

[fantastic-nonsense]

"Damian should be a veterinarian when he grows up" this and "Damian should be a doctor" that….I think he should take advantage of his wealth and be an art major

[chonkadonk]

fnaf fans is it over for us all

[bellisima-writes]

Doing the Lord’s (or Satan’s) work. We thank you for your service and send love and hot chocolate your way!

Out of curiosity, how many asks do you have in your inbox atm?

There are currently 466 asks dating back to mid-December 2023 in the inbox, with 90 answered asks and lost fic compilations in the queue for posting.

- Mod D

[uncanny-tranny]

The leftism/anticapitalism leaving people's bodies the zeptosecond you imply that disabled people who aren't "productive" still matter in society and need to be treated like intrinsic equals who have a place in this world:

[dingledraw]

I’ve been reading about the hygiene of Louis XIV and the court of Versailles and… uhh...🤢 (I’ve later learned that most of it is a myth tho 👀)

[eluminium]

i am so. not normal. about skizz saying that he didn't feel nervous before the Gamers Outreach charity event 2024 was starting. because he felt at home. like he said he still feels nervous in his day job even after 18 years of working there! But doing the charity event? he felt like he was home. like he was where he should be.

contrast that with impulse saying he was sweating to hell and back and preparing for every single way the event could go wrong

[local-hellhound-steals-spaghetti]

Let's talk about zoo animal welfare for a second...

(And I want to preface this by saying I have a 4 year Bachelor degree in Animal Science (focusing in welfare and behaviour with a major in Canine and Equine Science) before I got sidetracked into zoo animals and did 3 internships working with wild canids, ungulates and marine mammals - this involved both hands on behaviour modification/desenitisation as well as hands off behavioural observation and welfare study. I worked for 2 years as a marine mammal specialist and worked specifically in facilities to improve husbandry, behavioural training and welfare practises.

I also worked in a facility in the Asia Pacific, working to improve welfare standards for bottlenose dolphins and continued to work with cetacean welfare researchers after this. I also did a course in zoo management, husbandry and welfare and this involved working in an accredited zoo facility learning things like exhibit design, behaviour management and husbandry with multiple species.)

So a few points to say about zoo animal welfare when discussing zoo standards and practises:

The average person does not have the expertise to do behaviour observation and welfare evaluation in zoo animals - that's why when the general public visits a zoo and says "the animal looks sad" it's worth being skeptical of that claim. But it doesn't mean a gut feeling about a zoo's quality can be completely invalid. Just that it might be worth researching further or seeking more information.

However, with experience, it is possible to analyse behaviour in the context of welfare. And context to that behaviour is always important (for example, Moo Deng showing stress related behaviour towards the specific context of being touched or followed around by her keeper - very much an indication of poor handling practises)

Poor animal husbandry and welfare is not limited to specific countries or regions, however it can be more normalised and accepted under the influnce of cultures and laws. Or even just the culture of the zoo itself such as the "this is the way we've always done it" places.

Being an accredited zoo is a start to good welfare, but it doesn't make any sort of welfare concern obsolete. And accreditation is supposed to ensure that welfare concerns are addressed but because they are mostly run as a volunteer based organisation, they often don't have resources to check into every concern (unless it's a government funded organisation)

A zoo contributing to conservation research is great, but not if it is at the expense of the animals' welfare - welfare should always be prioritised, with research and conservation efforts to follow.

Welfare is a state that is in flux. So a negative welfare state can move into positive welfare state under different influences.

There are multiple factors that influence zoo animal welfare: enclosure/habitat, expression of natural behaviour, guest interaction, diet, enrichment, water quality, hygeine ect. It'll rarely just be one factor, though it does depend how salient that factor is.

Just because a keeper or management of a zoo have been there for a long time, doesn't mean they can't be criticised - it is possible to be still using outdated practises and believing in methodologies and management practises that need updating - that's the whole point of continued education

Having limited resources can often impact welfare. Giving a facility the resources they need to improve is a good start to improving welfare.

Even if an animal is being handled in an inappropriate way for a short time, that doesn't mean that can't have long term implications for welfare eg. if every time your dog jumped on you when you got home and you smacked him in the face once before going on with your day, that doesn't mean that your dog won't learn negative associations with your arrival just because it was one time.

Best practise husbandry of zoo animals involves:

Use of positive reinforcement based voluntary husbandry and health care

All interaction based on choice and voluntary interaction that is reinforced with primary reinforcement such as food

Mostly hands off approaches for the species that require them (ungulates, large primates, large carnivores)

Relatively stable social groups with aggression only in specific situations/contexts that are normal for the species

Back areas for animals to rest outside of public view

Species appropriate habitats to meet species specific behaviour requirements

Five freedoms of welfare being met but goes above and beyond the bare minimum

Poor zoo animal husbandry involves animals:

Being forced into anything such as presentations, education programs, medical procedures/gating

Any use of physical punishment such as chasing, slapping, pushing or poking - negative reinforcement such as bull hooks are also fairly outdated in handling species like elephants

Being excessively handled, chased and touched/restrained for no reason (eg. for social media videos)

Showing signs of avoidance and aggression constantly towards their keepers

Have constant conflict happening in their social groups

Are living in enclosures that are not suitable for their specific specific needs - size is only one factor in this. Substrate, habitat design, water quality ect. are also things to consider.

Are too close to the public/at risk from the public

Have no areas to retreat from the public/rest away from potential stressors

Have no enrichment program/no daily enrichment

Those are all flags that there could be some poor welfare happening and that a zoo is not prioritising welfare

Okay there's the ramble of the day done. Feel free to ask questions for further clarification if needed.

[spilledkaleidoscope]

POV your partner finally believes you about those 24 voices in your head but somehow it still doesn't absolve you of responsibility, damn it