#sheptalk

[zoroark-s]

ngl im fucking incapacitated by grief idk how to continue. idk how to recover. where do we go from here it feels so fucking hopeless i feel so powerless i literally cried for hours and it didnt help at all

[shepfax]

the people in the on-campus autistic student club always seem weirdly dismissive of the more obviously disabled members who talk too loud or bring up their interest out of the blue or have noticeable speech impediments... can we try a little harder to be accepting of disability that isn't subtle and socially acceptable please?

[shepfax]

important things to note, as someone who studied this disease for an avian conservation project:

waterfowl (ducks, geese, swans, and shorebirds) are the main reservoirs of this particular mutation of avian flu known as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).

HPAI is most fatal to chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, swans, raptors, and some corvids.

as of 2023 we've still found that songbirds overwhelmingly do not transmit this strain of the flu that is fatal. you should still be okay to feed wild birds as long as you're properly washing/sanitizing the feeders regularly (do this anyway, please) and you don't have any domestic birds. the best practice is scrubbing with warm soapy water and treating with a 10% bleach solution (9 parts water to 1 part bleach). rinse thoroughly after applying bleach solution for any amount of time.

if you keep a backyard flock, take wild bird feeders down. HPAI can have up to 100% fatality rate in chickens and domestic birds, and even if only 2% of infections are carried by songbirds it's not worth the risk to your flock.

if you keep domestic birds as a hobbyist/backyard flock, make sure you're changing your shoes and washing equipment like water and food reservoirs. sanitize equipment used between populations and wear disposable gloves/masks. do not touch or pick up dead birds without PPE and change your clothes afterwards.

keep an eye on the behavior of any birds in your flock. this strain of avian flu may or may not present symptoms and still prove fatal. the most common signs from the outside are neurological problems (limping, lack of coordination, seeming off balance or confused) and respiratory symptoms (nasal and eye discharge and/or conjunctivitis). again, not all sick birds will exhibit symptoms, so if you have any birds die mysteriously, consider calling a vet to test the body for HPAI.

HPAI is extremely dangerous for raptors as a) they are more susceptible to disease than other wild birds since it is transmitted through their diet and b) their populations are nowhere near as robust as most waterfowl. if you work/volunteer with raptor rehabilitation or any other captive wild bird program be extremely cognizant of the birds' health both in captivity and coming in from the wild, and practice preventative biosecurity as much as possible. some of the most recent fatalities in the US are California condors, an already near-extinct raptor under close monitor.

if you see a large number of wild bird carcasses or a wild bird exhibiting symptoms (e.g. a few months ago I saw more than 20 dead geese on one pond with several sick geese still walking around) you should report it. call the CDC's report line at 1-866-536-7593 and look up if your state has specific protocol. usually this is the game warden or fish & wildlife service. (US only, if you are outside the US please add your country's resources)

check this website for up-to-date reporting on case numbers per state and to see what birds are most commonly infected.

HPAI also spreads to other animals that prey on sick birds such as carnivorous mammals including pets like dogs and cats that spend time outside. it has still proven fatal in non-avian animals. if you find a sick animal exhibiting similar symptoms listed above or eating a bird in an area with a large amount of cases, you should also report that and call either a local vet or a wildlife rehab.

extremely rarely, HPAI can spread to humans. as of writing (1 May 2023) there have been 3 cases of HPAI reported in humans on the entire planet and they were not fatal. if you feel unwell after interacting with a domestic flock or captive wild bird, see a doctor immediately and explain that you have close contact with birds.

Please take down your bird feeders if you’re in the US - there’s a massive spread of bird flu in 2022 and it’s already killed millions of poultry, let alone all the affected wild birds. This disease doesn’t affect just birds - it can spread to humans and other animals like your pets.

[darthshep]

To better get myself in shape I have decided to join East Coast Martial Arts. Been taking classes for the past two weeks and even though I feel sore and tired afterwards I feel it’s for the right reasons. I did try to find a Cobra Kai dojo but they only have one in Cali. @eastcoastmartialarts_md #taekwondo #fitness #fitnessjourney #sheptalk (at East Coast Martial Arts) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGGCyKBgxGr/?igshid=1rk68jpx1doiq

[cowboycakes]

i’m so jealous of annie for getting to stand so close to him while he’s lookin like THAT

[ohbae-me]

I feel like the position with Belphie is in a lot weirder of a position than people ever think about. I mean, Asmodeus started a war and to date doesn't think he did anything wrong, Beelzebub has mentioned several times that he's eaten humans and demons. If Asmo's war had somehow killed us or Beel ate us in blind hunger, we would be having all these same debates over them. Belphie could have just failed to kill us and we wouldn't care much, about as much as people care about the scene with Lucifer in the tomb, less even since he was threatening to kill Luke too at the time and he didn't have as good a reason of "I never wanted you to be here and I know you specifically didn't but I still feel like you're what caused my sister to die"

If he hadn't killed us then we would just see him as the cuddly cowboy with a tendency for sarcasm. Maybe it's specifically the way he reacted afterwards, but I don't know, it still feels like people are over exaggerating the death more than anything. Again, Asmodeus didn't care and still doesn't care at all that he started a war. I might just not be good at seeing the MC as myself or really as anything breathing though.

I do think Belphie feels bad about it, anyway. He said somewhere else that words are meaningless without actions so he wouldn't be the type to say sorry. Not because he doesn't feel bad but because he's more inclined to show it. He does show it, too, by giving them a pact to ensure that they can protect themselves from him and giving them control over him. I think him being all buddy buddy with them afterwards could have also been his way to say sorry, he just didn't really understand that if they weren't openly saying they hated him then they could still want some space.

You make a lot of very good points!! I disliked Lucifer a lot until season 2/very end of season 1 when his attitude shifts some. Beel tries to kill MC too over pudding of all things, but his reaction after is much different than Belphie's which I feel is the biggest difference. I wish we'd gotten to have more discussion about the whole thing in game to clear some air!

But I do very much agree with all of this! Some aspects of other characters are definitely overlooked in comparison.

[sheepishcarer]

Caregiver Resource Masterpost

getting your little into littlespace

one

two

three

four

five

taking care of your little

in general

when they’re on their period

if they have chronic or mental illness

when theyre sad

when theyre still sad

when they need to eat healthy

cute nicknames

when theyre sad

just a big resource post

when theyre fussy

when they need a routine

morning/night charts

some more charts

tips for insomnia

morning routine

more insomnia tips

some good rules for self-care

a short morning routine

spoiling them

dates

gift ideas

more gift ideas

gift ideas for their little kit

craft ideas you can do together

more date ideas

help make their room cute

mORE gift ideas

[cowboycakes]

here's my little add-on: this is super important and insightful. and made me feel better.

i find myself unconfident in my work and comparing myself to others sometimes. if any of you struggle with that, just know you aren't alone and remember that writing should make you happy, its not something you should let yourself feel pressured or alienated by.

<3

saw something on twitter that said

"some of you talk about 'big' and 'small' artists like its class warfare" @rozavay

and it applies to writers as well

we're all literally just people. like... just people. stop separating us when we shouldn't be separated. we all literally write porn for fun. stop thinking that 'bigger blogs' don't deserve their following and stop invalidating and underestimating 'smaller blogs'.

stop even making labels like 'bigger blogs' and 'smaller blogs'. we literally write fanfiction. we're all just porn blogs...

we need to stop splitting ourselves into groups cuz of jealousy, pettiness, and superiority complexes.

there's only a divide if you create one.

/g

[zoroark-s]

feeling despondent about the el//ection im on the brink of it lads

[shepfax]

genuinely stressed and upset about the fact that my extremely kind and intelligent neighbor has suddenly decided to let her cats--yes, plural, she has 3--roam outdoors unrestricted

they have an incredible catio and a very rich home life with toys and treats. I know this because I have stayed at their house for a few days to watch the critters while they were out of town. why the fuck are you willingly endangering both your own pets and the lives of the thousands of wild birds you know live in our neighborhood? including evening grosbeaks, a vulnerable species that visits my yard every day. and now your cats visit my yard every day. y'know. the world's most worst non-native animal responsible for 2.4 billion bird deaths each year.

I need to confront her. I don't know how, though. I want to be gentle and empathetic but if her cats kills any birds in my yard I'm busting down her door. does anyone on this website know how to be nice I need coaching

[shepfax]

if you call me neurospicy I'm sealing you into a jar with vinegar or perhaps brine and leaving you to ferment anaerobically

[shepfax]

I love how many people on here are like incredibly eloquent leftists but also extremely gay so I follow for the leftism and am gifted with semi-regular gifs of men's tits bouncing or ass in a jock. you people are doing the good work

[shepfax]

had an intake meeting with a new therapist and mentioned that I love to read but I tend to read with a ruler and she was like "have you heard of bionic reading?" and I'm like :0 no? and she says it's that thing where people randomly bold some words in a paragraph and I'm like Oh nevermind I have seen it and I hate that so much 🤍 it is incredibly distracting to me because I'm trying to figure out why this particular word is emphasized and not the one I emphasized in my head

[shepfax]

4 and 49 for the ask thing?

4 asked which cryptid I believe in

I mean... if I try to consider all the major ones I know about (mothman, bigfoot, nessie) and the various theories debunking their sightings I'm kinda struggling to believe in any of them. maybe I'd attach some faith to the ones counted as cryptids on Wikipedia that are technically just extinct animals: ivory billed woodpecker and thylacine. something about how recently they've been considered extinct has me wondering if there's still some individuals out there in total isolation.

49 asked if I can skip rocks

yes, but not consistently 😔 sometimes it'll be huge skips across the pond and the next throw it's just a lil splash in the water

[shepfax]

frankly offensive that I get so many ads targeted to homeowners and prospective car owners. brother I was born in the late 90s the odds of me being a homeowner are so comically low and I have the "can't drive" flavor of autism leave me Alone

[shepfax]

how many fucking times am I going to get tossed around by therapists. I went back to my first one and he's full up so he referred me to someone else who is full up and is now referring me to someone else. I need to see someone asap to get my letter for top surgery so I can get it done before I'm off my parents insurance this August 😭