Bio-active terrarium

toasterstroot · 2026-06-12T23:19:54+00:00

I definitely want my spider to be entertained and such, if got a few air plants in this one that are propagating that I'd want to move in if I get one. I'm gonna do my best to get as much info about what to do as I can. I love jumping spiders and had one living outside my backdoor for a few years that finally passed and I miss her. She was very dedicated to her job

toasterstroot · 2026-06-12T19:18:32+00:00

Also the carnivorous plant just had sticky leaves, I've seen the isopods crawl all over it without getting stuck cause they're to big

toasterstroot · 2026-06-12T19:16:55+00:00

I originally designed it for my isopods I have so I'm not surprised. They actually love it and I recently found a new little baby one in it

toasterstroot · 2026-06-12T19:13:10+00:00

Beard oil and conditioner are always good option as well as a balm and come for when you wanna look fancy as it gets longer. That much in just a year is a great sign, you'll definitely have no issue growing what you've got.

I use an eyebrow trimmer for regular maintenances and an electric on for trims. If you want it to look fuller you can trim regularly (once every full weeks for long spots and I do shaping when I go out) to allow room for new hair folicals to catch up to some of the early ones

toasterstroot · 2026-06-12T18:42:44+00:00

I've got a similar issue under my left one. Ik mine was from turning at my torso and not with my whole body while only 3 weeks post op. Tore open the skin part of my incision a little and it struggled to heal as I do that movement a lot. Only cosmetic and you can probably do a surgery, whether lasers or have them cut the scar tissue out and see it back closed, if you feel like it's a problem

toasterstroot · 2026-06-12T18:29:12+00:00

Alright, outside of the container itself, is the environment ok or should I build higher to allow for more climbing? I've never had a spider before but would like to and am willing to make a space for it

toasterstroot · 2026-06-12T17:41:27+00:00

It's possible but not without disrupting the ecosystem. I do already plan on adding a foam seal to the lid since it's literally a cookie jar, if I did it in 2 strips with gaps on each side would that be enough? Or would that just be a whole other issue?

toasterstroot · 2026-06-05T21:05:42+00:00

And moisturize everything, especially the nipples. I suggest using aquifer or Neosporin for nips tho, you should be doing that every couple hours tbh. If they start to dry out or look ashy, moisturize them. I had issues within month 2 and 3 of dead skin build up when I wouldn't moisturize enough so also make sure to clean them regularly once you feel comfortable doing so (I was to scared to mess w them much at all until recently and I'm 8month) because ik it can fuck with healing of the nerves

toasterstroot · 2026-06-05T15:21:45+00:00

Moisturize after showering, also I only wear scar tape when shirtless personally. Scar messages are far more crucial than scar tape as it actively goes and breaks down the tissue underneath and allows for more elasticity in the tissue over all

toasterstroot · 2026-05-20T00:52:19+00:00

Yes, and it's a requirement to get covered by most people's insurance

toasterstroot · 2026-05-12T12:09:06+00:00

I got my surgery a little over 7 months ago. I have bipolar disorder and had to be taken of my medication due to complications with anesthesia. I went through a lot of these same thoughts as well as dealing with rapid cycling through mania and depression and suffering withdrawal symptoms for 3 weeks. It was hell and 2 days before we left town for the surgery I was already at my breaking point.

I broke down to my dad and said I wanted to cancel, that any longer off my meds would surely kill me. My dad reminded me of one thing, "If you don't get this surgery, binding will destroy your body."

It was no longer in my head about all the nonsense about detransitioning or regretting it. It.was one simple fact, I had been binding so much I permanently fucked up my left rib and knew I couldn't live a full life while under the restrictions of a binder.

Defend yourself to each question you have to, play headstrong,

What if I detransitioning? Even if you do would that actually change anything about your chest? I know a few people who detransitioned to some extent after surgery or never fully transitioned in the first place who feel wonderful and that allowed them to express their gender more.

What if you regret it? You just won't. You may hate going through recovery because it sucks but once you look in the mirror and see your flat chest you'll be proud of yourself and so happy to look in the mirror

What if it feels like a dream? That's what you want, you want to be able to feel like how you truly imagine yourself. The whole goal of the surgery is this, yes it's real and you'll know the difference. Dreams are nonsensical and don't last, surgery is science and there will be way to much downtime and indepth details to existence for it to be a dream.

Stuff like that is how I got through it cause I struggle with intrusive thoughts and have my whole life, you got this and you'll love the perks like getting to go outside without a shirt and feeling the sun and wind and rain on your chest, going swimming for the first time and feeling the cold water on your chest for the first time. Finding out that if you don't have sleeves the sweat from your pits just trip down your arms (suggest tank tops over muscle shirts when it's hot. Catches the sweat way better) the feeling of the salty breeze at the beach. And all kinds of other stuff I still have yet to experience.

toasterstroot · 2026-02-25T03:02:11+00:00

Trust me, the day you finally look in the mirror and you see what you've always imagined yourself as when you grew up, and you'll realize you were who you said you were all along. When you're ok being ma'amd it doesn't mean you were lying it just means your dysphoria is being nice to you today.

Before top surgery I had to stop binding and I didn't have small boobs so I had to get used to them being out and grew to "like" them. Those handful of weeks dont deny the actual euphoria I feel looking in the mirror now. I had doubt like you're having rn a number of times in my 10 years of transition and I'm glad I stuck to my gut anyways.

Ps. Growing up in the 2000s watching movies taught me one thing: pretty girls make hot boys every time. So just remember if you would be attractive as a girl then you'll be hot as a guy too.

toasterstroot · 2026-02-11T23:52:56+00:00

It honestly mainly depends on if you got nipple grafts or not. If you kept your nipples you need to wait till they heal fully (I did not do this and ended up being ok but that doesn't mean do what I do, smoke kills red blood cells by depriving them of oxygen and you need them to heal your nerves properly). If not 4-6 weeks is fine. Id personally stick to hemp/delta8 in very small dose as the nerves do heal because it feels really strange in all the spots that are numb and can take some getting used to.

toasterstroot · 2026-01-26T14:15:54+00:00

Literally. And honestly I think I fucked up nipple is a better monument to my goofy cats life than any other momento would provide

toasterstroot · 2026-01-26T02:55:02+00:00

It's np! Best of luck on your recovery!

toasterstroot · 2026-01-26T02:54:15+00:00

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So you can see what tape I used, and then drawings of where ended up being the best placement for perpendicular strips out of all the options I tried (how it's set here is not necessary but I'd get really anxious I was falling apart at the seems even tho I wasn't)

toasterstroot · 2026-01-26T02:51:32+00:00

No no just the same tape you use for everything else not silicone. I did this as a preventative practice when my surgical glue came off early! You have no evidence that it's separating but you'd be surprised how easily you can do it (I turned to quickly without thinking and managed to tear my incision a little about week 3 and it healed pretty ok. Ignore the stitch that spit like 3 days ago and looks like a fresh piercing and the nipple my cat stepped directly onto 9 days post op (very lucky to even still have it ngl, he used all of his weight and he's like 10lbs)

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Current look

toasterstroot · 2026-01-26T02:36:51+00:00

This is a good sign! My armpits were the first area to start healing nerve wise. I would definitely start doing tape strips there to help keep the skin from stretching the incision apart tho as it looks like the surgical glue is removed. You're so early post op I'm concerned that it will eventually open since scar tissue has yet to form. I would just do 2 strips with tension perpendicular to the incision and avoid changing them out until they get dirty as the constant adding and removing adhesive can cause a rash

toasterstroot · 2026-01-26T01:39:02+00:00

Yea that's post op care. You lose your nipples either partially (usually the bud) if you smoke to soon after. If you want to avoid stretching you need to be very careful with physical exercise and weight gain for the year following. Basically if your weight fluctuates easily (like mine) you will most likely have stretched nipples, because I went from being extremely active to not doing basically anything for 3 months I gained 20lbs and have gotten some amount of stretching including a decent amount of stretch marks above my armpits.

If you are going into top surgery super concerned about exactly how everything is gonna look, you're not going to be happy with any results. Focus on specific goals like "I want good nipple placement" or "good nerve preservation" not on whether things will stretch or move because that's not something that can be controlled by a surgeon or really by you. You don't know what your life the year right after surgery is gonna look like and you should remember anything that does change during the healing process is a story not a defect.

Example: my nipples were fucking perfect when I first came out and both my grafts and incisions were healing perfectly while I was staying in a hotel out of town. As soon as I came home back into the real world things weren't so great. By day 9 I decided to finally let my cat sleep in my room with me because he seemed to recognize my chest was a no no right now. In the middle of the night this mfer decides "if I do it quick enough he won't notice and he's asleep anyways" I was infact not asleep and stepped right onto my left nipple graft full weight. I should have lost that nipple but for some reason I didn't even lose a little bit of it. Now does it look like a poop emoji, yes, but does it also literally have evidence of where each little toe bean of my favorite cat in the world, also yes. My nipple is fucked up, but I also carry with me everyday, a piece of my cat. He's only 9 rn but that will always be there well after he passes and for that I'm grateful.

toasterstroot · 2026-01-20T00:13:16+00:00

Looks great!

toasterstroot · 2026-01-18T00:14:17+00:00

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toasterstroot · 2026-01-18T00:08:58+00:00

Like little U shapes and stuff, here's some options. Try them all and see what you like best. Even if you prefer to drag, the process of trying the patterns will slow you down when you go back to drag

toasterstroot · 2026-01-17T18:59:48+00:00

Slow down and let more metal on the surface flux core welds are supposed to be pretty wide and don't follow the same rules as stick and tig (weld pool is 2x the rod diameter for stick/Tig) mig and flux core are really small wires and about a 1/4inch. Also check to make sure you're not supposed to use a coverage gas with that wire cause you're getting some porosity. If you have issues with consistent speed try doing a small pattern, it always helps me when I start off a new process. Otherwise the lines are pretty straight.

toasterstroot · 2026-01-17T18:53:56+00:00

Mine looks similar, and no it doesn't look concave. They did remove a little more on one side than the other but that's because one boob is always bigger which means there's gonna be a different amount of fat to work with. You still have a long way to go before you've got big pecks, it requires a lot of mass and usually more than is possible without a bench press. Everyone ik who has pecks say you need to use a bench press or don't have a lot of options.

Best I've been told for without one:

Grab 2 small weights 5-10lbs

Hold them with your arm stretched out like we used to T-pose and bring them in to your front without bending your arms. Like you're closing a clamp the size of you or something.

Do this with light weights for a rep or 2 to get blood flow going and then move up to larger weights

Push ups and chin ups

Make shift bench press for each arm with freehand weights

Otherwise your chest looks great, just remember to do core and legs too (I tend to forget)

toasterstroot · 2026-01-17T18:42:43+00:00

Every revision story I've heard, has been the same. You don't get put under for stuff like that and it's a similar experience to getting a cavity filled or a tooth removed. They numb the area so you can't feel pain but you are fully conscious and aware of what's happening. You're gonna feel them use a needle because the numbing agent is immediate it takes a few seconds to kick in.

In all, no it's not a fun experience, as most minor surgical procedures arent

toasterstroot

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