Actually Yes I Do Think You Should Need A Standard Qualification To Own An Animal, And That There Needs

Actually yes I do think you should need a standard qualification to own an animal, and that there needs to be heavier regulations on person-to-person animal sales and backyard breeding.

Owning an animal immediately becomes a lifelong commitment, just like having a child. The only difference is the animal can't use words to tell you how its feeling, what it needs and what's wrong with it. Getting an animal means you need to learn an entirely new language and need to learn to adjust your behavior and life, constantly, in order to communicate with your pet properly.

Yes, even dogs and cats. The two most available, unregulated type of pet after fish. Its not cute when you let your baby/toddler trample all over your pet and pull at them and chew on their ears. Its not cute when you try to snuggle your pet and it growls at you. Its not cute to have a pet that tries to attack you whenever you're in the same room. Its not cute to let your fish languish in a tiny bowl without the proper filtration, space, habitat stimuli and food.

The fact that at any one time I can just make a Facebook post saying I want a kitten and within 24 hours I can just get one, no home or background check necessary, no medical history or evaluation of the kitten, no proper knowledge of if its old enough to leave its mother or what it needs to eat, is actually fucking terrifying.

You need to learn the body language and sounds of your pet and what they're indicating to you. Animals have hundreds of ways of communicating. Some animals will specifically adapt to your means of communication or will invent entirely new forms of communication to try to engage with you.

You need to learn the proper methods of training your pet and which methods work best for you, your pet, and are over-all the clearest forms of communication and most beneficial. Including what methods are safe, which are outdated or harmful, ect.

You need to learn the proper nutrition your pet requires and ways you can enrich and vary their diet. You need to be capable of doing species/breed appropriate research and activity research to discern exactly what your pet needs out of its diet.

If and where necessary, you need to modify your home and your own behaviors within the home to make it safer for your pet. You may need to give up your essential oil candles or stop leaving the doors open where your pet can escape. You may need to remodel your backyard so its safe and appropriate for your pet to have freedom within.

You need to learn ways you can safely enrich your pet's day-to-day life and ways you can provide them with stimulation and entertainment. Especially for the hours you won't be there.

You need to have proper medical coverage for your pet and set aside money weekly or monthly to build an emergency savings fund for them, the exact way you would for other expenses.

You need to properly assert ownership of your pet. Paperwork, microchipping, an evidence file of ownership in case your pet gets lost or stolen, proper registration, ect.

You need to have contingency plans for emergencies and events where you need to navigate the stability and safety of your pet. If you went into hospital tomorrow, who can look after your pet? If there's a natural disaster, do you have the means to get your pet to safety?

And, yes. I realize this will inherently disadvantage poor people and people who don't have hours in a day free to pay attention to their pet, but unfortunately, that's the reality of choosing to be responsible for another living creature. Its the reality of just how much actual work goes into owning, raising and training an animal.

Pets are not inherent rights. They're essentially luxuries in a world where we no longer need to rely on animals the way we did hundreds of years ago. Pets are not just little accessories and fun little distractions and add-ons to your home. They are independent, sentient creatures that you are fully and solely responsible for in every single aspect of their lives.

Pets. Are. Not. Toys.

I think we need to remind ourselves again that viewer interpretation and headcanons are not always actual fact and that's okay. That's part of fandom and part of adopting canon as a source.

Likewise, nobody is "wrong" for their personal headcanons, because they're not fact. They're not supposed to be direct reflections of or representative of canon as it exists then. That is, in fact, the fun of it. Altering canon to embrace your own creativity and ideas. Having your own perspective on canon based on your own values, experiences, thoughts and assessments.

It is not an invitation to begin a dictatorship about how people can interpret or headcanon aspects of canon.

Objectively hilarious that a poll was so stupid even non-shippers banded together to make sure the poll option the "impartial" OP hoped wouldn't win won by 52% and counting. Even after they deleted it. Because it won.

Historical. Monumental. Hilarious. Wholesome.

By which I mean:

Has harassment and hate mail ever made you actually change your thoughts on, say, a ship, and made you agree with the other person's statements? (In other words, did you then become an "anti" of that ship, concept, character, fandom, ect.)

Actually there's nothing wrong with blocking or reporting people, deleting comments and refusing to respond/engage with hate and baiting on any level whatsoever. They are not owed your time or explanations. They are not owed your energy. You are not immature or incapable for choosing to refuse to engage instead of choosing to argue and expend energy.

Obviously if you're making uneducated, incorrect or bigoted content then yeah, be prepared for people to call you out and challenge your statements and views, but I'm talking in general.

Hate comment on your fic? That's cool, baby. Just delete it.

Someone's trying to bait you into arguing about your stance on something? Whatever. Its all groovy. Block 'em.

You got a clear visual that someone's just gonna keep coming back at you? Have a report button. Its free. I'll give you as many as you need.

You don't need to facilitate that. You don't need to see it. You don't need to spend your time trying to challenge someone who's obviously either in a bad mentality or is just a shitty person as a whole. You simply Do Not. You don't need to allow that person to have a space and a voice within yours. You don't need to allow them to be able to spew their bullshit for you and everyone else to see outside of their own little bubble.

Next time you get a hate comment on AO3? Wham, bam, its gone, ma'am. No thank you. Anon hate mail? Not in this household.

You have no obligation to facilitate any of it, and anyone who tries to force you into thinking otherwise is simply incorrect. Their action does not inherently demand your reaction. Plus, its objectively more hilarious to know that the sole outcome of their spitefulness and negativity is them getting even angrier because you're refusing to engage and refusing to feed their need for a response.

Some of you need to meet autistic people in real life and stop relying on generic Hollywood for how you depict autistic people in your fanfiction.