u/SomeRandomPerson1963

I love having animals around, but I think it would be really nice to have something contained and self-sustainable that doesn't require any recurring care after the initial setup. I also think it'd be fun to observe all the small critters moving around. So, here are my questions:

Is the success rate generally high for beginners (as in, all the species inside usually thrive after the initial setup)? Or is it pretty common for an ecosystem to fail?

What (preferably visible) animals are best for an ecosphere? Unrelated to ecospheres, I've looked into isopods before—could those work in an ecosphere? I would guess not but I'm not sure. For plants I would probably pick those based off the animals, but you can also suggest good plants for ecospheres.

What is a typical startup cost for an ecosphere (though I know it would probably vary a lot)?

Assuming nothing is done wrong, would it theoretically last forever, since they're considered self-sustainable?

If there's other general advice please feel free to tell me anything you think might be helpful, or recommend me some good sources for information!

Thanks so much in advance! 🙏

Like the title says. There are so many times I respond to someone or hold a conversation with them purely because that's the social expectation. I feel like I would enjoy interactions a lot more if I didn't feel compelled to reciprocate.

There are some times I'd just like to sit and listen to someone without feeling the need to occasionally say "yeah," "ah," "I get that," etc. I already feel kind of awkward with those types of conversations because my responses feel generic and repetitive and I feel bad for not contributing more. In this way group settings are nice because I can listen to the conversation(s) going on without having any obligation to speak, though I still can if I want to add something.

In other cases there are conversations that I do enjoy having, that are typically more balanced with longer responses on both sides. So maybe I just don't like small talk? But that's not quite it (though I'm not particularly fond of small talk), I just don't like having to respond when I don't have anything substantial to say. I think I've just figured that out now.

So now it's just annoying me that that's a social expectation. What's even the purpose? I suppose it must just be to let the other person know that you're listening. But you could replace that with occasional eye contact, surely. Maybe this really isn't even that much of a social obligation and it's just me feeling like I need to do it. I don't know. Well. Anyone else experience any of this?

Edit: It's comforting to hear that other people have had similar experiences, thank you all for sharing them.

I'm looking for recommendations of interesting or out of the ordinary objects to use that fit an abstract art style! I have very minimal experience with painting—my go-to medium is drawing with pencils, typically not doing much abstract. However, I want to branch out more and try new things and abstract painting seems like an intriguing style to get into.

So what objects, materials, tools or techniques do you recommend? Thanks in advance! 😊

From Susanna Clarke, I just finished *Piranesi;* previously I've read *Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell*. From Donna Tartt, I've read both *The Goldfinch* and *The Secret History*. I really enjoy both of their writing styles (immersive, poetic, captivating, detailed) and would probably consider them my favorite authors.

So, does anyone have book recommendations similar to these authors' writing? My favorite genres are literary fiction (which I just recently discovered as a genre) realistic, fantasy, and sci-fi in no specific order but I enjoy a variety of genres. I prefer longer books (500+ pages) but any length is okay. I'm interested in themes such as the human condition and mental health (rather, mental illness). I also like the dark academia vibes a lot. Target audience preferably adult or young adult (not necessarily for content, but for vocabulary/book length/etc.)

Thanks very much in advance!! 🙏

P.S. I prefer specific book recommendations rather than author recommendations, and prefer standalone books to series (though series recommendations are still welcome).

From Susanna Clarke, I just finished Piranesi; previously I've read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. From Donna Tartt, I've read both The Goldfinch and The Secret History. I really enjoy both of their writing styles (immersive, poetic, captivating, detailed) and would probably consider them my favorite authors.

So, does anyone have recommendations similar to these authors' writing? My favorite genres are realistic, fantasy, and sci-fi in no specific order but I enjoy a variety of genres. I prefer longer books (500+ pages) but any length is fine. I'm interested in themes such as the human condition and mental health (rather, mental illness). I also like the dark academia vibes a lot. Target audience preferably adult or young adult (not necessarily for content, but for vocabulary/book length/etc.)

Thanks very much in advance!! 🙏

P.S. I'm open to author suggestions or specific books!

I've been trying to find a recent list of isopods that are legal to own in the US. This has been unexpectedly difficult! The most recent one I found was from an isopod-selling site, but the article was from 2023 (3 years old). I found one other list on an online forum from 2019 (7 years old) which only had one less species listed than the 2023 source. Does anyone know where (or even if) I can find either a more updated source or a direct government source? Do I have to directly contact someone and ask them? And do I need to check specifically by state?

Secondly, information around the PPQ 526 permit seems confusing. Do I need this permit to own isopods, or only if I'm selling them? Is it specifically for businesses or individuals as well? Is it just necessary for cross-state/country selling or anywhere? And would I need it if I was giving away isopods for free?

Sorry for so many questions! Thanks in advance for answers!

I've been researching isopods recently as I hope to get some in the future (not soon, but when life is less crazy)! However there are so many different families and morphs that it's hard to sort through them all. I have some "guidelines"/traits (listed below) in mind and was hoping people could recommend specific kinds to look into!

Important/Must Be:

● Beginner-friendly (hardy & not very expensive).

● Thrive in arid/low humidity conditions at room temperature (mid to low 70°s Fahrenheit or roughly 20° to 25° Celsius).

Bonus Points but Not Necessary:

● Active/Visible

● Colorful or Patterned

● Bigger Size

I also have some questions about isopods!

Can different kinds of isopods live in the same enclosure? Would they have to be of the same family or just prefer the same conditions? And will different kinds of isopods breed together (my assumption is that they would if they're in the same family?) (<-- Answered). For beginner owners, are isopods that breed quickly or slowly better? Can different morphs of the same species be kept together, and would they breed?

I plan to do a lot more research once I've narrowed down my options. :)

Thanks so much in advance for any recommendations!! Isopods seem like such interesting creatures.

P.S. I'm located in the Midwest region of North America.

P.P.S. I wouldn't be keeping them with any other animals, such as lizards, so aggression towards other species shouldn't be an issue.

Something I've noticed myself struggling with (thankfully not super often & not recently) is knowing when a joke should be done.

For context, basically in any social situation I'm in I try to make funny or witty comments, at least when the opportunity presents itself. It makes me feel good about myself when I can make others laugh and know they find me funny. Usually this works out well.

However, there are times where this backfires. Sometimes, after saying something funny, I'll try to keep the bit going. I'll continue to make similar comments or reference back to the original statement. Then, very suddenly (from my perception it feels abrupt, but it's probably not) someone else will say something in an annoyed or otherwise negative manner about the behavior and I feel horrible. Like, I thought I was being entertaining, and then I'm suddenly realizing I'm not, and I feel a mix of guilt, anxiety, and exposure.

This is probably easier to understand with examples, so I have two:

In one scenario, I was in a group with 3 other people working on creating a presentation. One of them was supposed to be sort of a "supervisor," making sure everyone was on track and keeping people motivated. During the time we were working, that person got off task and was doing something else. I made a joke about it (something about how the person who was supposed to be keeping us focused wasn't focused herself, or a similar comment). People seemed to find it funny, so I continued referencing it repeatedly.

Then, "suddenly," (see earlier comment on "suddenly") another person in the group spoke up in an irritated/exasperated tone that maybe she should just take on the other girl's responsibilities instead since I seemed to have a problem with the other's capabilities. I assured her it was okay, and I was very quiet and overly polite after that. I felt really bad because it had never been my intention to be rude.

Second scenario:

The second example I have happened online in a small Discord server. I don't really remember the context well, but there was some back-and-forth banter between me and the owner of the server (I think it was that he changed my nickname, which I couldn't edit, and I had been light-heartedly but persistently asking him to change it back). Eventually I scrolled back through the chat and screenshotted some funny or weird messages from that person, posting them and jokingly calling them blackmail.

When I did that, the tone from that person completely changed and seemed almost hostile. I don't recall exactly what was said, but generally he said I took it too far, and another person in the server said I was being weird. I DMed the owner after to apologize and clarify I was just joking and trying to be funny. He responded that it was fine, just don't do it again, but the response was definitely cold and distinct from how he usually messaged.

That situation was very upsetting for me because these were people I wanted to impress, but I had inadvertently made them think badly of me. I just felt uncomfortable after that and went silent in the server for a while before leaving entirely. This was sad because I had gotten pretty friendly with a lot of the people there, but that incident just made me feel like I ruined my impression and I couldn't undo it.

Does anyone else experience the same thing/feel the same way? If you do, how do you handle it?