The cat's luck boost for foraging is a total game changer, I feel that. Team cat all the way, that pumpkin patch nap was clearly a sign. You made the right call.

Man, that sucks... bent arbor's a classic Craigslist special, ha.

Why are you treating the raccoon like the problem instead of your own setup? That animal was just doing what raccoons do, and you are the one who left exposed fiber sitting out overnight like bait. I wrap everything too, but not because I blame the critters, I blame the lazy install that makes it easy for them to chew in the first place. If you ran the line properly, tucked it tight against the house, and buried or covered any slack, a raccoon would have nothing to grab onto. You are basically complaining that a bear ate your food when you left it on the porch, of course it did. Maybe stop crying about nature and start doing better work so your drops survive more than one night.

Tried that same Q-tip method after wrecking a lens with too much lighter fluid years ago, works perfect every time now.

Man those old forums can be a real trip down a sketchy memory lane. I found out my first helmet from 2009 had some kind of foam that degraded into basically dust over time. Good times. Makes you wonder what other kinds of surprises are hidden in our old gear, like a fun little game of "is this going to give me cancer or just a rash?" Hope your lungs are okay, man. At least the gloves were probably real good at keeping your hands warm while you were slowly breathing in evil fibers.