Definitions by ultravio_c
baggy blues
The stereotypical blue surgical masks that can stop large droplets from going directly in or out of your nose and mouth from the front, but are "baggy" in the sense that they're not fitted to the face on the sides. People who are covid conscious may talk about baggy blues as opposed to fitted masks when discussing safety precautions. If you're trying to avoid getting or giving anyone an airborne illness like SARS-CoV-2, baggy blues are better than nothing at all, but they only offer a small amount of protection compared to a respie or graded mask like an FFP or N95, because the infectious particles hang in the air as aerosols rather than falling to the ground like droplets.
baggy blues by ultravio_c July 2, 2026
plague avoider
A person who tries to avoid getting or spreading SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19 and Long Covid/PASC) through methods like improving ventilation, using HEPA filters, wearing respirators, keeping up to date on wastewater data and case numbers to decide whether to increase or decrease precautions, and self-testing. Being a plague avoider is also known as being covid conscious, or CC for short. In the first few years of the COVID-19 pandemic, avoiding the plague was perfectly normal, but plague avoiders are now in the minority and are often harassed or mocked for the precautions they take.
I'm the only plague avoider at work and I'm the only one who hasn't had to call in sick lately, but my boss doesn't seem to understand how those things are related, so he keeps trying to get me to stop wearing a mask.
plague avoider by ultravio_c July 1, 2026
An acronym for Covid Cautious or Covid Conscious. Being CC means that someone continues to practice harm reduction with SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 based on quality scientific evidence rather than just government policies or popular trends, e.g. wearing a respie, promoting HEPA filtration and good ventilation indoors, taking regular tests, and staying up to date on medical research. Many CC people are disabled or medically vulnerable and/or have loved ones who are; this motivates them to try to reduce the spread of COVID even after the rest of the world has given up. Often, people are CC because they've developed PASC ("long COVID") and are now disabled despite being healthy before they got the virus, and they are motivated to continue taking precautions because they don't want this to happen to anyone else.
My sister makes fun of me for being CC, but she's had COVID five times now and has chronic health problems that get worse with every reinfection. I wish she understood that I'm CC because I don't want her to get sicker!
CC by ultravio_c June 28, 2026
respie
Short for respirator: a protective mask designed to filter out harmful particles from the air you breathe. Some are heavy-duty high-tech devices that pump clean air into a sealed space for you, while others are low-tech masks that look a lot like popular surgical "baggy blues" or cloth masks, except they fit your face much better and offer a lot more protection. FFPs, N95s, KN95s, and P100s are lower-tech respie options.
This is the most comfortable respie I've ever worn! It has headbands instead of ear loops and the nose bridge wire is both flexible and padded, so it stays put and keeps my glasses from foggng up.
respie by ultravio_c June 27, 2026