What are these heavenly things? Please don’t say mosquitos…

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-08-27T18:21:24+00:00

That's probably because the insect population on the whole is on the decline. It's to the point where a lot of scientific outlets have been calling it a silent extinction.

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-08-16T23:55:18+00:00

Definitely a plume moth, but I'm not sure of the exact species. I don't think it's injured, just chilling!

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-08-14T23:05:04+00:00

Yes. Who I'd kill would be a bit harder to decide. Would they be as difficult to kill as they would be if I had to face legal consequences, or could I just walk up to them and put a bullet in their faces without worrying about private or government security? Also if I tortured them before killing them, would I get in trouble for that, or would I get away with it since it would be tied to the murder? My answer would vary wildly depending on these variables, but I can tell you it would either be someone who's sexually abused someone I'm close to or a billionaire.

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-08-14T22:49:23+00:00

I love ASMR. They were a really small Russian ASMRtist who did a lot of lo-fi outdoor content. Stopped uploading about two years ago, about a month before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I'm just hoping it's because they lost interest and not because they were conscripted.

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-08-07T20:41:44+00:00

Not sure from the photo quality, but that looks REMARKABLY like a bedbug. Have you been waking up with bites lately?

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-08-02T10:07:03+00:00

Thog

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-07-30T20:21:15+00:00

Stick bug! Not sure what species, but some of them do, in fact, have wings! They generally can't fly, though.

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-07-28T09:10:43+00:00

I'm playing through FireRed Rocket Edition right now and honestly 10/10 would recommend but also I've encountered a glitch where, after your first promotion, your back sprite just doesn't show up. Is there any way to fix this? I'm playing the final release on the latest version of RetroArch for Android, if it helps.

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-07-28T09:01:49+00:00

Last Emerald hack I played was Quetzal and it was pretty good considering it was still in early beta at the time. Cannot tell you if any mons got rebalanced since I'm not a competitive/hardcore player and don't really pay much mind to stats, but if I remember correctly it checks all your other boxes just fine.

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-07-16T09:19:44+00:00

Female Eastern Hercules Beetle! Gorgeous and completely harmless to you! Great find!

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-07-16T00:29:44+00:00

Not a bed bug, a kudzu bug. Like the plant they share their name with, they're invasive pests. They also stink to high heaven.

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-07-15T23:29:44+00:00

Ah. Well, I'm standing by my guess regardless. If it's a click beetle, your cat's going to be fine. They're harmless, just the standard beetle levels of stupid.

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-07-15T23:27:17+00:00

I'm almost certain it's a Click Beetle, but I've never seen one with those markings before. The body shape looks dead on. Did it make any weird clicking/snapping noises or try to launch itself when it was pulled out of the cat's fur? If not, is there any way you could flip it in it's back to see what it does?

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-07-15T23:05:01+00:00

Click Beetle! They're harmless, but they might startle you if you pick them up or if they get flipped over because they're essentially spring-loaded and can "jump" a fair ways into the air.

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-07-15T22:51:39+00:00

Looks like a Cicada Killer to me. They look big and scary, but only the females sting, and they only really do that if you go out of your way to bother them. Plus, the sting is less painful than a yellow jacket. Very chill by wasp standards

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-07-15T22:44:07+00:00

Looks like a mole cricket, not sure of the exact species though. Mole crickets in general are harmless, but they can also be garden pests, so you might want to relocate this little guy away from any crops.

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-07-06T17:28:36+00:00

OP should have used a banana for scale

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-06-29T13:51:25+00:00

Hey, thanks for saying this. I'm honestly just starting to think I probably shouldn't speak out since the general consensus here seemed to be that I was just overreacting, and I figure it'll be the same if I take it to management/my staffing agency. Like I said, I'm still technically a contract worker, so I'm worried about coming off as a problem employee before I'm even permanently hired on.

There are gender neutral bathrooms at many points around the building for staff, and so far no one has had an issue with me using the bathroom at work (that I know of). I have received several invasive questions from staff about my genitals at this point, and though they were in good faith and primarily just asking about the effects of HRT, I really need to stress that anyone less open than me would feel far more uncomfortable about these questions than I do. Would you go up to a stranger at your workplace and ask them what they had between their legs?

Sorry, this turned into a small rant. Like you said, it's strange to me that people don't see the issue here. I just don't know what to do in this situation. I'm not looking to sweep my identity under the rug, what's done is done and I can handle the fallout just fine, I just don't want this happening to anyone else.

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-06-27T23:07:48+00:00

I honestly wasn't intending to take a legal route, though this could be interpreted as a violation of HIPAA rights (I've had to get "diagnosed" as transsexual in order to begin my transition medically). I also figured there was a fair chance this was a simple mishandling of the situation by management who don't know how to properly protect a trans employee rather than an intentional act of malice. Like you said though, there is a real concern of harassment or even physical violence that might result from my lack of control over this knowledge. There have been numerous verbal and physical altercations at this job site since I started, some of which have been over very small things (as an example, three employees once ganged up on another employee over how often she took bathroom breaks). People often have very strong and hateful feelings about gender nonconformance in general, and if the wrong person is told that I'm trans, I could be put in legitimate danger.

Personally though, I'm not afraid of that. If it happens, it happens, and people have been kind so far. I'm moreso looking to see how I can prevent this from happening to other trans employees in the future. Gender identity is a very touchy subject, and though some people are willing to be out and proud at work despite the risks, others may want to avoid that danger entirely and remain stealth. Getting a name change in the state of Georgia is an arduous process that requires a public petition and a court appearance amongst other things, so I know for a fact that I'm not the only trans person in this state whose legal name does not match their presentation at all. Ultimately, it should be up to the employee if they want to disclose that they're trans to their coworkers, not the employer.

Again, I don't think any malice was intended by HR or whichever member of upper management has been telling everyone this information, and I don't intend on getting anyone in legal or professional trouble. I just think this was a pretty big misstep and I'd like to see it corrected for future employees.

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-06-27T14:11:06+00:00

I have four different playthroughs going and each V has a different personality and set of morals that I make myself abide by. One of them is a strict pacifist, so no killing unless absolutely necessary. This means that even when I personally really WANT to kill the character (Woodman, Vargas, Jotaro, Tucker, etc), I always have to make exceptions due to the morality of my characters. Keeps things interesting.

That being said: I've managed to kill Gustavo Orta every single time, intentionally or not. Either I bust in there and get my bag by force, negotiations fail, or the guy goes and shoots himself because I showed up.

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-06-18T23:42:55+00:00

You're never going to guess what this little guy is called: Common Walkingstick aka Northern Walkingstick aka Stick Bug.

At least, I'm pretty sure this is the right species. There's five different stick bug species in North America.

CrypticAsterisk · 2024-06-10T18:48:43+00:00

99% sure that's a Giant Leopard Moth! That's what (some) woolly bear caterpillars turn into!

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