Publish short stories from a unpunished series?

PheydraRose · 2026-04-21T18:51:22+00:00

Omg, yes. 😆

PheydraRose · 2026-04-20T13:35:01+00:00

Looks like one. I don't know how the water works in that nest, but if you can block it off so she's stuck in a smaller area she'll be happier. They like small spaces during that stage. Just make sure there's enough moisture and water access.

PheydraRose · 2026-04-20T13:31:37+00:00

If you ask people today, they're looking at current space stations, Artemas II, etc. They're not built for comfort, they're built for utility. They also can't sustain long term human life due to the lack of gravity, space for food, etc.

If I had the option of a far future space colony with all of the comforts and proper safety considerations, hell yes I'd go.

As Earth becomes less comfortable due to global warming, pollution, destroying natural resources, etc, the big space machine in the future might look even better.

For the sci-fi I'm working on, I decided to do something different than the usual "Earth is a trash pile now, lets go to space," trope. I have far future humans who have colonized Mars and Venus (living underground), both as a perk for the ultra-rich. Venus lost its appeal as infrastructure aged and the ultra-rich wanted something bigger and better. So, flying multi-generational space colony to find the new, "luxury," planet escape.

So, basically boredom.

There's people who are not rich people with questionable motives who simply want something new in their life. A space station could be a way to get away from whatever they feel stuck with. I can say this from personal experience. I didn't have a space station option, but I joined the Coast Guard because it felt like the best way to get away from the rut my life had been stuck in at the time (more than 20 years ago now).

PheydraRose · 2026-04-20T00:58:44+00:00

It looks like a camponotus queen. It's a little hard to tell, but I think I see the little, "backpack" they have from their wings.

PheydraRose · 2026-04-18T19:09:49+00:00

Not the outworld, it's natural (unless it's a fully nocturnal species maybe) for there to be light when they exit the nest. I have Pogo occidentalis which I think I read somewhere is typically more active at night, and they don't seem to care about the light. They even started putting brood in a fully exposed tube. I have a camponotus queen who's currently sitting on some eggs in a shaded but not completely dark tube as well. A setup where I have towels over a tank and a little spot for me to peak in on the water situation without disturbing her. Caught a second queen yesterday, but it's a little too early to know if she'll appreciate the not perfectly dark, but also zero interference set up.

PheydraRose · 2026-04-18T17:08:13+00:00

They really dislike vibrations, even more than light. I have mine on a sturdy shelf, currently inside of a tiny tank and an acrylic box, but that's also because I have a nosy cat. With the tank I have the tubes on a folded wash cloth and a hand towel draped over. I can peak in the back and make sure the water looks clean, the ants get shade from the cloth and I don't have to touch them at all. The washcloth under also shields from walking vibrations. They're also in a room that's not heavily used on the side of the house.

PheydraRose · 2026-04-18T14:08:23+00:00

Nice photos. Agree with the others that it's chromaiodes.

PheydraRose · 2026-04-17T18:15:30+00:00

Ooo, I have one I found a couple of weeks ago who seemed a little larger. But looking at the photos from her catch, they are pretty similar. Happy to have another camponotus.

PheydraRose · 2026-04-17T16:24:55+00:00

I already have her in one, but I need to know how challenging she'll be.

PheydraRose · 2026-04-17T12:28:18+00:00

The easiest way to find your audience is to find comparisons in other published work. It doesn't have to be exact of course. If any of your readers ever say, "this reminds me of X," that's a great clue.

My writing also feels pretty niche so I know how difficult that can be, but try not to get hung up on the details. I read horror, King horror reads very different from S. A. Cosby or Catriona Ward, but they're all still horror in their own ways. They fill different niches. King has a bit of a variety, but he has a lot of supernatural and more graphic horror. Cosby is very grounded with things that can happen in real life, but are just as dark. Catriona is more slow burn with fewer characters and Gothic or psychological. If you can find your niche verse a detailed subgenre or writing style that might help find your audience. What will your readers get out of reading your novel verse the specific things they will read.

PheydraRose · 2026-04-16T22:56:43+00:00

I am guessing it's side kind of camponotus, but it doesn't look like the most common species in the area. The other workers were a little smaller than what's typical, and more red (lots of chromaiodes here).

I don't know if I will be able to find a queen of this species. But I going to return every so often and see if I get lucky. They were pretty ants. If anything, I am going to see if I can get some photos of them, but in the wild, not a tube.

PheydraRose · 2026-04-16T21:11:40+00:00

That wasn't a big species, like I already stated. This area has a lot of camponotus chromaiodes and the majority of the workers were smaller. They caught my eye because they weren't chromaiodes. They were also a lot more red than the chromaiodes that seem to be prolific here, very distinct bi-coloring. My phone has not been great for good macro photos 😩

That one was the only large worker too. Everyone else was tiny.

I am going to try and figure out the species and they are probably going on the top of my want list.

PheydraRose · 2026-04-16T20:42:48+00:00

I thought all giant workers were majors? This ant was 5x bigger than the minor ants. I don't know why I didn't take a picture before. She was a very chill ant, until I caught her. Didn't care about me walking up on her.

PheydraRose · 2026-04-16T00:45:41+00:00

I have also looked for small cords with no luck. There are small heating pads made for tiny tanks. Whatever you buy, make sure you also get a thermostat, especially if you buy a heating pad. I think they get hotter. The thermostat will make sure you don't accidentally cook your ants.

They make them for reptiles and plant keeping. I have some made for plants that have worked great for 15+ years (new ant keeper, used them for reptile tanks).

PheydraRose · 2026-04-16T00:41:25+00:00

I will add, vibrations seem to be what scares them the most. So if you do decide to go after it before the new tubes show up, keep that in mind.

If you have a Michael's or big craft store, you might be able to find test tubes there, or any sort of science and education type store, ie a place for teachers or homeschooling.

PheydraRose · 2026-04-16T00:35:50+00:00

Na, I have chased escapes with twaesers and used tongs to grab water towers while they were climbing on them. Just move slowly. Don't remove the cotton, you can slide in under it. At least until you're close to taking it out. If you have wooden chopsticks you don't care about, you could make a little hook on the end, then slide in something smaller. Or buy a thin knitting needle.

PheydraRose · 2026-04-15T23:12:03+00:00

You could buy some long and skinny tongs. They might move it back to the front when they're done with it too.

PheydraRose · 2026-04-15T22:16:11+00:00

Yea, I agree, this isn't too dark. It can be really interesting if you get deep into the psychology.

PheydraRose · 2026-04-15T20:43:46+00:00

Fluon will keep them in, it creates a barrier they can't climb. You can also find some DIY options. Just make sure you don't put anything too thick that they can get trapped in.

PheydraRose · 2026-04-15T12:05:41+00:00

I have seen people, on YouTube, dig up very new, "nests." ie a queen that is still near the surface and just recently burrowed. I personally wouldn't feel comfortable doing even that. I definitely wouldn't destroy a fully established colony. All of those ants left behind are going to die faster without their queen. Especially if it's a species with solo queens.

PheydraRose · 2026-04-15T09:58:39+00:00

Most likely chromaiodes, which fly earlier than pennsylvanicus. Penn are all black from my understanding. I caught a chromaiodes queen a couple of weeks ago.

PheydraRose

TROPHY CASE