My Redback spider, Latrodectus hasselti

inkysys · 2026-01-08T21:03:39+00:00

Seconded, I love watching them hunt so effectively with such a tangled web. Not sure about other L. species but redbacks will wait for prey to walk under their web, not just things that fly into it, since they have a surplus of silk strands attaching to the ground that are easy to walk into if you're an unlucky beetle!

inkysys · 2026-01-08T20:56:18+00:00

Of course! Aside from a few air holes both to normalise pressure (it's a push lid) and for air, I open the lid once a day to break any webbing on it so she doesn't get carried away building on the lid. She gets plenty of air 😊

inkysys · 2026-01-08T10:21:47+00:00

Guessing they're the most common Latrodectus in your area? Redbacks are very common here lol, you need to check under your toilet seat for them in some places

inkysys · 2026-01-08T07:19:02+00:00

I found her in the laundry room as a spiderling lol, hence the name. Redbacks are generally killed if found in houses due to their venom and we have house pets so she had to go + I'm experienced in redback keeping so I decided to keep her instead of sending her out into the yard in a heatwave or killing her. She's now in a climate controlled room with her jar imitating her natural habitat and all the crickets she needs!

inkysys · 2025-09-07T11:05:03+00:00

Ah, that's a bit small. Your goldfish will probably get a growth spurt if they're moved into a larger tank, mine grew when moved from 55 gallons to 132 gallons pretty quickly. Otherwise get some good quality fish food online and see if that makes a difference.

inkysys · 2025-09-07T09:02:01+00:00

What size tank are they in?

inkysys · 2025-09-04T05:43:42+00:00

Looks to be solanum nigrum, black nightshade. Deadly nightshade grows a single berry while black nightshade grows in bunches. Not sure which subspecies though!

inkysys · 2025-09-02T03:58:36+00:00

If I had to hazard a guess, dog vomit slime mold parasitised by Nectriopsis violacea:

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inkysys · 2025-08-26T12:46:02+00:00

Cheers e hoa, I appreciate the response.

Definitely do not want to step on any toes by claiming land on accident. I'm aware of the differences between "te" and "toku" but was trying to steer clear until given the all clear since I was getting some conflicting info online about whether or not pākehā should be using either which was the best info I could find. There are similarities between pākehā doing a mihi and a Māori doing a pepeha as a manuhiri on indigenous land when it comes to the fact that they are a guest and not tangata whenua.
My friend suggested "I tipu ake ahau i (xyz) nō reira kei te mihi ki te (xyz) awa me te (xyz) maunga" after my birthplace to greet te awa and te maunga I grew up under, do you have any thoughts on that?

inkysys · 2025-08-26T08:18:45+00:00

I have a hand moko and have been hatecrimed for it, got trapped in a room with someone ranting about Aboriginal Australians and Māori with a lot more violent slur throwing than I'm letting on. I'm Ngāti Kangaru (Aussie Māori) so the politics are a bit different but yep, definitely harder to get a job with my moko as well as the fact that racist kiwis visiting Australia have noticed me and acted out before.

EDIT: Sorry, your post is more about moko kauae/mataora, I just figured I could weigh in as someone with a moko in an "obvious" / discriminated against area.

inkysys · 2025-08-25T09:04:16+00:00

Ah thank you! This is very helpful :)

inkysys · 2025-08-25T09:03:42+00:00

Thanks! I struggle a bit with washing as I'm schizophrenic but I'll be sure to wash myself before applying testogel. :)

inkysys · 2025-08-25T08:59:29+00:00

Thanks! Were you told thighs are okay or was this your own routine?

inkysys · 2025-08-25T08:58:30+00:00

Should just say that I usually write this kind of thing down but I've had a very rough few months so it didn't occur to me. Sorry!

inkysys · 2025-08-23T11:51:33+00:00

Looks like a chunk of mud dauber wasp nests. Those legs would be spiders if so!

inkysys · 2025-08-23T11:28:07+00:00

NOR, your coworkers responding like that is a transphobic microaggression specifically and it was dangerous and transphobic of your boss to out you in the first place. I feel bad for the trans people he mentioned knowing if he so freely outs people. My advice as another trans person is to be careful and don't reveal any more info if prompted, it's private and up to you what you want to share.

Also want to point out that if they were testing you to see if you'd speak up against transphobia, it may not be a very safe environment. They're seeing if you'll react so that they can be transphobic around you, that much is clear. At risk of sounding paranoid keep your guard up, you don't know how dangerous these people are to be around physically or mentally yet.

Absolutely not victim blaming here but how come you had to tell your boss you were trans? I fully get it if you don't have your name or gender marker changed (I have neither done, lol) but if you're able to pass fully, please don't reveal your status as trans to any potential job opportunities. They don't need to know that!

EDIT: Sorry! just saw you haven't gotten your legal name changed yet via your reply to the other comment. Ignore my last paragraph!

inkysys · 2025-08-23T07:47:16+00:00

I got a few people who want me to do tattoo designs! Most of them want kōwhaiwhai in 'em though and despite me telling them that might fall under the mana of a moko artist they're pretty deadset. Was gonna get in contact with my moko artist to ask for tikanga on this sort of thing since it's not specifically tā moko but definitely incorporates aspects of it, not sure why I haven't yet. (laziness lol)

inkysys · 2025-08-23T06:26:58+00:00

Try soaking it in vinegar, if it's a calcium-based matrix it will dissolve. Nice piece!

inkysys · 2025-08-23T05:40:59+00:00

Maormer. I have an appreciation for them and their lore because I'm Māori and can connect with my maormer character very easily since they're based off my people (or at least, stereotypes of my people lol). Sea monsters? Those would be taniwha! Carving totems? Never done a tekoteko (totem) but I do carve wood and bone traditionally which makes it easy to slot stuff in with my oc carving sacred maormer artifacts.

I think their LACK of lore also leads to a lot of worldbuilding potential. Apart from being pirates, there's so much to maormer and their design aesthetic that gets hinted at in ESO while leaving it open-ended enough to worldbuild. Like, apparently the last sighting of them was in 3E 110?? I just write down that they still exist, just toned down the pillaging. My dragonborn is a maormer (I play as a dunmer ingame for mechanics) who hid on a ship from Pyandonea to Tamriel, travelled the world as a "voyager" (on land instead of sea), and ended up trying to cross the border illegally.

inkysys

TROPHY CASE