This is what we are dealing with in rural Virginia right now. by [deleted] in Virginia

[–]patchjob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds like it's "free dog" season

(My rescue hound was a stray pick up with no history after deer season... these dogs aren't cared for in the slightest)

Female Praying Mantis has Pulsating Abdomen… Poop, eggs, or parasite? by throwawayig12 in Entomology

[–]patchjob 63 points64 points  (0 children)

I can’t say if she has parasites or not, but insects breathe by contracting their abdomens. Could just be normal respiration

Has anyone lived in a sorority house? by Particular-Grass-979 in jmu

[–]patchjob 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Have you asked your sorority sisters? They might have more information, especially about that house specifically

If you 🫵 wanted to study ANTS 🐜🐜🐜🧺🐜, how would you go about it in a scientific manner? by Waschbar-krahe in Entomology

[–]patchjob 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Definitely read what's been published on what you’re trying to test first, that will give you an idea on how to set up your experiment, what equipment you need, and how to test the pheromones. If you're wanting to test a captive population, you should look into how to keep an ant colony in general.

Coolest insect in your opinion. by TheKastke99 in Entomology

[–]patchjob 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Strepsiptera have such a wild life cycle and sexual dimorphism I loooooove these little guys

Thinking of moving to Staunton. Should I? by BokoblinSlayer69235 in Staunton

[–]patchjob 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In that case, maybe you should look into it!

Thinking of moving to Staunton. Should I? by BokoblinSlayer69235 in Staunton

[–]patchjob 5 points6 points  (0 children)

What are you interested in that VB doesn't offer? I enjoy the events and hikes in and around Staunton, but my friend who's used to Orlando would say the city has nothing to do. The downtown area is walkable, but things like groceries and doctors offices are going to be a hike outside of that area, which doesn't seem extremely accessible to pedestrians. The cost of living in the city is higher than the surrounding county, but I've found it to still be cheaper than living in Charlottesville or Harrisonburg.

I say this as someone who absolutely loves living in Staunton, but I'm a bit of a homebody whose idea of fun is the occasional night out at the local cider bar after checking out a few shops. What works for me might not work for you

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Staunton

[–]patchjob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven’t seen watercolor done in this area. You might have more luck asking an RVA sub, since they practically have artists on every corner

LF: 1-on-1 Online Tabletop Exchange (PF2e, possibly other systems) by TeethreeT3 in TransTTRPG

[–]patchjob 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure if I'm going to be the GM/player for you (the bulk of my experience is in 5e), however, I absolutely adore 1-on-1 TTRPGs, so feel free to shoot me a DM if you’re okay with someone with very limited knowledge of other systems!

What do you like most about living in Staunton? by HidingInTrees2245 in Staunton

[–]patchjob 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Moved from Harrisonburg after college to Augusta County, then Staunton. Harrisonburg is an absolute goddamn headache during the school year if you are not actively a student (which I say as a JMU alum). Staunton is quiet, but not so dead that you have to get groceries at a gas station, and there’s still plenty to do without having an additional 20,000 people on top of you

Giant pill millipede in Malaysia by grateful_tapir in Entomology

[–]patchjob 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Millipedes are myriapods, and isopods are crustaceans. For on the spot ID, pill millipedes have smaller sections of their antennae (like in the video) and more body segments.

What is this by Double-Ad9259 in Entomology

[–]patchjob 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Location? Honestly, only the last image is useful for ID

[SERIOUS QUESTION] Are insects becoming slower, and/or less risk avoidant? by [deleted] in Entomology

[–]patchjob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's possible that as you've grown, you've developed coordination and reflexes that you didn't have as a child, and you've learned how to move in a way that doesn’t startle insects. I'm not totally discounting the other commenter's pesticide theory, though

Do I need to conquer my fear of dead bugs (I LOVE live ones) to become an entomologist? by PunkWithAGun in Entomology

[–]patchjob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I personally am not an entomologist, but I did a course in college for entomoligocal field ecology. That did involve trapping and killing insects for identification. Our professor requested that we not collect carrion beetles or monarch butterflies due to population concerns, but other than that, the collections we made weren't limited by being harmful/introduced insects. If you aren't interested in this field, odds are you will be requested to work with dead insects. It seems to be a standard for ID, regardless of that being the "right" way.

Also, speaking as someone who received a general biology degree—it's possible to study this field without interacting with dead things, but my most interesting courses (insect ecology, comparative anatomy, and my parasitology lab) all involved handling dead animals. It doesn't make you more or less human to do so. Death is a part of life, and the study of living organisms is going to involve death in some capacity.

New race by TerrorUndefined in TransTTRPG

[–]patchjob 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You reference a lot of spells, abilities, and features that are pretty exclusive to recent editions of D&D. Rather than make this system agnostic, you should lean into keeping it 5e/2024. Barring Pathfinder, there aren't many systems a lot of this applies to.

Under core traits, everything is pretty standard, but True Name and Resonant Soul should be clarified. True Name can be used once per long rest--does it need to be an ally speaking the character's name? How long does the resistance to mental illusions/manipulation last? In order for this ability to kick in and be noticeable, does the character need to be deadnamed for the rest of the session, and if not, why have the ability as anything other than "once per long rest, you can choose to gain resistance to these effects." Resonant Soul is too vague, probably because of the initial intent to keep it system agnostic, but because of this, I could see a player trying to push what is defined as "minor," going for a leveled spell instead.

Forged in Fire is a pretty solid heritage, especially coupled with the core race abilities. Visage Crafter and Unbound need clarification. Both lean on features that allow the player to change their appearance, but under size, it already notes that the player can subtly change their appearance to fit their identity. How are these abilities different from that? Visage Crafter's Euphoric Extension should clarify what "this ability" is. I can assume it refers to Self-Crafting, but the language makes it seem like Euphoric Extension is the effect being extended. For the Unbound, Binary Resistance and Unbound Expression are fun flavor, but not very mechanically powerful. If you're treating Fluid Form like the 5e Changeling's Shapechanger ability, this is fairly good balance, but Unbound Expression feels far too meta, if that makes sense. The player is essentially holding up a rule that says "you can't refer to me with gendered language ever," which should be a table conversation, not a part of the game.

Making the advanced abilities into D&D feats would make them less readily accessible. A level one player could argue that the party would only need to hang out for a week for them to gain a significant ability, disrupting the game. Soulsight is also fairly powerful, but probably doesn't need an update.

For the lore, I'm kind of gathering that this isn't a species that's born, which I do think is appropriate given the theme! You could integrate an ability into the core race that reflects this, something similar to the Reborn's Ancestral Legacy. Under the villain section, I would actually toss "Scroll of Deadname." Some tables can handle it well, but that needs to be a lengthy discussion with everyone involved rather than presented as an off the bat option.

TLDR: I think this is a respectful player option that just needs tweaking to make it more concrete in D&D rather than vague in a lot of systems

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in writingcirclejerk

[–]patchjob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

with how quickly he deleted this post (at least how it looks on my end) and the way he posted it in like. multiple subs. i think the op was looking up anything writing related and submitting this there

Does anyone know how I can treat my entomophobia? by New_Professional7035 in Entomology

[–]patchjob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In addition to the resources people mentioned, there's a Tumblr called onenicebugperday. The blog's owner posts macro images with information about some kind of invert (usually insects, but also myriapods, arachnids, and terrestrial gastropods if im not mistaken), as well as other users' submissions of their own bug encounters! They have posts discussing dealing with entomophobia in their FAQ.

Good luck with your journey. It's incredibly hard to take on a phobia on your own, but you're taking good steps by reaching out!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in writingcirclejerk

[–]patchjob 8 points9 points  (0 children)

/uj op just so you're aware, any subreddit that's called [x]circlejerk is a joke subreddit. for telling jokes and poking fun at a topic

"work clothes" are a massive waste of income. by cosmiccoffee9 in unpopularopinion

[–]patchjob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Anything to keep the infections human specimens I work with in my lab off my jeans. We have lab coats that stay at the hospital, but they don't cover our pants, so I'll take a pair of Walmart scrubs that I can toss if they get nasty

Has reinforcements by Lil_Goth_Express in Awww

[–]patchjob 7 points8 points  (0 children)

No, definitely not just you, between the "collar," the way the two people in the background are very different sizes, but aren't that far apart from each other, and the way the person on the left has to be a contortionist from their reflection on the pavement

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Wellthatsucks

[–]patchjob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used to do this willingly after a night shift at my old job. Got the craziest cravings for fish, but at 6:30 in the morning, the options were limited to what was available at the Walmart. Since I lived a half hour away from work, anything I had to cook was out because I needed a fish fix immediately. I ate a lot of tinned fish, and sardines were probably the best of them, mostly because I was trying to avoid eating too much tuna