#American pest

[snototter]

An American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) nymph in Pattaya, Thailand

by Len Worthington

[hybbat]

I think a factor a lot of farming/crafting sims completely forget to include is the aspect of, not just being self-sustaining, but being part of a community and providing for that community. They sometimes put in side quests and stuff where you hand out resources to folks, but, like, a lot of the time you don't need to actually farm much because you aren't even selling your products, or they don't sell for much.

The simple solution, and easiest way to add depth to the farming (because another common problem is the farming lacks depth and can be fully automated without really interacting much with it like it's a chore to eventually overcome rather than the main gameplay loop) is having a rating system. 1-5 stars, higher yields, special yields, one or all of these depending on how well you care for your animals or fertilize your crops. While it can be tedious due to the game's unecessarily slow scaling, I think tale of two towns did this the best by including all of these for the animals and different actions for attaining each. It should feel like more than just a daily button click.

A good farming sim should have you spending lots of time actually working your farm, not because of the scale of the farm, but because of the depth of the care you can put into it. And the time off the farm should be spent interacting with the community in a more in-depth and cyclical way that makes your character feel a part of it. That's the key to those cozy vibes.

[mariocki]

Night Monster (1942)

"Why don't you have Millie do that, Miss Judd? That's a maid's work, not a housekeeper's. You needn't answer because I know the reason: that spot under your hand is blood and you didn't want anyone to know."

"Blood? Ridiculous."

"Yes, it is ridiculous. It couldn't be blood, but it is. I've seen those spots before and I've seen you trying to scrub them out because you knew what they were. Blood, the whole house reeks of it. The air is charged with death and hatred and something that's unclean!"

[georgebbwbush]

vote haruhi no matter whohi

[steakout-05]

as an Australian you American blokes have got to stop talking about huntsman spiders like that. don't diss my weird little lanky wallclimber friends, they're not horrible awful freaks of nature who chase you and bite you on contact. they're actually very docile and timid and they're very reluctant to bite. like, all they really want to do is hang out on your walls or your ceiling and eat bugs all day. huntsman spiders are way more likely to run away from you and go hide away in your pantry than they are to go out of their way to bite you. biting you would probably put them in even more danger than if they just ran away, and if you are messing with a huntsman spider enough for it to bite you, you were likely being an asshole to it. they do not want to bite people! they don't chase you either, not on purpose anyway. the reason it might seem like one is running towards you is because huntsman spiders have pretty bad eyesight and literally cannot see you properly. it can absolutely be frightening and jarring, yes, i would understand as i have arachnophobia and have expereniced the fear of a huntsman unintentionally jumping or sprinting towards me, but they do not want to chase you or scare you. they are trying to run away. they are in the same boat as you, they're scared out of their wits and are trying to avoid danger. huntsman spiders are not these horrible dangerous freaks, they're just little (and sometimes not so little) guys. they can be scary, but all the miconceptions about them are not warranted or deserved in the slightest! and anyway, they're not even "only in Australia". we are home to many huntsman spiders, but they are also present in Asia, Africa and some places in America. they're not even exclusive to this country so i don't get why "only in Australia" gets hurled at them a lot.

actually, the whole attitude Americans have of Australia having weird and dangerous wildlife and the same old "only in Australia!!1!! kill it with fire lol!!!!1!" reddit drivel is pretty shitty overall tbh. every continent on the damn planet has weird and dangerous wildlife, why are we acting like it's JUST Australia you should stay away from???? America has some fuckin strange animals living there, you don't see as many people making a big stupid spectacle out of that. Australia's wildlife is unique and beautiful and wonderful, no Australian wildlife slander in my notes.

[roseunspindle]

What I Read in June 2024

reread, and I really need to get more of this series. It's so cute.

So creepy and crawly for this volume in the series. *shudder*

Didn't even know about the newer American Girls, I really liked it.

I hate Apollo in this series so much. Interesting to see how Ares reacts to be turned down by Persephone. Also Hades and Persephone's longing for each other is also adorable.

Finally have a physical version! Reading on webtoons is fine but I prefer actually being able to hold what I'm reading.

Time to meet Aximili!

I love the anime so I decided to check-out the manga...the boobs are little absurd, but over all I enjoyed it.

Found books 1-4 of this series at a local thriftstore and couldn't resist starting book one (I'm a sucker for pretty covers) I really liked book 1 it was my kind of thing.

This was really cute.

Stumbled across the anime on youtube and couldn't resist at least getting volume 1. I love Gerard and Clotho so much!!!

Saw a bit of the anime on youtube and again, couldn't resist getting the manga adaptation.

Continuing my isekai obession... XD

really interesting read, does use the term "redman" often for native americans, but not other noted dated langugae and good information. ^_^

[emperornorton47]

[illustration-alcove]

Book cover for Bethany Brooshire's Pests, designed by Vivian Lopez Rowe.

[clandest1ne-g1rl]

this song is the BANE of my fucking existence. it is in every. single. playlist made for a classic literature or even a regular book EVER. I stg people on Spotify are so boring guys???? there's more than 3 songs in the world hello??????? ppllleeeeaaaassseeee find another one PLEASE. leave this one alone it's enough. this song is like a dirty old dishrag that's all wrung out and shabby and has holes in it from how much it's been used it's time to let it go guys. this can't possibly be the theme song for The Sorrows of Young Werther AND A Little Life AND The Secret History AND The Catcher in the Rye ok? please I am begging release me from this song I hear it even in my nightmares

[hjemne]

Oh I know a guy from Bogotá who has spent a lot of time doing research in small, remote south American villages & he knows a lot of people with these types of names! As well as the more traditional names, people are also named after a lot of things & people that their families have heard about. Lots of tractors, batteries, European sports teams, 20th c historical figures... And it's mostly fine because people in these communities usuallyyyy stay in or immediately nearby their homes & don't necessarily interact with people who know about WW2 and might inform them about the global connotations of the name Hitler

As an aside, the stupidest name my friend knows isn't actually Hitler or Lenin or Liverpool or Tractor, but is held by an English guy called Dick Wang.

what was wrong with this guy's parents

[saritawolff]

Phew. This one took, uh… a bit longer than expected due to other projects both irl and art-wise, but it’s finally here. The long-awaited domestic animal infographic! Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough space to cover every single domestic animal (I’m so sorry, reindeer and koi, my beloveds) but I tried to include as many of the “major ones” as possible.

I made this chart in response to a lot of the misunderstandings I hear concerning domestic animals, so I hope it’s helpful!

Further information I didn’t have any room to add or expand on:

🐈 “Breed” and “species” are not synonyms! Breeds are specific to domesticated animals. A Bengal Tiger is a species of tiger. A Siamese is a breed of domestic cat.

🐀 Different colors are also not what makes a breed. A breed is determined by having genetics that are unique to that breed. So a “bluenose pitbull” is not a different breed from a “rednose pitbull”, but an American Pitbull Terrier is a different breed from an American Bully! Animals that have been domesticated for longer tend to have more seperate breeds as these differing genetics have had time to develop.

🐕 It takes hundreds of generations for an animal to become domesticated. While the “domesticated fox experiment” had interesting results, there were not enough generations involved for the foxes to become truly domesticated and their differences from wild foxes were more due to epigenetics (heritable traits that do not change the DNA sequence but rather activate or deactivate parts of it; owed to the specific circumstances of its parents’ behavior and environment.)

🐎 Wild animals that are raised in human care are not domesticated, but they can be considered “tamed.” This means that they still have all their wild instincts, but are less inclined to attack or be frightened of humans. A wild animal that lives in the wild but near human settlements and is less afraid of humans is considered “habituated.” Tamed and habituated animals are not any less dangerous than wild animals, and should still be treated with the same respect. Foxes, otters, raccoons, servals, caracals, bush babies, opossums, owls, monkeys, alligators, and other wild animals can be tamed or habituated, but they have not undergone hundreds of generations of domestication, so they are not domesticated animals.

🐄 Also, as seen above, these animals have all been domesticated for a reason, be it food, transport, pest control, or otherwise, at a time when less practical options existed. There is no benefit to domesticating other species in the modern day, so if you’ve got a hankering for keeping a wild animal as a pet, instead try to find the domestic equivalent of that wild animal! There are several dog breeds that look and behave like wolves or foxes, pigeons and chickens can make great pet birds and have hundreds of colorful fancy breeds, rats can be just as intelligent and social as a small monkey (and less expensive and dangerous to boot,) and ferrets are pretty darn close to minks and otters! There’s no need to keep a wolf in a house when our ancestors have already spent 20,000+ years to make them house-compatible.

🐖 This was stated in the infographic, but I feel like I must again reiterate that domestic animals do not belong in the wild, and often become invasive when feral. Their genetics have been specifically altered in such a way that they depend on humans for optimal health. We are their habitat. This is why you only really see feral pigeons in cities, and feral cats around settlements. They are specifically adapted to live with humans, so they stay even when unwanted. However, this does not mean they should live in a way that doesn’t put their health and comfort as a top priority! If we are their world, it is our duty to make it as good as possible. Please research any pet you get before bringing them home!

[delicatelysublimeforester]

Blister Beetles: Pretty colors, serious powers

🌿🐞 Did you know about Nuttall’s Blister Beetles? These vibrant insects are a part of our local parks and greenspaces, often found on flowers like lupines and milk-vetch.  🌼 While they may look beautiful with their bright colors, handling them can be risky!  🚫 Their bodies contain cantharidin, a toxin that causes skin blistering if mishandled. Here’s how to enjoy nature safely:  👀 Spot them…

[gregdotorg]

David Diao's 2010 painting, Barnett Newman: Chronology of Work (Updated), top, maps out Newman's entire production by year and genre. Diao didn't want to make painting seem like the most important, so he put OTHER as the biggest column. It only has one entry, from 1963.

Turns out it was a model for a synagogue, which Newman showed at the Jewish Museum in a synagogue architecture show curated by high modernist sex pest Richard Meier.

images: David Diao, Barnett Newman: Chronology of Work (Updated)< 2010, 8 x 13 ft, vinyl on acrylic, just exhibited at Greene Naftali in NYC; Barnett Newman, Model for a Synagogue, 1963, in the collection of the CCA Montreal

[skuaspestcontrol]

[justsomeoneunordinary]

god i hate it when americans post their politics on here

may biden die this instant and may the us burn to hell with him

fuck you all

[hayleysayshay]

Since MCM comic con, a whole month ago, I had been hearing a rustling in my room and it kept waking me up at 3am, 4am, 6am. The sound of plastic bags being moved. And then scratching. And I deluded myself that it was the pipes— we had builders round and they had changed the plumbing and moved the shower switch out of my bedroom. For over a week this went on.

But eventually two weeks ago, I realised there was a fucking mouse in my bedroom after I stayed up caught it in the act, gnawing on a shoebox. We cleared my room out, and laid a trap and caught it (RIP but you cannot be on the first floor buddy). We theorise that we’ve never had a mouse on the first floor before, so perhaps it got through the shower switch crack when the workers pulled it out and before they filled it in.

AND THEN A WEEK LATER, THURSDAY I HEAR SOMETHING IN MY FUCKING ROOM AT 4am. Rustling, scratching. It’s a mouse again. I haven’t seen this one. I know it’s there now, I can’t sleep in that room. I have fled to the spare room. A trap laid. I’m scared of this mouse. It haunts my dreams.

Anyway they didn’t fill in this shower switch (it’s behind a chest of drawers so I don’t have easy visibility) and apparently it needs to be filled in more as there’s a crack around it lol. The mice are getting into my bedroom and I’m scared. Pls leave mr mouse