Things I would rather do than write my own book: Create a spreadsheet and piechart of every book I've read in the last 8 years, rated D: to :D

My books are now on bookshop.org! Support your local bookstore today!

Here's roach: a love story

A cockroach awakes one morning to find themselves transformed into a monstrous human. This is only the first in a series of increasingly disconcerting events for the now human teenager. It will not be long before Roach has firsthand knowledge of many aspects of the human experience, including: broken bones, broken hearts, bigotry and sadness; but also: Love, which in humans comes in many forms. So, that's nice, but will love be enough to make it all worth it?

https://bookshop.org/p/books/roach-liz-boysha/95cd771dd3ce0e4a?ean=9798224675418

(you can also get it free elsewhere, including on my website (https://ater.neocities.org/books/mybooks), it's all the same to me)

#selfPublished #bookstodon

Hallo #Deutschland Mastodon, ich habe eine kurze Frage:

Wie gefährlich wird es, echt, für eine amerikanische Familie, mit einem Trans Kind, in Brandenburg ein Haus zu kaufen?

Wir suchen ein Haus zu kaufen, und es ist wahrscheinlich, dass wir in Brandenburg wohnen, weil mein Arbeitsplatz in Berlin ist. Ich muss nur ein oder zwei Tage pro Monat im Büro arbeiten und es ist sehr günstiger, in Brandenburg kaufen …

Re: https://wandering.shop/@jwilker/116020572977584770

Hey neat, now you'll be able to find my terrible indie books on bookshop.org!

My spouse got me an ant farm for Christmas and I am pleased to announce that we have *babies*

Tetramorium simillimum

#ants #insects

It is groundh̶o̶g̶ beetle day and my prediction is... no chance of the little guys emerging from hibernation any time soon, at least here where the high is -8°C :D

Ground beetles like this golden beetle (Carabus auratus) are predators, both as larvae and as adults. Native to Europe, golden ground beetles have been important for their ability to prey on the invasive Colorado potato beetle.

#SciArt #InsectArt #watercolor

For this last day of #GoblinWeek, I have what are probably the most important goblinsects of all time: Dung beetles. Because I skipped yesterday (fuck ICE), I'm giving you two different drawings, plus a picture from my old yard!

All dung beetles are in the superfamily Scarabaeoidea, but represent several different families. They serve many vital ecological functions, including waste disposal and sanitation, nutrient recycling, and seed dispersal. Adults bury waste in the soil to create nests for their brood, which eat the poop, breaking down the nutrients to recycle back into the soil. By removing the waste from the surface, they are crucial for preventing disease spread, and while forming the dung balls they move around any undigested seeds located in the waste.

#SciArt #InsectArt #poop

@angelastella Rambling hot takes on how the newest Star Trek is the worst Star Trek of all time. Makes up like... 80% of my blocklist.

Today for #GoblinWeek - don't let appearances fool you, this fluffy little guy is a moose botfly (Cephenemyia ulrichii). Females incubate their eggs internally, then squirt the hatched larvae into a moose's nose (or, rarely, a human's eye). The larvae bury themselves in the flesh, growing fat on moose meat before getting sneezed out into the soil where they pupate.

#SciArt #InsectArt #watercolor

@skyfaller what a lovely little clump of cereal 😍

Hmm... The termite mimic creature I shared yesterday for #GoblinWeek was not popular ... Can't imagine why. To make it up to you I have two creatures today, each named "goblin."

Goblin spiders (family Oonopidae) are tiny little guys with somewhere between 0 and 6 eyes, depending on the species. They are frequently found in fossilized amber.

Goblin roaches (Paratemnopteryx couloniana) seem to have been named that by the people who raise them as feeder insects. Like most feeder bugs, they're pretty easy going and cannot fly, though they might get a little jumpy.

#InsectArt #InvertArt #SpiderArt #spider #watercolor #SciArt

#GoblinWeek There are lots of trickster bugs out there, but this one is one of the strangest. A blowfly larva (Rhyncomya sp) has evolved to mimic termites in appearance, chemical profile, and even behavior to fully socially integrate within the nests. The long papillae imitate termite antennae, allowing for communication with multiple individuals at once. They release pheromones that are indistinguishable from the termites' scent and even partake in grooming activities. They grow fat on termite labor before pupating and flying away.

Of course, the whole thing is backwards - what looks like red eyes on its face is actually breathing holes on its butt!

#SciArt #InsectArt #watercolor

Oh no, it's #GoblinWeek! To celebrate I like sharing some of the more goblin-y insects out there. Here are two paintings I did last year.

Junk bugs are the larvae of the pretty and delicate green lacewings (family Chrysopidae). They are known for collecting debris and the dead bodies of their victims on their backs.

The gum leaf skeletonizer (Uraba lugens) is the caterpillar of a small brown moth. As it grows and sheds old exoskeletons, it keeps the old head caps, wearing them like a silly hat.

#InsectArt #SciArt #watercolor

@nev @etosaurus that's why you need a friend to lay eggs on your back for you :D

I started regretting taking on this endeavor sometime around the third spiky leg, but these guys are just so cool! The golden egg bug, Phyllomorpha laciniata, is named for the golden eggs it lays on the backs of its friends. Both the males and females carry eggs, protecting them with their completely unappetizing looking spines.

#SciArt #InsectArt #watercolor

I recently learned that Berlin Germany is in a plant hardiness zone 8a. For perspective, I used to live in 4a. I cannot begin to describe what a hostile place it was. Actually I can - even lichen is a revelation to find.

This tree has been infected with nurgle rot. #Lichen #LichenSubscribe

@mjd @nev I mean... LLMs had to learn about the em-dashes from somewhere, right? They weren't trained in a vacuum.

Really don't want to have to go back and remove all the em-dashes from the book I'm writing just because the Internet is convinced only LLMs use them :/

Hornets, wasps and maggots. Anyone fancy organizing an entomological field trip to Dante’s Vestibule of Hell? What with the constant supply of evil souls hateful to god and his enemies it’s probably a thriving ecosystem down there.