Goonhub
09-29-2015, 08:58 AM
I was playing a bit this past week, and a strange thought occurred to me. Why is it always mice and space wasps that infest the station? Sure, the mice can be carriers of disease and the wasps are super murderhobos in insect form, but where is the middle ground between these two kinds of vermin?
Flashback to around 4PM. I had a dream about one of the biggest natural swarms in my area: the Periodical Cicada. Loud, obnoxious, and visually frightening, these black and orange bastards are 40 times more annoying than any single noise artifact can be because of their sheer number and ability to make an ear wrenching racket, alone or in a group.
So, Allow me to introduce you to the idea of the Space Cicada (Magicicada Astrapathos).
They will infest in areas with plant-life normally (owlery and botany). After arriving in a brood of 9, they shall then crawl through the vents and perch atop any plants or tall structures they can climb (Potted Plants, vending machines, lockers, etc.) and begin the mating call.
Upon hearing a nearby call, a cicada will do one of two things: either return the call, or fly to the original caller, and spawn 2-3 Nymphs, which will then crawl into the floor tiles.
The calls can be heard a fair ways throughout the station. Due to interstellar radiation and constant exposure to technology, they have adapted their calls to sound like radio static in order to blend into their environments.
Now how is this an in-between form of infestation? Well, if one tries to silence the little buggers, the distress call they shriek can knock someone flat on their ass, and when successful, the cicada will proceed to perch on you, screeking somewhere between once every 30 seconds to once every other minute. This will count as a mating call, leading to oblivious crew accidently helping the infestation.
Generally, M. Astrapathos is a very neutral insect. it will allow humans to pick up and hold them for a time, but due to their poor eyesight and lack of intellect, will after an extended period of time mistake one's fingers for a root or branch, and try to feed by poking the digit with it's proboscis. This is incredibly painful, but not harmful, and the cicada will realize you are not a plant and never poke you again.
When thrown at another person, M. Astrapathos will sometimes take flight at the target and perch onto whoever it lands.
This has been my pitch, in honor of a simple creature that always singles me out to be their "two-legged steed", and has never once bitten me. I eagerly want to hear any ideas you have to add!
Flashback to around 4PM. I had a dream about one of the biggest natural swarms in my area: the Periodical Cicada. Loud, obnoxious, and visually frightening, these black and orange bastards are 40 times more annoying than any single noise artifact can be because of their sheer number and ability to make an ear wrenching racket, alone or in a group.
So, Allow me to introduce you to the idea of the Space Cicada (Magicicada Astrapathos).
They will infest in areas with plant-life normally (owlery and botany). After arriving in a brood of 9, they shall then crawl through the vents and perch atop any plants or tall structures they can climb (Potted Plants, vending machines, lockers, etc.) and begin the mating call.
Upon hearing a nearby call, a cicada will do one of two things: either return the call, or fly to the original caller, and spawn 2-3 Nymphs, which will then crawl into the floor tiles.
The calls can be heard a fair ways throughout the station. Due to interstellar radiation and constant exposure to technology, they have adapted their calls to sound like radio static in order to blend into their environments.
Now how is this an in-between form of infestation? Well, if one tries to silence the little buggers, the distress call they shriek can knock someone flat on their ass, and when successful, the cicada will proceed to perch on you, screeking somewhere between once every 30 seconds to once every other minute. This will count as a mating call, leading to oblivious crew accidently helping the infestation.
Generally, M. Astrapathos is a very neutral insect. it will allow humans to pick up and hold them for a time, but due to their poor eyesight and lack of intellect, will after an extended period of time mistake one's fingers for a root or branch, and try to feed by poking the digit with it's proboscis. This is incredibly painful, but not harmful, and the cicada will realize you are not a plant and never poke you again.
When thrown at another person, M. Astrapathos will sometimes take flight at the target and perch onto whoever it lands.
This has been my pitch, in honor of a simple creature that always singles me out to be their "two-legged steed", and has never once bitten me. I eagerly want to hear any ideas you have to add!