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Critter Profile: Stickky!
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poltatherian
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Critter Profile: Stickky!
Overview!
Name: Stickky
Species: Ctenomorpha marginipennis (margin-winged stick insect)
Primary Caretaker: Terrestrial Team, Billy Donaldson
Diet: Joy and happiness. He really likes cultural festivals & holidays!
Housed: Wilson's Wildlife Center, Enclosure 45
Creature Features!
'Stickky' is our name for the silly clonal colony of stick bugs we first found terrorizing other caretakers in a forest near our training facilities! Clonal, you ask? Well yes! He's one very expansive but semantically singular boy! He was quite scary for the fledgling caretakers back then, but they couldn't help but fall for his antics. As you may have guessed, Stickky feeds & multiplies on positive emotion and thus is one of our easiest critters to handle. On a less active day, even a diet of watching people watch cat videos can get him through!
That's not all our silly friend has to offer though. He's got one of the most effective camouflages we've ever seen. It's so impressive that we sometimes mix up his enclosure for a less alive forest! It even gets more detailed the happier he gets! But it's not just changing his appearance; he has some memetic effect that fills in the empty spaces in his camouflage to make sure the disguise stays perfect (it's quite the hassle for Billy). Stickky also just happens to be one of the most fickle critters we have. One moment he's as quiet as the cold night, the next he's having a rave with Billy at the dead of said cold night. I must say, seeing an entire forest start dancing and chirping is a very mesmerizing experience!
History!
Here's a picture of Stickky in his enclosure. (He loves the dirt path we got for his birthday)
As I've said before, we found him next to our new caretakers' training program facilities. probably attracted to all the fun we have there! Ol' Billy was teaching at the time and went to check out the forest himself. You can probably guess how that first meeting went down.(Poor guy didn't leave his house for a month straight.) But wouldn't you know Stickky had a heart of gold and apologized by rearranging himself into a sign in which he elegantly stated "TOOO SAD ME MAKE EXCITE ME MAKE TOOO EXCİTE BAD NO TOOO HAPPY YOU TOOO SCREM" . They both took a liking to each other after that. To be honest, I was just surprised he knew English! Things weren't all sunshine and fake trees though, after we started sending in more caretakers to hang around him, he grew a bit too big for his intended enclosure, and we had to make some tough decisions. After all, we have no idea how much he can really grow. Worst case scenario? Boring might actually become an accurate description of our town! Closely followed up by "scary" and "dangerous".
So we did the only thing we could think of…..Ask him nicely for a solution! And Stickky certainly delivered. Turns out he can absorb his clones back into himself on command, though he said it was a draining process; it made his camouflage a LOT better in return. We thought that would be the end of that until he eloquently asked us for something in return, "BIG PARTY".
And with those eyes, how could we refuse! We immediately started preparations and made sure it would be a party our stick-legged friend wouldn't forget anytime soon. Billy, who just got back from a trip to Mexico, decided we needed bug-sized Sombreros, and we listened! (Don't ask where we got them.) Anyhow, it was a blast! I was surprised to see Stickky so invested, as up til this point, he never really felt like he enjoyed his food, always just standing next to whatever fun event we played on his tablet. But during the party? Man, I can't even describe it! He was so into it. And his clones were so still, nobody even knew the forest they had come to party in was a critter. (Well, except for that one guy who tried to pee on little Stickky and paid the price!)
As for what happened after, although Stickky feeding on us for a whole night straight gave us all one hell of a depressive hangover, overall, it was a great bonding experience both for our caretakers and the critters, which i feel we can always use more of. Oh, and Billy finally became Stickky's primary caretaker and i couldn't be happier for him!
Special Needs and Accommodations!
We have Stickky in his own special enclosure 45 (which is just a perimeter around his forest). It wasn't much of a choice to be honest, as he can't play nice with other critters for too long except during his monthly parties and likes his privacy (ironic the living forest likes to be alone, i know), but if Stickky's happy, I'm happy! Not to mention the forest hasn't flown off to some other place, so he probably likes it! Plus, he gets plenty of time to hang out with Billy or any caretakers for that matter during feeding time. Which usually involves watching videos, dancing, or anything that gives the beings around him joy. You might want to track the time you're around him though, as unchecked feeding doesn't end well for either party!
Notes about Stickky!
Stickky really loves changing his clones into different accommodations for festivals and holidays. If you have any in mind, tell Billy!
Surprisingly, Stickky wasn't named that because he's a stickbug; that was because he stuck to Billy's hand while feeding one time, and went home with him! We only realized when Billy called in stick sick for a week due to mental health concerns (if you've ever seen Billy you'd know how insane an event that is.)
As mentioned before, Stickky's camouflage gets better with his mood, but it also looks greener! Well, it's just his body but it makes the forest more vibrant. I still can't believe how bad a state we first found him in; he was brown! Brown! He's never brown now!
You should know more than enough about Stickky's diet by now but i must reiterate DO NOT GIVE HIM ACTUAL BUG FOOD! Especially fruit like grapes and such, which he really hates for some reason. He does have a mouth after all, and though he might be an old bug biologically, that doesn't mean he knows any better!
Sent by: Faeowynn Wilson
Recipient(s): Billy Donaldson
Hello Mr. Donaldson
I would like to congratulate both you and Stickky for you're victory in the annual Boring synchronized dance contest. Both of you brought a fantastic dance that made all of us here at Wilson's proud. I'm really glad you've managed to adjust to you're role as Stickky's primary caretaker, and look forward to you're next performance.
Yours,
Feowynn Wilson
Wilsons Wildlife Solutions
Sent by: Billy Donaldson
Recipient(s): Feowynn Wilson
ME MAKE EXCITE BIG BIG BIG FESTİVAL TOOO EXCİTE GOOD PERFROMER LIKE TOOO EXCITE ME TOOO EXCITE BILLY EXCITE TOOO SLEP ME RIT BILLY NO RIT EXCITE EXCITE FESTİVAL AGAIN MORE FESTIVAL WINE DAD HAPPY FESTIVAL ME FORGET PURPL DAD NAME FESTIVAL LIKE MORE MORE EXCITE GREEN WOMAN EXCITE ME EAT FESTIVAL ME BAD ME NOW FESTIVAL ONLY HAPPY ME STAY BILLY FESTIVAL TOO MUCH PURPL IN FESTIVAL EXCITE ME PARTY FORCE EXCITE EXCITE ME TAKE PRUPL TOOOO BAD PURPL DAD ANGR FESTIVAL EXCITE BAD PURPL PUNSH EXCITE ME EXCITE ROND HAT MORE ROND HAT FESTIVAL EXCITE EXCITE
-He said he wanted to write, don't know what he's saying, but i think he's excited!
Yours,
Billy Donaldson
Wilsons Wildlife Solutions
