#I really like the Hive bugs/bees the best

[angrybatart]

"Oh, hellooo. An adventurer are we? Would you like a quick sketch of yourself? Just drew some funny little fellow a moment ago."

[a-twistedheartslonging]

Hiii, Harpy anon again.

I have more thoughts. Instead of making Idia a dog boy, I say we make him an insect. Mostly because there are some insects out there that just make sense for him. (Also because he kinda look like bug to me tbh)

For example, spiders. (Yes I know they aren't insects but they look insects and that's all that matters) Spiders specifically have a lot of significance in Greek mythology, so it would make sense for Idia (who is based off a Greek god) to have some kind of connection there. But also spiders tend to be solitary creatures, they don't live in groups and only come together during mating. And a lot of the time, during mating the males are killed by their female mates. Which..I feel like is why Idia would avoid Yuu like the plague. Because all he can think about near them is "Mate.Mate.Mate.Mate.MATE-" and he's scared if he tries anything he'll get killed immediately.

Now I don't know if we've talked about Ortho yet but I feel like he's a little robot bee. I know it doesn't really go with spider Idia but Robot bee Ortho would be so gosh darn cute. There was a study done on bee's that came to the conclusion that when bee's bump into eachother they make a little "Whoop" noise. IMAGINE BUMPING INTO BEE ORTHO AND HE JUST GOES "Whoop!"

AGSJSGAHSVSS

Ahem, sorry got carried away there for a sec. Bee's are also very protected of their hive and other bees in said hive, so I can't help but imagine if Yuu gets picked on Ortho immediately just pulls out the laser beams. Bee's can also smell fear. Giving bee Ortho this trait is like giving a toddler a glock and telling them to go do a crime. It is both horrifying and hilarious at the same time.

Robot Bee Boy.

BeeBot that makes cute noises when bumping into things.

So very cute. I don't have much to add to that except look at this cute bee butt.

Now...spooder Idia...

Did anyone else see Kar'niss from Baldr's Gate 3 and thought he was hella fine?

What kind of spider would he be? If he's one of the fluffy kinds I love the idea of his floof matching his hair. Would he have multiple eyes? Fangs on top of having those already pointy teethies?

Did you know an interesting thing that bee's and some spiders have in common his helping with pollinating plants?

Hmm drider's are usually big and people in general already don't like regular spiders very much. Poor Idia is just going to keep getting more reasons to not leave his room. 😔Oh Jeez Jamil would prob freak out seeing him.

Man, Idia and Azul have it bad. For females of both of their kind if they don't kill you after sex cuz doing the diddly works up an appetite, they might kill males that they simply rejected...or just because they got too close.

Another thing that both male octopuses and spiders have been shown to do to lower the risk is present their possible mate with food. Azul's an amazing cook with his own restaurant and Idia has a surplus of every kind of snack/junk food you can think of so at least they have that going.

Still, I would like to think that even if that happens with their kind in that world it's not nearly as bad or quite as common. Funny though to think of Idia screeching when he sees you and tossing a few bags of gummies and chips at you.

Also....to avoid getting eaten after sex some male spiders will actually tie the female up in his web and set her free after. Do with that info what you will.

Some spiders also do a mating dance, but you have a snowball's chance in hell of seeing him do that.

Still, it's just more things that get these types of nonhuman boys thinking that you the little would be the best choice when it comes to finding a mate. AMAB? Cool. AFAB? Well, human ones don't cannibalize so it's all good....well once the guys learned that they don't.

Plus, once he gets to actually know you and see how you're the least threatening thing in the school things will be easier.

Once he's comfortable around you get to see something amazing...

That he's a snarky little shit with so much sass. He's a weird combination of having issues with self-loathing while also having an ego.

One time you tried to bite him for mouthing off and he was legit scared for a sec but once he saw those little teeth of yours couldn't even make a scratch on the exoskeleton on his arm, he gets super freaking smug, and now he's even more of a shit when teasing you.

One of the cool things is that you can legit ride him places cuz he big spooder. It's too bad it rarely if ever happens with being a shut in.

He'll still let you sit on him like that when you guys are in his room.

A cool thing he can do is climb on walls and ceilings, does it often when trying to sneak to the vending machines on campus without being seen. He has unfortunately been seen once or twice though and it scared the hell out of the poor student to see a giant freaking spider on the ceiling and almost made Idia drop his snacks.

His webs are pretty and glowy, he kind of has them around his room set up like fairy light.

Weird fact, spiders can taste with their feet.

Cute fact, some spiders will keep a frog as a pet. Frog helps keep the spider's eggs from getting eaten and the spider protects the frog from other things.

I'm kind of picturing Idia as the spider and you as the frog. You are his emotional support human that he keeps close when he has to leave his lair.

He unintentionally gives you scary dog privileges.

Imagine working your shift at Twisted McDonald and a little human comes up to you with this big-ass sharp-toothed spider dude behind them, you are scared out of your mind but then the human says "Excuse me, he asked for no pickles."

[j-jinxee]

[ ⟡​ ] — BEAUTIFUL BOY,, chpt .2

Sensitive Topics later in the series! ⊹ Ni-ki x Reader

♫ ׂׂૢ type :: extreme angst,,

✦ [ all warnings — smoking, death, drugs, illegal activity, car theft, street racing, needles ]

!! ➥ only smoking in this chapter,,

– index :: chpt .1

─────

'doesn't feel like I saw you yesterday, you know?' Ni-ki said, referring to the classes you had together yesterday. Always enjoying eachothers company, you constantly made plans on the weekends, and if not, one of you would show up at the others house unannounced. Currently lying next to him on a grassy hill, you talked about meeting up here yesterday, eating melon slices and enjoying the sun.

'yeah you're right. nothing we do ever gets old' you're glad he felt the same. You gradually worried if he'd get sick of you some day, it happens. People in the same setting too much, tend to get bored of eachother. Not you guys though, you could ditch class to get boba a million times over and it'd still feel like a new adventure. You couldn't say if you've layed on this grassy hill with him before, because it always felt so renewing.

Eyelids beginning to close, a nap in the sun didn't sound so bad right now. 'you're falling asleep'

'and you're not? It's perfect out here' breeze mixing flawlessly with the beaming sun, the lush grass swaying all around you, emitting the calmest waves of sound.

'nah, too bright' he said, starting to stand. 'cmon, I have a better idea'

'better than a nap in the sun?'

'better than sunburn and bug bites' he grabbed your hands and lifted you up, now back on your feet.

'oh come onnnn, it's so nice out here' you complained.

'I know somewhere nicer'

You begrudgingly complied, wanting to lay in the warm sun beams for as long as possible, not a care in the world. Ni-ki dragged you through the silky grass by your hand, like a mother guiding their disobedient kid through a grocery store. But of course, he wasn't really dragging you, your feet would follow him anywhere.

You could hear his smile growing, even if you couldn't see it, you knew when he was about to pull something. 'Ki, I swear' you said, unable to help the smile now growing on your face aswell. Even if your mental wasn't a fan, your body always responded so positively to his antics. His only response was a small laugh before clutching your hand tighter and picking up speed. Darting through the fields, now he was dragging you.

'I can't run this fast Ki!' you panicked, still smiling while trying your best to keep up with his pace. His height gave him natural speed, long legs flashing through the grass so fast, not leaving any trace of ever being there.

'yes you can! I've seen it before!' he yells back, attempting to encourage you. Referencing the one time you both had to run from a security guard due to exploring an abandoned hotel. Turns out it was under surveillance, and you both sprinted out like your life depended on it, never going back, yet laughing over the memory.

'this is different! there's no one chasing us!' you yelled through the wind. Legs getting tired already, you tried to reason with him.

'ok then' he swerves, appearing behind you in a flash.

'oh come on!' you laughed, still running.

You ran until he caught you, he most likely could've caught you the entire time — just waiting until you were closer to the destination to actually catch up with you. His hands reached gently over your face, covering your eyes and guiding you further. You joked about him leading you into a lake, or a bee hive even. Little did you know, the place he lead you was nothing short of perfect.

'ok aaaand, open!' his hands vanished from your face as your eyelids rose, meeting the beautiful sight of a lush strawberry field. Ni-ki slowly crept from behind you, back into your field of view — the sunlight in his eyes sparkling like dew drops on flowers. His smile present and bright, anticipating a positive response.

'Ki how'd you find this place?' you asked excitedly, smiling like a kid on their birthday. You'd eat strawberries everyday at school, sometimes he'd even bring you some if you mentioned running out.

He knew they were your favourite.

Smiling, he answered 'my mum knows the owner, he lets us come here whenever we want. this is where i get them from when you're running low.' You felt your heart warm, comforting heat surrounding you from the inside — he really was the bestest friend ever.

— ✶ —

After a long day of fighting over the best strawberries, running away from bees, and laughing with Ki over inside jokes — you finally started making your way back. the sunset lit up his eyes beautifully, giving his dark brown iris' a golden hue, with little highlights that glew when he smiled. safe to say you were a secret admirer of his eyes, how couldn't you be? they were too perfect for him.

Walking through the streets of Okayama, you snapped out of your thoughts, hearing a peculiar sound . . .

a lighter, the click of a lighter.

You looked back to Ki, seeing him lighting a cigarette — already in his mouth. you'd never seen him smoke, was this a new habit? you hoped, maybe you could talk him out of it. and if not, how've you never noticed before?

'ive never seen you smoke' you said.

'yea, me neither' he replied.

'why now?' you asked.

'everything's too much, you're the only thing that isn't'

You could swear you felt your eyes spark at his words, he was smoking because you were leaving for the day?

'aw, thankyou — but, please don't smoke Ki. you'll hurt your voice' you worried for him.

'don't worry, i won't let it become a habit' he promised.

Smiling at his words, you said goodbye for the day — knowing you'd see eachother at school tomorrow. holding the strawberries you picked together closely, thinking of the beautiful boy you love spending all your time with. just waiting to see him again.

─────

ᯓ hii guys !! lmk if u wanna be on tag list for this angsty fic hehe :3

[acti-veg]

Why is honey not vegan it dosent harm the bees and it helps the environment

Honey is not vegan by any reasonable definition of the word. As vegans we avoid animal exploitation, whatever you may think about bees and honey, honey is very definitely the result of exploiting bees. Bees are amazing pollinators and they are vital for plants and natural ecosystems more generally, but that really has nothing to do with buying and eating honey.

Most pollinator bees are solitary bees, pollination in natural eco-systems is performed by these individuals, other insects and birds. They are the ones who are under threat, not the kind of bees we use to make honey. We are talking about managed hives of domesticated bees, most of whom are non-native and compete with natural pollinators for the same food sources. It is even thought they may be spreading disease to wild pollinators, too, who do a far better job of pollination than managed hives do.

Commercially owned hives are shipped in on-mass to pollinate some crops, but this is not sustainable and far from how natural pollination works. It is a symptom of our over-intensive farming system, and certainly not a point to make in favour of buying and eating honey. This just helps make honey production more profitable, it isn’t good for the environment and certainly isn’t good for the bees.

What’s more, honey in many instances does harm bees. As I mentioned bees compete with and sometimes even infect wild pollinators. On top of that, bees being crushed during harvesting is very common as any honest apiarist will tell you, even when using smoking techniques. Wing clipping of queens is also pretty common, as is selling and shipping queens in the post; I can’t imagine how stressful that must be. Keep in mind that even without any of this, we’re taking about taking their life’s work and often replacing it with a sugar syrup substitute. Bees just don’t make honey for us, it’s not ours to take.

The best way to actually support wild pollinators and their ecosystem is to grow local, pollinator-friendly flowers and to provide them with natural habitats and constructed ones like bug boxes, which are widely available to buy and very easy to make. The claim that honey is in some way good for bees or good for the environment is nothing but effective marketing.

[emilythedog661-tf2]

Bug Fortress 2 AU

So, back in the 20-teens, i saw many pictures of the TF2 mercs as bugs (Mainly Engineer as a bee and Soldier as a ant) and i would like to do my own AU of Bug Fortress 2.

First, i'll do the Characters and what bug they are

Scout - Fly

Soldier - Ant

Pyro - FireFly

Demoman - Cockroach

Heavy - Beetle

Engineer - Bee

Medic - Butterfly

Sniper - Moth

Spy - Spider

Miss.Pauling - Ladybug

The Characters are the same as humans but they have bug like things like antenna coming out if their head, a bug butt that looks like tails, wings coming out their back and some other things

now for the description of each character which i'll put under a cut as it's going to be long, so click 'keep reading' for the character description 😄 (also need to mention that the characters that are part of a colony like engineer, soldier, scout and others are all different from each other like people)

Ok, here are the characters

Scout - Scout is like his human counterpart, really fast flyer, annoying as a fly stuck in the house and not the brighter light in the shed, he like miss.pauling ladybug even trying to suduce her every tine he sees her but it always never works, scout is one of many flies but he's unique to the other flies as he is also half spider but his spider half hasn't appeared yet

Soldier - Soldier is a lone wolf ant after he was kicked out of his colony when he was a teenager, he is like his human counterpart being loud, stubborn but has a heart of gold, he was then alone for a while until he spotted a bee hive where he meets engineer bee who has a injured wing after it got caught on a tree branch, him and engineer bee become friends but soon go to lovers as soldier realised he gained a massive crush on engineer bee, the pair are now inseparable and are always seen together.

Pyro - Pyro is a firefly who loves to glow, he is like his human counterpart but except for loving fire, he loves glowing things like lights, he was on his own for a few days then he finds engineer bee and soldier ant who decide to take him in like he was their kid which he didn't mind, he also meets scout and the pair instantly clicked being like siblings to each other doing pranks and causing mischief.

Demoman - Demo is a cockroach who always walks like he's drunk, he has been declared to be invincible as he can never be squished or killed which ends up being mostly true as he is never killed but always severely injured which he has a drunk walk and one eye, he also good friends with soldier ant and was a good wingman for soldier ant when he was confessing his love to engineer bee.

Heavy - Heavy is a strong beetle who has won many beetle battle with other strong beetles but they were weak in his eyes, he has never been defeated and he's is strongest bug ever, he is like his human counterpart and has a good strong brotherly relationship with medic, scout and pyro but also being the calm one of the team when he isn't fighting.

Engineer - Engineer is like his human counterpart bing a hard working bee being the best bee of his colony until he decided to leave the colony after the other bees heard that he was hanging around a ant (soldier) which is forbidden in their colony as ants usually attacked their hive for the honey, engineer did try and fight for soldier saying he saved his life and he didn't want their honey but their weren't budging form their thoughts so engineer walked away with soldier by his side, engineer has soon gained his own family with the team and he almost doesn't regret leaving the hive only rarely getting homesick but soldier helps him get though it when he does, engineer has a good friendship with medic, is a good father figure to both scout and pyro like they're his kids and he loves soldier like they've been married for 10 or so years.

Medic - Medic is a psychotic butterfly who loves doing violence for fun, he has very beautiful wings and he is very much like his human counterpart, he also loves sniper who he met after he found sniper almost dead after he hit a fly lamp, medic healed sniper back to full health using pollen and the pair have been inseparable since, medic fell in love with sniper due to mainly his wings and he also loved sniper for how caring he was was towards him, medic has a good brotherly relationship with heavy, good friends with engineer and he likes being in the team.

Sniper - Sniper is a introvert moth who does like it be on his own most of the time but since falling in love with medic, he realises that he was very touched starved and craved affection whenever he sees medic, sniper is like his human counterpart and he gets on eith most of the others on the team, he just pefers to have more alone time, from the others, he tolerates spy, adores medic and act like they are newlyweds, gets on well with scout and pyro and he likes spending time with heavy as he's calm.

Spy - Spy is a sneaky spider who loves to kill and annoyed everyone around him just for the fun of it, kinda like his human counterpart, he is scout's dad and he finds out after scout explained to pyro one time what his mom looked like, he can't bring himself to tell scout as he knows scout would probably hate him for abandoning him but after finding out, he goes to visit scout's mom at night seeing she is as beautiful as ever, spy kinda gets on well with the others but like sniper, pefers being on his own, he tolerates sniper, tries to be good friends with the others and he is also a good leader to the team.

That's is for now and i hope you like my AU, i will do more soon on other AU when i think of them 😃

[turntableart]

I cooked

↓

Spam oc

Spamton? Santon

Shornton / Thornton / cramton

Bug based/bee based cause I fuckin love bees and it gives me an excuse to make him yellow and fuzzy fuzzy spam is best spam

Cramton is a single bee, you know how there's just bees that live on their own yeah he does that and he's rather chill, his "hive" is his shop which would take a more honey comb shape yet it will be rather grayish and crumbling cause ya know it's still spam duh he'd probably sell very old honey

Fun fact honey doesn't go off ever or at least you'd probably die before it does

Anyway cramton stays outta sight outta mind, he's a buggy lil fella likely have four arms maybe 6 I do love multiple arms but I think he'd just have four he of course has BEE ASS or whatever that's called and he's got a stinger m a y b e or maybe not maybe it's gone.... *so you know the bee movie? How that one bee gets a new stinger.... Yeah.... That*

His wings are very smol he probably can hover for a lil bit but not actually fly, his glasses are honeycomb shaped

*Addison's are bees and they are all a hive and since he's "white" / a very pale yellow he doesn't have a hive or others to hive with so he forced himself to be an alone bee* I'm so fuckin smart I'm so cool my wife's gonna love this

He buzzes a lot like a lot a lot he probably a lot is seen constantly fixing up his hive and trying to keep it in shape, I doubt his honey would taste good due to what he has to work with but he makes due, he's rather spammy really he just is very bee oriented like he probably tells you bee ads how? Idk maybe he tells you to buy flowers or feed him petals shhhh I know they don't work like that this is spam here he'd eat anything

My wife is gonna be so not happy that I stayed up to sunrise.... Again.... But it's fine I'll just say I love her and she'll be better :3

Anyway! @emiplayzmc !!! I cooked! I sleepie now -w- nini everyone!

[vidavs-refectorium]

This is a theory I've mentioned more than once on here but never thought to make a proper post about so here we go. I'm using the bigger text size because this post has big screenshots and small paragraphs.

I'm sure everyone here's watched the time travel episodes in season three. If not, here's the best place to. The YouTube episodes haven't been reuploaded in better quality and a couple free streaming services have them in HD but only season one for some reason.

The arc starts with Hotekk's Challenge Pt. 2 and ends with Threshold of Destruction. In those episodes, we learned some juicy lost history of Perim. Stuff that may or may not have been intended to play a bigger role in the rest of the season? Or will in a continuation but Any Day Now. Anyway, Peyton and Sarah's trip in Loser's Circle taught us a few interesting things about their favorite tribes, especially the past Danians. Because look at these guys.

These are not ants. Although, we did get a couple different types of them.

The blue ones could be wasps, though.

Obviously, these aren't the Danians we see in the present. They're not explicitly called Danians in the show, but there's a green dragonfly with a card that classifies him as one, and I don't see why the others would be something else.

A few Danians in the present even look out of place. Say I didn't know who Odu was yet. You shared me his first card art and asked me to guess which tribe he's from. I'd say either Danians or OverWorlders. Odu just doesn't look like an ant.

There's also the existence of Hisser, who was really the only thing worth remembering about Trading Cards the episode.

That is a beetle and he's just chilling in I assume the depths of Mount Pillar, where this marketplace he operates in stands. This was such an interesting moment for the Danians, that got ignored because it's Trading Cards.

Now it's time for the theory. Apart from Hisser and a few different-looking Danians, we don't see anything like this among the tribe in the present. Something happened between Loser's Circle and the start of the show that took the other insect species out. Species that seemed to be working with the ants just fine.

So, back in those days, the Danians weren't just an ant colony. They were a coalition of all the insect creatures that populated the jungles in ancient Perim. Soon, they grew big enough to form the first insect empire. This called for creating a hive, which prompted them to sap resources from the jungle to create it, most importantly the water. We saw the past Mipedians try to stop them, but yeah, the Danians won out.

However, good times must end. Somewhere down the road, the past Danians started to collapse. Draining the jungle brought about some food shortages. Kiru's UnderWorld was really making a name for itself out there. The First Conjurors figured out how to wield a warbeast. But none those were the main issue. The coalition, in classic Perim fashion, never really got along. So at some point, the bugs had a Perithon moment where the tension came to a head and civil war erupted. The different species fought each other and I'm gonna say it, things got chaotic. They were not gonna bee okay.

While all the other species were in some degree of chaos, the ants did what they do best; work as a singular unit with absolutely no fear of death. This gave them an advantage over the rest and, amid all the confusion, they overpowered the other insects. When the dust settled, the ants came out on top.

The hive beneath the lost jungle was destroyed by the fighting, so they gathered what resources and intact goods they could, plus some prisoners of war, and sought a new spot to build an anthill. Their captives were integrated into the new Danian empire, one way or another. Some became soldiers, molded into their role by parasite species the ants had tamed and manipulated with primitive sorcery. The other subjugates lived in the shadow of their new masters and what became Mount Pillar, working as market salescreatures or fungal farmers who trade with the colony. Most of this ancient history, like the other tribes', has been lost to time; tidbits were recorded in the Hive Gallery.

The few survivors of the other species who weren't taken fled. Some found an obscure location, or a whole different continent to call home. Others managed to assimilate into one of the other tribes (Laarina and Zalic's ancestors becoming OverWorlders, Kerric's UnderWorlders, etc.). Taking in outsiders wasn't so big a deal in those times, all the tribes took what and who they could get.

That should be everything. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. Odu will show you the door now.

"Now, get outta here! Unless you got candy."

[lilac-set]

Im a druid, all lives being treated equally and with respect is important to me, (im vegetarian), and im autistic with a special interest in bees, and i have thoughts about conservation and ethics i would like to share with you

First, conservation. If youre in north america, the bee crisis isnt a honeybee crisis, its a native bee crisis. Honeybees have taken a dip too, but native bees are the concern, and actually in some areas honeybees (which arent native, and the native ecosystem isnt dependent on them, but some crops that were also brought from europe are) out-compete native bees for food, and contribute to native bee decline. They kind of ideally should be confined to pollinating these crops, but feral or domestic honeybees arent too much of an issue in areas with lots of flowers. A responsible beekeeper makes sure there is lots of flowers, if not crops (its usually crops). But the classic advice of “support your local beekeepers” doesnt really do anything about the bee crisis. It doesnt really hurt (well… dont worry about it), but it doesnt help. The best way you can support the bees is to plant as many flowers as you can (a vegetable garden is also an option, but i do recommend at least some flowers), especially ones that pollinators particularly like, and especially especially ones native to your area. Dont use pesticides, they indiscriminately kill both bugs you dont like and bugs (bees) you do. You can plant other plants that repel the bugs you dont like. The other important thing you can do is make sure they have nesting sites, which are places people usually clean up: bare undisturbed soil, dead wood, hollow plant stems, brush piles. You can create these places or at least avoid removing them. I know this seems comparatively passive, it feels more like youre doing something if you spend money on a jar of honey and have less money in your account and a jar of honey in your pantry to prove to yourself that youre doing your part, and you can keep doing that if you want to, but i promise it means infinitely more to the bees to fill your backyard with wildflowers and set out some bamboo somewhere safe. Its small to you but its big to them

Now about the ethics of honey. While its true that honeybees are free to leave if they dont like their beekeeper, they dont usually do that, because leaving all their honey and comb starting over from scratch is a huge price to pay. Nothing about beekeeping *has* to be intrinsically unethical, bees arent harmed by the process of collecting honey when done responsibly, and they do create an excess, because they were bred to do that, honeybees are domesticated livestock. That being said, this is capitalism, and most beekeepers optimize for honey production, not bee wellbeing. Most (but not all) modern beehives arent well insulated, putting stress on the bees over winter (about 30% of hives usually die over winter, the past two winters for some reason it was more like 50%. This is partially, but not completely, preventable), and some (again, not all) beekeepers over-harvest honey, and then feed their bees a cheaper and less nutritious honey substitute. In my opinion, honey at its worst is more ethical than eggs at their worst, but both things can also easily be obtained ethically from well cared for animals if you can pay more for it, get it from a friend, or keep the animals yourself (but please dont keep honeybees unless you have enough flowers for the native bees too. I can give you more information on ethical beekeeping if youre interested). Do with this information what you will

[writing-whump]

I love your OCS! Can I request something where Matthew is sick, but it's not his shadow, is just some good ol' human tummy bug and he's all over the place not knowing what to do? With Seline as caretaker? - 🎃

Aww thank you for the request, nonnie! My first for the werwolf story, I'm so excited. Here you go.^^

Contains emeto and mentions of scat.

Stomach flu

Seline wasn’t sure how or when it happened that Matthew now accompanied her from classes back home, but somehow it had become routine before she even realized. Since the day he stumbled upon her and pretty much tore himself to pieces with his shadow to protect her from a random threat, he basically made it his mission to be around in the afternoon hours. How it fit his schedule, she had no idea. Somehow he was simply there - and she suspected he didn’t follow his classes nearly as reliably as he did hers.

So she didn’t wonder or say anything. She didn’t feel obligated to make herself especially available - it wasn’t as if she invited him over - but she didn’t protest his presence. But evenings suddenly became their evenings, with her sitting by the central dining table connected to the living room, working on her laptop and Matthew dozing on her couch or flipping through her Netflix account. When she was done studying or no inspiration came to her for new songs - self-made songs were the most effective for magic - she would sit a few meters away beside him and watch as well. 

Seline only realized how much of a routine it had become when something disturbed it. Like today.

Matthew was restless. He was shifting on the couch like he was sitting on a bee hive and he had that angry scowl on his face she associated with difficult days with his shadow. Except he was cautious with his shadow around her - they didn’t have an incident inside her apartment. As if her defensive magic woven into the floor now worked more in his favour, clearing his mind. Which was a good thing, natural thing, since witches usually provided comfort and calmness to their wolves. But they weren’t a pack and she wasn’t his witch or he her wolf - here they were just two students, bounded by a secret they never talked about. Somehow it mattered very little here and she liked it that way. 

Seline was biting her lip, looking up from her laptop occasionally. She wanted to ask him what was wrong but didn’t know how well he would take it. Maybe the best she could do was give his discomfort privacy, no matter what it was.

Suddenly Matthew stood up, expression drawn and uncomfortable, hand on his belly. Then he bolted to the bathroom. Seline watched him go, concerned.

She watched out for gagging noises, but none of that came. Maybe she was reading too much into this. Would he tell her if he was sick? Wolf and witch relationships aside, if her stomach bothered her, she would rather die of emberassment than admit it. It was an intimate, awkward thing, stomach issues, so she bet he would rather be left alone if something was wrong.

You can only offer what you would like yourself. She was aware she wouldn’t know what would help him. How can you spend evenings with a person each day and not know this?

The bathroom door opened abruptly, but the followed steps were shuffling and slow. Matthew dragged himself on the hallway to lean against the wall across from her. Her gaze flickered to him, trying to be inconspicuous. 

Matthew was sweating buckets, dark red hair plastered to his face. He was usually pale, but now he was glistening, freckles standing out on his cheeks and nose, his arms wrapped around his stomach. He was swaying, bending forward a little.

“Seline.”

She turned towards him immediately. “Matt? Hey, what’s wrong?”

He gulped and ran a hand over his face. “Ugh. I-I don’t know? It’s just-” he looked away, flushing, “my stomach really fucking hurts.” 

“Did you throw up?” she asked, eyebrows drawing together. 

“No. But it feels like my guts fucking exploded,” he threw a sheepish look toward the bathroom. Seline noted he closed the door behind himself, which he usually wouldn’t bother with. “...and it didn’t help at all.”

“Oh.” Seline nodded, trying to figure out a sensitive, emphatic way to talk about this without embarrassing him or getting squicked out herself. “You know what? I have these herbal drops that help with indigestion? They are a miracle thing, I swear.” 

She brushed past him towards the kitchen for her yellow bottled drops. Learned to use the herbal things from her mother and knew a really good doctor who made herbal drops from his own garden. Her whole family used it for years for all kinds of issues. It was always her go-to before any hard-on medication.

Counting 30 drops for herself and adding 20 more for Matthew’s weight into a bit of water, she swiftly returned with the glass.

Matthew slid down the wall on the floor, pulling his knees towards himself and hugged them close, face hidden in the crook of his arm.

Seline crouched down beside him, her heart swelling up at the sight. “Come on. Drink this. Maybe it will spare you from throwing up.” 

He eyed her with glossy eyes. This close to him, the smell of sickness and sweat hit her senses, and she suppressed a grimace. Matthew took the glass of water and took a tentative sip. “Hmm. Is this a witchy concoction?”

“Just regular human medicine and traditional herbal knowledge,” she snorted at him. “If it worked for them a few hundred years ago, it will work for you now.” 

Matthew nodded and emptied the glass. She took it from him before he could drop it on the floor, hunching over himself. 

“You will feel better in a minute,” she promised, doubting words immediately. “Come on, up from the floor. Let’s lie you down on the couch.” She wrapped her hands around his arm, coaxing him to stand. He swayed unsteadily as he got up. Better get him sitting down now, or he might not get up on his own soon. 

The redhead sprawled on the couch, but then moaned at the movement and curled up on his side instead, shivering. Seline noted how he hugged his stomach protectively and pulled his hoodie up, nuzzling his face into the couch’s decorative pillow. “I just don’t get it. What’s wrong with me?”

She sat down across from him on the edge of the couch. “You have been handling your shadow pretty well lately, right? Keeping it down so consistently. Ever managed that before?”

Matthew took a shuddering breath, his bleary eyes focusing on her. He squinted against the light of the living room lamp over him. “No?”

“Well, there you have it. Congratulations! You managed to keep your shadow down enough to catch a stomach flu. It’s been going around the campus, I hear.”

“Congratulations for sure,” Matthew grumbled, huddling further into himself, squeezing his eyes shut.

Seline didn’t really have a reason or good excuse to stay beside him, but she didn’t feel like leaving at all. Shutting off the light, she brought her laptop to her lap, sitting cross-legged beside Matthew. This way, she could keep an eye on him all the time. 

The noises his stomach was making didn’t get any better, though. If anything, they grew worse with each passing minute, gurgling and whining. Matthew wasn’t asleep either, hiding his face in the pillows and rubbing his stomach angrily. 

A burp sneaked past his lips. Matt’s eyes flew open and he coughed a small “Sorry.” 

“It’s okay. Do whatever you need to,” she said. She couldn’t focus on her work at all, watching all the telltale signs of oncoming sickness. 

Closing her laptop resolutely, she threw it on the nearby table and fetched a trashcan. Better be safe than sorry.

Matthew looked horrified at the trashcan, sitting upright to lean against the backrest. He scowled at her and then burped instead whatever he wanted to say, pushing a hand over his mouth. 

“I’m-m not gonna throw up,” he declared, a fighting glint in his eyes. He was radiating heat. She could feel it even standing up. She cracked the window open and then sat beside him, pushing the trashcan nearer with her foot. 

He glared at her and then belched. A shiver ran through him and he swallowed hard. His breaths came in short, panting huffs.

Then he pitched forward with a painful-sounding retch. Seline quickly grabbed the trashcan and brought it close, just in time for him to hunch over it. Another retch wracked his body and he lurched violently over the trashcan. Nothing came up. Only a few drops of saliva hang from his lips.

“Mattie. You are doing fine. Psshh. Just let it happen.” She pulled his hoodie down and dared to put a hand on his back, rubbing gently.

The movement coaxed up another burp. Matthew panted over the trashcan, eyes opening and shutting hard. He grimaced and spat into the bag, looking offended and angry to boot. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Seriously, you don’t-”

“For real,” he interrupted, looking at her from the side. “I didn’t mean to come to your place to hurl. I never mean it and it somehow always happens and I’m really sorry. I can leave if you-”

“Oh, shut it,” she said with a small grin. “It’s okay. I’m not letting you leave like this. So stay put and get better.”

He smiled slightly in return, then grimaced. “Seline?”

“Yes?”

“I hate this.” 

She laughed softly at that and leaned closer. Matthew took the trashcan from her hands and buried his head inside it. Putting both her hands on his back, she felt his whole spine shake with the next lurch that finally brought chunky liquid out. She winced as it splashed against the plastic.

A slight pause came. Matthew lifted his head hesitantly. His nose was running and there was vomit hanging from his lips and chin. 

Seline patted his arm. “Be right back.” She hurried to get a paper roll from the kitchen before sliding behind Matthew. He had his feet planted on the floor, trashcan between his knees, head hanging low over it, looking helpless and lost. But he sighed at her touch.

She offered him one of the papers, but his grip on the trashcan didn’t loosen one bit. She gave up and wiped his chin herself, catching all the droplets and throwing the crumpled sheet into the trash. “There you go. You are alright.” 

Matthew stayed silent, blinking hazily. Then his back arched and he was heaving again. She raised herself on her knees with his back in between and rubbed at the sweaty pullover. 

When he pitched forward with a loud throaty gurgle, she sneaked a hand under his hoodie, over his stomach. Seline wasn’t sure what was allowed or not, but he didn’t protest her administrations, so she went with the feeling. His middle was bloated and tense under her hand, puffed out despite all the emptying his body been doing from both ends. 

Matthew moaned against her and she could feel his stomach muscles clenching against her hand. She kneaded against the gurgly organ, which ushered a burp out and a handful of milky sickness. At least it was more watery now, coming easier.

Matthew gagged and heaved, a torrent of liquid rushing out. He was left coughing and catching his breath for a few more minutes, even when he came up empty. Then he let go of the trashcan and tipped back, unknowingly leaning against her chest. She squicked quietly and laughed. “Okay, okay, easy, big guy.”

Seline slid from behind him and helped him ease against the couch until he was lying down, propped up on two pillows. When she stood up to get rid of the stinking bag, she felt a tug on her sleeve.

“Where-...are you…?” Matthew blinked sleepily, dazed and confused. It wasn’t fair. Why did she suddenly feel so protective of him? His dark brown eyes looked like big chocolate cookies, lost in his ashen face. 

Taking mercy on him, she twisted the bag shut and pushed it aside, sitting down next to his head. “Shhh. I’m not going anywhere.”

They sat in silence as Matthew took deep breaths, his chest rising and falling irregularly before evening out. His eyes slid shut and he reached out a hand towards her. Seline could do nothing but take it, holding it over his shoulder. Effectively trapped beside him. 

Pretty sure he would never allow himself such a touch if he was fully coherent. But with the fever raging against him and with how dizzy and exhausted he was after the bounds of vomiting, she could see a completely different side to her gruff red-haired protector. Protector? She still thought his shadow was more of a hindrance to him, but he was getting better. This human weakness was proof.

She slipped her fingers over his forehead, pulling the sweaty strands from his face. Then she combed them through his hair.

Matt grumbled softly, sounding content.

[starrook]

[ CROWDED ]

-- THE ACTUAL BREACH INTO the venue is of far more difficulty to Hortensia than she had expected. Used to being one of the main guests of honor and granted a special procession into the venue, the setting of 'all-too-many' and 'all-too-important' created a rather unpleasant experience where she was shuffled in like any other odd student.

Which was. Good, she reminded herself. To be overly special was not the point here- she was a guest, just the same as everyone else. To think there was any point in elevating herself when this was one of the few chances she'd have to attend an event such as this as just a somebody was-

"Eek!"

She basically tumbles headfirst into the person in front of her after a rather rude shove to the back. Already aghast from the whole situation, Hortensia only pushes forward in her frustration, causing a whole lovely domino effect. By the time she's pulled her eyes forward, able to grasp who she's pushed, its-

Ahh. Alcryst. Well, not the best person to shove to the ground for dozens of reasons.

"A-Alcryst?" she says, one hand over her mouth and the other already reaching to pick him up. "I'm so sorry, I just- ughhh, it's a mess tonight. Really not cool of me, I know, uhm... well, let's just get you off the ground, first."

When a beehive is invaded by an intruder, whether it be a predatory wasp or a replacement queen that fails to impress, honeybees make use of an interesting defense strategy. The workers swarm their target and vibrate their wings and bodies to generate heat. That heat, multiplied over hundreds of bees, creates hot, stifling conditions that easily kill their victim.

Tonight, Alcryst is that miserable bug. He has invaded a foreign hive and finds himself surrounded by crowds of people slowly cooking him to death. He may have gotten better at parties and social events and not melting in the face of other people... but crowds are still a struggle.

One rough shove against his back. Alcryst finds himself on the floor. Ah. So this is where he dies: trampled underfoot, a proper insect's death.

Wait. He knows that voice. "Hortensia?" Alcryst turns his head to stare up at the Elusian princess. It takes him a second to recognize that the apology is for him of all people. "Um, it's fine! Don't worry about it. It's pretty crowded after all." It's not like her to fret like this, Alcryst thinks. He swallows back his usual self-deprecation and allows himself to be helped back up to his feet.

"Did I get dirty?" Alcryst asks worriedly. Lapis made him these clothes! He'd hate to see them filthy. He inspects his sleeves, his knees. "I am so not used to wearing white..."

[thenixkat]

another not-godzilla

pls feed Kafka he's too skinny now

he's not even broad anymore, someone pls feed Kafka. Like he had to regenerate a lot in the past few weeks he needs some more rations pls his waist is so narrow i hate it

oh that's a scar on asshole dad's forehead not just him frowning constantly

that's rude as hell. I do not care for teh gamer boy

yeah Kafka's not really ok with everyone talking about killing him for parts or using him as a living weapon… this is why ya shoulda been better at hiding yer secret identity sir. You could have transformed when no one was looking

rude ass hell

also ignoring why Kafka went berserk (ya know repeatedly getting his limbs ripped off by someone he was under the impression was trying to kill him) Kafka pls dont thank the person who just threatened to turn you into a suit

oh hey a hive of kaiju ants

i dont like this guy. he's rude. asked a subordinate for a loan to buy more junk and toys, is an influencer

huh ant kaiju are rare to see on the surface but folks run into them underground

Kafka wants to be recognized for his ability as an officer and not a kaiju weapon so he's trying to fight without fully transforming but like sir, try that after you've convinced folks yer more useful alive than as spare parts also yeah had a traumatizing time the last time he fully transformed isnt rocking with it at the moment

not the transformation failing. Kafka's kaiju side said 'nah, you didnt want my help last time'

not the cordyceps

also the ant kaiju spray acid like real ants

ah the fungus has a brain

right i have bee seeing brains in split kaiju wild that their brains are not important organs

how does using the Numbers weapons shave years off yer life? what are the ghosts of the kaiju that got made into them taking revenge

ah yeah 100% Kafka is scared of losing control that's why his transformations keep failing gets a pep talk from rich girl that's more or less 'we're too fucking badass for you to kill us if you lost it, so dont worry about it'

what happened to my guy's claws? also he finally figured out how to smile with that face

ah Kafka learned some tricks from the bug's joyride

Kaiju do have telepathy!

no. 9 tells other no. 9 to pls hold its learning about a new strong enemy right now

the influencer has kaiju eyes b/c biomodding soldiers is fine, kaiju-human hybrids from the wild arent tho

so its not future sight just literal mind reading

damn that's the first 'well done' rich girl got from her shitty dad since her mom died

apparently the ant swarm and two no. 9s were a diversion. B/c no. 9 the third planned to have teh shitty dad for dinner hahah

also how did that mother fucker sneak into yer base? damn yall are not ready for intelligent kaiju damn that man was nice to his daughter for teh first time in a decade and then got ate mind you his daughter is like 18 at best ah i assume no. 9 probably ate like a janitor and got in that way

also no. 9 has certainly been eating its Wheaties

huh so its just stressful to use

shitty dad acknowledges that he's been a bad father

rip to shitty dad, he tried to his best but uh he can't regenerate

shitty dad became dinner

no. 9 really was only here for dinner and decided to dip

Kaiju no. 9 what does a kaiju era mean? are you planning on getting rid of the ability of humans to fight back against the kaiju so they can do what they want? like its not like there's many sapient kaiju running around most of the fuckers seem to just be wild animals doing wild animal shit

ah the thing where Kafka started not being able to turn completely back human

human looking at least

have yall tried feeding him cause look at that you can almost see the poor man's abs

these are not good working conditions. Also just bc he stops being able to look like a human doesnt mean he'd stop thinking like a human necessarily

no. 10 regained consciousness in captivity. It's core is too damaged for it to regenerate. It had a blast fighting the vice captain and tells him if it's gonna become a weapon for anyone it wants him to use it

being… you are a head, a small piece of spinal cord, and like 2/3rds of a core the fuck are you gonna fight with??

ah it means it wants to be made into a weapon and that teh vice captain use it to fight. Bc it really really had fun fighting him and wants more like that good news the vice captain made a new friend and it has agreed to be interrogated bad news it still would like to eat him and the possibility of it trying to take over his body if he wears it is not zero

oh hey we've got the reveal that no. 9 is no. 10's parent

to be fair yall havent run into many sapient kaiju that are willing to use their shapeshifting to the fullest extent. and no. 9 is just creating more kids

how tho? How the fuck does heat and pressure at fault lines deep underground make substances that mutate nearby animals and plants (how did the animals and plants get that fucking far into the fucking Earth in the first place) into aliens. B/c you cannot convince me that kaiju arent aliens with their fucking biology that we've been shown

what do you mean in order for a human to use one of the Numbers weapons their cells have to be compatible with the kaiju that the weapon was made from? What kind of superior genetics eugenics shit is this? How are human cells compatible with kaiju cells anyway and why are yall not concerned that human cells can be compatible with kaiju cells

like zoonotic diseases? also should yall not be concerned that some humans are genetically compatible with kaiju cells or is that ok b/c you pick teh super soldier

another not-godzilla but this one has tentacles. There's a lot of not-godzillas in this, yall cant do a not-Mothra or a not-Ghidora for once?

idk about anything else but I think if a human's cells are compatible with kaiju material (i dont get how it works and it seems weird and iffy) but that should mean they can get turned into a were-kaiju the series continuously points out that Ichikawa is a teenager and yet the fandom is so fucking horny for that child it is genuinely disgusting

hmm and we're gonna saddle this teenager with an increased risk of dying young in this already dangerous job b/c apparently lacking in supersoldier badasses who can solo high tier boss monsters

oh hey a somewhat responsible adult tells Ichikawa to turn down the supersoldier offer

also fucking noodle ass human beings unfortunately, Ichikawa is an extremely loyal friend and takes up the offer

there's a neuro link into the weapons ok so the shit is giving people brain damage when they overclock

[goblinbugthing]

hi hi <3 2, 7, and I think it was 21 for Laika :)

MY BOYGUY MY BUG MY THINGY YES

2 - How loosely or strictly do they use the word ‘friend’?

Very loosely. He calls everyone his friend, even if he’s only spoken to them once — he refers to Ghost as his friend, despite the fact that they Very Clearly Dislike Him, and never leaves the Abyss

7 - What would you tell in the middle of a crowd to find them? What would their best friend and/or romantic partner yell?

Me? I’d be like, “WHERE THE GOD DAMN IS THAT STUPID MOTHFUCK”. He would proceed to call me a bitch from across the room, and I would be able to locate him easily.

Holly, on the other hand, would say they found some type of critter. Laika loves little critters.

21 - What common etiquette do they disagree with? Do they still follow it?

After some googling, as I have no idea what qualifies as ‘common etiquette’, I have some proper answers.

He doesn’t always use proper greetings. Usually he’s just like “hey” or “sup”, unless he’s speaking to someone of high order or whatever the word is, then he speaks “properly”. (e.g. speaking with Chrysanthus/PK, Viol/WL, or other royals)

He also doesn’t always say “please” and “thank you”. Generally, this is because he forgets — he is a self-insert after all, and I also constantly forget to do this.

He doesn’t give a damn about “proper table manners”. Neither do I. He hasn’t cared since he was a kid, same as me.

He also couldn’t give two shits and a flying fuck about minding his language. He swears like a sailor, and on very rare occasion, he’ll call himself a slur. Just like me fr!

He is VERY respectful of others’ personal space. One of very few things he treats with importance.

He doesn’t care about dressing “appropriately”. He wears whatever the fuck he wants. He grew up in Bugaria, and over there, clothing isn’t really mainstream.

(At one point, in the Bee Kingdom’s hive, Kabbu references the choice of scarves and cloaks as clothing items to buy in the clothing shop. He says he doesn’t much care for clothing — and most bugs in Bug Fables don’t wear any form of clothes, either. Leif uses his wings as a cloak, but he’s not actually wearing anything.)

Laika sucks at listening unless he likes you, or whatever you’re talking to him about. Autism be like

The last one doesn’t really apply here, because phones don’t exist in Bugaria, or Hallownest.

But, in modern variants that I’ve never released, he does use his phone very often. He spams Holly with TikToks every five seconds.

(Oh, and phones also exist in Ette’s home kingdom. But Laika’s never been there, so in canon EP, he doesn’t own one.)

[floaroma-town-apiary]

Laz's true nature

[video file plays]

(apiary was in her back yard of hers, as the bug elementbot was caring for Elizabeth's beehouse, humming to herself with Platina in the sides commuting with the male Combee workers. behind 02 was laz who was walking up to her with her breath hitched)

Busy bee. Its me Laz We need to talk.

Hm?

(apiary turned around while the now spectating hive of Elizabeth look on in curiosity, with Platina looking on as well, wondering what her trainer's best friend wanted from her)

Oh hey Lazzy! Sure what do ya need?

...I-I want to speak to you about how I really feel about you ... And more.

Wait. Are you-

(Laz holded their arms out with their face being a bright red as they waved their arms a bit)

B-BUT WAIT I WANT TO CONFESS SOMETHING ELSE 1ST!!!

Oh OK! What is it???

(Laz calms themselves as they took a deep breath and spoke)

For a long time I was scared about wanting to show you who i really am, for what you'll think of me despite all this time spending each other... but i- i want to conquer those thoughts inside my soul just so i can get a conclusion to this personal weight.

laz... i never thought that you had this internal struggle all this time despite being so close for this long.

(apiary looks at her best friend with her eyes turning a dark blue showing saddness to her voice, the combee and the alpha Vespiquen looking on with a tinge of saddness to them as well upon getting pheromones that transmitted the beekeeping robot's feelings. 02 got up and walked up to Laz and puts a hand on them)

Lazzy i need you to Listen. whatever is that you're hiding, i wont hold it against you for it. All that matters to me is that i want you to be... well you! and besides, me, Platina and elizabeth's hive will keep it sealed k?

(her eyes turned green upon saying this, leading to laz being stunned by her response before shaking it off and smiling.)

okay... i need you to move back a bit if you can please?

(Apiary does so without another word or question, laz then takes a deep breath and speaks out a command with her eyes glowing a neon green)

Disengage.

(dozen of hardlight particles scattered as hexagons formed all over her body then fade as they all part to reveal the true appearance of herself with her mechanical body being shown to her best friend... as an android. Apairy's eyes turned yellow seeing all of this happening infront of her optics)

Oh bees and swarms you're a-

Yeah. an android, or more specifically a Holoroid. i've been hiding this for years cause i didn't want to be treated lesser than everyone else... less than as a person. i guess there was going to be sometime or later i gotta drop this

(Laz rubbed the back of her head as she chuckled nervously.)

...so what do you think?

...

(apiary only walked up to her with her head down, the pokemon nearby looking in concern in what she'll do or say. apiary simply hugged the now revealed holoroid, before they both were face to face to each other)

What do i think? well... its still same ol' nervous Lazzy i know just similar to me in a way now!

h-hey!

and also something more.

what do you- MMPH?!!-

(Laz's eyes suddenly widened in shock as apiary suddenly tugged her close and despite not having any mouth, made each other kiss. the alpha Pokemon and combee were also surprised to see her trainer/caretaker be this bold before cheering on. the two mechanical beings closed their eyes ((with apiary's lights dimming and pink)) as they embraced this moment without resistance, for a few seconds something within their programming was going into overdrive within their system before both split off from each other)

you have no idea how long i wanted to do and experience that. ...you knew?

eh for a good bit, by that i mean like a few good amount of weeks!

(Laz simply snickered that the casual answer from the beebot)

well now.... i guess that a simple i love you wouldn't do any of this justice huh?

more of a gift bow if anything if that counts!

then busy bee... i love you so damn much right now.

...same here Laz.

(the 2 mechaoids kissed once more this time both were ready and locked each others hands without anymore words. the video feed cuts out after a few seconds of this display)

[end of video file, now publicizing to rotumblr]

[regret-breathing]

i have been frightened of bugs since i was very small. all bugs. any bug. but spiders, flies, bees, and ants especially. i have never been able to look at a bug, and not instantly be afraid. this extends to butterflies and ladybugs and all the other bugs that people are surprised when i tell them they freak me out.

my house was regularly infested with flies when i was a kid. we didn’t have air conditioning, so when summer came around if we weren’t all to die, the best we could do was throw open the windows and the doors and put wet washcloths on our necks. so the flies were really inevitable. others in the house got used to it. my father only complained when he was cooking or he had to replace the fly paper. i was the only one who never got over it. who cried when they swarmed my dessert. who couldnt function when it got hot because the bugs were inside and i couldnt get a moment’s rest.

i never liked eating outside because of the bees. but mostly because of the ants. i always tell people now that my phobia isnt directly just the insects. it’s anything that swarms. clouds of starlings twisting unnaturally like one great beast above me put fear in my heart as much as a hive of ants does. but it starts at the ants. and the bees. and the flies on my yellow cake when i fled to the basement in the hopes that there would be less downstairs than there were upstairs.

and if i can say one thing about hunter x hunter’s utterly unique and near perfect chimera ant arc, it’s that i’m not scared of ants anymore.

the day after i finished it, i saw the first ant of the spring. he was noodling about the building next to my work while i had a cigarette, crawling around the wall looking for food in the wrong place. in a place he’d only find my ash. and i didn’t find myself afraid. i watched him for minutes, leaning close to where he walked. and didn’t once pull away even when he came quite close to me.

i was dreading this arc from the second i heard the name, because of my bone deep fear of bugs. and so when it began, with great hordes of buglike men swarming around remote villages, snapping people up like birds of prey, i was afraid. it made me scrunch my face up and look away, even. but by the end of it, spoilers ahead i suppose. by the end, when i looked at Shidore’s face as she stood at the edge of that cliff, no trace of fear gripped me. and now, fittingly only when ive finished those episodes, the ants are back in the city of chicago. and when i see them… i just hope they have a nice day.

i think i’ll always be afraid of swarms. and flies. and bees. and spiders. and worms. but ants at least, at least for this spring, i start to see what bug lovers see when they look at those curious little creatures.

they really are cute.

[horseshoecrabman]

7/26/24

hey all! time for another bee update!!

bee update 6:

content warning: picture of a bee sting on my hand (isnt bloody, but is slightly bruised/swollen)

this one might be short, since not much new stuff happens in the bee world. dad got around to buying some pesticides to get rid of the hive beetles! in short, we have to place it in such a way that only the beetles can access it, and then they eat it and die.

i'm a bit worried that the hive beetles ate so much of their honey that they won't be have enough to eat for the winter, but if worst comes to worst we can always give them sugar water!

speaking of bad stuff, a moment i've been dreading finally happened:

i got stung by a bee!!!!

what happened was that i was going to replace their water, so i removed the feeder as i normally do. it occurred to me that they seemed to not like the presence of my hand, as five or so bees came to fly around and get me to leave. i didn't think anything of it really. but when i came back to put the feeder back in, i felt a pain in my pinky finger and welp, i got stung.

i kind of freaked out to be honest, but i remembered to remove the stinger (as i had watched a youtube video a few months prior instructing me to do so in case of a bee sting) and then i left them alone after that!

it did hurt but it wasn't super bad! and while i'm on that topic i want to talk about what to do in case of you getting stung by a bee!

1. remove yourself from the area as calmly as possible! if near a hive in the wild it is best to leave, as to tell the bees that there is no more danger and wont illicit a defensive reaction!

2. remove the stinger as quickly as possible! if left in, the stinger will continue to pump venom into your body, and while not enough to kill or cause major damage (unless you have an allergic reaction, which i will get to in a bit), the stinger is easy to remove and will cause less pain if removed! you just have to pinch with your fingers and remove! using tweezers is not advised.

3. when that is done, wash the wound with soap and water and apply an ice pack! after that you can bandage it :)

4. if you do have an allergic reaction, i would recommend going to the hospital and looking into medications for these things! im not an expert on medical stuff like that, so forgive me if im wrong or dont provide enough info, but if this is a concern for you i recommend doing your own research! ^_^

another fact about bee stings is that the stinger of a bee is connected to their vital organs, so typically once the stinger is inside the flesh, the organs will get removed with it, unfortunately killing the bee. i say "typically" because there are cases of the bee being able to remove the stinger by itself and then flying off, but its very uncommon. however, i don't think anyone should feel overly guilty if a bee dies because they sting you, like any bug, bees die out quickly for a myriad of reasons. and by nature they are designed to produce lots of bees to make up for the ones that do die.

it was certainly a learning experience to get stung. all in all, i dont blame the bee for stinging me, nor do i feel mad about it, i should have recognized that they felt on edge to be honest. there were a whole bunch of birds flying around their hive so maybe thats why they were on the defensive? who knows to be honest!

anyways, the main reason why i make posts like this is because i want people to stop being scared of bugs, especially bees! bees are very crucial pollinators, and its sad that theyre becoming endangered because of human effects like the use of pesticides and the like.

bees aren't the only pollinators either! other examples are: wasps, ants, many families of flies, butterflies and moths, beetles, bats and birds (most notably the hummingbird), and even animals like monkeys, lemurs, possums and rodents!!

no one has to love bugs, but its always good to remember that bugs are a very important part of the earth!!!

anyways, bee update over!!! have a great day or night my friends!!!

[leschanceux]

"Geneva would be great," Gordy counters, "and very educational!" Honestly, staying with JP and learning two more languages doesn't sound all that bad --- Gordy could manage, he's sure. I can't really see you being happy there neither. Unfortunately, there's a ring of truth there; he's never spent much time away from his parents and his siblings for more than a few nights - or his best mates. Suddenly the idea of going to Switzerland seems very lonely, but so does going back to his regular school tomorrow. He can't think about it right now, doesn't want to picture walking through the gates and hearing the whispers like a hive of angry bees, catch people looking at him as he passes. It makes him feel queasy, like he might just want to get into bed and pull the covers up and over his head to hide away from the world for a bit.

What is it with his parents and wanting to come into school to talk to people, anyway? Teachers, parents, other students... God, his parents must think he has a death wish or something. He'd be crazy to agree to any of it --- he'd get a reputation as a grass and a baby, someone who couldn't stand up for himself if needed. His parents didn't raise a doormat! "No need to hang about," he agrees, the pat to his shoulder not really convincing - but he's grateful to his dad for trying, at least. His school is generally not bad; it's a good school, science-focused, and Howie's there too. It's just that... well, coming out ( or being outed ) in your teenage years at this point in time isn't the best experience.

"I don't mind camping," it's not his favourite activity in the world, sure, but the holiday in question had been filled with rain and bugs and the cold had seeped into his bones in a way he just couldn't shake off until they'd gotten back home. "-And garden camping is decent. Best of both worlds, really." But no, he doesn't fancy camping out in the rain again, even in the back garden, even with his mates. But shifting the sofas and setting up camp in the living room sounds fun - unimpeded access to the Playstation and all that - even if the girls will moan about wanting a sleepover too. "When don't we behave?" Gordy demands with mock-indignation, though it only lasts about five seconds before he has to laugh. "I promise we'll behave and go to bed on time."

Talking to JP is never a bad thing, even when the circumstances aren't as dire ( or feel as dire ) as these. The man had taught him a great many things over the years - not in the least how to swear like a sailor in French - and Gordy always appreciates whatever words of wisdom the man may choose to impart on him. "I'd like that," he nods with a small smile, "thanks, Dad."

“An' where d'you wanna go as a foreign exchange student? – Want me to ring Uncle JP an' just tell 'im you’d love to move to Geneva to learn two more languages? I can't really see you bein' 'appy there neither, Gordy.” A gentle shake of his head; the joke caught and bringing a soft smile to his lips, too. – He understood how difficult it had to be for Gordy, in some way at least, and running away from a situation that was scaring you, wasn’t cowardly in his eyes; and sending Gordy back to school tomorrow had nothing to do with thinking it was the right thing to do, so his son didn’t turn out a coward. It was just the right thing to do. School was important. And well, you couldn’t just have those kids win, right? They couldn’t just go around and scaring other kids until they wouldn’t come back to school any more. PERHAPS he should talk to a teacher – but Gordy’s loud NO had taken his mind off this option for now. At some point he should, though. It couldn’t just go on like this. What if Gordy was just one of my kids, embarrassed and bullied for something that really wasn’t even a choice?

Furrowed his brows at his son’s reaction, but just nodded after a moment. “Alright – I’ll drop ya at school, then I’m off to work. No bleedin’ talkin’ to yer teachers. No havin’ a chat with the kids, sound? – I don’t even need to ask if I should chat with their parents, eh?” Another short smile, before he patted his son’s shoulder; a gesture supposed to say that things would be looking better in the morning, even though he knew it would be difficult, if not even impossible, for Gordy to believe it. He was young and for him, it had to look like the end of the world. School wasn’t always easy. It hadn’t been easy for himself, either. He remembered some comments. Some rude words that had buried themselves deep in his memories.

Sighed quietly at his own thoughts, before he pushed them aside and decided they had made enough circles around the same topic. Not much more left to say about it for now, right?

“Yeah, the livin' room it is, when yer mum’s up for 'em stayin' over. – It’s meant to rain tonight too, so I didn’t fancy you campin' outside an’ draggin' mud in when ya eventually come in, anyway. I still think Howie ain’t that fussed about campin', too. – An' you aren’t either, are ya? Not me brightest idea takin' you lot campin' last holiday, was it?” Chuckled at those memories. Rain-soaked tents and the sniffling of three boys sitting around a fire, because this hadn’t turned out like in one of their games at all – and wasn’t much like sleeping the night in the tree house or a tent in the garden either, where there was still access to the house and all its luxuries.

“ – But y’know what, ya can help me shift one of them sofas later to make a bit o’ space for you three, yeah? Get everything sorted. – I proper reckon yer mum’s not gonna say NO, if ya promise to behave this time, keepin’ yer bedtime an’ all that. – An’ just be ready ‘cause one of yer sisters is bound to ask for a sleepover next.” Another gentle laugh. He knew his kids. He knew the chaos that always just followed the previous chaos – and he wouldn’t want it any other way, would he? A life without any of the kids seemed impossible to imagine. Who would he be without them?

Raising his hand to ruffle his son’s dark hair at his thought, there was another idea forming in his head. He could have thought about this a bit earlier, too! “An’ maybe I oughta ring Jean-Paul, like. You can hav’ a chat with ’im about this as well. It weren’t easy for ’im in the military, was it? Aye, he's a bit older than Artie, but that’s at least two people you can talk to.”