#behemotta

[messinwitheddie]

What is the measuring process steps? How does one get picked to be the next tallest? Surely it can’t be the height alone. There must be some qualities or something like that.

Who built the Colossus? How long did it take to make it? Was this the idea of the ancients?

Has any of the tallest ever call upon irkens that kinda look like them in to their chambers and have them do plays of themselves like a reminder of their past or “what ifs” for example: if Miyuki brings two tall soldiers who somewhat resemble her and Spork.

I have to confess, I have no idea how exactly the imperial measuring process works.

Lazy writing time. (Lazy sketch too. Sorry, still warming up the wrist.)

The steps of the measuring process is information hoarded by the control brains and only shared to the imperial PAK technicians who are assigned to perform the physical steps of the process. The PAK Techs assigned to this task are honorably executed and collected after the process is complete to ensure the information stays classified.

The tallest measured drone put through the process is heavily drugged and forced to fixate on the cintrol brains while their PAKs/ collective minds directly links up, so the most a tallest remembers when the process is over is the chant which roughly translates to English as,

"Let fire become white Dislodge the joints Stretch them Let fire burn star bright Break the back Let them stand with towering might Realign them Destroy to rebuild them stronger than ever To our will be true Let the ALMIGHTY TALLEST rule on."

It's three different chants recited at once, so it's difficult to remember the exact recitation, but that's roughly it.

So apparently the process involves "dislodging the joints" and "breaking the back", stretching the body to its limits then somehow surgically making the stretching permanent.

The process does cause long lasting damage, a lifetime of chronic pain. But with it comes almost unlimited wealth and power, so the drawbacks are manageable.

Red and Purple were tricky because they had to be stretched out to exactly the same height.

Sadly no, traditional Irken culture demands that the tallest drone rule. There are no further qualifications. Sounds ridiculous to us, but imagine how ridiculous we would sound explaining a monarchy system or to them.

The Colossus was built centuries after Behemotta, tallest of tallests, fell in in battle [Actually, she suffocated to death under her own mass and her corpse was used as a prop/ puppet to intimidate an enemy army, but that's a story for another day.]

Soon after she fell panic and chaos erupted through the ranks of her armies. The super hive Behemotta united over her lifetime broke apart into separate entities. Maps were redrawn. Many innocents were assassinated in pursuit of a new order including any of Behemotta's smeets who had not died in battle already.

Seemingly overnight entire drone populations were deceived into submitting to the rule of tall standing and high ranking former generals claiming to rule in Behemotta's name or in Behemotta's spirit or by the last wishes of Behemotta ect.

And it kept getting more and more out of hand from there.

The labor forces of at least 5 allied hive-nations, but possibly several others, were commissioned to construct the Colossus. Tons upon tons of stone was imported, stacked, sculpted and smoothed to a perfection the Irken species has never been able to replicate since. The indestructible wings and eyes they fused to the monolith were carved from six massive full-spectrum diamonds, priceless in the greater galaxies. The Colossus was somehow designed, built and positioned to never erode. It is a mystery and a marvel.

The construction of the Colossus took nearly a thousand years of nonstop labor. Trillions of service drones, architects, engineers and artisans lost their lives to breathe life into the fallen Behemotta's memory.

But the memory was twisted into a new narrative; Tall drones are mighty. The tallest drone is the mightiest and rules over you. Small drones are insignificant and exist to serve small drones. Tall drones should always be acknowledged, respected, feared and obeyed.

Behemotta would HATE the Colossus if she were still alive to see it. She would consider it an eyesore and a huge waste of time, energy and resources. Psychologically, the version of Behemotta the Colossus portrays would wound her.

The Colossus is really nothing more than ancient Irken propaganda solidifying a very toxic cultural mindset; one the real Behemotta would have never approved of or enforced.

Tallest miniarure lookalike contests have been a common and very popular thing in Irken culture since the mid first era, both official and unofficial.

Official contests are streamed publicly. If time allows, the Tallest will host the contest. The Tallest's corridinator is placed in charge of sifting through the photos, measurements and stats of contestants until a winner is chosen.

It's not unusual for the tallest to hire the winning lookalike drone for reasons that you described; to act out fantasies or revisit pre-measuring fond memories or to relieve boredom, ect.

As established previously, Tallest Cini had a mini double, Maraschino. Dava's modern mini double was hired to narrate the mandatory educational video on Irken fertility and emergency live birth protocol that medically confirmed fertile drones are forced by law to attend. (Irken women dread watching it).

Spittle hired a mini double to act as a Rosie the Riveter- type poster character promoting cadets to sign up to be trained and encoded into the empire's maintenance labor forces. Construction, repair and sanitation work was in extremely high demand during his reign.

Tallest mini doubles are required to sign an NDA when hired. Tallest minis are dressed up and played with like a barby doll. It seems like a fun little luxury, but sometimes tallests regret hiring doubles to act out fantasies. It can lead to open wounds and stir up feelings of resentment or jealousy.

Tallest miniatures are usually 4'9 and under. The reputations of service drones are of no importance to Tallests usually. High ranking drones are too risky to hire depending on what the mini double is hired to do.

[Mem "Late Miyuki did actually hire a lookalike double for her personal chambers when I served as her coordinator. Mochi was her name, I think. I only worked with her a few times, but I remember she was a sweet drone. Funny too.

Miyuki ordered me to search for a mini double for Spork too, but by the time I found one, she had already fired Mochi and never brought up the subject again. Not sure why. Mochi was her perfect double, lucky little pixy. Guess she didn't cheer Miyuki up as we had all hoped. It was a shame. I really liked her."]

(Was trying to make "flirtatious" speech bubbles for Mem and Mochi because I can't write flirty dialogue to save my life)

[narlowemcfarlowe]

Wardrobes of the tallests from Irk's cryptic hives vary greatly, ultimately depending on said tallest's own fashion choices. Although heavy binding is rare, both due to health concerns and an overall more libertarian cultural shift, some oddly seem willing to wear them. Most of the time, the maximum undergarments a tallest will use is basic shapeware. Sure it can be snug, but it's far less of a pain to manage.

In a majority of these hives, tallests serve as advisors and ornamental figureheads rather than full authoritative power houses, reflecting traditions preserved far before Behemotta's legendary reign. Although they do have some authority over government, they typically have high councils consisting of 10-20 members, being deemed most qualified by the citizens. (They have similar checks and balances as that intended for the Legislative and Executive branches of the United States, Tallests have the power to veto decisions from their high councils, but the high councils can also override these vetoes through revisions and majority support)

This is an AU of @messinwitheddie's 18 Years Later Invader Zim AU, so credits to them as always! <3

[monsoonceroom]

After the death of The Colossus, Behemotta, the news took months to reach the edges of her empire. However, once it did, a power struggle erupted as various newly measured Tallests began to wage war against one another. Hive Lit was one of the pieces of this fractured empire under Tallest Arduus.

Arduus had been a young general shortly before he was Tallest & managed to keep his Hive afloat for a while. After several years, he realized they began losing more & more battles than they were winning. Even raids were no longer an option as it just meant losing thousands of soldiers for what could be only a few hundred prisoners. Humiliated & exhausted from war, Hive Lit migrated from their coastal home to a tropical region where they came across Hive Orrem.

Hive Orrem was ruled by Tallest Sula & well known in the region for having females that produced more silk than what was normal. Because of this, they could afford to create lavish tapestries without worry of silk scarcity. They were often commissioned by other hives to create depictions of their Tallests & victories. While not one of the most battle oriented hives, they were one of the wealthiest with a combination of their commissions & various mines that contained precious stones & metals.

Upon the meeting of the two hives, Orrem was quick to play host to the war weary Hive. Food & clothing were provided & an emergency fertility festival was held to assist with their dwindling population. The two lived side by side for several years as Orrem provided necessary resources while Lit recovered & fought off any Hive that looked to raid Orrem while teaching them how to raise it's own army.

Arduus eventually felt it was time to go back, though Sula was heartbroken to see him leave as the pair had become close. Plenty of provisions were packed along with a few soldiers for good measure. Along the way, Arduus raided a few hives; taking their resources & growing his army further. By the time they came back to their original home, they had the means to take back the lands they vacated. After they were settled, he sent word to Sula of their victory & asked if she wanted to combine hives. He received no word until Orrem arrived at their doorstep with a victory tapestry in Sula's arms. From then on they were referred to as Hive Litore.

Here's another IZ lore drop, everyone! It took a while trying to decide how Arduus would look from his armor to his facial features. Even his name took a while since I couldn't decide on any of them until now. Originally, I was going to have Hive Orrem be a migratory hive but decided against it.

First picture is Tallest Arduus in armor. It was more of a leather-like material as metal was scarce in his region & used mainly for weapons. Next to him is a common soldier with armor & a civilian drone.

Second picture is Tallest Sula with a common drone next to her. Underneath is a birth giver & a soldier in armor.

Hope you enjoyed this & happy holidays!

[messinwitheddie]

Do you have any extra lore on that one tallest who was treated like a fighting dog by her mother? I've seen you draw the two of them a couple of times, I wonder if you have any more in-depth info on them or if you simply made them as one-off characters to show how pre-1st era Irken hives were.

Oooh! You're referring to Bash (Left, tall Irken), only daughter of Queen Skaab the slaughterer.

Originally they were just one-off characters, but I decided to give them an origin story that connects with the Colossus's origin story.

Skaab's reign took place before the tallest ruling format became the unquestioned norm in Irken society. Legend has it, she birthed 4 to 7 swarms of 500 (depending on the version of the legend being told).

Originally a group of elders ruled over her hive. Poorly. Skaab convinced her swarm to revolt. She ordered them to storm throughout the hive and slaughter the elders, the other birthing drones and their swarms. Once she seized control, she sent her drones out to raid neighboring hives. They stole decades worth of food and provisions while slaughtering every enemy drone except smeets, any male that pledged loyalty to her and, if found, tall drones.

Because Skaab successfully birthed swarm after swarm and lived, she was convinced she was immortal and destined to raise/ command the largest army of all time. She would cast out or execute other women, keeping only male drones to keep a vice grip on her hive's loyalty. That and because she was fully convinced she alone could replenish her army and needed no other birthing drones in her chambers.

Skaab's only daughter, or only daughter she kept alive was Bash, a tall, infertile drone. At this point in Irken history, Irkens who grew very tall were usually considered hideously deformed and a bad omen.

Bash was treated like a fighting dog; shackled in a dirty cell, only let out to fight other tall drones captured in Skaab's raids. She was timid when locked up; usually covered in open stab wounds or deep scratch marks. Her right eye was blinded, her black wings were torn to shreds and her jaw had been broken, never properly healed.

Skaab had to mash up her food for her. She fed Bash by hand. She only spoke to Bash before and after battles.

Thousands of Skaab's underlings were gathered in a colosseum-like arena called "The Pit of Mortals" to watch Bash fight.. and win. Entire olympic swimming pools of blood were spilled thanks to the brutality of Bash. She was always determined to win, not to save her own life, but to hear Skaab's praise at feeding time.

Eventually Behemotta, not even fully grown, but still frighteningly tall, is captured and thrown in the Pit of Mortals to face Bash.

There are 3 different endings for Bash in the Legend of the Colossus.

Behemotta kills Bash in combat then leads a revolt against Skaab/ takes her hive; executes her publicly.

Behemotta and Bash team up and both lead a revolt/ execute Skaab.

Behemotta and Bash team up and both lead a revolt/ execute Skaab, but Bash, won't allow Skaab to be executed. Instead, she begs for mercy on her behalf and insists on banishing her instead. Skaab is her mother after all and carrying yet another swarm.

Bash's story is a pretty sad one. Almost inconceivable to the modern Irken.

[messinwitheddie]

Based on OCs/ lore created by @a-wanderin-whirlybird for my ancient Irk AU. I love the lost Irken lore you've given me.

This is just an introduction to these tallest and their hives. All their stories have been erased and or forgotten in the modern Irken Empire. A shame.

(Clockwise, left to right)

The 5 Star alliance existed in the first era (a few generations after the death of the legendary towering tallest Behemotta and the construction of the Colossus of Irk's pre-history era). Hives Octave, Geo, Tractur, Sol, and Opal unified to eventually develop into the most advanced cultures in the ancient Irken world.

Tallest Aria of Hive Octave

Octave is known for it's rich orchards, extensive libraries/ free public education for smeets and adults, a flourishing artistic community and the largest population of females of any Irken hive-nation in history. In times of severe hardship the females of Octave were occasionally traded to the other hives of the alliance to help boost populations. Octave soldiers specialized in archery.

The drones of Hive Octave valued creativity, the pursuit / collection of knowledge and artistic expression. They were among the first ancient Irken civilizations to write (or record and rehears) battle ballads, choreograph war dances, invent instruments, ect

Because of diet and location, Octave drones usually had dark complexions, or skin markings with vivid patterns. Their antennae were unusually long and spiraled, giving them acute hearing and extra sensitivity to vibrations.

Tallest Vista of hive Geo

Hive Geo's economy was based on mining. The drones of geo continuously mined a number of precious metals, gems and minerals. They were the most technologically advanced of the 5 hives. Their mountain strongholds were impenetrable and their weapons were considered the deadliest of the era. Geo traded it's resources and tech to the other hives for food and supplies. If requested Geo would lend legions of workers to assist the other hives in construction projects and infrastructure maintenance.

Vista was born from an average short mining drone. To his mother and coddle drone’s surprise, he had absorbed all the other smeets in his mother’s womb and was born one giant chimera smeet. His army often protected the citizens of Octave, which tended the orchards growing in the mountain’s valley.

Tallest Olst of hive Traktor.

Traktor was once a highly respected hive among the alliance, but tallest Olst eventually corrupted and ended the collaboration between the hives by assassinating tallest Aria.

Traktor was an agricultural based hive built beneath seemingly endless grain, rice, and tofu farms. Excess from the harvests were traded to the other hives for weapons, silk and labor. Traktor was the birthplace of the fermentation process on Irk. Their brewmasters and their delicious, intoxicating spirits were held in high esteem. Despite this, labor, productivity and generosity were valued among Traktor drones above all else. Tallest Olst's greed was unprecedented.

Tallest Uthril of hive Sol.

Hive Sol drones developed beautiful dyes and unmatchable weaving techniques which made their clothes nearly indestructible. Many Irkens visited the lavish public lounges of Sol to enjoy mint tea while snuggling in intricate luxurious blankets before purchasing new gowns in the market tunnels.

In the shadows of all this Sol soldiers specialized in stealth, espionage and sabotage. Hive Sol created an extensive and frighteningly effective spy network in service to the 5 star hives.

Tallest Uthril and many other drones born in Sol had a mutation which caused iridescent skin. She merged her hive's army with tallest Kix's army after the two wed. Despite the marriage hive Sol and Opal remained in power of their respected hives. Uthril gave birth to Kix's swarm; a celebrated event among the 5 Star hives.

Two of their offspring grew up to be tallests; Drake ruled Sol and Dagon ruled Opal. This was a very rare occurrence among Irken tallest.

Tallest Kix of hive Opal

Hive Opal was located across a subterranean nitrogen ocean beneath Irk's surface. Tallest Kix and most of his fellow drones were born with two sets of legs on their backs which allowed them to scuttle over liquid surfaces. They traded exotic sea meats (Irken equivalent of fish/ crustaceans) and salt. They were the only Irken hive to have both an army and navy. Opal soldiers and sailors were well trained in swordplay. Kix's navy provided a means for the other hives to transport goods and drones between the 5 star hives and across No Drone's land to the strange hives beyond their maps.

[messinwitheddie]

Pssst. Messaging system is being meant nd won't let me send you this. Enjoy a Reunion fic of Red and Bun from that Ancient Bun AU we made.

The Florpus had been hell. Purple would never call it anything else. The pain it caused was unmeasurable. Once free, Red had loudly declared not only would the Pilot who had given them warning AND taken them out was getting a major promotion. But also a public Apology and recognition.

The pilot, Ort had been surprised, expecting a lashing. Truthfully Purple expected that too. Red had never been the same since... since the incident back in their Cadet days. Pirple wondered what had occurred to cause this change. His anwser came not ten minutes lost Florpus, when the security team reported 2 intruders and the security feed came up. Purple could only blinked in shock. A whisper of the past, a giggle and orange eyes flashing across his mind as the Adult vision of Ted's Twin graced the screen. 

Bun. Was that actually her? Did the Florpus hand them their missing third back? 

She was Tall. About their height but no Corset. No stretching. All natural. She wore loose fabrics in the style of a wrapped robe, abd a Pole arm held her up the Bladed tip pointed to the ceiling as she and her cohort leaned against the wall. Said cohort was a short Fat drone, light green skinned with Blue Beetle shell chitin covering them. Their eyes were covered by a royally woven and embroidered cloth depicting some kind of ritual. They hovered on wings hidden beneath their shell checking over this Bun. 

Purple would have written this off as an effecr of the Florpus had LOP not appeared on screen. The special SIR unit was battered and patched crudely with impure metal. Many a lost languages were chiseled into his form but it was still LOP. The SIR unit Red BUILT. and it was obvious when he turned to the camera and waved in sign. In Red's Signs. 

Purple knew. Bun and Red were Hard of Hearing due to an issue with their antenna. Bun had gotten the worse of it, but Red also had a hard time hearing. So Bun had made the Red Signs. Sign language for just them three to keep up with the rest. LOP signed a short report. 

"Subject Bun, Healthy and Alive." 

Purple wanted to cry but instead grabbed Red, who had become frozen in place, and ran down to their location. His best friend and his Husband's Twin was finally back. 

Bun hissed. She knew vaguely where the anomaly landed them. She still recognized the tech of her time, though it looked as if it progressed. But she had lost her space legs in the centuries she spent amongst Coddle Drone Behemotta's Hive. It was harder to stand now and harder to keep a grasp on her surroundings. Her darling, dear Mercí was buzzing about her, tightly curled antenna unfurling to check Bun over as the Blind medic adjusted herself. "Im fine my Shine. Are you ok?" Bun asked. The ancient language she spent so long to learn flowing freely across her tongue. Mercí tapped her head in an affirmative rhythm. A dear friend Octavius, who had gone and found His Own Hive, had made a tapping language for Bun and Mercí to better communicate. (Later Bun in her own time once more, would discover that friend had founded Hive Octave. A lost Hive of female Irkens that used art as weapons. She and Mercí would laugh and say "Octavius? A Hive Leader? He was so shy and nervous he would apologize to WALLS!")

Mercí tapped. 

"Im fine Dear. But you are swaying more. Are we on a ship?" Bun sighed.

"Of a kind it seems. Remember how I got to you and Coddle Drone?" Mercí nodded. Such a time was hard to talk about. Both had been recent acquisitions within Behemotta's Hive, and while Bun was basically worshiped for seeming tall and perfect, Mercí was excluded often. When the other smeets found out Bun was not as perfect as they thought... the two were ignored outright, their rations stolen. Or at least many TRIED. Bun was still Vicious as could be back then and LOP Haf apperantly made a habit of reporting Incidents to Coddle Drone. Behemotta never stood for such treatment of any smeet. Especially after her own swarm was born. "A Star ship then?" Mercí asked. Loudly and clearing talking rather than tapping as her antenna curled back up. 

"Yes I seem to have lost my space legs, what little I had of them!" Bun joked and Mercí shook her head with a fond smile, gently swiping at the laughing Bun. 

"Hush My Queen. No more of that. I know you'll readjust- My Queen? 

My Dear is there a problem?" Mercí asked as she heard Bun's breathing hitch, her damaged and barely functioning PAK Whirred dangerously, as it often did when she panicked. A little hiccup and a sniffle came from Bun.

"Red?"

Red wanted to scream when the Florpus had spat them out and he had seen an image of his missing twin in ancient garb. An illusion truely and nothing more. But the memories of Bun made him act different. He Promoted and Ort and promise public recognition for his hard work and formally apologized for his callousness. Many saw it odd.. but Red preferred that over thinking of what he had seen.. of the pain that remained. Then the security feed showed it again. 

It was Bun. Bun. Alive, well, TALL. she was dizzy and dressed weird yes but that was LOP with her. LOP which Red knew instinctively as his creation. The use of Signs, their signs, was enough to convince him this was real. 

Red cursed his legs. Cursed the tears that began to swell. Then blessed his husband for grabbing him and racing to the location. 

She turned and so much pain washed through Red. The argument before the accident. How he took every chance to spread his grief and pain across the Planet Jackers and any one of their old bullies. 

But now, Orange eyes met his and tears joined his own. 

"Red?"

"Bun. BUN!" Red yelled Leaping and grabbing his twin only to suddenly be Hefted up and spun around by Bun. 

They laughed. For the first time in Centuries the two laughed together again. 

Purple watched with a fond smile as his Best friend and his husband reunited, but was quickly startled when the shorter Irken bumped into him. Clawed hands gently tapped around his robe, careful not to touch skin or flesh. 

"Hello?" The Female irken asked. She was cheerful in tone even when nervous. 

"Hi." Purple said confused. The blindfolded Irken beamed. 

"Ah! You must be the one named Purple Bunny talked about!" She chirped. 

Purple mouthed the nickname and snickered. 

"Yeah. Bunny huh?" Purple snickered and the little Irken nodded. 

"Oh yes! Its cute like her. I'm Mercí! I take it the one who shouted for my Wife is her twin yes?" Mercí asked and Purple nodded. Only to be met with silence. 

Ah she was Blind. 

"Yes. Thats my Husband Red." Now Mercí snickered. 

"Oh yes Bun told me he was in love since smeethood with you." Mercí said then added thoughtfully. "Though she thought she was training age when she arrived. Queen Behemotta thought she was an adult at first! We spent years in the same smeet Group then got separated for training. But we shared a room at that point. Bun couldn't sleep alone."

"Yeah. After the Incident, Red moved in with me. He couldn't sleep without someone else there." Purple admitted, though he wasn't focused on that conversation anymore. 

Mercí had brought up something, well 2 somethings interesting. First, Red loved him since Smeethood, which sent his Cardio-Splooch soaring, he loved that Irken even more. 

Second. Bun being a Smeet when the Incident happened. She was Cadet age then. Did something happen? But Mercí mentioned Bun being tall enough to look like an adult. Bun had been of Average Irken Adult height at the time of the Incident. What did that mean?

LOP tugged on Purple's hand. Purple had forgotten how keen the SIR unit's observation codes were as he had picked up on Purple's confusion. Purple also noted LOP had a Translation program running. Why Purple had no idea. But LOP never dropped the program as he presented several medical charts to Purple. 

One was Bun's scans pre-Incident. They all looked Normal and healthy for a Cadet. Then post Incident. Save a Head injury and some PAK related trouble Bun was fine. The readings still looked like that of a young adult Irken as Cadets were. 

Then another of a different Irken, they had the same title of Cadet but their Biometrics showed slowed metabolism, naturally halted Splooch growth and a fully developed brain. 

Next to that one was a Scan of Mercí at the time of Bun's arrival. Save her Blindness and natural shortness, the two's basic biometrics were identical. 

Purple knew what this conclusion meant. And it made him feel sick. 

"LOP, later. After we celebrate I want you to expand on this for me. Please." LOP Nodded to Purple's request and stepped aside as Bun collided suddenly with Purple scooping him up alongside a laughing (Laughing! A genuine laugh from Red was rare and Purple felt more love for his husband in that moment than ever before.) Red. Purple heard Mercí giggle as feet barely missed her head. 

"Happy my Queen?" She asked. Purple figured he'd ask about that title later. 

"Very Darling! Lets all catch up! Mercí. My Shine I hope you don't mind if-" Mercí cut Bun off with a wave of her hand. 

"You are holding your twin dear. We have more time later. I can walk." Mercì assured Bun as Purple slid out of Bun's grasp with a Smile. 

"I can lead your wife Bun. Let's go back to our quarters and get some snacks." Purple suggested, loving how Red very vehemently signed to Bun, asking when she got Married. He gently offered a hand to Mercí, tapping her clothing gently. The smaller Irken smiled and took it. Purple lifted her up to his shoulder and followed the laughing twins down the hall. Much had changed. But oh so much hadn't. And for that Purple was Glad.

AWW!! Thank you for the submission!!

The years Bun spends with Behemotta (The living Colossus) takes place in pre-history Irk; guess we can call it the ancient-Irk au

What an adjustment for Bun.

Didn't sketch out the whole submission, but I did pencil a few post florpus sketches up until the point where Bun's presence is detected on the Massive.

Red needs his twin back at this point. The Florpus took a toll on both him and Purple.

Forgot Lop's design ^^. Tried to give him a kintsugi look.

Also, Mercí is adorable! I'm so happy for Bun, she found a pretty plump healer wife!!

Again, thank you for the submission. Hopefully this posts ^^.

[messinwitheddie]

Arduus had quite a military career. The aftermath of the Colossus's death was quite a chaotic time. He was lucky to come across hive Orrem and tallest Sula. I love their designs; their civilians are adorable.

Late Behemotta honors their hive's merger ^^

After the death of The Colossus, Behemotta, the news took months to reach the edges of her empire. However, once it did, a power struggle erupted as various newly measured Tallests began to wage war against one another. Hive Lit was one of the pieces of this fractured empire under Tallest Arduus.

Arduus had been a young general shortly before he was Tallest & managed to keep his Hive afloat for a while. After several years, he realized they began losing more & more battles than they were winning. Even raids were no longer an option as it just meant losing thousands of soldiers for what could be only a few hundred prisoners. Humiliated & exhausted from war, Hive Lit migrated from their coastal home to a tropical region where they came across Hive Orrem.

Hive Orrem was ruled by Tallest Sula & well known in the region for having females that produced more silk than what was normal. Because of this, they could afford to create lavish tapestries without worry of silk scarcity. They were often commissioned by other hives to create depictions of their Tallests & victories. While not one of the most battle oriented hives, they were one of the wealthiest with a combination of their commissions & various mines that contained precious stones & metals.

Upon the meeting of the two hives, Orrem was quick to play host to the war weary Hive. Food & clothing were provided & an emergency fertility festival was held to assist with their dwindling population. The two lived side by side for several years as Orrem provided necessary resources while Lit recovered & fought off any Hive that looked to raid Orrem while teaching them how to raise it’s own army.

Arduus eventually felt it was time to go back, though Sula was heartbroken to see him leave as the pair had become close. Plenty of provisions were packed along with a few soldiers for good measure. Along the way, Arduus raided a few hives; taking their resources & growing his army further. By the time they came back to their original home, they had the means to take back the lands they vacated. After they were settled, he sent word to Sula of their victory & asked if she wanted to combine hives. He received no word until Orrem arrived at their doorstep with a victory tapestry in Sula’s arms. From then on they were referred to as Hive Litore.

Here’s another IZ lore drop, everyone! It took a while trying to decide how Arduus would look from his armor to his facial features. Even his name took a while since I couldn’t decide on any of them until now. Originally, I was going to have Hive Orrem be a migratory hive but decided against it.

First picture is Tallest Arduus in armor. It was more of a leather-like material as metal was scarce in his region & used mainly for weapons. Next to him is a common soldier with armor & a civilian drone.

Second picture is Tallest Sula with a common drone next to her. Underneath is a birth giver & a soldier in armor.

Hope you enjoyed this & happy holidays!

[a-wanderin-whirlybird]

YEEEE AMAZING ART! Yeah its a Hell of an Adjustment. Bun had to Acclimate to Pre-History Irk and now has to reactivate to her time. She missed Red with all her soul and tried to get back home so much as a Smeet. (HC that Cadets in modern Irk are the Ancient equivalent of Like Pre-teens. LOP found out Bun, Red and Purple were all damaged by the intense training. Purple finds out and flips.)

Mercí was the only Irken in the Hive to actually listen to Bun besides Behemotta. Mercí had come from an entirely different Hive and knew how hard adjusting was. The two were friends first Lovers after.

The Kintsugi look for LOP is perfect! He was a Huge protector for Bun and Mercí (and Behemotta on one very weird occassion) and it took a toll but he stuck through it!

Pssst. Messaging system is being meant nd won't let me send you this. Enjoy a Reunion fic of Red and Bun from that Ancient Bun AU we made.

The Florpus had been hell. Purple would never call it anything else. The pain it caused was unmeasurable. Once free, Red had loudly declared not only would the Pilot who had given them warning AND taken them out was getting a major promotion. But also a public Apology and recognition.

The pilot, Ort had been surprised, expecting a lashing. Truthfully Purple expected that too. Red had never been the same since... since the incident back in their Cadet days. Pirple wondered what had occurred to cause this change. His anwser came not ten minutes lost Florpus, when the security team reported 2 intruders and the security feed came up. Purple could only blinked in shock. A whisper of the past, a giggle and orange eyes flashing across his mind as the Adult vision of Ted's Twin graced the screen. 

Bun. Was that actually her? Did the Florpus hand them their missing third back? 

She was Tall. About their height but no Corset. No stretching. All natural. She wore loose fabrics in the style of a wrapped robe, abd a Pole arm held her up the Bladed tip pointed to the ceiling as she and her cohort leaned against the wall. Said cohort was a short Fat drone, light green skinned with Blue Beetle shell chitin covering them. Their eyes were covered by a royally woven and embroidered cloth depicting some kind of ritual. They hovered on wings hidden beneath their shell checking over this Bun. 

Purple would have written this off as an effecr of the Florpus had LOP not appeared on screen. The special SIR unit was battered and patched crudely with impure metal. Many a lost languages were chiseled into his form but it was still LOP. The SIR unit Red BUILT. and it was obvious when he turned to the camera and waved in sign. In Red's Signs. 

Purple knew. Bun and Red were Hard of Hearing due to an issue with their antenna. Bun had gotten the worse of it, but Red also had a hard time hearing. So Bun had made the Red Signs. Sign language for just them three to keep up with the rest. LOP signed a short report. 

"Subject Bun, Healthy and Alive." 

Purple wanted to cry but instead grabbed Red, who had become frozen in place, and ran down to their location. His best friend and his Husband's Twin was finally back. 

Bun hissed. She knew vaguely where the anomaly landed them. She still recognized the tech of her time, though it looked as if it progressed. But she had lost her space legs in the centuries she spent amongst Coddle Drone Behemotta's Hive. It was harder to stand now and harder to keep a grasp on her surroundings. Her darling, dear Mercí was buzzing about her, tightly curled antenna unfurling to check Bun over as the Blind medic adjusted herself. "Im fine my Shine. Are you ok?" Bun asked. The ancient language she spent so long to learn flowing freely across her tongue. Mercí tapped her head in an affirmative rhythm. A dear friend Octavius, who had gone and found His Own Hive, had made a tapping language for Bun and Mercí to better communicate. (Later Bun in her own time once more, would discover that friend had founded Hive Octave. A lost Hive of female Irkens that used art as weapons. She and Mercí would laugh and say "Octavius? A Hive Leader? He was so shy and nervous he would apologize to WALLS!")

Mercí tapped. 

"Im fine Dear. But you are swaying more. Are we on a ship?" Bun sighed.

"Of a kind it seems. Remember how I got to you and Coddle Drone?" Mercí nodded. Such a time was hard to talk about. Both had been recent acquisitions within Behemotta's Hive, and while Bun was basically worshiped for seeming tall and perfect, Mercí was excluded often. When the other smeets found out Bun was not as perfect as they thought... the two were ignored outright, their rations stolen. Or at least many TRIED. Bun was still Vicious as could be back then and LOP Haf apperantly made a habit of reporting Incidents to Coddle Drone. Behemotta never stood for such treatment of any smeet. Especially after her own swarm was born. "A Star ship then?" Mercí asked. Loudly and clearing talking rather than tapping as her antenna curled back up. 

"Yes I seem to have lost my space legs, what little I had of them!" Bun joked and Mercí shook her head with a fond smile, gently swiping at the laughing Bun. 

"Hush My Queen. No more of that. I know you'll readjust- My Queen? 

My Dear is there a problem?" Mercí asked as she heard Bun's breathing hitch, her damaged and barely functioning PAK Whirred dangerously, as it often did when she panicked. A little hiccup and a sniffle came from Bun.

"Red?"

Red wanted to scream when the Florpus had spat them out and he had seen an image of his missing twin in ancient garb. An illusion truely and nothing more. But the memories of Bun made him act different. He Promoted and Ort and promise public recognition for his hard work and formally apologized for his callousness. Many saw it odd.. but Red preferred that over thinking of what he had seen.. of the pain that remained. Then the security feed showed it again. 

It was Bun. Bun. Alive, well, TALL. she was dizzy and dressed weird yes but that was LOP with her. LOP which Red knew instinctively as his creation. The use of Signs, their signs, was enough to convince him this was real. 

Red cursed his legs. Cursed the tears that began to swell. Then blessed his husband for grabbing him and racing to the location. 

She turned and so much pain washed through Red. The argument before the accident. How he took every chance to spread his grief and pain across the Planet Jackers and any one of their old bullies. 

But now, Orange eyes met his and tears joined his own. 

"Red?"

"Bun. BUN!" Red yelled Leaping and grabbing his twin only to suddenly be Hefted up and spun around by Bun. 

They laughed. For the first time in Centuries the two laughed together again. 

Purple watched with a fond smile as his Best friend and his husband reunited, but was quickly startled when the shorter Irken bumped into him. Clawed hands gently tapped around his robe, careful not to touch skin or flesh. 

"Hello?" The Female irken asked. She was cheerful in tone even when nervous. 

"Hi." Purple said confused. The blindfolded Irken beamed. 

"Ah! You must be the one named Purple Bunny talked about!" She chirped. 

Purple mouthed the nickname and snickered. 

"Yeah. Bunny huh?" Purple snickered and the little Irken nodded. 

"Oh yes! Its cute like her. I'm Mercí! I take it the one who shouted for my Wife is her twin yes?" Mercí asked and Purple nodded. Only to be met with silence. 

Ah she was Blind. 

"Yes. Thats my Husband Red." Now Mercí snickered. 

"Oh yes Bun told me he was in love since smeethood with you." Mercí said then added thoughtfully. "Though she thought she was training age when she arrived. Queen Behemotta thought she was an adult at first! We spent years in the same smeet Group then got separated for training. But we shared a room at that point. Bun couldn't sleep alone."

"Yeah. After the Incident, Red moved in with me. He couldn't sleep without someone else there." Purple admitted, though he wasn't focused on that conversation anymore. 

Mercí had brought up something, well 2 somethings interesting. First, Red loved him since Smeethood, which sent his Cardio-Splooch soaring, he loved that Irken even more. 

Second. Bun being a Smeet when the Incident happened. She was Cadet age then. Did something happen? But Mercí mentioned Bun being tall enough to look like an adult. Bun had been of Average Irken Adult height at the time of the Incident. What did that mean?

LOP tugged on Purple's hand. Purple had forgotten how keen the SIR unit's observation codes were as he had picked up on Purple's confusion. Purple also noted LOP had a Translation program running. Why Purple had no idea. But LOP never dropped the program as he presented several medical charts to Purple. 

One was Bun's scans pre-Incident. They all looked Normal and healthy for a Cadet. Then post Incident. Save a Head injury and some PAK related trouble Bun was fine. The readings still looked like that of a young adult Irken as Cadets were. 

Then another of a different Irken, they had the same title of Cadet but their Biometrics showed slowed metabolism, naturally halted Splooch growth and a fully developed brain. 

Next to that one was a Scan of Mercí at the time of Bun's arrival. Save her Blindness and natural shortness, the two's basic biometrics were identical. 

Purple knew what this conclusion meant. And it made him feel sick. 

"LOP, later. After we celebrate I want you to expand on this for me. Please." LOP Nodded to Purple's request and stepped aside as Bun collided suddenly with Purple scooping him up alongside a laughing (Laughing! A genuine laugh from Red was rare and Purple felt more love for his husband in that moment than ever before.) Red. Purple heard Mercí giggle as feet barely missed her head. 

"Happy my Queen?" She asked. Purple figured he'd ask about that title later. 

"Very Darling! Lets all catch up! Mercí. My Shine I hope you don't mind if-" Mercí cut Bun off with a wave of her hand. 

"You are holding your twin dear. We have more time later. I can walk." Mercì assured Bun as Purple slid out of Bun's grasp with a Smile. 

"I can lead your wife Bun. Let's go back to our quarters and get some snacks." Purple suggested, loving how Red very vehemently signed to Bun, asking when she got Married. He gently offered a hand to Mercí, tapping her clothing gently. The smaller Irken smiled and took it. Purple lifted her up to his shoulder and followed the laughing twins down the hall. Much had changed. But oh so much hadn't. And for that Purple was Glad.

AWW!! Thank you for the submission!!

The years Bun spends with Behemotta (The living Colossus) takes place in pre-history Irk; guess we can call it the ancient-Irk au

What an adjustment for Bun.

Didn't sketch out the whole submission, but I did pencil a few post florpus sketches up until the point where Bun's presence is detected on the Massive.

Red needs his twin back at this point. The Florpus took a toll on both him and Purple.

Forgot Lop's design ^^. Tried to give him a kintsugi look.

Also, Mercí is adorable! I'm so happy for Bun, she found a pretty plump healer wife!!

Again, thank you for the submission. Hopefully this posts ^^.