#like literally I learned how to pin insects for this

[alexei-home-fromthewar-at-last]

Anyone else have a new hyperfixation since the periodical cicada emergence in North America?

[balrogballs]

The Celebrían Stories

Thought I’d make a list of my Cel stories to pin to my page, for no reason but that I love her and love writing her — none of them are connected and feature various ships and genre, but all heavily feature my unhinged and cannot-stfu interpretation of Celebrían 😊❤️ more fics under the cut!

art my own, full pic here

The Groundswallow

She fashions two creatures from earth, water and starlight. The first is a small skylark with a tuft of black hair, whose song shakes the forest and causes Tom to shoot up in bed, swearing “that damned girl, I knew she’d do this!” as Goldberry rolled about in fits of laughter.

This is the story of a world in which a wounded Celebrían refuses to sail after her capture, and confined to The Old Forest, learns to make the earth move and flowers grow beneath her fingers. It is also a love story. [Eldritch!Celebrian, Magical Realism, Ecofiction]

The Sword Tree

Celebrían was neither warrior nor loremaster, but she hit on a truth which even the Valar closed their eyes to: that to consider pain as an unchangeable facet of existence is to lock oneself into a future of endless suffering. Violence and cruelty thrive on this belief, feeding on the resignation that nothing better can be built. But she pointed out how the biggest resistance is to imagine the world beyond this one.

Near the close of the Third Age, Celebrían and Maedhros establish a re-wilding sanctuary in Valinor, to help elves fleeing strife in Middle-Earth recover and rebuild their lives. [Celrond, Russingon, Ecofiction]

A Thousand Words in Eight

He is entirely at her mercy, as though he were a supplicant and she was divine, a wild, fallen Vala to whom he bent a knee in devotion, offering himself up as a sacrifice. There is nowhere left for him to go. In the sluggish orange light of their bedroom, Elrond realises Celebrìan has taken everything from him. His heart, his soul, his voice.

The night before she sails, wanting intimacy but needing to maintain a sense of control, Celebrìan asks to tie Elrond to the bed. He, of course, is more than obliging. [Explicit Celrond, Porn With Feelings, Bondage]

The Forest House

They had been married for so long that the two of them, Elrond-and-Celebrìan, felt just as eternal as their own souls. Like bread-and-butter in the morning or mint tea at night, like the promise of spring, unchanging in this world of fleeting things. Mismatched socks, crumbs in bed, snoring, combing out nits when the children were knee-high, the domesticity of the two of them standing strong against the despair of the world, sureness against the unsure, kindness against violence.

In TA 2510, Celebrìan asks Elrond if they could spend a weekend in the insect infested literal cabin in the woods that they had - 2500 years ago - fallen in love in, as she tells him that she must sail. [Domesticity, Catharsis, Elrond Hates Bees, one of my favourites]

Rat Within The Grain

They fell back so easily into one-personhood, into lazy, indolent mornings spent pressed together like blocks of sugar melting into each other, impossible to cool and scrape up back into separate beings.

Elrond feels out-of-sorts and displaced after his arrival in Valinor. Celebrìan, and the rest of his ridiculously confusing family, attempt to help. [Vaguely Eldritch Elrond, Celrond in Valinor, sea longing, ensemble cast]

Honey and Sunset

His amusement softens, melts into rosewater and honey; turns into the voice she has waited five hundred years to hear. The gritty, loving croon of half-awake lazy mornings when he brings her tea and then falls right back asleep, the voice he saves for his response when she digs her toe into his back and says stop snoring, ugh, I've never known an elf to snore and he turns to her, nuzzling into her neck with a single word, Peredhel.

In Aman, Celebrìan runs into a wooden foe, and Elrond must save her. [Total tooth rotting fluff, Celrond in Valinor]

Finding Celebrían

How stubbornly we all cling to the idea of staying fixed until being fixed, to the idea of a ready-made Valinor to sail to if we do well enough at life, stay still enough in the margins! How faithfully we believe that if you spend enough time being a very, very good cracked vessel, maybe one day you might feel the quiet triumph of bearing water again. Celebrían, not the Celebrían of The Footnote but my Cel, the manic pixie freakshow of Imladris, said shut the fuck up and run.

For Tolkien Meta Week — an essay on autofiction, archives, healing, and why I moved across the country after finding out Elrond Peredhel had a wife. Interesting if you enjoy my Cel, and wonder why she is the way she is.

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Literally no one asked for this, but I started thinking about the hilarious dichotomy of Sanji being with an entomologist and I decided to share my thoughts.

Sanji x Entomologist/Insect Lover Reader Headcanons

The first time you run up to him excitedly asking him to look at what you found, he eagerly turns around only to come face to face with a beetle and screams at the top of his lungs. That is the day you realize that Sanji is afraid of insects, and Sanji realizes you love them.

He cannot comprehend how you can hold so much affection for what he considers to be such vile creatures and can't help but cringe every time you pick one up, regardless of whether you're holding it up to him or not. He tries to be nice about it, he tries so hard, but you can see the pain in his eyes when you bring one too close to him.

If literally anyone else thrust a spider in his face, he would roundhouse kick them, but when you do it he will just jerk back dramatically while redirecting you by saying that Luffy or Usopp would probably like to see your find.

Your offer to deal with any insects that make their way into his kitchen leaves him conflicted. On one hand, it's great! He doesn't have to confront it now! On the other, he does feel a touch embarrassed over the idea of you having to "save him" from something like this. His trepidation goes out the window when he goes to make breakfast one morning onto to be greeted by a massive spider setting up a web in the corner of the kitchen. His relief from you catching it is cut short by you exclaiming that it's a very elusive species and proceeding to go on a long tangent while holding the spider up and pointing out interesting parts of it's anatomy and how you identified it... He wishes he would have just thrown a frying pan at it.

You two eventually find a happy medium. When you want to talk insects with him, you use books and diagrams instead of live specimens. As much as he loathes insects, he loves you, and he knows it makes you happy to share this particular interest with him. Even he has to admit that your in-depth knowledge on the subject is admirable, and he does find some of the fun facts you share to actually be fun and not nightmare inducing.

Over time, he does develop something akin to respect for certain insects. He doesn't like them by any means, but he learns to appreciate what they do for ecosystems and agriculture.

Will not budge on eating them, however. It's one thing in a desperate survival situation, but eating them just because you can is a hard no for him. It's not even that much about eating insects themselves, so much as concern for potential parasites due to insects being breeding grounds for them.

One thing he'll never relax on is you handling insects with medically significant venom. He doesn't care that you know how to grab them to stay safe, he feels like he's about to have a heart attack pleaSE PUT IT DOWN!

God help him if you keep any as pets. Being able to sleep in a bed with you is heaven, but having to hear your nocturnal insects skittering around their enclosures at night is hell. The man lives in fear of them escaping in the night and coming after him.

If your room is decorated with pinned/wet specimens, he hates it at first, but learns to live with it. Especially if you keep any as pets, because he can at least appreciate that these ones won't chase him. Over time, he'll be able to recognize that some insects can be quite interesting to look at when they're pinned. He'll even start keeping an eye out for ones that you don't have yet if he sees anyone selling them. You know he's down bad if he's doing this for you.

There is absolutely no toleration for anyone shaming you for your interest/hobby. If anyone tries to make you feel bad/weird/gross about it, they won't be for long. Even if he doesn't get it, he'll be damned before he lets anyone speak poorly of you for your passions.

You're a unique person, he won't deny that, but you're his unique person.

[moonssugar]

🌳 👁️ for the asks please!

thank you for the ask rachel!!! :3 i love doing these

🌳 share a snippet featuring nature of any kind

this is from a chapter named "fireflies" i wrote i think last year! i really love this one. my three (sam, chelsie and aubry) are sitting in the middle of this marshland in the middle of the night and aubry finally shows them that she has an ability to summon insects (and repel mosquitoes which is really useful!). she summons fireflies to light their way out of the marsh

Sam didn't make a sound except to laugh breathily. He held his arms up, watching the fireflies dart over him in a river of bioluminescent light. They were everywhere, everywhere, everywhere. The entire world was aglow in yellow-green, an even growing river of light.

👁 share a snippet where the character is very visually engaged/a snippet with description

this chapter doesn't have a name right now except "sam's house" but this is when sam and chels are earlier in their friendship and she lets him do her makeup because he's more experienced at doing it and she isn't and wants to learn. the result is beautiful. its very sweet and i can bite through drywall whenever i think about this scene it literally drives me insane

Sam’s pillow is soft under her head. Her hands folded on top of her belly, Chrysa is looking at herself in the makeup kit mirror, reading all the names of the colors and Cosmos watches closely as Sam does his magic. It is magic to Chelsie, how he knows how to do this. His magic has the full focus of his attention. Any caps or gloss and packets of glitter that fall from the edge of the bed are picked up in Kaid's teeth and placed back into Sam's hands. It usually hurts when Chelsie tries to apply eyeliner. Lots of accidental poking and tears with no results. This, what Sam is doing, doesn’t hurt at all. A thin brush moves over her eyelids and it feels cool, nice. "I used to love doing this," he began. “My mom and Fae taught me how. Mostly Fae. She used to love to doll me up all the time and she'd let me practice on her." Chelsie smiled knowingly. "Used to? I can tell, you still love doing it. That's why you're so good at it." He blushed. "Thank you. And yeah, I do still love it," he happily admitted. "But you know, the harassment." She sighed and closed her eyes. "They're assholes. And you know what? Probably jealous as well." Opening her eyes again she shifted her head on his pillow to a more cozy place. He waited for her to get comfortable, then continued. "You have the arcane magical skill they don't." That made him smile. She felt the little happiness of success. Chelsie’s attention drifted to the prints on the bedroom wall. A lot of them were things created with oil pastels and gouache, watercolor, crayon, ink, pencil on scrap paper. Many landscapes, lots of sunsets and sunrises, trees and coyotes on hills. What he had made spread across the walls beside and across from them, torn outs from sketchbooks pinned up, wood blocks with glue on the backs, a few small canvas fitted together like puzzle pieces. Where the edge of one stopped another began, ocean touching desert. In others, where one began and ended was hard to see, they phased into each other with no boundary, no beginning or end. Different worlds touching. "I can see why you like doing makeup so much. It’s kind of an art isn’t it?" Sam looked back to her from where he followed her eyes across the wall. "It is art," he said, “and right now i think it’s coming out beautifully."

fun trivia under the cut!

btw the whole insp for the makeup chapter is this LMAOO. think this but t4t

[styxnbones]

i cannot claim any great familiarity with your OCs BUT since i reblogged it from you i want to offer you this: for each character, do the two you most hope someone will ask you about them because you have the answer locked loaded and ready to go and really want to talk about it

Cass: 7. Do they have any unusual fears? It's not exactly a "fear," or least you'd never hear them call it that, but Cass has an irrational and violent dislike of mirrors. The first thing she'll do in a new hideout or haven is go around and smash any mirrors there might be. For someone who has spent almost the entirety of their undeath in a cartoon character-like static wardrobe of white long-sleeve t-shirt and black jeans, you wouldn't expect them to be particularly fussy about their looks, but the truth is that in life she was very conscious of how she presented herself. She dressed casually, but in a very precise way that gave her a lot of confidence, and since she can no longer see herself in mirrors the inability to properly check how she looks is a very very sore point.

28. Are they a #gamer? Very much so, though less through actual skill and more through the most bullshit hacks you've never even heard of. Like, Cass is the kind of person who will invade you in dark souls and get you insta-banned just by spawning in. And she loves it. Auto-aim, wall hacks, you name it she's got it, and she'll call you disconcertingly personal insults over vc (+she'll doxx you if you report her). They have a whole pc dedicated to running tf2 bots. That kind of gamer.

Kellen: 8. Do they collect anything? If so what and why?

Kel has always been really fascinated with bugs, particularly beetles, and as they got older they graduated from critter catchers, to asking for pinned beetles for birthdays, to eventually learning how to preserve their own (and also having adult money to spend on more exotic specimens). At this point, their whole basement is full of various preserved insects and is of a level of maintenance and documentation that for the purpose of their Tzimisce bane counts as part of the "museum collection" that is their charge.

37. Are they religious? If so do they have a strong sense of faith, are they uncertain, or are they somewhere in between?

They were raised catholic, and they have a lot of complicated feelings about it. In part just because, you know, catholicism, but also because their pastor growing up was also secretly a vampire who had ghouled their father before they were even born, has been using that as an in to feed off their family for literally their entire life, and would eventually be the one to turn them into a vampire too. However, despite no longer being traditionally religious, they do still consider themself a "believer" in that they ascribe to many of the suppositions christianity puts forth about the world- and what they've learned of the Book of Nod has only reinforced that. And, while they no longer see God and Jesus as worthy of their devotion, they've never quite been able to quell their faith in the guidance of a higher being and their desire to worship- so instead they have redirected those feelings towards their regnant, Bernadette.

Apollo/Leora: 16. Do they have or want kids?

Apollo was actually embraced the night his son was born. He never wanted a kid, or even a wife, but this was an era where that was necessary to protect his career in Hollywood, and she had threatened to leave him if he didn't give her a kid so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . He would then go on to accidentally drink her to death after trying to hide from her after she got home, because he had no fucking clue what was happening and was wild with hunger. He also ended up ghouling his infant son, again because he was delirious and had no idea what else to feed him but blood. Luckily for him, he was (and still is) filthy fucking rich as was able to, for the most part, cover it all up. Lily killed herself in a fit of post-partum depression, and he was going to step back from public life to raise Hector as a single father. mhm. yep. (definitely not going to start a cult of sun-worshiping vampires)

32. If they could change one thing about themselves what would it be?

Honestly, at this point, despite what she would tell you if asked, or even what she tells herself, she wants nothing more than to be human again. Go back to some semblance of a normal life, ignorant of all this crazy bullshit supernatural stuff, let the world end and just not have to worry about it. "Golconda" isn't a word she would ever dare to utter- obviously thin-bloods are the future and what she has now is the culmination of her ascendancy, but like.... why stop with being able to walk in the sunlight yk?

[schattenhonig]

In primary school, we had all these semi-exciting field trips to local people producing things like apple juice and honey, to see how it's done and learn about it. It was a field trip, so yay, but why the heck would we need to know how apple juice is made and why bees wiggle their fluffy butts?

I see now that this was actually invaluable as education goes.

Also, my uncle used to keep bees, so I learned a thing or two when we were extracting honey. So, here's my humble addition:

There is one interaction between bees and humans that actually kills bees, and it's the stinging. Their stinger has evolved as a weapon to protect the honey from other insects like wasps, which have an exo skeleton as well. Their stingers are not made for the soft skin of mammals and as such stay put once the bee stung you. But because they're not kamikaze insects, they usually want to get away from the danger they just startled and poisoned (yes, bees have poison glands), thus ripping out the stinger and sometimes even the poison gland. This is lethal for the bee, sadly.

But because beekeepers don't like to be stung and don't want the bees to die every time they take a look at the hive, they invented protective clothing and learned to use an inherent instinct of the bees: wild bee hives live in trees, which are flammable. Wax is flammable. The hive gets quite warm (bees do have an air cooling system), and since they don't like to start over just because their home tree burnt down, they take what they can, filling a special organ called the honey bladder (I hope it's called that in English, it's a literal translation) which is next to the poison gland. They lick up so much of honey that the stinger and the poison gland get pinned in place, rendering them unable to sting. I guess you don't care as much about wasps taking some of your honey when you have to evacuate.

To use this instinct, beekeepers have a special tool that emits smoke, usually fumigating tansy. Some beekeepers smoke a pipe. The bees think there's a forest fire, take all the honey they can get and don't sting, thus survive the whole thing. They return later on, putting back the honey.

And another thing: late in the summer when flowers get more scarce and the beekeeper took a lot of the honey, the bees get pampered with sugary water to rebuild their pantry.

Plus, getting their hive raided is part of their life even in nature, just think of bears. The beekeeper is usually a lot more friendly and caring.

vegans make peace with honey

no shut up do it

[shatcey]

Tᕼᕮ ᗷᖇᗩᐯᕮ Oᑎᕮ

After this conversation, a scene came to my mind. And if something gets stuck in my head, it will spin like a broken record and constantly increase in size until I write it down (how annoying). So I had no choice. I seriously think Belle is too boring for him… and he can easily switch to someone else. I almost feel sorry for this girl. Very small scene... around 500 words. Yet again… Take it as a joke, nothing more. I'm not certain I catch Gilbert's personality right thogh…

Gilbert looks down at Belle, and she cringes under his gaze.

- Why are you so afraid of me, little rabbit?

- ...

- You've done something and you think I'll get angry with you.

He put his cane under her chin, forcing her to look at him.

- You have only two options. Tell me, or I'll make you tell me...

I couldn't look at it anymore.

- Hey, stop to bully the kid!

His gaze instantly turned in my direction. The look of his single visible eye pinned me to the spot, I literally felt like some kind of insect. What the hell does he think of himself? First he bully the child, and then he threatens me. I was so angry that I didn't care less.

- Only weak people do that.

- Did you just call me weak?

- If you don't want to be called that, don't threaten the children.

He freezes for a moment and blinked.

- I'm not a child... - Belle said softly. I look at her with pity.

- You're so small, so there's not much difference...

- Hey! That's not nice...

- In case you haven't noticed, I'm trying to help you…

- Everything was fine...

- Really? Do you like being bullied? Maybe it was a foreplay? Am I interrupting something?

- That's...

While I was talking to Belle, I completely forgot about Gilbert.

- Are you seriously ignoring me now?

I look in the direction of the voice, and suddenly realize how close he is standing. How is he moving so silently? Is it a natural gift or has he learned it? I shake my head to get random thoughts out of my head and focus on the conversation.

- I'm just talking to your girl. Only children can be offended by such a small thing.

- I'm starting to think you're purposefully asking to be killed.

- Really?!? Are you really that petty?

Squeak of Belle attracts my attention.

- What now?!?

-You don't know who he is?

- Well... I've heard rumors. But I don't believe that people would kill someone without a good reason. 

- You offended me... a few times in fact...

- I've said pretty obvious things and never towards you. You drawn your own conclusions as if you wanna be offended... Is this some kind of new kink I'm not aware of?

Another pause...

- ...Where have you been?

The dreamy tone of his voice takes me by surprise.

- Wha?

- Ahm... Gil...

I glance at Belle. Something in her expression tells me she's worried. I turn to Gilbert, who continues to stare at me.

- Your girl is calling to you...

He blinks, turns around and returns to Belle with a few graceful steps.

- I am mercifully sparing your life... Be grateful!

I smirk at his remark. And he was surprised that I almost called him a child...

dividers @.saradika-graphics

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

🔝 𝕊𝕋𝔸ℝ𝕋 ℙ𝔸𝔾𝔼 🔝

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[cloudbattrolls]

Lion’s Teeth

Various Parties | Present Night

No one in Hanhai cavern noticed anything at first, on the day of the invasion.

Eggs were collected and inspected by young cavern acolytes, grubs were cared for by slightly older ones, and freshly pupated wrigglers were put through their cavern trials. Though rare now,  the luminescent moss on some of the walls shone blue and green, its soft glow cast over every passing jade.

Ozryel and her two children snuck in carefully, though the cavern’s minimal security did not prove much of a challenge. Inshii had managed to wipe their presence from the camera footage with minimal difficulty, and there had only been two guards on duty. A joke for the ancient swarms to slip past as pure insects.

Ozryel could not break into a swarm as her children could, but she made herself invisible using light-distortion tech Inshii provided. The wasp and the butterfly crept in insect by insect from the desert above, then part of them reassembled into their troll forms once they had found a quiet, unused room. 

The rest of the swarms’ bodies fluttered deeper into the caverns, staying out of the jades’ sight.

The small space had the dust of decades, if not centuries; clearly it had lain vacant for a long time. Rhyssa sniffed and coughed as she reformed her lungs, and Inshii looked desperately like they wanted to start vacuuming, but stayed focused.

“This place is as minimally defended as it seemed.” Said Inshii in a low voice. “If something goes wrong, mother, just message me or Rhyssa.”

Ozryel’s memory was starting to return, thanks to her new form, but it wasn’t perfect. Inshii had suggested she wait to invade until she had fully adjusted to her troll-like body, but their mother hadn’t wanted to hear it. 

She had glared at them, clicking her pincers, and Inshii had fallen silent. 

At least she had been more than willing to learn how to use a cellphone.

Rhyssa smiled, vicious and wide under the band covering her empty sockets.

“Found the mother grub and the orb. Shii, how’s-“

“Found that too.” Answered the false violet smoothly. 

Butterfly eyes weren’t as good as troll ones, but enough of them in one place were more than sufficient to locate the cavern’s bloodline record room.

They formed that part of themself into a crude pair of hands, enough to pull the proper filing cabinet open and flick through it to find proof of what mother had long suspected. Ever since she had been defeated by the jade who’d fought her while she’d possessed Tuuya. 

Here it was, written in faded black ink on dry, crackling paper. 

Rivali Tescin, descendant of Overseer Kotenkha. 

The troll that had shot Ozryel down. 

—

Uunive had come back. Ailene was recovering.

So, naturally, that was when Klirro had chosen to inform Tuuya of the literal worst news they’d ever gotten, ducking her head to enter the kitchen as they cooked dinner for their daughters.

Without so much as a hello she began to explain to them how Ozryel had been shot down by cavern jades, how the swarms had come to be from troll eggs…and how the worm was different from the others.

They stared at the spindly horrorterror, ears pinned back in disbelief.

“So all the swarms are…parts of her? Me most of all?”

Klirro nodded, unbothered as ever. 

“The worm is all that remains of her hope, after she became a being of rage…as long as you exist, she will as well, for you are intertwined as a whole. A swarm of minds.”

The kitchen filled with a heavy silence as Tuuya took the pan of chicken they’d been searing off its burner, the only noise the crackling of oil in the pan.

Ever since Gallen had gone silent a few nights ago, they’d assumed he’d been compromised, but nothing had happened since then. No attacks. Nothing. 

Tuuya had known it meant Ozryel was probably still alive. They just…hadn’t wanted to think about it.

“So I need to die, don’t I.” The worm swarm said, fists clenched. “This was always where it would lead?”

“It could have led in the shape of so many spirals.” Said Klirro softly. “I wish I could feel sorry for you…I know the sensation, but it isn’t within me.” 

“I wouldn’t want your pity anyway, you wretched hag.” Said Tuuya, hard and cutting. 

Then they closed their eyes a moment.

“I’ve wanted to die so many times. I know I deserve it. But my daughters…my daughters, Klirro. Not just Ailene and Uunive, either! Florah, Melina, Crimew…all my children, and I have to leave them behind? My quadrants too? All my friends? Why do I have to die when I finally want to live?”

Tuuya choked back a sob.

“But if there is no other way…if this is how we have to stop Ozryel…”

Klirro nodded.

“You have to find her, offer up her hope, so she can be whole again and ascend this planet. Ozryel will be glad to go, once she is made to. Only rage and vengeance has kept her soul anchored to Alternia. She has hated being solid flesh, heavy and complex.”

Tuuya was quiet as they served the chicken onto two separate plates, putting a lid over the remainder in the pan so it would stay warm if either girl wanted seconds.

“So did I, Klirro. So did I.”

—

Ashwat knelt by the little shrine she hadn’t touched in ages, one that had been a fixture in her room since she was young. 

Daudre had told her some time back that Uunive was alive, but she wasn’t coming home any time soon.

They’d said they couldn’t explain why, all fidgety and anxious. Said they’d felt bad.

She’d looked at them, not saying a thing. What sort of things could anyone say to cover the big old gap that had opened between them? When Daudre was holding back like this?

She wasn’t a wriggler anymore. She’d told them she’d care about Uni no matter what. Hadn’t they believed her?

So she’d left, silent, that silence following her through the halls as she’d walked away from her older friend, sinking into her skin and her bones. 

It stayed even now, her room quiet aside from her lusus’s soft snores.

Now she placed a few marbles and polished stones at the base of her small mother grub statue. She bowed her head, curly undercut shifting with the movement. 

She’d never been much of one for prayer. She was good at getting things done with her own two hands, yeah? She respected the mother goddess, but she’d rather rely on herself. 

She couldn’t now, not entirely. She needed help.

The sandstone statue gazed at her impassively as she murmured a few prayers.

A white butterfly - all pale, even its body - fluttered over to land on it. Ashwat blinked. Was it a sign?

The butterfly watched her, proboscis coiling and uncoiling, and she had the strangest sensation it could really see her, could understand she was a person.

How had a butterfly gotten in from the surface, anyway? They didn’t usually make it this far down.

Others appeared as well, a small cloud of them, and she blinked again, wondering if she should tell the matrons about this…

The bugs flew at her, and Ashwat yelled as they began to pierce her skin, sucking her blood.

With a bark and a snarl, her lusus leapt at the swarm, scattering them and snapping a few in two with her jaws. The surviving butterflies attacked the komodor instead, and Ashwat stood frozen for a moment, horrorstruck.

Then she ran out of her room. She had to warn the others.

If it wasn’t already too late.

—

Hirudo looked at the entrance to the desert cavern. Two troll guards? What a joke. They might as well have protected the place with scarecrows.

She and her coven made quick work of them, wiping off their mouths as they shared the blood between the three of them. Shame there hadn’t been more, really.

Shame Klirro wasn’t here yet either, but Hirudo knew she’d come.

“It’s so damn hot here.” Muttered Neffie between feeding, swatting a fly with her hand as Joey’s pedipalps twitched in slight amusement. 

“Can’t we go down already? I want to give that wasp bitch a piece of my mind.”

“It’s not just her.” The leech drinker reminded her friend. “The butterfly’s down there too, and according to Klirro, they’re a lot smarter than Rhyssa is. Not to mention Ozryel herself.”

“Whatever.” Muttered Joey. “I just want to get this over with.”

“We will. First we need to not get torn apart.”

Screams echoed up from the tunnels below, and all three undead stood up sharply, even Neffie as she finished her last swallow of blood from a guard’s corpse.

Hirudo gritted her teeth. She was hardly in a hurry to save some random jades, but given what Klirro had warned her about, if the swarms got too powerful from fresh blood, and if Ozryel made it to the mother grub before she was stopped…

She sighed. 

“We’re moving in.” Declared the fuchsia.

“Wh-what?” Stuttered Neffie. “Are you crazy? We fought Tuuya by ourselves and couldn’t win! You want to go up against two of them and their mom without backup?”

“We have the weapons Klirro gave us.” Said Hirudo in a voice of forced calm. “That’s going to have to be enough.”

Not waiting for any further protests, the coven leader began striding down into the caves.

��

Somehow, Ashwat had found Daudre amidst the bloody chaos now unfolding across the entire cavern. 

She’d run from wasps and butterflies, had to avert her eyes from trolls being eaten alive, had to beat back more insects with her taser strife and watched as they fell, smoking, as she bled from a hundred small wounds.

She didn’t know what had happened to her lusus. 

She didn’t want to think about it.

Now she and Daudre huddled in a locked room as screams still sounded outside, having nearly fallen to the wasps that had been hiding there. There had only been a few, but both of them were bloodied and weary. Neither jade was a fighter.

The genet troll, their lusus trembling at their feet, pulled out their phone to call Rivali.

It went to voicemail, and they groaned softly. They dialed a different number.

“Tuuya.” They said quickly and hoarsely as their call was answered. “We’ve been invaded. Ozryel and two of her children. I don’t know what they want, aside from killing us all, but we need help and I can’t reach Rivali. We need you and anyone else you can bring. I -“

Footsteps outside the door. Daudre cut their call short.

Ashwat and her friend breathed as softly as they could.

The door was wrenched open. 

A fuchsia of all people stood in front of it, and both jades’ mouths hung open in shock as they noticed the rust and - another jade, one neither of them knew - standing with her, all three looking grim and battered.

“You know Tuuya? Come with us.” Ordered the seadweller, and neither jade dared disobey as they scrambled to their feet.

—

The worm swarm held their phone in their hand dumbly after Daudre had cut out, realizing with a chill throughout their writhing insides what must be happening.

What Ozryel was doing at this very moment. 

Trembling, Tuuya dialed a number they had never had great enough need to call before.

They breathed a sigh of relief when they were answered by a familiar tone, gruff and suspicious as usual.

“Platar. I need a favor.”

END

[sinfullyrosey]

[Insert Clever Title]

There aren’t nearly enough fics focused on Yuu/MC/Reader being nonhuman and their interactions with the other human and nonhuman characters. I say that, and yet, I’ve barely written any myself. But I still wanted to contribute, so here are a few ideas I’ve come up with. Feel free to share your own or even use these as prompts. All I ask is to be informed so I can see.

 Lioness!Reader being the betrothed to Leona since they were little and having playdates. Reader loved to playfight with him and would always pin him (like Nala did to Simba). The relationship is basically just like Darek and Odette’s with the whole This is Not My Idea song up until they’re young adults. Leona is in denial of having fallen for you, but can’t help but admire how strong and beautiful you’ve become.

Mushroom Fae!Reader constantly feeling the looming presence of a certain eel follow them around, asking rather strange or invasive questions. It doesn’t help that you’re much shorter than most of the other students, so your legs can’t outrun the much taller student. Eventually, the two of you start to grow closer and the roles are reversed. Now you’re the one following him around and demanding attention due to his greenthumb towards fungi.

Rat/Cayote!Reader having a rivalry with Ruggie, as both grew up poor and had to scavenge for their meals. Reader often would swipe the last sandwich during lunch and Ruggie would pluck every edible plant before you could. However, after you fell ill and were bedridden, Ruggie, surprisingly, left you a bowl of soup, his grandma’s special recipe. After that the two of you become quite the nuisance duo.

((Warning: Gore Mention)) Sea Cucumber!Reader being squeezed by Floyd, only to accidently force them to spit up their organs and other innards, horrifying both him and every nearby student. Reader merely coughs and says they’re fine and can just grow them back, or they can just shovel the old ones back in. Floyd is super over the top gentle towards you after that.

Persian Cat!Reader being one of Vil’s favorite dormmates because of how much you love to be pampered. You’re the most well behaved and spoiled, constantly demanding Vil’s time and attention. You tend to annoy Epel and lose your temper when he picks fights with you, leading to Vil having to scold both of you.

Crow Harpy!Reader absolutely loving any and all things shiny and just swiping jewelry, silverware, and coins from anyone that’s not careful. You eventually taking a liking to Kalim, what with all this jewelry and sunshiny self. He’s more than happy to give you little trinkets and pieces of treasure, while you thank him by preening him affectionately. Eventually, you decide to show him your nest hoard and tell him he’s your greatest treasure.

Insect Fae!Reader terrorizing Jamil, because of course you would.

Orca!Reader terrorizing the Octatrio because killer whales are dicks of the sea and will literally torment their prey for the hell of it and those three need to be taught some manners. Or, alternatively, you work at the Lounge as a bouncer and terrorize everyone else. Either way, somebody is gonna end up your own personal beach ball to throw around.

Just straight up an Eldritch Horror!Reader that takes on the form of an average, unassuming human. Pretends to be normal and weak to not draw attention to yourself, but eventually it slips out here and there the more comfortable you get towards everyone. Your favorite form of affection is when you just unhinge your entire jaw and gently bite down on someone’s head like some extremely weird form of a kiss. Vil especially hates it because how dare you ruin his makeup and hair you interdimensional potato??? ADeuce are the first to learn of your true form and are used to whatever weird, new thing they witness you doing now. Malleus and Lilia are fascinated if anything, if not a bit curious to know if you could actually take either of them on. You also have full on hurled Rook across the track field at least once since he learned of your true form (he provoked you so it’s deserved).

[absolute-flaming-trash]

This is the most self indulgent I've ever been, and this very much not for people who get grossed out by bugs.

It's also the result of a wonderful conversation with @after-witch when we were up to "no good bug stuff"

Pairing: Mahito x Reader

SFW, Horror

Word Count: 1'879

Warnings: Budding yandere behaviour, Insects, Gore, Torture (not reader, at least physically), Victim blaming, Mahito's experiments are their own warning

There was no way you could’ve known what would come from meeting someone like Mahito.

It was an interaction born out of innocence, at least on your part. A naivete that only presented itself when you were in the element of pursuing your favourite pastime.

He could have ignored you - left you to your own devices and let you carry on with your life, but instead he engaged you directly; overcome with a joy that held more than just curiosity, and it all started with a question you were now incredibly familiar with, both in and outside of your home.

“What are you doing?”

You were hunched somewhat awkwardly over your desk, full attention on the insect in front of you.

“I’m trying to get the elytra out for display.” Your words were slightly muffled by the two thin pins held between your lips. “And it’s being a pain in the ass.”

He hovered over you with his chin pressed uncomfortably against your shoulder as he watched you spread the outer covering of the bright green beetle you had pinned on a piece of styrofoam - revealing the glossy, transparent wing underneath.

“You’re in my light.”

He didn’t budge, but you could feel the movement in his cheeks as he smiled.

“So this one is dead, right?”

“I wouldn’t be working on it if it wasn’t, I left it in the kill-jar for nearly twelve hours.” You grunted in frustration when the elytra snapped back over the wing. “Remember, beetles take longer to die.”

“Why?”

“Because their exoskeleton is thicker.”

“Why?”

“It acts like armor.”

“Why?”

“To protect their insides.”

“Why?”

“Mahito, do you want me to finish this so we can go back out, or not?”

The sharpness of his giggle right in your ear made you flinch and lose your grip on the elytra for the nth time in a row. You shot him a quick glare out of the corner of your eye.

“Seriously, the sooner I get this done, the sooner I can show you where to find beetles for your own collection.”

One of his hands appeared in your vision and held the elytra in place long enough for you to place a pin down.

“Thank you.”

He hummed and watched you put the final touches on the insect display, still smothering you with his presence. You had yet to voice your discomfort despite the fact he was quite literally breathing down your neck.

To say Mahito took some getting used to was an understatement, but part of you didn’t mind. It felt good to have someone so genuinely interested in your hobbies instead of becoming immediately disgusted whenever the topic was brought up. His pure, unwavering delight to learn everything you had to offer was something you treasured greatly, and it was enough to make you tolerate the majority of his behaviour.

Otherwise you’d say his enthusiasm was bathed in enough red flags to make a blanket.

“Okay.” you took the leftover pins from between your lips and placed them back in their respective vial. “I just need to prime the kill-jar, and then we can go.”

His smile widened against your neck and he finally backed off enough that you could move unrestricted.

“What are you using?”

“Do you seriously not remember, or do you just want to listen to me explain again?”

There was no true malice in your tone when you turned to face him with an eyebrow raised, the smile on your face was enough to discredit that entirely. He sat on a semi-cleared corner of your desk, crumpling whatever papers that were laid out underneath his weight as he picked up a small, clear vial that contained a yellow tinged liquid.

The way he eyed it reminded you of how a cat looked at christmas ornaments.

“I don’t remember you using this.”

“That’s because I normally don’t.” You plucked the vial from his fingers, ignoring Mahito’s child-like whine that followed as you opened a medium sized jar, replacing the old sponge at the bottom with a new one. “I can’t get new acetone until my campus opens back up on Monday, so I’m using nail polish remover as a substitute.”

“Does it affect the bugs differently?”

“Not really.” The sponge grew marginally in size from the few drops of liquid. “Depending on the brand, I might have to use a little more than what I usually would.”

He took the vial from you again once you were done and held it up to his face, the stitches on his skin contorting with the faces he made..

You had never asked about them - assuming only some kind of terrible accident could possibly result in such a unique and admittedly corpse-like appearance.

“Okay.” You tightened the lid on the jar then tossed it up a few inches in the air, catching and gripping it eagerly. “Are you good to go?”

The skin around his eyes crinkled in an expression you saw every time he got particularly excited about something.

“Oh yes.”

You grabbed your net and slung it over your shoulder as the two of you walked out of your home and onto the streets of Tokyo. “If we can’t find any beetles, we’ll go hunting for butterflies.” You beamed, a bit of laughter following your words. “That way you’ll finally have one of your own and you can stop messing with mine.”

“Actually…” Mahito hooked his arm around your elbow and pulled you against him. You had to tighten your grip on the jar to keep it from falling. “I want to take a little detour before we catch anything else.”

The direction he turned was the opposite of the park you had in mind, and while you weren’t exactly an expert on the layout of Japan, the way he was leading you was more towards the industrial side of the city than any parks you knew of.

You frowned a little.

“I want you to know if you’re taking me to some place to kill me, I will fight back.”

Your flat, monotonous tone was met with a snigger.

“It’s a surprise.” He paused briefly, giggling to himself a little more before adding onto his sentence in a moment of after-thought. “I think you’ll get a kick out of it.”

He stared down at you and the amount of mirth swimming amongst the blue and gray sent a pang of anxiety through your gut. You weren’t really one for surprises.

“And this kick can’t wait until we have some bugs?”

“Nope.” He popped the P as he led you further into the bowels of the city.

Quite literally.

Eventually he stopped in front of a broken grate that led into a drainage system, and gestured towards it.

“After you.”

You hesitated, but obliged and rested your net against the stone wall beside the opening before you hunched over to enter through the rusted gap of broken metal - the kill-jar still clasped firmly in your hand out of protective habit.

The net would be easy enough to replace if it got stolen during this little side-quest, but the jar… not so much. You had only just found one that was the perfect size for transport and quality control for your beloved insects, and you weren’t very keen on repeating the search anytime soon.

The tunnels were slick and slimy to the touch, so you reserved to hovering your arms in the air for balance as you pushed forwards.

It was terribly dark. What little light existed came from an area a few dozen yards ahead, and you headed for it without question - anxious to get whatever Mahito was so excited about over with.

“I do hope you like it.” Mahito’s voice wasn’t far behind you, maybe two feet at the most. “You’ve been a wonderful teacher.”

As you rounded the corner into the light, the smell hit you before you saw them, so it took a moment to register the scene in front of you.

The jar shattered into pieces on the ground as you brought your hands up to your mouth in horror.

They were everywhere. Humans, or what was left of them, strung up in various poses along the walls of the sewer. The stink of iron hung heavy in the air and you were overcome with a wave of nausea when one of them moved against the pieces of metal that held them in place.

They were still alive.

“I tried to apply everything you taught me.” Mahito’s overly excited voice echoed off the walls as he came in behind you - pushing you further into his lair when you wouldn’t move out of the way. “Although humans are a bit more fickle than your little bugs.”

He left you in the center of the room and walked over to one of his victims, their chest barely rising and falling - and that in itself was a miracle. To call them human anymore was wrong. Their limbs had been reshaped to mimic that of a cricket while the skin of their back had been flayed open to crudely resemble the wings of a butterfly.

The first tears fell when their warbled cries filled the room and your ears registered two pitiful words.

‘Kill me’

Mahito’s own expression briefly drooped in response to the plea for mercy, but his haunting look of unadulterated glee was quickly restored.

“Your advice on using acetone to kill them doesn’t work very well.” Mahito’s tone was chastising, but his smile betrayed his true emotions. “At the most it just makes them pass out. Not the most effective poison for my own specimens, I’m afraid.”

He flicked the makeshift “wings” before he made his way back over to you, and your stomach lurched in response. Your mouth opened and closed repeatedly as your mind raced to come up with some kind of retort.

The scientist in you wanted to point out the fact acetone would never even come close to killing a human, but that was the very least of the current issue here. Outright calling him a monster didn’t feel like enough… He had taken your passion and knowledge and twisted it into something perverted. Disgusting. Something shockingly evil and vile.

He cooed mockingly and the sound dissolved into giggles as he brought his fingers up to pinch your cheeks so your lips squished together under the pressure. “You look like a fish.”

You yanked your head back violently and you shot him the most scathing look you could possibly muster.

“You’re a fucking abomination to this Earth.”

“Oh come on, you’re being such a downer.” He threw an arm over your shoulders and pulled you to him in a crushingly tight embrace. One that was far more smothering than any of his previous advances could ever be.

“I did this all for you. After all, it wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn't met you.”

On second thought, evil wasn’t right either. It implied there was some level of good that existed - something in his soul that could be redeemed, but that didn’t exist in Mahito.

Inhuman felt better. Correct in the most terrible of ways.

A reality that sunk in far too late as he pressed his lips against your tear-stained cheek.

© absolute-flaming-trash 2022. Do not repost, modify, copy, or claim.

Taglist: @prettycutebunny, @sai-my-beloved, @we-are-so-close, @shorkbrian, @biby-24k, @forcefulkitten, @siphite

[after-witch]

You Can Run [Yandere Sesshoumaru x Reader]

Title: You Can Run [Yandere Sesshoumaru x Reader]

Synopsis: For request “Could you maybe do something with Sesshomaru? Maybe his ‘darling’ trying to escape not knowing that it would literally be impossible?”

Word count: 1700ish

notes: yandere, kidnapping

Planning an escape when you are constantly being watched, constantly surrounded, is not the easiest of tasks. You know this, because you have been planning an escape from the demon lord Sesshoumaru for many days now. It wasn’t an easy decision. He once threatened to kill you if you ever tried to leave, and you don’t know if he means it--but he doesn’t seem the type to make idle threats, imposing and stoic as he is, which is all the more why your plans simply cannot fail.

You have to leave. You have to get home to your family. You have to regain your freedom and your normal life. And since he has no intention of letting you go, escape is the only way you can take back control of your fate.

So you planned, and planned, and bit by bit prepared yourself to leave. Every few days, you snuck a provision or two into a bag you’ve tucked into your clothing--nothing big, nothing Rin or Jaken or (if he deigned to deal with those everyday tasks, which he doesn’t) Sesshoumaru would ever notice. Dried meat here, a fire stone there, extra cloth, a needle for repairs. Little things, but important, if you were ever to make it home in one piece.

Of course, you’re no hardy traveler, no world-weary merchant or soldier who is used to life on the road, but the seemingly endless days and nights you’ve spent captive in his presence have hardened you a bit. Your feet are used to walking (and walking, and walking); you know how to make a fire more readily than you ever did in your village, where your parents or elder brother were only too happy to step in when you fumbled with the tools; and you’ve learned to be more aware of sounds in the forest, how to find clean water, where to fish and how to keep yourself warm when the darkness brings chilly air.

I can do this, you think, every time you feel your mind begin to falter. Every time you catch him staring at you, as if he can read your thoughts, as if he knows what you’re planning and he’s waiting for you to take that first step away from camp to grab you and snap your neck or worse.

I can do this, every time you take advantage of Jaken’s distraction to grab something you’ll need. The knife was your biggest feat, the last thing on your mental list; and you swear you can feel it burning against your skin, a warning that it was too risky and he’ll notice and you’ll be caught and--no, no, no, you think.

I can do this.

**

Your heart is hammering so violently that you’re briefly afraid that it will wake someone up. It won’t, you know--but that doesn’t make your nerves any less shaky or make you feel any safer. Your eyes do another sweep of the campsite as you slip off your footwear and tuck them into your bag, now full and slung over your shoulder.

Rin is sleeping peacefully, and your heart felt a pang of guilt when you’d slowly removed her arm from around your stomach--cuddled close, as she’d started doing recently. You do care for her, poor thing that she is, but you have to care for your freedom more. Jaken is sleeping… well, like Jaken--snoring and occasionally mumbling and clawing at the air. But the biggest obstacle to your potential escape is what worries you the most: Sesshoumaru. He’s leaning against the nearby tree, eyes closed, body passive and prone. Is he sleeping? Resting? The thoughts come in rapid flickers, terrified bursts that tempt you to lay your head back down and forget you ever began plotting to run.

But the temptation is overcome by the slow, dreaded visions of the future. Were you to be his unwilling travel companion forever? He would never say why, exactly, he’d taken you--would never tell you what he was going to do with you or when (if ever, if never) this would reach an end.

So you took the chance. And took a wary step. No movement from the demon lord. You took another step. Still, nothing--no, a breath, an easy one, careless. He must be sleeping. He must be sleeping. You take another step and another until you’re away from the flickering fire and instead in the woods, dark and loud with the sound of insects and animals. You slip on your shoes to protect your feet and pull out the pilfered knife, just in case. The moon above is round and glorious and you silently thank it for lighting your way. You needed to be able to see, to get as far away as possible, particularly during the first few nights of your barely-tangible freedom.

It’s thrilling. It’s terrifying. You could die out here, well before you make it home. You’re well-aware, now more than ever, of the potential dangers in the forest--of the potential dangers in the world. Yet you can’t help but think, as you push aside brush and ignore the itching of insect bites, would it not be better to be killed by a wolf or drown crossing a river than to be forced under the will of a demon lord?

You forge ahead, each step filling you with a shaky confidence. You’d done it. You’d gotten away. When the moon disappears and the sky turns its beautiful colorful shades to prepare for the rising sun, you feel something akin to happiness wash over you. Surely you’d gotten far enough that they couldn’t catch up right away, surely so--and you decide to take a rest in a natural clearing.

You sit against a rock and finally pay attention to the rumbling of your stomach. You had barely eaten the night before, too nervous to keep anything down. You don’t want to start a fire--you’re not that far away, you remind yourself--so you pull out a piece of cold, dried meat and take a bite. Maybe you can find a river soon to quench your thirst. Maybe you’ll even be able to catch a fish or two, though cooking them would have to wait.

And then, a branch snaps. Hard. You tense. A wolf? A bear? Your hands slowly reach for the knife you’d set on the ground. Could you fight off an animal with such a small weapon? Or would your theory about it being better to die at the hands of an animal be haunting you so quickly?

No, no, no. Your vision begins to blur in panic as the familiar visage of Sesshoumaru steps out of the trees. White--and red. And angry.

You manage to stand, legs quaking, the knife falling from hands that you can’t control, and you turn to run when you see that the white of his eyes have become a terrible blood-red. He’s going to kill you. The thought rushes through you--Is it better to die by the hands of the demon lord than to be his unwilling captive?

Your body moves of its own accord but it doesn’t matter, because you don’t take but a half-step when you feel him harshly yank you backwards by your hair. You tumble to the ground with a cry and he swoops down, pinning you to the forest floor with his claws.

His breath is hot and he practically spits as the words tear out of his throat, low and violent: “What did you think you were doing, human?”

His eyes are even more horrible up close, and your mind tries to think of chants, of prayers. His claws tighten at your wrists and you know you have to say something, though nothing will spare you from the death that you know is coming. Your body is trembling so wildly that your teeth knock together when you answer.

“I was going home. I was getting away from you. You--you can’t keep me.” You’re going to die, so you may as well be honest. At least you’ll die with a pure mind.

“Of course I can,” he hisses. “I will keep you, and you will listen, and you will stop being such a damned annoyance.” And just like that, his tirade over, his red eyes fade, returning to their impassive coolness. The air feels less heavy and you can breathe. But he doesn’t let you up right away, and stays uncomfortably close to you as you lay prone on the ground.

“The sooner you stop being foolish, the better.”

You don’t know what to say. He gets up, then, and stares down at you.

“Get up. We’re going back. I will think of a punishment later.”

He’s not going to kill you. You don’t know why. He’s going to keep you. And you don’t know why.

The will to live overpowers anything else, though, and your force your shaky body to get up off the ground. You glance at your bag, at the knife you’d dropped earlier, and Sesshoumaru merely stares as you gather up your supplies. Waste not, want not, you suppose.

He begins walking away from the clearing, back into the forest, and you have no choice but to follow. Your newfound freedom is already gone. You feel deflated. You feel more helpless than ever. What went wrong? Was he awake when you ran? Did you leave tracks, unknowingly, perhaps with your shoes? You have to know.

"Lord Sesshoumaru?”

He doesn’t answer, and you stare at the back of his head as he walks with an ease through the forest you’d taken much longer to navigate.

“How did you find me so quickly?”

He stops for a moment, just a second, before continuing on.

“I tracked your scent,” he says, without bothering to look back. “ I marked you a long time ago. I’ll always find you, no matter where you go. Remember that, human. ”

Ah, you think.

I can’t run.

[puffdragongirl]

51, 42, 39, 32, 30, 26, 21 (…wasp specific?)

Thank you <3!!

Since you said wasp-specific, I will try to stick to those with my answers!

51. Most interesting parasite

I'm going to go with hyperparasites for this. Hyperparasites are parasitic wasps that parasitize other parasites. (Say that 10 times fast).

Basically, imagine you have a caterpillar that gets attacked by a parasitic wasp. The parasite's egg hatches, and it starts to eat the caterpillar from the inside out. The hyperparasite would then find the parasitized caterpillar, and lay its egg inside of the parasite inside of the caterpillar. The hyperparasite then eats the parasite that is eating the caterpillar.

Bonkers. Nature is metal.

42. Most interesting human/bug interaction

Hm.... I'm going to go for how people are absolutely terrified of cicada killers. Cicada killers are big honking wasp friends, here is one for an example (courtesy of dirt doctor):

So yeah, people see these powerful ladies flying around and are like "AHHHHHHH! IT'S GOING TO KILL ME!"

But - these ladies are about the least aggressive wasp friends one could imagine. You can literally pick them up and hold them and she will be like "hey hello please let me go". Like you physically have to be trying to kill them to get them to sting you.

The only critters that should worry about Cicada Killer ladies are cicadas, and they should absolutely worry because these ladies will fuck up their day. Video evidence of cicada killer being an absolute badass can be found here.

39 Favorite depiction of bugs in media

Hands down old cheesy science fiction movies. I mean look at this (courtesy of IMDb):

32 Favorite fruit fly gene or mutation (since this is specifically calling out Drosophila I won't have a wasp answer)

Antennapedia - it is a HOX gene (i.e., a body plan gene) that controls what body part develops where. This mutant grows legs where antennae should be, hence the name:

30. Favorite instance of mimicry

Flies trying to benefit off of the badass reputation of bees. Look at this fly I collected:

I was ABSOLUTELY convinced it was a bumble in the field. BUT NO, once I went to pin them I learned that I had been tricked like a loser.

PS you can tell fly from wasp by the wing number. Flies have only one full pair of wings and their hindwings are a structure called a haltere.

26 Favorite bug that lives in your region.

The redheaded pine sawfly, Neodiprion lecontei <3

(No one is surprised)

21. Advice you'd give someone afraid of bugs.

I was afraid of bugs when I was little because I did not understand them. I think the more you learn about them, the more you understand that 99% of the time they mess with you is because you messed with them (i.e., trying to squash them or getting too close to their nesting area/home). Also, you start to see how incredible and diverse insects are, and how many very important roles they play on the planet, so if nothing else, you can gain an appreciation/respect for them. :)

On a practical level - just go hang out with bugs for a while and you will gradually stop being afraid of them via continuous exposure.

[mommymooze]

A Lesson in Beekeeping

Claude x reader

Warning: bee sex discussed. Honeybees. Bee Stings. The noble worker bee giving up her life for the hive

  Today is a free day. Free from classes and studying and homework. Everyone needs time to themselves to relax and do what interests them. You’re deep in the woods near the monastery, collecting plants, seeds, flowers and mushrooms. Your restful time alone is interrupted as Claude, your house leader, has found you.

“What’s a little girl like you doing out in the dark spooky woods? You better watch out for big bad wolves!” Claude laughs.

“I’m not Lys. This isn’t frightening.  The higher altitude and specific climate divergence varies greatly from what I am accustomed to, as well as the flora has specific diverse qualities that interest me.”

“No need to go all Linhardt on me.” The dark haired male backpedals.

“New place, new plants.” You translate.

“You’re not going to complain about being called little?” Claude elbows you, digging for a reaction.

You roll your eyes. “My stature is undisputed. 95% of the student body is taller than I am. As time passes, the percentage pullulates.”

“So now what am I going to pick on?” Claude shrugs.

“Your pants, most likely, you’re standing amongst cockleburs.” You grin.

Pulling your notebook out, you scribble something on a page, stuffing a few leaves in the book before you return it to your pocket.

The next day, Professor Byleth makes an announcement to the class. “The kitchen is in need of anyone who is familiar with collecting honey or bees.” She continues to read the note and frowns. “Honeybuns no longer available in the kitchen.” She looks panicked.

Dorothea, recently recruited into the house raises her hand. “Ferdinand is much like a bee, send him!”

You raise your hand. “I will assist.” You do not mind missing the afternoon class for weapons training and maintenance, since you are a mage, it does not interest you.

“I’ll give it a shot.” Claude throws his hat into the ring.

“You guys are creepy, wanting to play with bugs.” Lysithia snipes.

Class ends and everyone heads out for lunch. Byleth thanks you and Claude for saving the honey buns.

You finish lunch quickly and head to the back entrance of the Kitchens. Martha greets you and hands you a few buckets and sharp knives. They don’t really have the beekeeping equipment, the keeper left suddenly due to his mother becoming ill.

“Looks like we’re going to have to improvise.” You groan.

“To be honest, I’ve never done this before. Always willing to learn something new though.” Claude confesses.

You frown at him. “You’re just curious because their stings contain poison.”

Claude looks away.

You run over to the Golden Deer lunch table. “Professor, we’re going to need assistance gathering equipment together. I’m going to leave the buckets and knives here, if anyone can add to it bring it here. Dorothea, do you have any stiff wide brimmed hats? I need 2. Leonie, can you bring some scissors, needles, thread and thick twine string or cord. Going to need about 3-4 meters. Does anyone have any thick extra leather gloves? Especially if you don’t want them back because they are going to get messy. A pair for me and a pair for Claude. We also need 2 white long sleeved shirts. Ignatz, if you have a spare that would be wonderful. Need one for Claude too unless he has one.”

You run off to the marketplace to find some dark black diamond netting with the smallest holes you could find. Back at the dining hall the Deer have done the deed and all needed items are acquired.

You create a beekeepers veil from the hat, stitching the netting around the brim of each hat. Wearing the long sleeved shirt you put the hat on, then tie the hat itself on with it’s ribbons so it won’t fall off when you bend over. Then you tie the string over the veil around your neck so that the string goes under the collar of the shirt. Putting on the gloves, you stuff the cuffs inside then wrap the open end of the gloves shut with gauze, pinning then tying it with more string.  At the bottom of your pants you tie them around your ankles keeping them close over your socks. You take extra string and wrap them around bundles of semi dry weeds you pilfered from the compost pile.

You are ready for the battle of the bees.

“How do you know all this?” Claude asks as you head out around the walls of the monastery. The bees are located around the back by the fruit trees.

“Grew up a farmer. Brothers wrangled the larger animals. I was stuck with smaller ones. Chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits and bees. Need bees to pollenate fruit trees.”

“An expert on the birds and bees. Got it!” Claude grins.

“Have you ever been stung by a honeybee?” You ask him.

“Dunno. I’ve been stung by all kinds of bees. Black ones, yellow and black, black and white.” He shrugs.

“Claude! Just like every four legged animal is not just a horse, every flying insect is not necessarily a bee!!” You chastise him. “Honeybees are mostly non-threatening unless you are invading their home or disturb them while they gather nectar.” You stop at a nearby flowering bush. “This bush has all sorts of insects on it.” You take the sharp knife and point at a few different ones identifying them. Bluebottle fly, paper wasp, hornet, sweat bee, carpenter bee, bumblebee and finally honey bee.

“Most of the stinging insects have a sharp, smooth, pointy stinger, like Felix’s sword. The honeybee has a barb at the end of its stinger. Think of Byleth’s fishhook. The smooth stingers, can sting multiple times each putting a little poison in. Honeybees, when they sting, their barb gets stuck in your skin, and it rips off their stinger. When the stinger rips out, the poison sac comes along with it. The bee then dies, they are literally giving their life protecting their homes. Never use your fingers to grab the stinger to remove it, you are squeezing more poison into you. Scrape it off with the blade of the knife.”

“Good to know.” The archer nods.

“We are headed out to work on the bees. As soon as you notice you have been stung, we move away and make sure it won’t kill you. If it itches or swells a little, that’s normal. If you swell up to 10 times your normal size and stop breathing, you’re allergic.” You warn.

“Understood.” The Deer’s leaderman nods.

  At the middle of the orchards are several different tables and boxes.  You put the knife and bucket on the table. Inside of the boxes, with the front completely open, are what look like upside down baskets. They have a small hole in front that the bees are going in and out of at a fast rate.

“First we need smoke.” You instruct, taking out a bundle of semi dry weeds, lighting the ends with fire magic until most of the ends catch fire, then you blow the fire out. The weeds give off lots of smoke.

You tell Claude to wait by the table. You quickly go in front of a hive and lift it, pulling it out of the boxlike shelf and placing it on the table. You lift the hive pulling it to the edge of the table and let the smoke go into the hive for 30 seconds or so.

“Smoke gives the bees something to do besides chase you. When bees smell smoke, they think there is a fire in the hive. That means they have to grab what they can and get ready to leave. The bees are filling their stomachs as fast as they can and will fly off when the heat is too much.  Another benefit of this is the bees will have a full stomach and are less likely to sting you. The bee has to curl its body to the front of it to sting you, like bending itself into a letter C. That is much harder to do when its gut is full, less likely to sting.”

You look underneath again There are several rows of beeswax combs hanging down with bees crawling all over them many bees face first into cells eating. You squat down low so you can look up into the hive. The white beeswax comb on the outside looks like it is empty, the next section of comb looks like it has some nectar or honey in it, and the one after that looks like it is fat with honey that has been covered over by the bees.

“Ok. This is a skep, we try to get bees to build their hives in them. It is thick rope that is bound together in sort of a bell or upside down pot shape. The bees start at the top and attach wax to the top, then create these combs. The combs are built hexagonal cells on each side at the tiniest bit of an angle, facing up in a wide V shape. That is so they can put nectar in it and fill it almost half way. Once the nectar is in, other bees will evaporate the water from the nectar by fanning their wings. Once enough water is evaporated, it turns the nectar to honey. Once it is the right thickness they fill the cell up completely, then bees cover it with wax to preserve it. Then we steal it.”

You stick the knife between the ropes of the skep. You cut through the beeswax at the top and sides of the third comb from the left until it comes loose in your hands. Gently, so gently, you pull it out from the hive. It has some bees on it, but most of them stay inside the hive.

“Honeycomb is made from wax that the bees shed off their bodies. They chew it until soft and build these perfectly symmetrical 6 sided cells. Notice the bottom of the cells on this side matches with where 3 cells come together on the other side. Makes it super strong. This honey is heavy, at least 15 pounds on this one chunk alone. We only want to take honey, and the honey should be covered by wax.”

You tilt the comb to the right and some liquid runs out of a few cells.

“Too watery. Bees didn’t cover it and won’t until it evaporates more. Whatever spills the bees will collect and put into their hive again.”

There is about 16 centimeters of comb at the bottom where there is nectar not covered or just empty. You cut this from the rest of the honeycomb, placing the capped comb in the bucket.

You take the part that is cut off and hold it to the light.

“Sometimes you can see eggs in the bottom of the combs that do not have nectar in them, those are bees of the future. I am not wasting this. I’m going to melt the wax at the cut and put it back where I took the other part out.

Squatting under the hive, you summon magical flames, melting all along the cut edge of the wax and nectar, sticking it into the space you took the top of it from. Holding it up there you wait a bit for the wax to cool and it sticks. You leave the next couple combs alone, looking at the opposite side. You don’t want to disturb the queen or babies. The bees keep their spare honey to the sides of the nest where the queen is laying eggs. You decide to cut another chunk out. Gently taking it out you bring it to the table. There is capped honey about half way down. Then the honey stops and there is different colored darker stuff in the combs.

“The top is capped honey. Bees make it to feed the babies and feed themselves, especially in winter. Next they gather pollen. They even sort it keeping the types of pollen together. Grass, clover, ash, oak, maple, sunflower, if it has pollen bees take it. Heavy protein in pollen. They sort honey too. You’ll see all kinds of colors. Really light colored honey in the spring. Darker honey in the fall. Anyway, cells lower than that is where the queen lays the eggs. When the eggs hatch they look like larvae, you know, the stuff Teach fishes with. The bees feed the larvae honey and pollen. It grows and fills the cell. Once it is big enough it spins a cocoon, the adult bees cover them with wax. They pupate and turn into adult bees, chewing their way out and going to work in the hive.

You continue working as you harvest more honeycomb and try not to destroy any of the hard work of the bees by putting what comb you can back inside the skeps.

“I gotta know. Tell me about bee sex. Everyone talks about the birds and the bees.” Claude grins.

“There are 3 castes of bees. The queen. The worker. The drone. There is one queen in a hive. She is the only female that mates. She mates for maybe 7-10 days of her life, maybe 12 to 16 times. Spends the rest of her life laying eggs. Her body is the longest/biggest in the hive, her abdomen is quite large, swollen with eggs. It sticks out much farther than her wings. Next are the female workers. That accounts for 90% more or less of the population. They gather the nectar, bring it back, put it in the cells, dehydrate it, make wax, build cells, protect the hive, guard the hive, get rid of the dead, feed the queen, clean the queen, pollenate the flowers, collect the pollen and 100 other jobs. If there is work to be done they do it. They have the stingers that sting to protect the hive. Queens have stingers too, but theirs are smooth. They fight other queens, nothing else. That is why there is only one.“

“We can’t’ forget the drones, the males. They have no stinger. They do no work. They contribute nothing to the hive except for the queens genes. They don’t pollenate. Their only purpose is to go out and find a virgin or recently virgin queen to mate with. They mate while flying in the air. The drones hang out in an area looking for their lady love. Their eyes make up 80% or more of their head, go almost all the way around it. Once they see a queen, they fly after her. She flies high and fast and whoever catches her first gets her. He sticks his male part into her female part. Upon his entry, his part breaks off, and he falls to his death. She goes out again for more. Bees don’t mate with their relatives, each has their own smell. So they spread their genes around. “

“Gah!” Claude slaps his arm. “They got me!”

“Get over there by the wall and sit down!” You order him, quickly finishing what you were doing, then rushing to Claude’s side, away from the bees you take off your hat and veil putting your ear to his chest to listen. His heart sounds pretty normal. Breathing sounds good

“Where is the sting?” You’re looking him over.  

He points to his right upper arm.

“How are you feeling?” You’re watching the spot where he was stung, checking his fingers, his eyes, listening to his breathing.

“Talk to me for a bit. Just talk about anything. If your tongue swells up, that’s a bad sign. Talk so I know you’re okay.” You unbutton his shirt and pull it down over his shoulder to where the sting is.

“Gah! Just mention bee sex and you’re all over me!” He laughs.

The bee must have snuck inside his shirt, got into a small hole somewhere. His arm looks okay, the stinger is still in his arm and his skin is red around the stinger, the spot is about as big as a gold coin and slightly puffed up. Pulling a dagger out of your pocket, you scrape along his arm, flicking the stinger out.

All the while Claude keeps talking, counting trees in rows. Asking if you would be taking his pants off if he was stung in the leg…

“How are you feeling now?” You ask. “And that is why your pants legs are tied at the ankles. To keep them out.”

“Doing fine.” He grins. “The sting hurts a little less now. Not sweaty, not a real good poison. Mostly localized.

You put your ear to his chest again, checking on his breathing and heart rate.

“So how many stings before they really get to you?” The master tactician asks, his mind always working.

“If you are allergic 1, if you  are sensitive maybe 20? If you work with them all of the time? Well I had over 75 in a single day and it just made me a bit nauseous.” You say as you help him put his shirt back together. “Want to do more or call it quits? I don’t want to do this when it starts to get dark.”

You both agree to play it safe. Marking the hives that were harvested, you head to the kitchen dropping off the buckets of honey. There’s a few bees hanging out with the honey comb, but the kitchen can deal with them.

Heading back to the hives you finish cleaning up.

“So what did you bring to put bees in?” You ask.

“What?” Claude feigns innocence.

“Don’t be all innocent with me. You want some of their poison.” You grin. “Give it to me. I’ll get some in it and then show you how to get your poison. Oh, remember, male bees have no stingers right? I think we should prank Lorenz. It’ll give him a heart attack.”

Claude laughs heartily, “And here I thought you were nothing but a bookworm with no sense of humor.”

“I can have fun too!” You whine.

“Great, just come by my room any night you want to discuss more about the birds and the bees, eh?” He grins.

“Now you’re sounding like Sylvain.” You groan.

“Oooh, that was a major insult. I am wounded.” Claude laughs.

                                              ***********************

Yes. I am a beekeeper. I love my bees. I could watch them work for hours. The smell of a beehive on a warm summers day is amazing. 

[mindfulmenagerie]

Diabolical Ironclad Beetle

Our world is a bugworld. With a little more than 90% of Earth's animals being insects there's no use denying that they run the world.

Insects have been evolving and changing long before the first campfire was started, and they have developed a fascinating array of weapons and defenses; from the power of flight to being able to envenom enemies.

Now imagine a bug with invincibility. You read that correctly.

The Nosoderma diabolicum, far better known as the "Diabolical Ironclad Beetle", is a small, flightless beetle that has been deemed "uncrushable"

Literally nicknamed "the uncrushable beetle" this bug that only reaches up to 2 centimeters long can withstand up to 149 to 150 Newtons! To anyone who didn't really pay attention in science class and doesn't fully know what this means (I sure as hell don't know what a Newton is) the Ironclad Beetle can survive being under something that weighs 39,000 times more than it does.

It can survive being RUN OVER BY A CAR.

It has one of the strongest armor in the animal kingdom, and this fact became very well known to insect collector's when they discovered that when trying to pin the beetles on a board for display, their pins would bend.

So where do these guys live? Sorry fellow Americans who already don't like bugs, but the Diabolical Ironclad Beetle can be found at home on the Western coast of the USA.

But don't worry your pretty heads. While you can't crush them by stepping on them like you can with any other bug, these guys truly do not want to be in your house.

They are happy woodland creatures who eat fungi, and just don't want to be bothered.

But how is the Diabolical Ironclad Beetle so strong?

This was actually discovered just a few days ago by engineers no less at the University of California.

As I had mentioned before, the Diabolical Ironclad Beetle is flightless. This is because they don't have wings. Most beetles like ladybugs and june bugs have a structure in their exoskeleton called a "elytra". This is the two pieces of chitin that protects the wings when not in flight.

But our friend the Diabolical Ironclad Beetle doesn't have wings to protect. Instead, their elytra is part of their exoskeleton. It acts as an extra layer of armor and is placed evenly along the body for extra support.

When looking at the beetle's exoskeleton, you can actually see layer-like formations.

But that's not all. See that in the middle?

That jigsaw like pattern? That's the second key of what makes them so tough!

Their joints are practically stuck together.

But what's so important about this creepy, unstoppable bug?

Well, these guys could help us.

How?

Well I am so glad I asked! Scientists are fascinated with the beetle's ability to withstand so much force, and they hope that they can apply the same characteristics in machines and buildings making them more stable and stronger or even helping car crashes be less, I dunno, deadly?

SO!

Remember, you never know how important an animal might be. Learn to respect bugs if you can't learn to love em.

They may just save your life one day.

Respect this amazing animal for it's majesty and power!

[acidproofnotebook]

One-Punch Man Chapter 84, Update 125

As published online

Date:

Translator: u/hdx514

Rough page by page translations for those who don't want to wait. I'm skipping most pages with only sound effects.

Title page

Not lonely, but a solitary one

Pages 2-5

Bang wrecking Garou

Page 6

Genos: perfect moves that combine attack and defense into one

Ge: even though both use the same water stream rock smashing fists, the difference in master is night and day

Ge: the battle about to reach its conclusion

Page 7-11

Garou continues to get wrecked

Page 12

Garou: w…what is this

Ga: these vicious attacks are nothing like damn geezer’s style…

Page 13

Ga: bad…this is bad

Ga: my consciousness is…

Ga: it means…death…

Ga: Ahhhh

Page 14

Bang: what is that strange movement

Ba: where did he learn it?

Ba: he’s moving like a beast

Ga: I’m not done yet!

Page 15

Ga: if I use the fallen heroes as hostages, there might still be a way out!!

Bomb: I won’t let you

Page 16

Monsters get sliced up

Page 17 Bomb: Bang, we finished the monsters from the hole in the ground

Bo: it’s just Garou now

Page 18

Genos: life signals from monsters still remain

Ge: not sure why, but I cannot accurately assess their location or numbers

Ge:if we go down that hole, will we find the Monsters Association hideout?

Pheonix man: The Monster Association members were all killed? Damn, they really are unreliable.

Page 19

Phoenix man: even though we deployed significant forces to capture Garou alive

Ph: that Demon Cyborg…the power he possesses is unbelievable

Ph: even Silver Fang is here, there’s no chance we get Garou away from here

Ph: but if I leave empty handed after this crushing defeat, I might get eaten by Orochi

Page 20

Ph: regardless, I can only hope Garou can escape on his own …

Ph: ...what a desperate situation… Ph: does this mean I have to plan an exit strategy from MA…?

Ba: (referring to Bomb) if you were this badly injured, could you still be standing?

Bo: …if I were 60 years younger, I might be able to tough it out

Bo: …maybe

Bo: we’re almost there!!! Let’s finish him before the other heroes arrive!

Ba: roger

Page 21

Ga: can’t even move my wrists…

Ga: attacking your former number 1 disciple when he’s at his weakest, how despicable of you, Bang

Page 22

Ga: this other geezer, isn’t he Bomb, master of the whirlwind iron cutting fist?

Ga: to think the two reclusive masters of the martial arts world would gang up on me, shameless

Ga: even if I pretend to beg for my life, Demon Cyborg still won’t spare me

Ga: If I want to survive this crisis, I have to kill all three

Page 23

Ga (or Bang?): it’s impossible

Ba: do you know how much pain you have caused my number one disciple Charanko

Ba: Garou!!

Page 24

Garou flashback

Kids: let’s play a hero game!

Kids: you too, Garou

Kids: c’mon let’s play

Garou: huh, sure

Page 25

Kid: drum roll~~

Kid: justice man is here!

Kid: justice kick

Kid: aah it hurts!

Page 26

Ga: hey that’s dangerous

Kid: huh?

Ga: I feel bad (for the kid playing monster)

Kid: …how about you play the monster

Kid: justice cross

Ga: waa (steps out of the way)

Kid: what’s wrong with you?

Ga: s…sorry, Tatsu

Kid: I almost had you

Kids: what’s your problem, you’re a monster, you’re not supposed to do that

Kids: let’s pin him down

Kids: okay-

Page 27

Kid: justice man kick!

Kid: monster Garou defeated~

Ga: what is this, pre-death flashbacks?

Ga: these memories disgusts me

Ga: that kid…right, I remember him…Tatsu, that popular kid

Page 28

Kids: hey, what’s going on? Why are you fighting?

Kids: shall I call the teacher?

Kids: Garou is being violent

Kids: we were only playing, but he got mad! What’s his problem

Ga: I….I can’t take it any more!

Ga: come Tatsu, me vs. you, let’s figure it out

Tatsu: ha? What are you talking about, I thought we were just playing

Page 29

Ga:  I DON’T want to play monster! It’s no fun at all!

Ga: let’s duke it out, if I win you stop bugging me, that’s the deal!

Tat: Sabu, Yotsu, hold Garou down

Ga: despicable….stop…let go! I…

Ga: aah…damn it!

Kids: he’s crazy, let’s call the teacher

Kids: run Tatsu

Kids: pin him down, pin him down!

Kids: what happened?

Kids: you guys should come and help

Kids: Tatsu was being nice and Garou took advantage of him

Kids: he’s the worst

Kids: Garou got serious with Tatsu all of a sudden while playing the game

Kids: what’s this guy even thinking

Kids: I feel so bad for Tatsu

Page 30

Tatsu is a king among the kids, Tatsu is a bully, Tatsu is nasty

I’m in the dark, always alone I have no friends

Tatsu is a good athlete, Tatsu is popular

I despise the popular ones

not sure of the order of the following dialogue

Teacher: why did you get violent?

Te: I heard you got mad while playing a hero game, is that true?

Te: can you not even tell the difference between a game and reality!

Ga: no teacher, it’s because Tatsu is so popular that everyone is badmouthing me

Te: you were the violent one, weren’t you? What if a window got broken, how are you going to pay for that!

Ga: Tatsu always…always treats me like a monster

Ga: NO!

Page 31

Ga: I don’t dislike playing the monster

Ga: am I holding a grudge against Tatsu for playing the hero?

Ga: no, that’s not it either

Ga: it’s just that playing the hero game has made me realize how absurd it is

Ga: the one who’s popular can bully the one who’s hated however he wants

Te: you are in the wrong, apologize now

Te: call your parents

Ga: this is not just bullying, this is a faithful, real life adaption of a kids’ game that is accepted by the public.

Ga: you are free to choose your role, but the ones who ends up playing hero must have the support of the people, how could that ever be me.

Ga: naturally, the script in which the one playing monster scores the victory doesn’t exist in the first place. I was destined to lose.

Page 32

Ga: what is justice! What is evil!

Ga: at the end of the day it’s just following the will of the masses, and the masses wants me dead!

Ga: unforgivable! There is no logic!

Ga: I can’t explain the reason behind it, but it makes me mad!

Ga: I will make you understand! Ga: I will deliver my punch on behalf of the disenfranchised!

Ga: and I reject your notion of good and evil!

Page 33

Genos: he fell

Bang: it’s over

Page 34

Ga: no way it ends at a place like this!

Page 35

Garou shatters earth

Page 36

Bang/Bomb: what?!

Page 37-39

Garou lifts tree and swings it

Bo: this is bad, his body…

Ba: what’s with this burst of power?!

Page 40

Bang: don’t you realize it yet Garou!

Ba: if you keep going like this, you really will die!

Ge: Bang, above you!

Page 41-42

Phoenix man lands and grabs Garou

Page 43

Bo: more monsters!?

Ba: there’re still a few left!!!

Page 44

Ba: !

Ba: Genos-kun

Ge: Bang, you saw that just now, didn’t you

Ge: that thing has become monster, it even befriended one

Ge: I trust that you won’t object if I shoot both of them down

Page 45

Phoenix man (calling to Elder Centipede): Can you hear me!!?

Ph: I have Garou

Ph: just finish these guys off!

Ph: I’m leaving the rest to you!!

Bo: ???

Page 46-47

Ge: spiral incineration cannon

Ph: Elder Centipede

Page 48-50

Elder Centipede emerges and tanks Genos’ cannon fire

Page 51

Bo/Ba/Ge: What was that!?

Page 52-53

Elder Centipede breaking ground

Page 54-55

Disaster level: dragon

Giant monster insect Elder Centipede

Page 56

Bo: w..what…

Bo: is this a living thing!!?

Ba: damn, we must protect them (the fallen heroes)

Page 57

Ba: up you go

Page 58

Bomb using whirlwind iron cutting fist to save the fallen heroes

Page 59

Ge: those life signals must have been caused by it…

Ge: it’s not that I wasn’t able to pinpoint its location, it’s simply too massive

[very long -- rest under cut]

Page 60

Ge: completely unharmed after taking the cannon fire

Ge/Bo/Ba (not sure who said it): an opponent that can easily break my wrists…

Garou (I think): that centipede…

Page 61

Ga: why did you come here?

Ph: don’t worry, Elder Centipede will handle the rest down there

Ph: that guy is a literal natural disaster that swallows everything

Ph: his indiscriminant power of destruction is truly shocking

Ph: an anti-climactic “hero hunt” as usual, wouldn’t you say?

Ph: you  can’t just knock them out, they must be eliminated permanently

Ph: heroes who are knocked out will be always come back bouncin’

Page 62

Ph: …you just rest easy

Ph: Elder Centipede will end it all

Ga: ! (starts struggling)

Ph: stop wasting your energy

Ga: those heroes are my prey

Ph: yo yo, stop moving!

Ga: damn you, let me go! Unforgivable!

Ph: hey hey, don’t get angry

Ph: it’s your fault you didn’t finish them off after all

Ph: plus, this is a golden opportunity for us to off 2 S-class heroes

Ph: the S-class heroes are the biggest threat to the Monsters Association

Page 63

Ph: you experienced it firsthand, didn’t you

Ph: there is such thing as battle compatibility

Ph: if our advisor Gyoro is right, in the entire Hero Association, there are only four who could take on Elder Centipede

Page 64

Ph: The wielder of unparalleled supernatural power, “tornado of terror”

Ph: The sole commander of a military force that’s beyond even HA’s control, “metal knight”

Page 65

Ph: The strongest human “King”

Ph: And…the one who almost killed Elder Centipede, the strongest hero, “Blast”

Page 66

Ph: Elder Centipede is working with Monsters Association in order to seek revenge against Blast

Ph: he just can’t wait to lure the hermit Blast back onto the battlefield

Ph: unfortunately…those two down there (Bang and Genos) do not possess the power to turn the tides in their favor

Ph: Silver Fang has obtained unmatched power through martial arts, but that only works on opponents of a similar size

Ph: Demon Cyborg’s capabilities are terrifying

Ph: but he carries nothing on-board that will threaten a monster of this size.

Ph: He cannot go beyond the destructive firepower of his weapons

Ph: that is the limit of Demon Cyborg

Page 67

Ph: with a lineup like that, they are surely doomed

Ge/Bo/Ba: It’s coming!!!

Page 68

Page 69-70

Elder Centipede charging against the three

Page 71-72

Ba/Bo: Whirlwind water stream air-blasting sky-splitting fist

Page 73-75

Impact, Elder Centipede cracking, Bang and Bomb posing

Page 76

Ge: what a technique (flashback of Bang and Bomb talking about their technique: it’s a killing blow, but it has openings, my understanding is they needed Genos’ attack to act as decoy in order for their combo to land, because it’s not yet perfect)

Ge: it even shattered such hardened shell…

Ge: this must be

Ge: the pinnacle of technique/skill

Page 77-78

Ba/Bo: it’s not over yet x 10

Page 79

Elder Centipede pushes Bang/Bomb back

Page 80

Ba: ouch…that was careless

Bo: but we got it

Bo: the impact will ravage its body

Bo: turn into powder, monster

Ba: for two old folks like us, using this grand technique once is our limit

Ba: great thing we landed

Ba: a little help, Genos

Page 81

Ba: it’s over

Page 82

Elder Centipede molting

Page 83

Ba: it can’t be

Page 84

Ba: this guy just molted!!!

Ba: and it’s even bigger than before!?

Ba: how could this be

Page 85

Bo: we cannot defeat that thing…!

Bo: and we need to protect the unconscious heroes…

Bo: what shall we do!? Bang!

Ba: it’ll catch up to us if we tried to run

Ba: this forest park is just outside the city limits …

Ba: if we leave we’ll get civilians involved

Page 86

Ge: Bang, I will fight it

Ge: try my best to lure the centipede over here

Ge: you guys grab the injured heroes and get out of here

Page 87

Ba: Genos kun

Ba: you want to go alone

Ba: can’t say I agree with this plan…

Bo: I know there’s little chance of success, but don’t be reckless

Bo: the future belongs to the youths

Genos’ flashback of Dr. Kuseno: whatever you do Genos, don’t be reckless

Page 88

Ge: am I really going to…

Ge: leave this monster be

Page 89-90

Ge: That is not

Ge: possible

Page 91-92

Genos fighting Elder Centipede

Page 93

Ba: this is madness

Ba: cannon fire cannot harm it

Page 94

Ge: whether it’s this thing

Ge: or the monster from yesterday (Gouketsu)

Page 95

Ge: or Garou

Ge: they’re all part of the Monsters Association

Ge: this fight

Ge: is unavoidable

Page 96-97

Genos attacking Elder Centipede from above

Page 98

Ge: Dual Blade Rush

Ge: that’s what you have to do to fight them

Page 99

Ge: I’m participating

Ge: destroy

Page 100

Ge: if this is me being reckless

Ge: !

Page 101

Ba/Bo: Genos kun!!!

Ge: at this rate, I’ll…

Page 102

OUT OF THE FIGHT

Page 103

Genos recombines

Page 104

Ge: Jets drive arrow

Page 105-106

Genos kicks Elder Centipede tooth, which cracks

Page 107

Ba/Bo: he’s inside its mouth

Elder: it’s over…

Page 108

Ge: ! digestive acid

Elder: I’ll melt you in a few seconds

Ge: it’s you who are going to melt

Page 109-110

Ge: Super Spiral Incineration Cannon

Page 111

Aftermath of Super Spiral Incineration Cannon

Page 112

Bo: …!!!

Ba: he finished it!!

Page 113

Elder Centipede tanks the hit, is fine

Page 114

Ge: at the end…

Ge: I am unable to…defeat…

Ge: nor able to protect…

Page 115

Ba: let’s get out of here

Ba: Bomb!

Ba: grab the rest of them!!

Elder: futile struggle

Ph: what’s the matter

Ph: you were still responsible for taking out half of the heroes, it can’t be that bad

Page 116

Ga: not like that!

Ga: This is not what I had hoped!!!

Ga: I…I wanted to beat them with my own strength!

Ga: only then I can be a symbol of terror…!!

Ga: that’s the purpose of the hero hunt!!!

Ph: symbol of terror? You? Hahahaha…

Ph: in your current state, if you went back there, you’ll just end up getting trampled to death with the rest of the heroes

Ph: right now, you do not possess the strength to disobey Elder Centipede or executive members of the Monsters Association

Page 117

Ga: crying…

Ga: sooner or later…I’ll show you what I’m capable of…

Ge: how could I…

Page 118

Ge: what am I missing…!?

Ge: are there several others like that?

Ge: in front of those monsters…

Ge: what can I do, besides look on with envy…?

Bo: Bang! This is bad

Bo: at this rate it’ll get outside the forest park!

Bo: there will be casualties in the city!!

Page 119

Bo: at this rate…I won’t be able to walk

Bo: how old do you think I am

Ba: I’ll leave it to fate…

Ba: brother

Page 120

Ba: for the last time in my life, I’ll give it my all

Page 121-122

King: Elder Centipede~!!!

K: yo! Pest!!!!!

K: I’ve brought your target – “Blast”!!!!

Page 123

Ba: !?

Ge: that voice…King!!?

Ge: Blast!?

Ba: what…!

Bo: !!!? Look!!

Bo: it’s stopped chasing and is going towards another direction

Page 124

Elder: Blast…?

King: thaat’s….riiiight!

K: the very one that beat the crap out of you and made you wet yourself, the hero Blast!!

K: if you want to fight him again, come over here!

K: why are you so scared you can’t move?! Straighten up!!! Hey, if you’re about to shit yourself you should go home!

K: a bug like you, you must want to run back underground and suck on your mom’s tits!!!!

Page 125

Association staff: King arrived at the location near S city where Elder Centipede has reemerged!!!

Staff: thank god! It’s King, he’ll have a solution…

Staff: …there are several other heroes onsite

Staff: when I warned him their battle might cause collateral damage and injure the innocent, he told me “I hope you could give me information that can provoke Elder Centipede”

S: he might have wanted to lure the monster to him and fight it one on one.

Page 126

Staff: it sustained grave injuries at the hands of Blast in the past, but escaped with his injuries underground

S: it would be great if we could finish it off this time…

S: even though it’s top secret information, I still told king the past between Blast and Elder Centipede

S: and explained to him if the battle were to become dragged out or increase in scope, it might causegreat disaster for the surrounding areas …

S: what did he say?

S: he just said “understood”.

The roar of the King Engine……

Page 127

K: luring it here so no one else gets involved…

K: finish it off with one shot before it escapes underground

K: damage must be contained…blowing it back into the city is not an option…

K: there’s very limited time to make your decision

K: that’s it

Page 128

K: …

K: …Saitama?

Page 129

K: Saitama~!!!?

K: it’s about to

Page 130

Shot of Elder Centipede charging

Page 131-138

SERIOUS PUNCH

Page 139

Saitama: ah

Page 140

Sai: Genos, is that you?

Page 141

Sai: you really are here

Sai: just like King said

K: by the skin of my teeth…that was a close call…

Sai: it’s all good, we’re here aren’t we

K: huh? Saitama, you sound…happy?

Sai: I feel awesome for some reason

Page 142

Sai: it’s a great stress release after getting owned by you in video games

K (thinking): it’s still bothering him …

K: that’s not it…I thought I told you it’s because of your inflexible, singular approach towards battles

Ge: Saitama sensei, can I ask you a question

Sai: what?

Ge: what am I missing?

Sai: huh

Sai: power, I guess?

Page 143

Ge: …!!!!

Ge: thank you very much

K: aaaaaaahhhhhh…that’s no good Genos…

K: you cannot use Saitama as reference

Ge: sensei has guided my path with his battle

Ge: the symbol of great strength, that is my goal…

Ge: I will be there

Page 144

Ph: Garou…he has finally lost consciousness

Ph: rest easy

Ph: we’ll soon be with Orochi

END

[hermitreunited]

💜💜AU Fics! (+ two I don’t know how to categorize) 💜💜

So I’m saying they are AU, and they are, but canon-divergent AUs. Apparently I don’t read many full divorced-from-the-source AUs. (Some other folks have recced ones like that for the @tuafeedbackfest so do go check that out!) These ones are all ‘what if it was like the show but’ kind of AUs, and I love seeing what changes and what stays the same.

hell of a feeling though by @agreatperhaps12

Klaus is never quite sure, until the moment he's getting punched in the face, whether the ghost of Ben following him around is anything more than an extremely vivid hallucination.

Rating: NR⎜Word Count: 46k+⎜Complete (4/4)

This fic is extremely great. It starts pre-series, and then the third chapter tracks an alternative timeline to the show (although only slightly as the AU is only slightly divergent - until all of a sudden it is most definitely Not) and the last chapter is for the after. Basically every setting you could possibly want, and it’s all written so well with such great characterization of Klaus. It made me scream plenty.

If Your Life Won’t Wait by queenbaskerville

Klaus somehow, somehow, figures out how to manifest himself visibly, as some sort of shade passing as a living man, to talk a high-as-a-kite Luther into going home. He doesn’t touch Luther once, and his ghostly self feels a bit lightheaded, but he walks beside Luther until they’re back to the Academy and Luther has fallen asleep on the staircase.

“I’ll tell him I’m dead when he’s sober,” Klaus tells Ben. “I’ll do it.”

“Okay,” says Ben.

Klaus doesn’t.

aka, When Klaus dies on the dance floor, God kicks him out of the afterlife. But she only kicks him out halfway.

Rating: T⎜Word Count: 23k+⎜Complete (7/7)

I love love this fic! It’s such a neat idea, and the changes it makes in the timeline of the show - even though it only diverges from the end of 1x07 - are pretty huge. And then we get some family bonding via dealing with some incredibly hard to handle things, like Klaus being dead, and all the difficult but important conversations sorting that out entails. 

can i dream for a few months more? by intheflowers

A woman dreams of the child she gave away. It's fine as long as she can deny what she sees. (When she finally wakes up to the reality of the situation it will be too late.)

On the other side of the world, a boy dreams of a woman he does not know. While he's too young to understand who she really is, one day he'll figure it out. (And by then he will have other things to worry about. By then, all he'll really want is a safe place to sleep.)

Or: I go wild with the idea of Klaus having the power to dreamwalk and meeting his birth mother that way.

Rating: T⎜Word Count: 33k+⎜Complete (3/3)

I’m aware that I need to read alllll of what intheflowers has written, based on all the other recs I’ve seen, and also based on the fact that this fic is so amazing. Just gorgeously written, and such a cool concept that leads to both the painful hurt and the beautiful comfort. I literally just finished reading it but I have to read it again and leave loooong comments.

learn to live with it by Princex_N

Klaus doesn't know where to start and doesn't know how to stop.

He's the only one who tries to get used to it, because what other choice does he have? The others still wait, still ask when he'll be done playing around, still yell at him for being annoying, but no one seems to stop and realize that there's nothing he can do about it.

Klaus gets used to it, but he's the only one who does.

Rating: G⎜Word Count: 4k+⎜Complete (1/1)

A fic where Klaus has Tourette’s Syndrome, set pre-series (although there’s more fic in the series, including one with Allison set in the post-not-apocalypse). I haven’t seen anyone rec this one I don’t think but it’s really unique and it fits very well into the established facts of canon.

Comes And Goes (In Waves) series by hujwernoo

The apocalypse happens, Five arrives in the rubble, and his entire family is dead.

However, one of them has power over ghosts. And even if being dead seriously sucks sometimes, Klaus is going to be there for his brother.

There is an abundance of fics about Klaus surviving the apocalypse and being there for Five, and while I love those fics I wanted to up the angst factor by about 1000. So here's one where he doesn't survive, and is still there anyways.

I know everybody has recced this, but that’s just because it’s that good. A massive labor that absolutely becomes its own universe by the time it starts tangling up with canon in its 8th installment, ‘for the ones who try again.’ I’ll make special mention of the 6th one, ‘for the ones who need a hand,’ because I really like that one particularly. You’ve got to read in order on this one though!

The next two fic are ones that I really wanted to give mention to, but couldn’t fit in with any of my other lists:

once there was a tree by @giugiubees

She looks at the display on the wall. She’s dusted it countless times. There are many prized insects pinned within the gleaming glass case. The insects are rare or extremely beautiful or both. So it is odd, that in the corner, sits an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. It is yellow, but it doesn’t shine for attention. It sits quietly in its death, seemingly content to have simply lived at all. Grace blinks.

A fix-it where they dig Grace out of the ruins of the mansion but her memory files are damaged. Or, a robot coma dream sequence type of thing.

Rating: T⎜Word Count: 2k+⎜Complete (1/1)

It’s a lot of feelings about Grace and being a mom and being a robot and it’s written in this beautiful dreamlike way. There’s little moments of the Hargreeves as kids, and some moments set during the series, and it’s all swirled around together. It will break your heart. 

Out of the Woods by bob-fish

In 2003, they stopped the clock on the apocalypse. Back in 2019, they find they've accidentally declared war on the people who want it restarted. Can the Hargreeves siblings survive another full assault by the Commission? Can they escape to Five's remote and inadequately-sized safehouse for long enough to come up with a plan? Do they stand a chance against the might of the Temps Aeternalis Commission? Will they all murder each other first? And why the hell did nobody think to bring toilet paper?

Rating: M⎜Word Count: 60k+⎜In-Progress (5/7)

I really have to go back and re-read and properly comment on this fic! It’s unfinished and hasn’t been updated in a while, but maybe enough people going and reading and commenting will help get us the last two chapters! A post-apocalypse fic that sends the Hargreeves on a plotty road trip/on the run. Very interesting and cool and even though I don’t have a good list for it, I couldn’t let the even pass without mentioning this one!