#like yes it would be less embarassing for me but also 😔 the bit

[theladyfae]

i think my ability to text in the mornings should be removed but also so much humour would be lost

[pvlvsdog]

Hcs about Gregor's shoulder roach pet? (iirc Pablo was his name)

Oh, boy this is a treat^^ just know that I started reading his wiki again to search for good closeup photos of the cockroach and I have flustered myself enough that I closed the tab. I’m embarassing I know 😔😔

I honestly wondered what is the in-universe explanation for this little lad following his around. I feel like, the most likely is that as much as he does not enjoy cockroaches (lightly speaking) he would not outright get rid of the guy for two reasons. 1. It’s like the dad and the cat meme a bit? The cockroach has been around for long enough and Gregor resigned himself to his fate, begrudgingly sharing bits of food with the guy. He would hate it if others found out though. The comments about him and his arm are enough as is so to have them point out that there’s an actual cockroach crawling around? Yeah, he would not enjoy their looks and jokes. 2. As much as it is a reminder of his past (and I’m basing that assumption on that bug scene with Rodya at the very beginning of canto I) it’s Gregor we’re talking about. More often than not he is very passive in the face of mistreatment and a part of him just accepts when others hurt him. This wouldn’t be much different. Yes, it doesn’t feel great to have that lad running around and seemingly following him but he’s used to feeling bad, so. Not like this one thing will be any different

A less depressing thing but one that had me searching the interned with little to no results. In the end I had to pull a friend into it (hiii!!) because this is so… embarrassingly specific. Either way, hear me out. Female cockroaches are bigger, yeah? I’m an American cockroach Greg truther (that belief is not so set in stone, so I might change my mind) but if we want to go with the German cockroach (which makes sense, I get why this one gets brought up the most) the only way that lad is so big is if it’s a female. German cockroaches are dang small! Also only males have wings (not a thing with American cockroaches). Thing is, this one does not (here is where the pictures come in)

Not only are they wingless but also (unless the lighting is strong) darker than most males. If this little guy is Gregor’s symbol then uh. Trans Gregor canon I suppose? I mean, I’m going to have that headcanon wither way and this argument won’t convince anyone, but if you already like the hc, it can be a tiny neat addition that's pretty based in canon

Last little fact. The cockroach seems to only be able to glide. While we know that Gregor can fly if he as wings. That means it’s not the same kind of a cockroach that Greg got the traits from. So perhaps the little lad is a German cockroach and they used American ones for modifications?

Sorry for nsfw but for context, when I’m comparing sexes, this is pretty much what I mean (example shown is of Turkestan cockroaches)

Yeah, they are having sex. Sorry :((