#preying mantises are SO cool

[blue-bec]

So... epic autocorrect fail today

I was trying to get @50yearoldteenager to come out to the garden and look at a preying mantis nymph. My phone had different ideas of course.

[Image description:

Two text messages, the first reads, "Quick, a prying mantissa nymphomaniac". The second replies, "Holy fuck. Epic autofail"

End image description]

[vind3miat0r]

redacted listener hcs — favorite animals

i was bored and decided to give the listeners favorite animals based purely on vibes :) (also some pet hcs heheh)

long warning

Angel — most people would assume that they like something basic, like cats. while they do like cats, they like llamas and alpacas more; they think theyre silly and cool and always whines about David not letting them ride any when they go to some sort of fair or carnival

Babe — classic cat lover! they grew up with cats, so it was to be expected. they also likes dogs a lot; their favorite breeds of both being devon rexes (cats) and borzois (dogs)

Sweetheart — they like lizards. while they never had any pets growing up, they became acquainted with the multiple lizards that lived in their school friends’ gardens. they specifically like green basilisk lizards and draco volans

Darlin’ — surprisingly, they like insects. they found a preying mantis egg sac in their backyard when they were ten, and they managed to convince their parents to let them keep one of the mantises once it hatched. they like carpenter ants and preying mantises

Lovely — they like both snakes and cats. after turning, they joked to Vincent about how they were “like an albino snake now.” they begged Vincent for them to get a cat, even though cats tend to disagree with Vincent. they like corn snakes a lot and had one as a pet before they met Vincent (Rory lived a good 13 years and passed away peacefully a few weeks before the E&E 2021 games began)

Treasure — they like deer. they loved reading about the “majestic creatures” in the library, and always beelined to the deer enclosure when they visited the zoo with their family. they particularly love sambar deer and sika deer, liking the way their antlers are shaped

Freelancer — they never gave much thought to things like favorite animals, and theyd often ask growing up, “I’m supposed to have a favorite?” but, they do have an inclination towards zebras and mantis shrimp

Coworker — they love love love ferrets! when they were little, one of their friends got a ferret, and they begged their parents to let them get one (they got a hamster instead. and yes, it died because one of their siblings put it in the microwave). they did all sorts of research on ferrets (what they eat, what amount of love is good for them), and then scolded their friend because they only had one ferret and ferrets need socialization with another of their kind, or they’ll be sad and lonely. they currently have two ferrets of their own, Muffy and Minx

Starlight — theyve always liked birds, even when they were little. a local event that was hosted at a reserve near their house called the Hummingbird Festival took place every spring and fall, and their parents always made the long drive so that they could see the hummingbirds as they migrated. theyve flipped through a few favorites over the years, but the current ones are: barn owls, rosefinches, and ravens. they also like planaria worms, mainly because theyre easy to care for if kept as a pet

Sunshine — they reeeally like horses. like,, reeeeally likes them. bro was that girl /gn growing up: always begging their parents for a horse a pony, even when they knew realistically that it would cost waaay too much. they like black forest horses, colorado rangers, and gypsy vanners the most

Cutie — they went out of their way to like “different” and “unique” animals while growing up, and that habit followed them into adulthood; unlike in school, however, they genuinely like meerkats and lemurs, instead of just saying they do in order to gain clout. they also like beta fish and axolotls

Doc — same as Freelancer, they never gave much thought to their favorite animal. usually, they just said they liked dogs in order to get whoever was asking off their back. after many years of saying that as their answer, its kinda become true. while theyre more of a cat-person, they do like dogs, and has owned them in the past. currently, they have a siberian cat named Vale, and they want to get a bearded collie

Warden — while having favorite animals is considered a “human thing,” Warden likes jellyfish and sea bunnies. one of their charges really likes sea creatures, and they asked her to tell them about them, resulting in about an hour long lesson on whales and sharks. Warden (of their own accord) started researching other sea animals, and found that they really like jellyfish and sea slugs. they specifically like moon jellyfish, mushroom jellyfish, sea bunnies, and sea angels

[djbunnie]

Idk why? But I feel like Plant Sam…would love mantises!!!

Idk just thought it would be cool if Plant Sam had a soft spot for Mantis. Also Praying Mantis are so cool!!! Despite their size, praying mantis are some of the most feared predators In the insect world. They are carnivorous and basically eat almost anything that moves. They grab their prey with a quick reflex and precision. And once the prey is no longer able to move they start to eat their prey alive.

Also, Kung Fu Master Wang Lang is credited as the founder of Tang Lang Quan (Praying Mantis Boxing) during the Northern Song Dynasty. Legend says on one summer day, Wang Lang was walking in the woods and saw a praying mantis fighting a cicada with very swift movements. The praying mantis seized its prey. While Lang felt sorry for the cicada and tried to drive the Mantis away with its sword. To his surprise the praying Mantis jumped onto his sword and when Wang Lang tried to swap the mantis away, it dodge his hand and made several cuts on his arms within seconds!!! Wang lang was very amazed at the praying mantis skills and agility. After capturing the insect, he decided to observe its way of fighting.

They would make great spy’s/ assassin's for PlantSam!!! If a bad ghost were to enter her domain/ kingdom. The Praying Mantis would be undetectable because they could blend into the forest and could attack the intruders and/or quickly alert there is danger and must protect their queen.

Idk about you guys? But I believe Plant Sam should have immunity to Blood Blossom. To people who don't know or forgot. In the show, Blood Blossoms are blood-red flowers with anti-supernatural properties. And Since Plant Sam is a Nature Ghost, I believe she should have immunity, because it just makes sense.

Plant Sam would be worried for her precious Mantis safety, so what she would do is grow Blood Blossoms into poison.

I saw this cool video of turning flowers into paint. (Plant Sam would follow the same process when making the BB poison)

Sam would do this to the Blood Blossoms, so the Praying Mantis can dip their hands in the Blood Blossoms poison. So when they do attack, it would cause serious Damage on the enemies.

Lol can you guy’s imagine how crazy powerful/ scary that there are ghost creatures that can make several cuts in seconds and render ghosts powerless and cause them great physical agony, because it basically burns the ghost!!! (and for any horror fans: once the ghost are affected by the Blood Blossoms poison, the ghost are unable to defend themselves…so the Mantis would eat them)

Just thought it would be a cool idea and wanted to share!!! What do you guys think? Love to discuss and share new ideas with you all!!!

[mantisgodsaus]

Hello, wereweevil appreciators. Today, we're here for cool worldbuilding. More specifically: the difference between a wereweevil and a primal weevil.

(NOTE: While the Primal Weevil model here is the Colosseum one you may already be familiar with, the Wereweevil is a guest from the kingdoms the curse originates from. Normally an orchid mantis.

Primal weevils can vary from gray to gold to tan, with the occasional dull green. They are bugs in the superorder dictyoptera, shared with mantids and roaches, known by their cohabitation with Bugarian weevils, a mutualistic relationship formed in aid of allowing both to hunt down their primary prey - Seedlings, as well as especially tough-shelled plants. Commonly known as "moth mantises" or "grazing mantises" in more south-bound kingdoms, they are one of the handful of species who evolved post-awakening, and tend to have significantly lower rates of mutation than pre-awakening lineages as a result.

Although a wereweevil's weevil form is derived from a primal weevil, it isn't a 1:1 match. While a primal weevil is a naturally-evolved bug, a wereweevil is a cursed beast - and one specifically designed to be capable of causing damage to the bugs around them.

A wereweevil takes their pigmentation from their normal bug form, with a few notable differences. While in wereweevil form, a wereweevil's tusks and claws will turn a rusty red and gleam iridescent blue when exposed to moonlight - notably, though all scars show a similar color while the wereweevil is transformed, the only scar which will show a similar property in their usual bug form is their turning bite. The blue iridescence is only seen in moonlight, and grows stronger closer to the full moon.

(NOTE: While a wereweevil's eyes are a similar shade of red-shining-blue, this isn't exclusive to the transformation - rather, it's a gradual change that generally completes itself in the first year or so after turning. Those who were bitten, but cured of the curse before their first full moon, do not demonstrate this iridescence in any part of their bodies - the scar stays red.)

A wereweevil's tusks - the most notable part of their appearance, generally - replace the second "tooth" on the outsides of a weevil's mouth. They grow outwards and up from the upper jaw, generally curling into an "arc" sort of shape, and tend to be sharper than they reasonably should be - a wereweevil, should they choose to charge, is generally easily capable of either goring or slashing a bug with them. The older that the wereweevil is, and the more transformations they've undergone, the longer their tusks will be. These function as one of the primary infection vectors for the wereweevil curse, as a slash from a tusk is fully capable of passing it on.

As with most other "toothed" bugs, a primal weevil's "teeth" are an outgrowth of the carapace of what we see as the "lips" of a given bug. The muzzle of a primal weevil has no mechanism to conceal these, and they are for all purposes a part of the external structure of their shell - generally used to either cut through things such as roots or crush open acornling shells and similar substances.

A wereweevil's tusks, on the other hand, root on the inside of their shell, curling out through the gap left by the missing second tooth. They "root" into the jaw, supported on the entire upper cranial case - the top of a wereweevil's head shell is considerably thicker than that of a primal weevil, both to allow the tusks to root in and to reduce damage from charging opponents. Anywhere that a wereweevil's head can reach, you're in danger of being gored.

Despite this, the point where a wereweevil's tusks root into their head is a weak point - though a wereweevil is resistant to most forms of non-magical attack, the curse lays thick enough in their tusks that it's possible to partially subvert their general resistance to damage by using their own tusks against them - either by clawing along the roots so as to try to "coat" your claws in enough magic to use their own curse against them, or by simply using the tooth itself as a weapon.

Though a wereweevil's tusks are a melee weapon, it will still hurt if you try to tear one out - and depending on the age of the weevil, you may get more leverage on a tusk than on any other part of the body. To actually get one out, you will need to snap it off of its roots, something easier said than done - generally speaking, you'd be better off going at it with a crystal-bladed buzzsaw than relying on strength.

(FUN FACT: A wereweevil's tusks are among the traits most likely to "leak" into their normal form after long enough transforming. Though position may vary based on the bug's base form, and they'll likely be too small to see easily, it's a fairly surefire way of telling apart untransformed wereweevils. Do note, though, that any wereweevil sporting tusks in normal form has likely spent long enough transforming that mundane weaponry won't do much.

Potentially more important, albeit less noticeable unless one's already familiar with primal weevils, is the foreclaws. While a primal weevil's raptorial foreclaws have a foldable tarsal claw on the inside, used to walk or manipulate objects, a wereweevil's foreclaws have no such thing. They are significantly elongated compared to a normal primal weevil, with an additional "walking" surface - when folded, this hooks behind the elbow, while a primal weevil's foreclaws fold like any other mantid.

Wereweevils are an average of 50-100% larger than an actual primal weevil, though this varies on individual - a larger bug will yield a larger wereweevil. Vi, specifically, is... still below average (height shown as line in picture). She's a little bit smaller than your average primal weevil - though she's slightly taller than her average version of herself, thanks to the wereweevil influence seeping through, she's significantly more stunted, having been functionally starved for a good chunk of her developmental years thanks to the curse altering what diet she actually needs. If she were sufficiently well-fed, then it would average out to slightly shorter than your average bee and roughly primal weevil sized.

[lmanburgseulogy]

hiii I'm at this boring ass party with boring people :(

helllpppp

give me a rant u've been holding in and a fact about urself ( doesn't have to be " interesting " I'd be happy with " i ate a pb & j for lunch " or something! <333)

ah i hate boring parties

anyway i love praying mantises so did you know they are the only insects EVER that can turn their head 180 degrees? they also only live to around 10-12 months, and usually make it this long because they have very adapt survival skills compared to the regular bug. They have really cool legs that can DESTROY prey like just crush it. They never skip leg day fr

Anyway I play 2 different types of saxophone and aim to learn another! I play bari sax mostly and make it a huge part of my personality i love it so muchhhh. So there’s a fact about me

[have-some-facts]

The biology teacher talked about camouflage and mimicry in animals yesterday.

I’m interested.

There are different types of camouflage. Mimicry is one of them. This is when an animal looks like another animals or something gross. Mimicry sometimes also is when an animal sounds like something else. For example, there is a moth that mimics the sound of a tiger moth because those are not really tasty.

You also have examples of moths that look like a broken twig, a caterpillar pretending to be a venomous snake and a butterfly looking like a leaf. Maybe you see a pattern here. It’s a lot of butterflies and moths. Other insects do it too! For example hover flies and stick bugs mantises. And we all know those smaller wasps, right? Well, those are the, completely harmless, hover flies! They use this to not get attacked by humans.

Octopi also use camouflage! (Only one species though, this species is called the mimicry octopus)When they swim over the ocean ground they let their tentacles free after them too look like some kind of flat fish. When they’re swimming normally/up the octopi also let their tentacles go free. They do this to look like a lion fish. When the octopi are resting or sleeping they bury themself under the sand. The octopi let their two of their tentacles go free to make it seem like a very venomous snake.

The hawk-moth caterpillars also ‘use’ batesian mimicry. They have adapted themselves to look like highly venomous snakes. They do this because well, they’re caterpillars- they’re quite big too.

The mimicry of octopi and other creatures looking like dangerous animals is called batesian mimicry.

There is also acoustic mimicry. This is when animals sound like another animal. I’ve talked about one moth sounding like another (tiger) moth, right? Well, other animals do this too.

Several species of spiders mimic ants. Though this is not as handy as you might think. They have a smaller waist and therefor can carry less egg sacs. They don’t reproduce as much as other spiders do.

Then we have Emsleyan mimicry. This is when a dangerous animal mimics a less or non dangerous animal. I actually cannot find or understand the explanation to this. So I apologise for that.

Now we’re going to my favourite type of mimicry. Aggressive mimicry. This is the wolf’s in sheep’s clothing approach where an animal looks like prey or has a limb that looks like prey.

Two of my favourite examples here are the alligator snapping turtle and the spider-tailed horned viper.

The alligator snapping turtle will hang out underwater and open it’s mouth. Snapping turtles have a tongue that they can move to represent a worm. The snapping turtles will just wait, unmovingly, for an animal to be stupid enough to try and eat the ‘worm’ in the mouth of the snapping turtle.

No thank you.

Now, onto the spider-tail horned viper. This snack or viper has a weird looking tail. The snake itself will hide/camouflage with some rocks and move its tail to mimic a moving spider. The first time I saw a video I was convinced it was a spider, till I saw something fly to it to try and eat the spider and I saw a snake jump out of there to grab it.

Unbelievable, right?

I already talked about how mantises can look like ants, right? (If not, they can)

There are mantises that look like flowers. Let’s take the orchid mantis as example for this. They use this as hunting camouflage. They climb up an orchid and sit next to the flower to then wait for a prey to come. It’s really cool and they are also very beautiful.

They of course are also different mantises. Some look like leafs and also dead leafs.

And that is all for now! Have a good day!

[anthromimicry]

🐛

hiii, @forensisch! thank you very much for the ask <3 you know, it always makes me SO happy to see you on here, tbh. so before i start, i just wanted to say keep up the good work with johann, my friend!! 😊 now... as per the post that involved this cute little caterpillar said, i shall be telling you what insect i associate with your muse and in this case, i'd say it's going to be one that is just as memorable and intriguing as johann:

the devil's flower mantis! now, as usual, i am going to insert a picture of them below a 'read more' sign just in case anyone here doesn't want to see them... but let me first start off by saying that they are actually one of the largest species of mantis and thus, one could argue that they are a bit intimidating, like johann may or may not be upon first glance. and you want to know something particularly cool about them? whenever it comes to defense, these insects actually use what's called a 'deimatic display' because they lack a stronger sense of defense. and what that basically means for them is that they resort to startling, and/or momentarily distracting predators to get away from them. they do this by raising up their front legs to show off that they actually have a pattern depicted across their thorax + abdomen. and in terms of how this could relate to johann -- i feel as if it could do so in the way that i can kind of imagine your muse using intimidation tactics to get people to ' back off ' from him so-to-speak? though if i'm wrong, please feel free to tell me, because you know johann's character best!

another thing that has made me associate them with your muse is that, whenever it comes to how they hunt their prey, devil's flower mantises are quite interesting. and i say this because they essentially use camouflage to do so by mimicking flowers before waiting for the poor other animal to step into their striking zone where they could easily swipe them up. so, they ' seduce ' their prey into approaching them and i feel as if this could be resemblant of johann. this is because one of the themes i saw that you were going to explore through their character involves the concept of ' wolves in sheep's clothing ' and with how they use mimicry to attract their prey... it is pretty similar to that idea, in my opinion. johann is kind of blending in in but just in a different way as he's a human rather than an insect, of course, haha.

the method in which they kill their prey is also sort of gruesome and because your muse participates in the black market through organ dealing, i felt like this might possibly be appropriate for him in this manner as well. oh, and the last thing that has made me associate them with their muse? i remember reading that johann likes to mix ' pops of color ' into his wardrobe, specifically red and blue. and those are exactly the colors that are depicted on the pattern that these mantises have that i was talking about earlier! so yeah. i hoped you liked this little analyzation of mine and that i got everything right about your character. but if not, then please feel free to let me know!! now i will be putting a photo of the devil's flower mantis underneath the cut here:

this is how they look with their pattern on display, by the way!

[emerald-onion]

Just saw a fanart with Ink and the orchid mantis (which is one of the coolest bugs ever) and now I'm absolutely hyperfixates on the idea of Orchid Mantis! Ink.

Here are several reasons why this is absolutely a brilliant idea:

(Warning that I am in no way an entomologist. Everything I know, I picked up here and there on the internet, so if there's anything I get wrong, please tell me!)

Orchid mantises are these really gorgeous and colorful bugs that mimic flowers in order to lure in prey. They can change color! Albeit very lightly, like from pink to brown, but just how cool is that???

But of course they're still mantises, still one of the most efficient hunters in the bug kingdom. Their raptorial speed is lightning fast, and once caught, good luck on escaping. The praying mantises know how to use strategy to their advantage. They will first eat the prey's neck and close joints to immobilize them. Brutal, right?

Mantises have even been known to eat scorpions, spiders, and even birds! That's, like, the equivalent of a human snatching up a grizzly bear with their bare hands!

Which fits Ink so nicely. Deceptively innocent looking, but much more dangerous than you may think.

And (this is the best part) the orchid mantis may have the coloration and shape to look like a WHOLE flower, but they could never mimic one perfectly.

Someone who pretends so hard to have a SOUL, but could never truly feel real emotions.

Familiar, no?

[west-tokyo-incidents]

Animals I associate the masters with, WITHOUT using animals the douji already have. For no reason other than I wanna have a thought experiment with myself and how I associate shit.

Mizho/michel - separately, and owl and a coyote. As a single entity, badger. American, specifically.

Owl because of cool calmness, silence, deadly observation, and it's association with death in kemetic mythos.

Coyote because of their tenacity and sheer ability to adapt and survive, also they live in monogamous pairs in the wild.

Badger because the American Badger is the second most brutal bastard weasel to exist, second to the Honey Badger. But the Honey Badger is African and doesn't have the right vibes.

Fusataro - Jaguar

Look I listened to Neon Tiger once and it ruined me, but the Tiger belongs to Sophia and Lions don't jive right. Fusataro doesn't strike me as some in-your-face king type, no pride, no big roar, but can definitely kill a black caiman with a single bite to the skull. Also Black Jaguars are just badass and regal and I love them and I love Fusataro.

Kei - Rat!

This is an unsurprising one, but it's for more than just his teeth. He cares about his family, he's skittish, but he's not defenseless. I imagine him as a little bit pack-rat like, hoarding little things that might be useful in the future. Rats are very social animals that get depressed alone and I feel like he's a poor wet rat who's stuck in a cage with an aggressive smaller male(Vice) but he deals with it because the alternative is being alone.

Lady Gekko/Rune - Luna Moth/Praying Mantis

Listen I think my reasons for this are obvious. Luna Moth-Moon-Jealousy it fits. BUT ALSO. Luna Moths, once they mature, find love and then die. Which. Yeah. That tracks. And female Praying Mantises are fucking bad ass bugs with a reputation for killing their mates. I don't think I have to explain more than that.

Hana - Honey Badger

Okay I'm writing out my thoughts process as I decide because usually I associate her with a bear cub but I'm avoiding repeating animals and a bear is Eater's. Maybe a Tasmanian Devil but that feels... Almost too easy, I guess? Or maybe she gets the Honey Badger. Yeeee. Cause maybe as she grows her two big role models are probably Mizho and Akitsu and I can absolutely see her going batshit when she hits their age.

Akira - Show-Line Dog, probably something like a Doberman

This one is kinda rough, because I definitely associate him with a young male lion, one who doesn't have a pride yet but is looking to take one over. BUT... Idk if Orghullo's animal is a lion or a foo dog so I'm playing it safe. He's definitely an intelligent animal, and not a dog who's just for looks. He definitely can use his teeth if he has to.

Sumako - Ferret

Domestic, cute, cuddly, wants to hoard her favorite people to herself. But do not forget she is a carnivore and a weasel and ferrets thrive on a whole-prey diet and watching one devour a frozen-thawed mouse is an experience I'll never forget. I want one so bad.

Kaizo - Wild Boar

And now the hardest part. The good guys......

Changed from Hamster. I don't know why, and yes I realize Gauge's animal is a boar, BUT... when I think animal aus or like the daemon au and stuff I just. Keep coming back to a boar. Something something pigs=greedy animal, wild boar=violent pigs. So. Idk.

Yamato - Golden Retriever

Probably a rescue, especially one with a bad history but still has all the love in the world. I really don't think I have to explain this one.

Sayama - Domestic Cat

Aloof, cute, loving if socialized properly(she was not, her father was Dunstan, but I digress), and cunning.

Matsumoto - Grey Fox

Kia has laid claim on the red fox, but I feel like Matsumoto, especially following her sequence with Jun, is a lot more cunning than she lets on. She's meticulous and careful, though also skittish and would rather run than confront a larger threat.

Hibari - Black Footed Wild Cat

Highest K:D Ratio of any wild cat. Extremely protective of their family. Not to be under estimated for their size. Sharp witted, deadly, and smol.

Akitsu - Maned Wolf

Pretty legs Tall, diligent for danger, not quite as deadly as they seem but still a predator.

Musashi - Donkey/Mule

Yoichi - Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Changed from moose because. Let's be real, they're not attractive animals and it's hard to take it seriously when I'm trying to write shit.

But he's an ass.

Okay, terrible jokes aside, Donkeys and their ilk are livestock guards against canine predators like coyotes and wolves and they're merciless and stubborn as hell when they have a target. They can be loving and mischievous with their owners.

Listen I'm a dog trainer for a living and there is no animal on this planet that fits this man more than this very specific dog breed. Calm, focused, very smart, literally the perfect first-time-owner dog in my opinion. Easy going, forgiving, would give you the world if they could.

[script-a-world]

Submitted via Google Form: Follow Up - Insect Vision

I asked about insectoid humanoids with insect vision. Ok, that wasn't my question at all. I asked about building society around it, not what does insect vision do.

These are species intended to be as sociable as humans are, with languages and all that stuff. We know somewhat of animal behaviour and how insects behave, but that isn't a society akin to humans. They only have very set roles and do not deviate it and very limited communication. This is a society that needs language and a full society of behaviours that reflect how they see things. Even disability needs to be changed, what is visual impairment to them? They don't have the same human visual impairments. However, from a human viewpoint, if I had insect vision I'd find a lot of 'impairments' because it's not normal for a human.

In fact, insects seem to have very blurry vision. They don't focus on anything. There is so much in human society that would be very difficult, how do they read, how do they sew, how do they do surgery? But they are very good at seeing movement and can process that much quicker than humans. And the different colours they see, how do they assign colours, what do they do when they see colours that look the same to them but are actually different, and they never know about it because they all see it that way. (what if for some reason some sort of 'impairment' actually let one of them see colour differently and can tell the difference?)

Another thing is ... where do the eyes sit. Because insects have eyes that can see all around them. But if they're humanoid it's probably going to sit right in the front of their face where human eyes go. How does that mess with anything?

Previous ask can be found here.

Tex: Occasionally we do answer one part of a question and not another, and this happens for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately, we are actually people behind these answers and have our own foibles, so some margin of error in interpreting the intentions of strangers is to be expected.

On to your elaboration of your world, now - I think part of the difficulty in worldbuilding for a non-human species is the tendency to take a human point of view. As I can probably assume we’re humans here, this is a fair baseline assumption to make.

I imagine that as insects are not human, their communication would look different than ours and probably quite strange to our perspective. But, however, they do communicate with each other. I would take the time to list some research, but since there’s a plethora of data to behold, I shall simply recommend taking a scroll through Google Scholar with some keywords of choice and seeing what interests you in regards to your worldbuilding.

If you want humanoid insects, you are entirely allowed to design them how you wish, because insects and humans are not cross-compatible in a reproductive context, so you’re entirely allowed to Rule of Cool them if you want. (Or Rule of Bizarre. Whatever floats your plot.)

Wootzel: Part of the reason that insects have less visual ability than humans is down to size! Biology gets tricky when you’re trying to pack function into fewer molecules and a smaller space, and insects’ compound eyes are an evolutionary strategy that’s pretty good at working with very limited amounts of light in order to make the most of their perception of the world.

We’re still learning about the abilities of insect eyes, and while they do seem to be less sophisticated than most chordates’ eyes, we don’t really know what they see. We DO know that preying mantises and wasps seem capable of recognizing and remembering individual human faces if given opportunity and reason to do so. 

All this to say; if your humanoid insects are near to human sized, they might have better vision than you’re assuming.

As far as how to build their society around more insect-like senses, I would suggest getting away from the question of sight and investigating what other sensory options you have available. Most arthropods use pheromones in at least some capacity to communicate. Many have sensing organs in their antennae, or in other modified legs, with which they can get a lot of information about the position and makeup of their environments. Many use sound to locate each other, to communicate specific things, or to deter predators. Imagine how each of these tools could be used by an arthropod with human-level intelligence. Would sewing really be all that much harder if you only had touch to navigate it? (No! As someone with decent vision who does a lot of hand sewing, I think my ability to sew would suffer more if I lost all sense of touch than if I went blind.)

Stored information, whatever replaces human writing, could perhaps be stored in a format that uses sound to “read” it. If your insects’ verbal communication is similar to the sounds that Earth insects make, it’s likely to involve stridulation or other clicky noises. A series of notches or other shapes in a line could emulate this; run a hard-shelled digit over the line, and it could “speak” out loud! 

As for colors; they would name the colors they can see, and if they’re advanced they might be aware of other wavelengths which they can’t see. Humans can’t see infrared or ultraviolet, but we have sensors and names for them since our technology has shown us that they exist. And on that subject, your insects are likely to be able to see ultraviolet, and maybe even infrared if you want them to have that ability! Seeing in infrared essentially allows for heat-sensitive vision, and there are lots of interesting implications with that. 

[moosecow]

Two things that I am absolutely TERRIFIED of and yet respect immensely…

1. Praying Mantises

2. Orcas

First of. THESE TERRIFYING. THINGS!

Look. At. It.

LOOK at this monster! It is horrifying!

They eat their prey alive, by ripping off their limbs first and then, slowly, chewing on their heads. They’re super fast, and I am SO glad that they’re small.

BUT, thank you for being a natural source of pest control and for eating so many damn mosquitos!

Now…ON TO THIS HORROR OF THE DEEP.

You know, for the longest time, I just couldn’t figure out why, as a kid, I was somehow terrified of Kyogre. Until I realized that it’s inspired by a killer whale.

First of, there is literally NOTHING that can stop these things! They can kill and eat anything from great white sharks (singlehandedly, mind you) to the biggest thing on the planet (blue whales). They are so smart, that when their natural food source began to wane, they just up and made NEW STRATEGIES to include OTHER prey, in their diet.

WHAT KIND OF PREDATOR DOES THAT? “Oh, there’s no porpoises around for me to munch on, let me just flip this shark over and then eat it while it’s unconscious.”

You know how people say there there’s no recorded incident of an orca attacking a human in the wild? YOU DON’T KNOW THAT! These things are so smart, using the environment to their advantage to hunt their prey, teaching their young how to more efficient ways to organize, hunt and kill. And just like praying mantises, THEY ALSO PLAY WITH THEIR FOOD, AND SOMETIMES DON’T EVEN EAT IT! They hunt for sport! So if a human did get killed by these things, the only reason we don’t know, is because we didn’t find a body.

But. I also LOVE Orcas. They are SO COOL! Female orcas can live an average of 50 years. They live in pods of up to 40 members, and members of the pod will work together to take care of the babies, and teach the adolescents all the tricks they’ve learned to hunt and catch prey. They are nomadic and can be found in every ocean. Each pod has a language and some have ACCENTS? WTF? They’re smart, they sing, they’re incredibly fast in the water…and, I don’t know. I just think they’re cool…even though they haunt my nightmares.

I will always be against keeping these creatures in captivity. If they’re not being rehabilitated, or humanely studied, they should be in the sea.

[rawstfish]

Praying Mantises are so cool. I love how they just start eating their prey right then and there

[darklight-owl]

So what does Ochette look like in your furry AU?

Honestly? I've been thinking of being super self indulgent and making beastlings giant insects. Or arthropods in general. Spider Ochette is not off the table. Cus like it would still have that "divide" between them and vertebrates (who would be the equivalent to humans in this case) while still keeping them as animals who are seen as lesser.

(Insect and spider pictures under the cut just in case)

As for Ochette I was thinking of making her a tiger moth:

Because they have this thing where they disrupt bat echolocation as self defense which I thought was fitting for her since she's the only person in the village who knows how to fight it seems. Also weirdly makes sense with the monster capturing mechanic.

But then I thought like a carnivore would obviously suit her way more. So that's why I was thinking letting her be a spider. Wasps were another really good option but Wasp Lore (tm) can be really fucked up. And while I love them with all my heart and find them cool as Hell Ochette is not that edgy. And mantises are more about lying in wait than actively chasing prey down. Maybe I'll let Juvah be a mantis.

Anyway look at these jumping spiders!

I think I'm gonna end up going with Spider Ochette tbh. The color palette is pretty good and the name pun is impeccable. So. Arthropod beastlings it is :3

[tg-headcanons]

Yo! So this is a really specific ghoul biology question. My oc has a thyroid issue (hypothyroidism: where the thyroid doesn’t make enough of a certain hormone) and it’s just to put another part of myself into her.

But I was wondering what that would look like in a ghoul, with like symptoms and stuff. I mean it would probably be similar to what regular human symptoms are like (higher metabolism, late periods, tiredness, hair loss, brittle nails) but maybe more extreme? Or like how would it affect the kagune? Since they’re made of the same stuff as hair and nails would they would become more brittle too? I don’t think it would cause them to fall out tho, that’s a bit much. Would it affect the rc count as well? And I feel like ghouls with thyroid issues would also smell different, like maybe just the regular ghoul smell but more subdued?

So yeah, I have the super basic stuff of this figured out. I just wanted your insight to get into specifics and elaborate more :D

-theeggistheworld (I didn’t want my main blog on the ask lol)

THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING AND I HAVE THOUGHTS

Ghouls can be effected by pretty much all the same issues a human can have so long as their bodies allow for it. Hypothyroidism is just as common with them (if not more) as it is with humans, though it effects them differently in some ways

Lots of the symptoms are the same, the biggest of which is pain and fatigue. Due to the lack of accessible treatments, there’s little help for it, and many aren’t able to hunt normally because of it. It’s common for ghouls with this disorder to resort to Mantising, the hunting style of seducing or otherwise luring their prey into their home or another secluded place where they can kill them more easily without strain. Even so many find that still too hard, and will need help obtaining meat

Their regeneration is very slow. Due to a lack of keratin (which ghouls already need to conserve) they grow back injured tissue very slow, and they scar very easily. They tend to have a symptom that ghouls can get that isn’t exclusive to thyroid issues but is more common with them, in which tissue unable to regenerate due to a lack of needed nutrients is instead held together by a soft kagune mass that acts as a scab. It keeps the blood from spilling and, though not airtight, most infections out. It will slowly be replaced by normal tissue once they get the nutrients they need but it’s an odd sight until then

Another thing it effects is the kagune. With weakened cell membranes from a lack of keretin, their kagune are much softer and struggle to harden for battle. Usually they can only harden it for short bursts if at all, so most will learn to use knives or guns or whatever they have at their disposal in addition to it. For as much as other ghouls may see it as a weakness, it leaves one hell of an impression. There’s still legends of a ghoul who hunted with a cleaver and a bullwhip who did so because their kagune could never harden enough to fight with

The cold intolerance comes with unique advantages. Not only can they function way better than other ghouls in day to day life during the summer months, but their kagune will often be extremely bioluminescent. It’s the largest heat regulation organ they have, it usually gives off heat to cool the ghoul while fighting, but with the need to contain the heat, any heat energy it would have given off is instead stored, and instead it adapts to giving off light as a way of expelling excess energy. Some of these ghouls can light up a whole room with their kagune alone, and it’s considered exceptionally beautiful.

Hypothyroidism is actually slightly more common in ghouls because this extremely attractive kagune trait is sought after by many potential partners and is likely to be passed down as any ghoul with it has their pick of smitten suitors. An unexpected side effect of ghoul hypothyroidism is being too sexy

Ghouls don’t have periods, but they have heat cycles, and it does effect that. They can happen less frequently, have lighter symptoms, or even outright stop. It’s one of the few perks so long as they’re not trying to have kids

They’re much more hungry. They’re some of the only ghouls who have the apatite of a kakuja without being one. Those who can eat as much as they want to naturally do much better than those who can’t, and the added nutrients help keep the symptoms in check

It’s very treatable, they just can’t go to normal doctors most of the time. However if they can get medication off of ghoul doctors, humans with the same prescription who can get some for them, or just steal it, it does help them. As for those who can’t get it, they tend to treat it by simply eating human thyroid glands, Though It’s not nearly as effective. Pretty much any ghoul who eats well and gets medication will thrive almost if not equally as well as a ghoul without it, and those who can’t will struggle, but still generally be okay so long as they have a few friends and a kitchen knife

[howdyboyhowdy]

HI ALSO THO IF U WANNA TALK ABOUT. BUGS OR SOMETHING TOO THAT WOULD ALSO BEE COOL. I LOVE THEM ALSO IDK U COULD HONESTLY WRITE ABOUT ANYTHING AND I'LL BEE ENAMORED ASDFHDSJ

So mantises actually have three separate brains! The brain in the head actually filters and cancels unhelpful impulses from the other brains. This is why females may bite off the head of the males they mate with, because the male can still effectively breed without his head. A mantis without its head likely won’t survive long because it lacks food intake and is unlikely to catch prey let alone properly eat it.

[equalseleventhirds]

fdsjflsk hello i have had the magnus archives and the web specifically on my mind AGAIN and this is only tangentially related to the convo last night BUT

a lot of ppl have shown up on my & other ppl's posts abt 'wow manipulation and spiders? why??' going 'well but there are spider tricksters in mythology'

and like... yeah, ok, there are. but are there that many, compared to other animal tricksters, and spider not-tricksters? enough to justify the exclusivity of spiders to the one entity??

so i. made a list, as i do. (you can't judge me for this you should know by now i make lists at the SLIGHTEST provocation) actually i made TWO lists, one of spiders in mythology & how they line up with tma's entities, and one of tricksters in mythology. (i knew some of these already but i also got a lot of them off of wikipedia. also tried to avoid detailing the uh. worse aspects of mythologies. we all know abt it but that isn't the point here.)

(we are ignoring for now my theory that the web's actually shit at manipulation and mostly just does control, and considering any spider that does manipulation OR control to be web-aligned)

spiders in mythology (and how they align w/ tma's various entities, if they even do):

anansi: okay i'll give you this one! yeah he is the trickster spider! yeah he lies & manipulates! he's not really uhhhh evil in any way or would inspire ppl to generate fear for the entities to shape themselves to, but ok yeah i'll give you that one as web!

arachne: she literally just wove tapestries? got into a competition with athena and wove a tapestry detailing the infidelities of the gods. like, if anything she is eye, going around revealing truths and stuff.

uttu: mostly seems to be about creation? weaving & plants. hid herself in her web, which isn't manipulation at all, it's just hiding. not rly entity aligned at all, at worst she's probably a victim of like, the hunt? maybe?

iktomi: another trickster! p much the same boat as anansi, where he's not particularly evil, but we'll let him be web.

spider grandmother: she just is helpful!! she creates & guides & protects! no entities.

ai apaec: creator & leader god again. only sometimes a spider.

djieien: just a very strong spider who hid its heart so it couldn't be killed? like, if anything, end.

great goddess of teotihuacan: associated with spiders, maybe not a spider herself? doesn't seem to be much known abt her, but potentially underworld, darkness, earth, creation, lots of things. no mention of manipulation or control.

nareau: another creation god. i guess he does do some arguably flesh-aligned stuff in that creation, but like, so do a lot of other creation myths.

areop-enap: again creation! hmm what a pattern emerges. doesn't seem particularly aligned with any entities.

tsuchigumo: ok i can give you web here i guess? bcos it does trick ppl, even if that tricking also kind of slides into spiral/stranger territory. and hunt territory obvs it literally is there to consume prey. also can give you evil here.

jorogumo: can also be web! there is lying & shapeshifting here, like the tsuchigumo, but slightly less pure evil? there's like, a couple of neutral depictions, but also evil ones. anyway. web.

gamba: not on wikipedia but wikipedia only talks abt the filipino story of the spider who wanted to marry the fly, NOT gamba, and i LOVE gamba. anyway she just created things. got too into her work and turned into a spider. idk what entity is 'fear of being a workaholic' but it's not the web. maybe lonely, since she neglected her family relationships abt it?

conrad of constance: not a spider himself, but drank out of a cup with a spider in it, showing that the cup was not poisoned even tho ppl thought spiders were poisonous. i don't... i don't think this is an entity. hey jonny maybe take some hints here, spiders are not that bad--

robert of bruce: my dude saw a v persistent spider and was inspired! it's chill it's cool! spiders helped scotland gain independence one time! wow no wonder fucking smirke hated them--

pan twardowski: again not a spider himself, but he lives on the moon and a spider hangs out with him and brings him news. a friendly spider! pan twardowski himself can be lonely ig, maybe the spider is eye, but like, a friendly eye.

vedic philosophy: now this is not technically mythology but i thought it was interesting, in this one a spider's web hides the true reality from ppl. could be argued as web but seems pretty much spiral to me? but like, a not v evil spiral, just like. neutral? it's fine.

overall... majority creation gods, actually. very few even evil depictions? wow jonny, rude.

anyway, list of animals (besides spiders) shown as tricksters in mythology:

humans! majority humans!! also like. specifically clowns several times? like, specifically clowns.

just kinda non-animal spirits/beings/whatever? sometimes vaguely humanoid.

rabbits & hares

foxes

coyotes

wolves

g...goats? sort of?? half a goat, anyway, thank you pan.

cats

ravens

mouse-deer! look up mouse-deer you will LOVE them.

monkeys

raccoons

also raccoon dogs

snakes

horses

praying mantises

tortoises

lizards

also a bunch of tricksters who shapeshift into like, a multitude of animals, but given that those are not their primary or even main secondary forms i guess we will not go into those (mostly that would just. take so much time omg.)

i didn't do a full tally, but foxes especially show up a TON, and rabbits or hares quite a bit, so either of those could've been the fear-god of manipulation. if like, we're relying on the 'there are stories about spider tricksters' thing (which we are not, in fact, i think jonny just picked a Cool Literary Symbol and did not think abt the worldbuilding implications so much)

EDIT bcos ppl keep misunderstanding: i don't think tricksters are the main source of the fear of manipulation. i don't even think tricksters should be considered a reasonable source for the web's manifestations. BUT people kept bringing them up when i had issues with the web's spider exclusivity (when both spiders and manipulation SHOULD have multiple metaphors and not be exclusive to each other) and that is why i made this list, thank you.

(also i'm aware there are ways to justify spiders meaning control sometimes. given the worldbuilding of tma, i don't think there's a way to justify them meaning control always. but that's a different post.)