#rantan mm

[peridots-pixiwolf]

woe! first art post since a month ago be upon ye! take my gay bugs

[Start ID of the first image. A digital drawing of the five bugs forming Team Taranoake, drawn without anthropomorphized biology, short clips of text describing each one's name, pronouns, species, and size. The background is a solid-color pale orange, with the rest of the drawing being similarly flat-colored and golden-toned. The first shows Kritto, an azure damselfly, who stands on two legs with short stilts to counter the length of xer abdomen. She's light teal with black stripes, holding a brown scroll in one claw, the other pair of arms tucked between her two backpacks behind xer. Next is Lidii, a worker of the ant species Myrmecocystus mexicanus, yellow and orange. She's rambling about something excitedly, just barely propping up the thick wooden weapon beside her. Third is Rantan, an ox beetle, brown with yellow fur. He subjects himself to whatever Lidii's talking about, sitting with all six limbs on the ground and a mildly tired expression, resting their head on one claw. Gorge, a light purple coquina clam, is settled beneath two of Rantan's legs, his shell decorated with small notes and scribbles from work as an archivist. Last is the sea slug Ceras, a single-stalk aeolis, pink with bright stripes of yellow and white along their cerata. She's drawn further away from the rest, his head turned back towards the other four bugs. Like Kritto, they're marked as an honorary member of the team, lacking the seaglass bracelets shared by the three close-knit bugs from the center of the drawing. End ID.]

^ once again, these guys are from a universe I made with @froggoexists :]

[Start ID of the second image. A colored sketch of two humanized original characters, Ceras, a sea slug from the previous image, and Thorn, a Hollow Knight vessel. They're both drawn from the waist up, facing forward, close enough that Ceras's hand wraps around Thorn's shoulder. Ceras is shown as a young Black person, their cerata incorporated as long locs dyed pink, white and yellow, and piercings stud their ears and tongue. Thorn is paler-skinned, taller and thinner than Ceras, with pointed ears, and white hair styled at the top into two rows of spikes. Ceras is wearing a studded denim vest, thoroughly decorated with eclectic pins and patches, mostly of bands, bugs, games, and simple declarations of hope. Thorn wears instead a black leather jacket, with long studs at the shoulders and smaller ones along the sides and center. One sleeve is torn off, as they don't have a right arm, and the other is cuffed to display the adaptive device making up half their left. Ceras is sticking their tongue out and smiling, one eye shut and the other turned to Thorn, stimming with their free hand. Thorn's looking back at them with a smile.

The background is simple, a pink horizontal wave. There's a bright, pale halo behind Ceras' head, one which resembles a spoked wheel or a sun, seeming to cast light upon the two of them. A line at the bottom of the image reads "part-god mute disabled they/she/he bug punk BESTIES", and at the top of the image there's a small doodle of their original forms sitting together contentedly. End ID]

[odakuram]

無神経な女/The Thick-Skinned Woman (English Translation)

The Thick-Skinned Woman Music/Lyrics: Charan Po Rantan Video: VIXI

"Don't let this be you!" - original description

ちょっと今、そういう気分じゃないの 話しかけないで　放っておいてよ イライラはアンタのせいじゃない とりあえず、痛い、そんだけ

Hold up, I’m not in that mood Don’t talk to me, leave me alone! It’s not your fault I’m irritated, in any case—ouch—it’s just that

我儘って自分で分かってるけど ちょっと触れるだけで　泣きたくなる 情緒は今日も安定に不安定 グラグラしたらだいぶキテる

I know that I’m selfish, But I’d cry at the slightest touch Today’s atmosphere is stably unstable If I waver, I’m gonna snap

気配り、なんて　してらんない いつの間にか時は流れてる 神経質よりもいいんじゃない 放っておいて　いいことないけど

I can’t give any sort of consideration to others At some point, time went ahead It’s not any better than being sensitive Leave me alone, even if this isn’t any good!

「神経、取ります」

‘We’ll be taking your nerves.’

麻酔1本効果なし 最新の技術、さっさと使ってよ 過去の過ち　掘り返して とりあえず今、どうにかしてよ

One dose of anaesthesia has no effect Just hurry up and use the newest techniques on me! Dig up everything I’ve done wrong, Get to it now, just do something, anything!

～治療中～

~In Treatment~

気を抜いたら顎外れそう 通った方がいいですよ　マジで 5年後10年後長い付き合い 寝ても覚めても腫れは引かない

If I lose focus my jaw might fall off It would’ve been so much better if I just went, really! 5 years later, 10 years later, we’ve known each other for so long Sleep and wake I might, but I can’t pull this swelling out

気配り、なんて　してらんない いつの間にか時は流れてる 神経質にも理由があんのよ 放っておいて　いいことないから

I can’t give any sort of consideration to others At some point, time went ahead Even being sensitive has its reasons Leave me alone, because this isn’t any good!

「神経、取ります」

‘We’ll be taking your nerves.’

麻酔2本効果なし 最新の技術、未だ原始的 過去の過ち　取り除いたら とりあえず薬詰めて

Two doses of anaesthesia has no effect The newest techniques are still quite primitive Get rid of everything I’ve done wrong, Just stuff the medicine in my mouth already!

仮止めが仮止めすぎる これ取れると耳まで痛い ゆっくり噛んで　焦らしプレイか？ 痛いの来ると思ったら　はい、終わり

The temporary fix temporarily fixed too much I’m able to take it, and it hurts all the way to my ears Should I slowly bite on it and tease it a little? If I think about the pain, that’d be it for me

シルバー メタル セラミック うー　いたい！ クラウン パラジウム ゴールド ジルコニア

Silver Metal Ceramic Mm…it hurts! Crown Paladium Gold Zirconia

保険適用外地獄額 保険適用内カード使えません お金があるならいくらでも 後悔先に立たず

A hellish sum of money not covered by insurance And I can’t even use my insurance card It doesn’t matter how much money I have, there’s no use crying over spilled milk

麻酔3本効果なし 最新の技術、さっさと使ってよ 過去の過ち　掘り返して とりあえず今、どうにかしてよ

Three doses of anaesthesia has no effect Just hurry up and use the newest techniques on me! Dig up everything I’ve done wrong, Get to it now, just do something, anything!

～お大事になさって下さい～

~Take care~

[peridots-pixiwolf]

My and @froggoexists' bug world has been around for one year today so a quick sketch and a dumb, quicker edit was the least I could do

[peridots-pixiwolf]

Part 5 - Part 6A Here - Part 6B (Reblog) - Part 6C (Double Reblog) - Part 7

Gallery.

Apparently this will have Several Parts Then

[peridots-pixiwolf]

~Mostly Mollusk~

Part 6 - Part 7 Here

Extras. (Including some of the “meta” stuff I mentioned--much shorter than the other posts)

Extras/Misc

i want to add him…

---Quirrel

He/him

Iridoviral Armadillidium vulgare

Traveller, Terrestrial 

A pillbug. He's just Quirrel, a friendly adventurer who's good with a nail.

...Maybe keep him away from the bay. And the jellyfish.

Service: None

(jk that's ✨intellectual property✨ and i'll ✨have to ask permission✨)

--History...?

So far, the only known lore regarding this subject is that most vertebrates (currently, Grek and Genni being the only exceptions, as Tan’s host has been dead since the frog went into hiding. The bodies of most other dead organisms have been reduced to bones) have gone extinct some undescribed quantity of time, and many terrestrial bugs have moved to the shores during this (giving a chance to finally reconcile with their amphibious crustacean kin), though nowadays life further inland is no longer uninhabitable. The vertebrate die-off is possibly due to radiation caused by humans inland, as insects such as cockroaches seem to be less negatively affected by it--or this is simply the reason for the invertebrates' migration towards the sea.

--Quests

Reunion (Main Quest, Ceras)

A Meal of Great Elegance (Genni)

Prosthetics (Bem)

Ballad of Copi, which shall go unnamed (i can't think of a real name lol)

Sisters Estranged (Allibel and Sepinti) 

Track Down the Beast (Beowi) (the Beast being Genni)

--Dialogue

Fess: Ceras!

F: Come back in soon or else I'm eating all the anemone without you!

Ceras: You wouldn't!

(... (Ceras doesn't come back inside and continues doing Whatever They Doing.))

F (after some time passes): Ceras, I'm serious! The rip current's coming back soon and I don't want you to be caught in it!

C: Alright, fine, in a second!

()

C: ...Did it just get quieter?

: Wait.

: Oh no.

(~rip current time~)

(...)

Lidii: What even is that?

Rantan: Obviously a sea slug, Lidii.

Gorge: Yeah, it's an aeolid nudibranch, Lidii.

Rantan: How--

Lidii: Well, I'm gonna eat it. It's obviously dead, and doesn't seem like either of you want to.

(Ceras arises.)

Lidii: Oh!

Rantan: 'Obviously dead', huh?

(Ceras looks around, the two insects look at them.)

Lidii: ...Is it sentient?

--Soundtrack

(Taranoake Theme)

(Citadell Theme)

Turn Up the Tymbals, Bring On The Beat! (One of Sepinti's themes)

Renin (Renin flashbacks, much more jovial than WfR)

Waiting for Rain (current Renin theme, has Renin's leitmotif, but slower/more melancholy)

[peridots-pixiwolf]

~Mostly Mollusk~

Part 4 - Part 5 Here - Part 6

Characters. (Mortals anyway.)

-Known Characters

A list of notable travelling parties, vendors, and fighters.

Travellers move between settlements, Path-dwellers are constantly travelling but don't actually enter towns, as opposed to Outsiders who take up residence in a specific place outside of settlements instead of travelling, and Explorers travel often and sometimes enter towns but are mostly focused on finding new places. a 

---Kritto

She/her

Coenagrion puella (color/gender difference intentional)

Citadell Citizen/Explorer, Aerial/Terrestrial

A blue dragonfly cartographer who enjoys mapping the world around her free of cost, her excellent vision adding an eye for detail and near-perfect recreations of the surrounding views.

Service: Map (Kritto's Stall, Citadell)

---Lidii, Gorge, and Rantan

She/her, he/him but it's whatever really, he/they

Myrmecocystus mexicanus, ??????, Strategus aloeus

Traveller(s), Terrestrial

An explorer trio, the ox beetle Rantan carries Gorge, the clam archivist, to see the sights (or not--Gorge doesn't have eyes) while upbeat ant fighter Lidii wanders ahead. Lidii enjoys beating Gorge at Rainbow Shell while the latter wonders why she always wins, and Rantan exasperatedly goes along with their antics. 

Lidii- *trying to get Rantan's attention* Rantan- "What were you saying? I'm busy trying to pretend I'm literally anywhere else."

Lidii has definitely attempted to name the group. The others haven’t actually accepted this moniker, but whenever needed she uses “Team Taranoake”.

She has also made the trio friendship bracelets out of bits of shell. 

Service: None? Introductions? Travel?

---Bidibi 

They/them

Mortal form is a horned Dynastes tityus

Path-Dweller, Terrestrial

A large rhinoceros beetle who carries a pack of supplies twice their size on their back to trade while on the road (that, somehow, doesn't seem to burden them at all), appearing wherever needed. Secretly the god of the Path, though their reverence is much more informal than that of a patron god like Ven, for their truth as a God is little-known. Their large backpack contains the anchors of several other gods and they function as a sort of bridge between the mortal realm and more fantastical beings.

Service: ???

---Pard

They/them 

Polydrusus impressifrons

Outsider, Terrestrial 

An arrogant, self-proclaimed noble, who only survived for the fact they were a grub when the rest were exiled and killed. Oof.

Service: Lore

---Arbiter Len

All pronouns

Homarus americanus

Taranoake Citizen, Aquatic/Terrestrial

The figurehead of Taranoake, friendly and well-known among its citizens. See "Current Leaders''.

Service: (Facilitating discussions and resolving disputes between residents, a figurehead of the town. Unknown what their service to the player would be.)

---Drop

They/them

Pleurobrachia pileus

Taranoake Citizen, Aquatic

A sea gooseberry who frequents the Bay. Take care when around them, especially if you're any sort of tiny, delicious crustacean. (Laws don't apply to them obviously.) 

Service: None

---Cranton

He/they

Heterocarpus ensifer

Outsider, Aquatic

Not confined to a town, Cranton is a shrimp and excellent chef living close to the shore.

Service: Food (Cranton's Shed)

---Ceras

They/them 

Babakina festiva

Explorer/Traveller (former Outsider), Aquatic/Terrestrial 

An aeolid nudibranch with an older sibling Fess, who became stranded away from them after being caught in a rip current and washing up on Taranoake's shore. Unlike other sea slugs, they have the ability to survive on land, for unknown and currently-being-explored reasons

Service: They don't have a service they're the player character

---Tan

They/it

Cordyceps militaris (hosted by Felis catus, a vertebrate)

Outsider, Aquatic/Terrestrial

A strange, almost cheerful fungus inhabiting the body of the only intact towering, black-furred, long-dead organism they could find.

Service: Lore?, Mycelium translator (if they can get over their mutual hatred for the rest of their literal kingdom)

---Claws

She/her

Coccinella septempunctata

Taranoake Citizen, Terrestrial

A retired fighter ladybug who sells weapons at the Agora, some much larger than she is. If you start up a conversation with her, just be ready to stay and listen until dusk sets. Oh, and you ARE going home with a lighter glass-pouch…

Service: Weapons (The Agora, Taranoake)

---Azent, Monti, and Kee

He/him, she/her, ???

Sphecius convallis, Parides montezuma, Sphecius convallis

Taranoake Citizens, Aerial/Terrestrial

Azent the wasp, his child Kee, and butterfly partner Monti. Monti's brood didn't live long enough to truly see the world, so she raises Kee as her own (alongside the larva's actual father). Azent is missing an antenna, which does provide benefit in tolerating the oversaturated salt-smell of the sea.

Service: None (?)

---Machula

She/her

Vespula maculifrons 

Taranoake Citizen/Traveller, Aerial/Terrestrial 

An exile from her hive for attempting to overthrow her mother, who's taken up residence in Taranoake due to the fact that they were the only city who'd have her. Has a sort of rivalry with Azent.

Service: None

---Ghost

They/them (plural)

Danaus plexippus

Taranoake Citizen, Aerial/Terrestrial 

A pale and rather antisocial monarch who speaks rarely, but always using plural pronouns for themselves.

Service: None

---Nell

She/her

Acheta domesticus

Taranoake Citizen, Terrestrial

A cricket nymph, who may not be well-known among most of the adult citizens, but is renowned by her fellow children in being the only to reach the Acorn (the only wingless, that is).

Service: None

---Quinn

He/they

Smerinthus cerisyi

Taranoake Citizen, Terrestrial

An older moth missing an eye. While he was once a traveller, now he's settled in Taranoake as a storyteller.

Service: Lore

---Carmine and Kalanchoe

She/her, she/they

Tachypompilus ferrugineus, Cotinis mutabilis

Taranoake Citizens, Aerial/Terrestrial

A bright spider wasp with a love for cooking (and her partner Kalanchoe), and the latter coleopteran target of affection. Both insects have a color mutation to their wings, in which Carmine's are a more fiery blue and Kalanchoe's hindwings are pink.

Service: Food (The Agora, Taranoake)

---Blue-Gills

They/he

Porcellio hoffmannseggi

Citadell Citizen, Terrestrial

A sowbug cuisineur.

Service: Food (Noctiluca Cafe, Citadell)

---Tawny-Buzzard

She/her

Apis mellifera

Citadell Citizen, Terrestrial

A honeybee scientist appreciating the more experimental side of her city's God. Wingless for, ahem, completely unrelated reasons and is on thin ice to be banished.

Service: ???? (H.C. Labs, Citadell)

---Dune

He/they

Centruroides vittatus

Taranoake Citizen, Terrestrial

A scorpion diligently guarding Taranoake from any perceived threats, despite not being asked to. They almost always let others go, though.

Service: None?

---Allibel

They/she 

Magicicada septendecim

Taranoake Citizen/Traveller, Terrestrial

A travelling musician who wields a free-reed instrument made from a full, delicate pill-millipede corpse. It's unknown how exactly she acquired it.

She's actually a 17-year nymph, who emerged with a mutation that either delayed her maturity or stopped it entirely, and found a love of music--and a way to make the most of her time without wings.

Service: The Vibes™ (Anywhere)

---Tenaram, Amarmallus, and Magtauran

He/him, they/he, they/them

Menippe mercenaria, Sphodromantis viridis, Scolopendra cingulata

Taranoake Citizens, Aquatic/Terrestrial, Terrestrial x2

Champions of the Colosseum! An imposing stone crab, who's actually pretty boastful, loud and charismatic, much to the annoyance of everyone else in the Barracks. A quiet and cold mantis who is quick to anger and avoids any non-fight interaction with anyone. An almost downright terrifying centipede that doesn't really seem to care much about anything.

Service: Entertainment (Colosseum of Ven, Taranoake)

---Flicken

They/she

Phausis reticulata

Taranoake Citizen, Aerial/Terrestrial 

A small, energetic and stealthy firefly with a tendency to appear out of shadows at random times and startle those around them. Friend to many of the ghost crabs but best friend to Bem.

Service: ...Jump scares

---Grek

He/him

Breviceps macrops

Renin Citizen, Terrestrial

An old, grouchy desert rain frog with a missing eye and a tendency to scream at the top of his lungs at the slightest inconvenience. The sole survivor of whatever wiped out all the frogs. He has been living in solitude for 10 years waiting for rain to tell him it's time to leave.

Service: Lore (...?)

---Bem 

They/them

Ocypode quadrata

Taranoake Citizen, Aquatic/Terrestrial

A joyful ghost crab child with a dream to fight in the Colosseum. They were born with two missing legs and use prosthetics fashioned from driftwood and seaweed, which help them walk but aren’t very fast or mobile, so they settled on helping Claws make and sell weapons. Best friends with Flicken.

Service: Quest (to get a Citadell scientist for better prosthetics)

---Cren and Terret

She/her x2

Camponotus pennsylvanicus, Reticulitermes flavipes

Citadell Citizens, Terrestrial and Aerial/Terrestrial

A carpenter ant and termite alate (and of course, their 27 aphids, per Cren’s obsession). While the former is something of an artist, and very much a carpenter as her species dictates, Terret is a wood-eating scientist who keeps completely to herself, besides living with her partner.

Service: ? (Woodworker’s Association, Citadell) (possibly fulfilling Copi's and/or Bem's quest, as well as one of their own) (I no longer remember what those last seven words meant)

---Sepinti

She/her

Magicicada septendecim

Traveller, Aerial/Terrestrial

A cicada singer, Allibel's sister--though she's not any older, makes fun of her for her immaturity mutation, while keeping herself in the spotlight. Only competitive, though, not a complete jerk.

Service: The Vibes™ (in set areas)

---Lumi

They/them

Goniobranchus kuniei

Kelsik Citizen, Aquatic

The sea slug merchant of Kelsik, a bit mischievously enthusiastic about their goods.

Service: ...Sells Things? Food maybe?

---Copi

She/they

Xylocopa virginica

Explorer, Aerial/Terrestrial 

A young carpenter bee who lost her nest and is yearning for any feeling of community. (Has already been kicked out of several Andrena and Colletes burrows, for lack of knowing they're actually solitary.)

Service: Quest (read above. may become adopted by Cren)

---Eken

He/she

???

Outsider, Aquatic

An extremely confused vendor eel who only works in trades, he’s well known for his vast array of strange items and for having no idea how to price anything. Her main logic is “if it looks cool it's probably a fair trade” and especially favors shiny things.

Service: Strange things and stranger prices.

---Genni

???

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

???, Aerial/Terrestrial

A strange sky-creature. It shows no sign of intelligence, and speaks in loud squawks, though Ceras has chosen to imprint on and name it.

Service: Quest (A Meal Of Great Elegance)

---Beowi 

They/them

Dytiscidae species

Explorer, Terrestrial (technically not aquatic as they only skim the surface)

A “ship” captain and self proclaimed pirate, this diving beetle has a fierce love of the water and an even fiercer hate of actually being in it, so they constructed a floatation device of sorts cobbled out of driftwood, seaweed, and countless strange buoyant objects. 

Service: Quest (Track Down the Beast)