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jupiterswasphouse · 2 years ago

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Hey howdy, everyone!

Today I'd like to share a little bit about a subfamily of insect that's fairly common almost everywhere (barring either the north or south pole), the paper wasps! More specifically Polistinae, although some colloquial definitions also include other Vespid wasps that make similar structures, namely Stenogastrinae (Hover Wasps) and Vespinae (Hornets and Yellowjackets)!

In many cases, you might be most familiar with the European paper wasp (Polistes dominula), however, as for my location, I most commonly encounter other members of the tribe Polistini

[Image IDs: Red paper wasps on a window (left) and a milk crate (right) respectively | Image Source(s): Myself, jupiterswasphouse]

The red paper wasp (Polistes carolina)

[Image IDs: A metric paper wasp collecting wood fibers from a wooden railing | Image Source(s): Myself, jupiterswasphouse]

The metric/metricus paper wasp (Polistes metricus)

[Image IDs: A colony of northern paper wasps in a partially closed cardboard box, one on the outside and the rest on the inside (left) / A single northern paper wasp on the arm of a metal chair (right) | Image Source(s): Myself, jupiterswasphouse]

And the northern paper wasp (Polistes fuscatus)!

However, there are many more species of paper wasp, including those within the aforementioned tribe Polistini, and the three other tribes: Mischocyttarini, Ropalidiini, and Epiponini. Totalling to around 1100 species, which, needless to say, is a lot of wasps!

The name 'paper wasp' is often most fitting for species within Polistinae, as the grand majority of them have queens that do make their nests from paper, which they create by collecting and chewing wood fibers, mixing them with their saliva and forming the mixture into shape in sheltered areas, complete with cells in which a queen will individually lay its eggs, plus a chemical secretion at the base of the nest to repel ants! However, they are not the only subfamily to make paper nests, as most eusocial wasps in Vespidae do, and there are also members of Polistinae that do not make paper nest, with some in the tribe Epiponini making theirs out of mud, and a few in Polistini being brood parasites and relying on other members of the tribe to raise their brood!

Members of Polistinae are also considered to be less aggressive than other related species, and are less likely to see humans as threats unless they or their nests are directly threatened (This is not to say that they are not potentially aggressive, nor to say other species are always aggressive! Respect wasps and they will typically respect you, they are wild animals and do not have the capacity for intentional malicious behavior, and attack because they're scared! Please interact properly with them, be careful around individuals and especially around nests, only kill if ABSOLUTELY necessary for safety, and stay safe if you're allergic to wasp venom)- Obviously, if they do sting you, the sting will be fairly painful, but in no other species is this quite as apparent as in the executioner wasp (Polistes carnifex), a neotropical species which has been claimed to have the most painful sting of any wasp or even of any insect whatsoever, however, information on whether or not this is true is conflicting and may depend on the individual experiencing the sting- In any case, the grand majority of paper wasp stings are not nearly as painful!

Speaking of wasp attacks, they do hunt for meat, but do NOT feed on live humans, instead, they hunt other insects! This is part of what makes them beneficial in agriculture, as they prey on some species that are considered pests to farmers and feed them to their larvae, as well as providing crucial pollination as the adults feed on plant nectar and sometimes fruit! These wasps are most often critically important to their native land in natural biocontrol!

Interestingly enough, some species within the genera Polybia and Brachygastra, tribe Epiponini, as well as Polistini's ringed paper wasp (Polistes annularis), among others that have been observed, even produce a form of honey (much like their relatives, the bees)- Perhaps most notably the Mexican honey wasp (Brachygastra mellifica), another great example of their benefit as they help in the cultivation of crops, such as avocados!

Overall, like all wasps, paper wasps are extremely interesting and beneficial to nature and to people (even if they can unfortunately be seen as an annoyance by some)! For further reading on these insects (and others), check out the articles below!:

Basic >

Specific >

Extensive >

Ecosystem services provided by aculeate wasps - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/brv.12719

#Please bear in mind that I am not a licensed expert! Research is important! Do correct me if any information is incorrect!#Wasps #Wasp #Paper wasp #Paper wasps #Polistinae #Vespidae #Entomology #Insects #Insect #Bugs #Bug #Wasp House Buzzing

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oddman-the-oldman · 1 year ago

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Contributions to the ecology of North American vespines: Rearing yellowjackets in nest boxes and unraveling pheromonemediated nest defense in bald-faced hornets

Chapter 1. Nest defense pheromones in vespids

1.1. Abstract Like most insects, wasps use pheromones as their predominant means of communication. As eusocial insects, wasps need to protect their larvae and pupae from predation. They defend against vertebrate predators by cooperation and en-masse defense via alarm pheromones. The release of alarm pheromone by a wasp triggers alarm behaviour by nest mates that then counteract a threat. All alarm pheromones heretofore identified have been isolated from venom sacs. Alarm behaviour includes stinging and biting of the intruder by worker wasps. Pheromone-mediated alarm behaviour is not ubiquitous among vespids. Within the Vespinae subfamily, the phenomenon has been described for just nine species. However, even if pheromone based defense behaviour has not yet been demonstrated in a particular species, this type of behaviour may still be revealed in the future with an improved bioassay design. While some components of the nest defense pheromone volatilize readily, prompting nest mates into defensive behaviour, other components mark perpetrators for directed and coordinated attacks. Further compounds isolated from venom sacs suppress aggressive behaviour towards nest mates. The study of nest defense signals will enhance our understanding of the evolution of eusociality and could result in better trap baits that might mitigate the ecological impact of invasive wasps

@anjo-by-the-sea I'm having more trouble finding my words these days. They have decided my sleep disorder is an early symptom of Lewy Body Disease and it is getting late for me. The danger I was in besides having my airway obstructed by swelling from the sting was being swarmed and stung by more individuals due to the Alarm Pheromones the nest defender would have injected me with or left behind on my skin.

This area just successfully ( they think ) fended off an invasion of Giant Asian Hornets aka "Murder Hornets"

#oddman-the-oldman #wasps #baldfaced hornets

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readersmoon · 1 year ago

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Between the Heavens and the Embers - Chapter 1

Paris was going up in flames.

The City of Light was brighter than ever before. Fires everywhere were burning houses and stores down to the ground. Hundreds of people were running in the streets, seeking refuge or trying to help the unfortunate ones. Sirens could be heard from everywhere over the sound of the screams, tears, and prayers.

Only a week ago, Hawkmoth had promised chaos. “Ladybug and Chat Noir,” he had said, “if you don’t give up immediately, I will bring Hell here and the only thing left will be the ashes of those you failed to protect.”

They all took it as an empty threat. The words of a desperate man. After all, Hawkmoth was well known for his dramatics.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t been exaggerating this time.

This akuma was the strongest one he’d ever sent. It called itself The Angel of Darkness. Standing at almost nine feet tall, he was clad in all black, from his boot to his cape and feather wings. The only color came from the flaming halo over his head.

In mere minutes, Paris had been turned into Pandemonium. The smoke in the air was so dense that breathing was near impossible and even though it was the middle of January, the fires made it feel like a hot night of July. But worse than all, the red sky that seemed to be bleeding alongside the victims who were dying left and right in the streets.

The whole team had been called to help. They had put up a good battle, but it hasn’t been enough. After almost four hours, the only ones still standing were Ladybug, Chat Noir, Carapace, and Rena Rouge. The others were either hurt or their kwamis were too exhausted to fight.

They meticulously moved the combat into a street that had been completely evacuated. They could see that The Angel of Darkness was growing tired, or at least bored with the confrontation. But instead of getting weaker, he was more aggressive. He wanted it all to be over and didn’t even care about the miraculous anymore. In a fit of rage, he threw a ball of fire directly at Chat Noir.

“Chat Noir!” Ladybug screamed when he disappeared behind some debris.

She was pretty certain that her heart had stopped beating.

No, no, no, no…

“I’m fine!” he yelled back a second later and she breathed again. “It didn’t touch me!”

She glanced at him, making sure that he was indeed fine, then at Rena and Carapace. Her best friends. She was worried. Their attacks were getting progressively weaker and their reactions, slower. They wouldn’t be able to fight like this for much longer. She already had to run away and detransformed four times to feed Tikki and none of her lucky charms had worked. Same with Chat. No matter what he cataclysm, nothing happened. They were running in circles.

She couldn’t help but worry about what was gonna happen. Viperion, Ryuuko, and Vespina were already in terrible shape. She couldn’t risk another one of them getting hurt…

Once again, she looked at her partner. Even covered in ashes, he was breathtaking. She thought about the previous night and the kiss they had shared. They were at their spot, on a rooftop with a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. He was laughing about something she had said and seemed so happy, his skin glowing with the last rays of sunset. She realized at that moment that she couldn’t fight her feelings any longer and kissed him, somewhat surprised by her own move, even though she had wanted to do this for a while now. After all, their relationship had changed so much over the past few weeks…

Chat’s initial reaction was to freeze, certainly even more shocked than she was. But only a few seconds later, he was moving against her lips with the same urge, the same passion, his hand cupping her face oh so delicately. It had felt so … natural. Like they were meant for each other.

And they were.

No, she couldn’t risk him. She couldn’t risk any of them. They had to end this. Now.

“Ladybug, please tell me you have another plan!” Carapace said after coming back from recharging.

“I’m thinking!”

They fought for a couple more minutes before she noted something they hadn’t seen before. Thanks to Chat’s last attack, the armor protecting The Angel of Darkness had slightly cracked, exposing a small part of his chest and the top of a tattoo. It was barely noticeable, but Ladybug was certain it was a little candle. It explained why her first lucky charm had been a candle snuffer!

“His tattoo!” Ladybug exclaimed. “Right near his heart!”

“LB, that’s his skin, I can’t use my cataclysm directly on him…”

She froze. He was right, of course. She was about to backtrack, to try and figure out yet another plan, when Rena, breathless, turned around and screamed out of exhaustion at Chat Noir: “Oh because you have a better idea?”

“Maybe we could—Attention!”

Mere seconds before it touched the girls, Chat Noir and Carapace jumped in front of them and pushed them out of the way of a new fireball. Ladybug’s eyes met Chat’s and understanding passed between them as they held one of their silent conversations.

“OK, we’re doing this,” he finally said, his eyes unconvinced and his trembling arms still holding her close. “Your lucky charm will repair everything anyway, right?”

Ladybug immediately noticed how desperate he looked. The way his eyes were searching hers, begging for reassurance. Please, he seemed to say, don’t make me a murderer.

“Of course,” she answered.

She persuaded herself that it was the truth, although she still wanted to backtrack and find another plan. Anything else, really. Because even though she knew her lucky charm would bring everything back to normal, Chat would always remember that no matter what, he had killed the men. And she knew without a doubt that it would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Seemingly sensing Ladybug's hesitation, Rena Rouge affirmed, “We really don’t have a choice, guys. We have to do this.”

Chat Noir simply nodded, his arms leaving Ladybug. Without his touch, she suddenly felt panic wash over her as if she knew something horrible was about to happen. But instead of focusing on what was probably the beginning of an anxiety attack, she shook her head and squared her shoulders. She couldn’t think of this now. She would have all the time in the world to regret her decisions. Right now, she had a fight to win and people to save. Paris was counting on her.

Ladybug looked around, trying to find a way to approach the akuma without getting fried. Moving to be close to him truly was a pain in the ass. And even worse, they were running out of time. Their kwamis were exhausted and they had less and less time between each transformation. Even her earrings had started beeping again, although she hadn’t called her lucky charm yet.

Carapace, Rena, and Ladybug ended up on rooftops, with the couple on one side of the street and their leader on the other. They were running and screaming at him, distracting the villain while Chat, previously hiding, jumped from behind him, his cataclysm ready. But just before Chat’s hand touched him, The Angel of Darkness’ face lit up with the purple butterfly mask and he used his attack one last time.

Everything then happened simultaneously.

“Lucky…”, Ladybug started saying, but she couldn’t finish the sentence.

The burning house next to Ladybug collapsed on top of her at the same time that the akuma flew away, leaving on the ground a dead man. The three other superheroes froze for a second, their eyes open in similar terror.

“Chat Noir, no!” Carapace yelled, watching as Chat ran inside the ruins while struggling to hold back his own girlfriend.

“Marinette!” Rena Rouge wailed, secret identities forgotten in the midst of the chaos. “Please, no!”

With all the debris and the smoke, they couldn’t see well when Chat Noir came back outside with a detransformed Ladybug in his arms. But they couldn’t miss the sound of the house exploding, or Chat Noir’s scream. A cry that would haunt them for years, so loud and so full of agony that it drowned out the sound of the sirens in the near distance.

***

Ladybug’s funerals were the biggest event of the last ten years. It lasted for three days and almost the whole world watched, either in person or on the news. Even Hawkmoth stayed silent, never once sending an akuma, although there were a lot of opportunities. Superheroes from all over the globe came to pay their respect to the girl whose identity had not been revealed, thanks to the paramedics that had arrived first on the scene.

“We’re just gonna say that this girl is another one of the casualties. What’s her name, so we can tell her family?”

Although they probably would have preferred to speak to Chat Noir, Ladybug’s real partner, they talked to Carapace, as he was the only one still able to pretend to be strong. He had to, for the other two who were crying in each other’s arms in the middle of the street.

“Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” he’d answered, still shocked by the revelation.

“From the patisserie?”

“Yes.”

“Very well. We will have to confirm that Ladybug is dead, but we won’t declare that it’s her. You have our word that her identity will be preserved.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank us. It’s the least we can do, trust me.”

And right before leaving with Marinette’s body in the back of their ambulance, which had its lights off, one of them had said: “We’re awfully sorry for your loss.”

So no one knew who Ladybug was, even though people were speculating on the internet, comparing her to the list of deaths. Marinette’s name was mentioned quite often, as she was one of the 175 girls between the age of fourteen to twenty-six that had died, but nothing was ever confirmed.

The whole world watched as Ladybug’s team came forward to say goodbye to their leader, Rena Rouge, and Carapace never leaving Chat Noir’s side. He never talked, simply looked into the distance, his eyes blurry and unfocused, gripping his friends’ hands as if it was the only thing holding him to reality. For weeks, people talked about how miserable he looked and sobbed as the Ladynoir kiss was leaked to the public after an anonymous source released a picture taken from a nearby apartment.

He disappeared the same day.

Marinette’s funerals were a bit more private, even though a lot of people, famous and not, came. It took almost six weeks before they could hold a closed basket reception since almost everyone in Paris had someone to mourn and the salons were all full. That day, no one really paid attention to the three nineteen-years-old in the back who were silently crying.

Weeks passed before things started to be normal again. Life moved on, and Paris was being constructed back up. Of course, some things couldn’t be repaired, but it was a start. After about four months of silence, Chat Noir came back when Hawkmoth sent his first attack in months. He wasn’t the same, and would probably never be again, but still. He laughed a lot less, didn’t interact much with the civilians, and couldn’t restore the everlasting damages that the akumas created, but he was back and that was all that mattered to the people of Paris. They loved Rena Rouge and Carapace, who had taken the responsibility of protecting Paris during Chat’s retreat, but still. It wasn’t the same.

“Alya,” Adrien suddenly blurted one evening as they were lying on a rooftop, untransformed, their eyes glued to the sky.

Adrien didn’t remember the exact moment when his identity had been compromised. Sometime after Marinette’s death. It could have been minutes, hours or days, he didn’t know nor did he care. He simply recalled waking up at some point in Nino’s bed, Alya, Nino, Plagg, Trixx, and Wayzz asleep next to him. Alya had said that they had all dropped their transformation while crying in each other’s arms, but he couldn’t remember that. Nor could he remember going to Nino’s place. But lately, there were a lot of missing moments in Adrien’s memory. He often found himself someplace, not knowing how he got there. His therapist claimed it was part of his grief. After all, losing a friend so young was painful. But they didn’t understand, couldn’t understand. Would never understand.

He hadn’t lost his friend. He had lost his best friend, soulmate, and partner. The love of his life. Every time he closed his eyes, he had the image of her, broken and covered in blood. And as if it wasn’t enough, he had to live with the fact that he had killed someone.

But as they were lying on the rooftop, Adrien’s brain seemed to finally awaken. The mist cleared as the revelation he had just had made his heart beat faster in his chest.

“Yeah?” Alya replied, not looking at him and therefore not seeing the panic setting on Adrien’s face.

“They left with her.”

“Adrien…”

“They left with her and we were too busy crying to—”

“Stop it, we already talked about it, it’s not your—”

“No, no, no, hear me out,” he pleaded, sitting, forcing her to look him in the eyes. “Alya, they left with her. They took her body from my arms and I was so … so shocked, so in pain, that I didn’t realize that she still had her earrings still on.”

The girl sat up straight. “Oh, my god.”

“Yeah.”

“So, she was either buried with her earrings, or…”

“Or we lost the ladybug miraculous.”

SEVEN YEARS LATER

“Shh, shh, you’re alright, love,” he whispered, holding her close to his chest, rocking her in a soothing movement. “It’s just a nightmare. You’re okay, nothing can hurt you. Do you wanna talk about it?”

“No,” she answered, crying and burying her face into his chest. “I don’t even remember.”

She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Her whole body was trembling and she couldn’t stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. Even though she should’ve been used to it by now, it just never got any easier. Thank god she had him by her side. He never complained about her waking up in the middle of the night. Never said anything about losing precious minutes of sleep. Never forced her to tell more than what she was willing to share.

Not that there was anything to share, anyway.

“Do you wanna go back to sleep, then?”

She glanced at the window, at the lights that shone no matter the time of the day. It eased her, made her feel a little bit more at peace knowing that, no matter what, Los Angeles never really slept.

“Vee?” Dylan pressed her when she didn’t reply.

She nodded before laying down on the bed, pressing her cheek against his chest. With her boyfriend’s hand stroking her hair, Victoria closed her eyes and went back to sleep, praying that the nightmares wouldn’t come back.

If only she knew what they meant.

Click here to chapter 2.

#miraculous ladybug #ladynoir #mlb #ml #ao3 #adrien agreste #marichat #adrinette #miraculous #mlb fic #miraculous fic #mlb fanfic #ml fic #mine #readersmoon #between the heavens and the embers #bthate

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istherewifiinhell · 1 year ago

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METAZOOA HARD MODE

no drop down menu. WELCOME TO BUG WORLD

[ID: metazooa, the cladistics puzzle tree, guessed in 9. The tree splits at bilateria, two guesses under gnathostomata: horse and tiger shark. And the rest under neoptera: locust. Two under endopterygota, ladybug and mosquito. Two under aculeata: honey bee, fire ant. And two under vespinae: wasp, and finally the answer, hornet. END ID]

this too is a kind of creature to me

#some shit #wifi at the zoo

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addicted2wasps · 6 months ago

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Yellowjackets - a short story.

I root for them because I think they're awesome. This took a lot of time and effort (I draw everything by hand), so if you hate wasps, that's fine, but just move on. I don't have the energy to deal with irrational hate.

I'm aware that some people are allergic and afraid, and that's totally valid. You don't have to love wasps, but try to understand their place in nature.

#wasps #wasp #entomology #insect #hymenoptera #apocrita #aculeata #cartoon #vespidae #vespoidea #comic #Vespula #Vespinae #Vespulaalascensis #AShortStory #YellowJackets

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dramaturgydrakes · 2 years ago

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hello everyone! please buckle in because i am about to be an unstoppable force unable to shut up about my fantribes and alt tfoh timeline branch au

note that many things are bolded, italicized, colored differently for more readability and to bring focus to important points!

THIS WILL PROBABLY BE DIVIDED INTO MULTIPLE POSTS/REBLOGS!! i have a HUGE amount of development for this story you have no fucking clue

THE PREMISE & THE PLACE

So, first things first: Where are we in this quaint little alternate universe that totally doesn’t have at least two massive intertwining overcomplicated plotlines?

We are on Tipula! (No completed map as of current.) Tipula is the primary title of various genera of crane fly, a family which incidentally has the rarest insect species known to date under its tree.

Now, what’s so important about Tipula? Why are we here?

Tipula is the last of the seven dragon continents (Pyrrhia, Pantala, Oedalus, Vespina, Aedes, Povilla), in the context of surviving the spread of the othermind.

Yeah, sorry, guys, it’s that kind of AU—even though I don’t delve into the WoF community much, I’m sure it’s done to death at this point. BUT! I like to think my spin on it is completely unique in its own right!

Moving on!

How has Tipula survived? What happened to everyone else?

Centuries upon centuries ago, in the dying breaths of Tipula’s last animus, she cast a spell that protected the entirety of the continent from invaders. But that’s not all: the enchantment held her spirit, which would guide dragons fleeing from tragedy and disaster to Tipula’s shores. To anyone else, it was hidden. Imperceivable and nonexistent to those who had never heard of it in the first place.

Even before realizing Luna’s failure, many dragons had already prepared themselves to leave; inhabitants of Pyrrhia and Pantala alike. Somehow, some way, something of perhaps two hundred or more dragons escaped the horrible disaster that was beginning to take place.

Many did not survive. But many more held on, flying until their wings ached and screamed. Carrying their tired, crying children and leaning to the sides of the elderly when they could hardly keep up, eggs wrapped carefully in bags of some kind or another—only for many to be lost to sea. Barely finding any places of rest, driven from the shores of every new continent as they were greeted with only hostility and fear.

... There were whispers in Lichen’s ears.

A frail old RainWing, never having been pushed this far for this long. No suntime, no naps, no fruit or hammocks or furry friends... but she was old enough to know tragedy. She knew how to push forward, and how to motivate the youth of her tribe to keep moving when they grew bitter and hopeless.

Perhaps her age was getting the better of her, her deteriorating mind telling her things that didn’t quite make sense.

Still, she pulled herself to the front of the exhausted group, and murmured in the ear of her queen. She repeated the words that had been spoken to her just moments before.

“Angle yourselves further left. There is a small tropical island, with enough food for every dragon to have one meal. It is safe to rest there. Then fly straight, and you will be guided the rest of the way.”

Glory seemed as bewildered and uncertain as Lichen herself, but, seeing as they were already aimless in their flight, she relayed the information to the queens that had come along and still survived this far.

(Ruby’s confidence was unwavering, and it had gotten her all the way up to here. Snowfall would do anything for her tribe, determined to prove she could survive for their sake. Coral and the SeaWings were already well-built for such a journey regardless. But Moorhen had been lost to the waves when the first storm hit six days prior, and Thorn had refused to leave without at least trying to save their home.)

It seemed crazy. And yet, their hope at its last embers, they took a chance.

And there it was: the island. Relieved at such a miracle, they settled down; replenishing their energy until they all felt they could move forward again.

In the distance, the blurred figure of a dragon flew forth. Not knowing what else to do, they followed. Their uncertainties and their fears were cast aside, knowing, ultimately, this was their only hope. Now was not the time for doubt, for questions, for hesitation: they had to trust that this would lead them to safety.

...

One by one, talons met sand. One hundred and thirteen dragons landed on the shores of Tipula, greeted by curious eyes and a kindness they had not been granted for days on end. These dragons had not known war or continental conflict: their priority was peace and knowledge, acceptance first and foremost. There were no queens, no rulers—but instead a council that decided the laws with input from all the tribes across the continent, and oversaw the fair trials of all alleged criminals.

The refugees settled in. Purity of blood could not upheld, and centuries passed, the number of Tipulan tribes almost doubling as division of bloodlines created entirely new dragons.

Originally, Tipula had CavernWings, CloudWings, BlazeWings, and... BeetleWings. BeetleWings had come from this continent, and, as it seemed... they were not lost to time at all.

Now, seven new tribes exist among them: ScaldWings, DustWings, FrostWings, GaleWings, SproutWings, VineWings, and... HiveWings, but not. Modern HiveWings, I call them.

All of these tribes will be covered in their own posts and/or reblogs! :)

———

THIS POST IS CONSIDERED INCOMPLETE FOR NOW.

There are a LOT of story details I still need to fit in here, and I may have to reorganize plotpoints and rewrite paragraphs, plus I still need to figure out what I should be putting in separate posts instead of just here. Stay tuned! :)

And also I’m not done being an annoying highlighter with the text.

#wings of fire #wof #fan tribes #fantribes #wof au #wof fantribe #wof ocs #how do i tag for more reach i didnt put in all this effort for nothing #even if you arent into wof itd be SUPER COOL IF YOU REBLOGGED #wof fan continent #wof fanfic #kind of #pup’s nonsensical rambles #nep.txt #tipula #that might get me thrown in with bug posts but whatever

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