#thread legged assassin bug

[fly-sky-high-bug-games]

Final frontier for the final assassin bug in the set~!

Charkha for @mysterious-luck! Thank you so much for all the support! :D

C:

[jupiterswasphouse]

[PHOTOS TAKEN: NOVEMBER 2ND, 2024 | Image IDs: Three photos of a brown thread-legged bug on a window frame /End IDs.]

One may think this is a typical stick bug, but, as it turns out, this is actually a thread-legged bug, a type of assassin bug!

[sandpaperoctopi]

good night at the bug light

met a black webspinner friend

and a thread-legged bug. the first I've found in the yard

green lacewings and two different species of brown lacewing

and this guy

[artist-l-e]

Had some new ideas for the Miraculous Assassin Bug

Got a bit of an idea for how this bad girl comes to be.

Things essentially start out similar to the canon up until Mari becomes the new guardian, at most having a few more mentioned casualties of akuma attacks.

Mari is really overwhelmed by not just becoming the new guardian, but the whole superhero thing as a whole. She really just wants to get done with akumatized victims quickly and not have to spend as long as she and Chat Noir do with taking them down.

Tikki hesitates, but eventually tells her of a kwami that could help there. Producing a little extra box, as Fu gathered a few more Miraculouses in his time as the guardian, which holds a hair comb similar to the Bee Miraculous. From it comes Ticck, a quite looney, blunt and direct little guy, the kwami of punctuation. And despite that title, he's not the most elequantly spoken.

Mari thinks over using his Miraculous, but does eventually go for it, going from mainly using the Ladybug Miraculous to mainly using the Assassin Bug one while still having the Ladybug on in order to purify akumas and fix the damage they caused.

She even avoids using the rather passive ability of her new Miraculous for as long as possible, but eventually gives into it.

See, the punctuation part of the Assassin Bug Miraculous isn't in reference to literature, but rather a description of the main ability the Miraculous possesses. The needle that comes with the transformation can pierce anything, magical and non-magical defense alike. Combined with the indestructible thread attached to a spool usually attached to her belt, this Miraculous' offensive strategy bottles down to rendering an opponent unable to move. Be it by tying them up or piercing their flesh.

Mari would still avoid killing anyone, not really being able to handle the guilt that would come with that nor wanting to hurt someone that badly. But there are non-fatal areas she could aim for. Namely the shoulders, arms, legs, hips and the generally lower sides of the torso.

Chat Noir would actually be quite upset at this, having so far spend a lot of time suppressing how his own Miraculous could be used in a darker fashion. Having her go into more dubious means to deal with the akuma threat brings it all to his attention again and he's really feeling uncomfortable about it.

He can acknowledge that fights go by a little shorter, as the pain can be too great for the villains to bear and thus reduce casualties, but it is still morally wrong. More so than how they did it before.

Can he even really love her like that anymore?

I had fun with this one, the doodle has a nice pose, even if, in hindsight, I forgot a few details. Hope you guys can enjoy it as well.

Have a nice day

[life-around-me-yura15cbx]

Empicoris rubromaculatus, an assassin bug, the thread bug, is a species of thread-legged bug. It is found in North America and Oceania. polyphagous.

Class:Insecta

Order:Hemiptera

Suborder:Heteroptera

Family:Reduviidae

Genus:Empicoris

О виде никакой информации. Семейство:

The family members are almost all ambush predatory, except for a few blood-sucking species.

The name Reduviidae is derived from the type genus, Reduvius. That name, in turn, comes from the Latin reduvia, meaning "hangnail" or "remnant". Possibly this name was inspired by the lateral flanges on the abdomen of many species.

Хищные Reduviidae используют длинный рострум для смертельного инъекции слюны, она разжижает внутреннюю часть добычи, которую затем высасывают. Слюна содержит ферменты, которые переваривают ткани. Этот процесс обычно называют экстраоральное пищеварение.

В то время, как члены большинства подсемейств не имеют общих имён, кроме жукоа-убийц, некоторые подсемейства имеют свои общие названия, такие как:

Засадные жуки – подсемейство Фиматины.

Нитевидные клопы – подсемейство Эмезины.

Целующиеся жуки (или клопы с конусной головкой) – подсемейство Триатомины.

Колесные жучки – род Арилус.

Травяные жуки-убийцы – род Лоподиты.

47/22 Northcross Drive, Oteha, Auckland 0632

-36.7185200, 174.7202006

7PJC+H3W Auckland

наземные насекомые полужесткокрылые

[honorhearted]

"Decorate it with what, coffee rings, perhaps?" Ben asked, indicating the mug on their coaster-less table. "I think I'd like a second opinion."

That's what a girlfriend does...

He snorted at the conjecture, bemused. "I'm starting to think we have two very different ideas of dating -- but fine, continue falling into stereotypes. Do you have a pickle jar for me to open, or a spider to kill, while you're at it?"

All jokes aside, Ben was wholly aware that his impatience was making him sloppy. Sarah's sharp-eyed admonishment helped remind him of this, and with his hands falling to her waist, he curled his upper lip into the attempts of a smile. "I've been checking my apartment for bugs ever since Sackett," he agreed. "Just because everything's clear thus far doesn't mean that'll continue -- for all we know, someone might eventually try and bug this place, too."

Curling his legs until they were propped on the sofa, he turned towards Sarah when she reciprocated, her arms draping around his neck and drawing him close. The warmth of her breath on his face made him tense, yet Ben undermined this by brushing a hand through her hair, his thumb gently tracing the curve of her cheek.

"I'd say I'm being delightful, given the circumstances," he muttered, forcing a brighter smile. "I haven't shared a room since college. Sarah and I...er...my Sarah dated for a considerable time, but she was particular about who was in her personal space and when. She liked to be alone." He shrugged. "Hell, I do too, so we worked well together."

Until they suddenly didn't.

"Be the boyfriend now. What would you do besides complaining that I'm unhelpful, if we were finally moving in together?"

Ben snorted, though at long last, a thread of genuine amusement stitched into his smile. "I think most couples opt for 'christening' their various rooms, but I also value my life and don't wish to get assassinated." He rolled his eyes in thought. "Then again, you are asking me to come up with an icebreaker, and as a self-proclaimed introvert, I might actually start to wish for an assassination attempt."

Brushing his fingers through her hair, he leaned in and nudged their foreheads together. "Given how much you probably want to stab me right about now, I'm admittedly impressed with your restraint." He chuckled. "Nevertheless, I don't have a set script for being a boyfriend. Has it really been that long for you? Even I know you just go with the flow."

"Same," she agreed, since she wasn't known to be jumping from one relationship to another - his Ice Queen comment hadn't been too far from the truth. And for good reason, considering how it had all ended.

She really doubted it was going to be an 'open and shut' case, but why ruin his moment of hope? He'd be stuck playing boyfriend for a while regardless. And because they had already started on the wrong foot, she'd have to start learning more about him on their company-mission, so that she could better play real-girlfriend for his coworkers later. It was going to be awkward, she was sure of it. If only because she didn't know if she should trust a word he said.

--

Ah, so he was the nag boyfriend. Sarah let herself smile; windows were open, best to look normal. "I unpacked my luggage, honey," she called loudly, and that in itself was always a weird thing to do, seeing as the real Sarah never unpacked her things. "Checked nothing was missing from the kitchen, and I'm choosing how to decorate the coffee table. You are the muscle, I will be taking care of where things go once you bring them in so the house looks nice. That's what a girlfriend does."

Her smile was mischievous, looking up to him as if she did nothing but tease her dear boyfriend all day, "And you are doing what a stressed out boyfriend does, your choice. You could've just taken it slower," she murmured, turning more in his direction so they could talk. Even if he didn't exactly look relaxed and happy, it was fine: he could simply be the nervous over-organized type. That he was kissing her hand as a choice of affection was also excellent, even if it reminded her of how he had played innocent on their first time out.

But asking her for updates now, already, was not as fine, and her smile turned just a little tighter. "This is our current mission, in the last few days I've only been focusing on getting everything ready for our temporary life here. I suggest you do the same, splitting your focus will only make you fail both. You'll be the first to know if Graham finds something, but it's going to take a while, it's not like we are talking about rookies here. We don't even know who is involved and how high ranking, if there is someone from our ranks in the first place." Her tone was gentle, to help herself match the look on his face, but she knew her eyes had turned more serious, and shook her head, hopping with one knee on the couch to face him properly and wrapping both arms around his neck with a smile, "Sweetie, stop making me look so serious on our first day in our new home, will you? This is supposed to be fun and romantic, remember? I wouldn't assume we aren't being watched even if you weren't potentially close to traitors who are willing to kill you, let alone now."

She tilted her head, batting her eyelashes at him, her tone softening more: "Talk about something else, think about something else so you loosen up, this is all you can do for now so focus on it. I know it's hard. But this is how we get them. And then they'll pay." Probably not the nicest words to go with her loving look, but she also knew how important it was for him to know that she wasn't dismissing it out of lack of care, that she did want to catch the traitors too; he needed to be far more patient than expecting updates after a few days, that was for sure. "Be the boyfriend now. What would you do besides complaining that I'm unhelpful, if we were finally moving in together?"

[bugsandnaturethings]

This may look like a stick bug or a mantis, but it is a thread-legged assassin bug!

[onenicebugperday]

@nulook4summa submitted: just remembered this cutie I saw a few months back on unceded Jagera Country (Brisbane, Aus) was v impressed by how they manoeuvred this spider web any idea who they r?

That is very impressive! It's a thread-legged bug, which is a type of assassin bug. Love their grabby front legs! Some species specialize in eating spiders, so that would explain the ease of web-walking.

[humblegrub]

do you know about the subfamily Emesinae in Reduviidae? i did not until very recently and now i have to share the joy. they are assassin bugs cosplaying as stick bugs i love them

eheheh

no silly business here...

(image 1, image 2) (learn more)

[ecuadorlife]

Thread-legged Assassin Bug, Reduviidae: Emesinae by Andreas Kay Via Flickr: ID by Perk's images from Ecuador: www.flickr.com/andreaskay/albums

[aviculor]

Twitter is not a safe place to critique pokemon designs, so I'm going to dump a lot of my thoughts here.

Spidops. It's not a bad idea, like a black ops special agent ogre-faced spider. But the execution of its design needed a bit more oomph. The bouncy ball of thread -> kevlar vest idea would make more sense if Spidops' vest was its silk rather than a pattern that looks more like it's wearing an apron. It's not even black to make it look more like a stereotypical covert assassin. There's also a seamstress motif happening at the same time where its abdomen is a spool of thread and it has the aforementioned "apron", but there's not enough synergy between these concepts and it just looks confusing and unfinished as a result. Like they had two separate ideas for a new spider pokemon and ended up mashing them together to save space for their three dog lines. Of course, a lot of this could just be me having high standards and expectations because I want there to be a "perfect" spider pokemon. If I came up with my own take on a Tarountula evo, I would have made it a jorogumo wearing its own silk as a dress. Which is a concept I already had, it was sitting in my list for over a year because I couldn't get its design off the ground. You can dig through my "fakemon ideas" tag for proof. I'm actually ashamed of myself for that.

Slither Wing is another very...interesting pokemon to me. It's a dinosaur-like 'kaijuu' akin to what was common in Gen 1. It could easily have been our first bug/dragon, but instead it's a bug/fighting. I like it a lot, but I don't quite understand why it's fighting type or why its name is that. It doesn't slither, it has feet that it stands up on. Its wings don't slither either, it's not as if they're weird tentacles that resemble Larvesta's horns. Which is a strange thing to say, but having slithering wings that it punches you with would have at least justified it being a fighting type called "Slither Wing". The way Khu described it in his leaks, I was expecting a neotenous caterpillar-like creature, like some horrible flightless moth with tiny vestigial wings. Which is a pretty spicy idea, and one I should take for myself since by all rights it is my thought that I thunk.

Even though I would have preferred a more standard toothed chest for our first genuine rpg-style mimic pokemon, I'll admit it would be a cop-out to strip Gimmighoul of what makes it unique from all the other mimic monsters out there. But Gholdengo. Gholdengo does not look like a mass of coins, it looks like Cinna Mon the old Apple Jacks mascot. It looks like a shiny string cheese man. I get that it would have been difficult to properly render a humanoid stack of coins in a way that would remain easy to draw, but they could have just not done that and gone in another direction. You know what would have been neat? If it was a genie made of loose coins floating out from the chest like it was a lamp. It is still a ghost type after all, and collecting 999 coins to evolve Gimmighoul is basically having a wish that gets granted.

All of the future paradox pokemon being robots is something of a shame since we could have gotten some real speculative evolution happening. But that is a wholly deliberate choice that I do respect. It kind of is more fitting in Violet than in Scarlet where you see a Donphan with spikes and fur and everyone's like "is that thing even a pokemon!?". But in both cases, they could have pushed the envelope even more with separating the paradox from the "original". Take Iron Jugulis for example- it's just a robotic Hydreigon. You want to know one example of what they could have done? Bring back the tank treads from Hydreigon's early concept stage. I also think it would have been cool if its wings were like spider legs, but at that point it would be a bit hard to call it a flying type. Granted, I'm 99% sure we haven't gotten the full story about paradox pokemon anyway, but there's a reason I find myself liking fan takes on the concept more than the actual ones we got.

I don't have any quarrel with Tatsugiri, but I think it would have been interesting if instead of a little guppy fish it was based on a tongue louse...or even better, a liver fluke. It would have still looked like a piece of nigiri, and being a parasitic animal would have meshed perfectly with its relationship to Dondozo. Plus, humans can get infected by Clonorchis by eating raw fish. The thematics would have been very interwoven.

I don't hate Quaquavel, it's not my thing but no starter ever really is. I'm not going to furiously scribble it out and suggest a "cooler" ducky man that abandons the original intent and inspiration behind it. That's not what any of this is about. But I bring Quaquavel up because when I look at Quaxwell, I feel as if there was a missed opportunity for a ballerina swan. Swan Lake and such. Like, it's pretty much low-hanging fruit right there for you to pick.

Pawmi's evolutions...I mean, obviously they deliberately wanted it to barely change, but there's no practical reason behind it. It's not even like Palafin who is a superhero with a "civilian identity". They just made Pawmi stand up and get scruffier. It doesn't even have any visual connection to a defibrillator, which is the whole point behind it knowing Revival Blessing.

As I said, I'm not typing all this because I want to scrap certain pokemon or rob them of their original design processes. I just think some of them could have used a couple last-minute tweaks to improve synergy, or they otherwise gave me ideas that I could potentially use for my own fakemon using the same general concept. For instance, I'm not a fan of Tandemaus and Maushold, but I can still respect their existence and the thought that was put behind them. With them, I think they need more visual interest. Something as small as making their mouths visible when closed or giving the "shirt" and "pants" some contrast so they're actually visible. And when they evolve into Maushold, do just a tiny baby bit of change to the "parent" duo. I don't know, like a mustache on one and a hair bun on the other or something. I don't get why "it looks the same when it evolves" is such a running theme in Paldea.

Bellibolt could have afforded to look more frog-like, closer to the beta Politoed that inspired it. Basing it on a real species would have been ideal. But at bare minimum, if I was allowed to make just one singular tweak, I'd make the false eyes have their "pupils" at the edge of the bumps, dilated and staring off into space. You know, like Iono's Magnemite hairclips? They just look too much like its actual eyes imo. I know that's the point, but the illusion is too convincing and it becomes distracting. I'm also not in love with how they rendered the plasma ball belly when it lights up.

Wugtrio threw out a subtle differences between Wiglett and Diglett: where Wiglett's face is positioned on its head. It would have been neat if Wugtrio had some more differences from Dugtrio the way Toedscruel does from Tentacruel, but the face thing actually almost bothers me. They need to be at the end of the bodies which need to be curved forward.

Glimmet and Glimmora have some great thought and aesthetic behind them, but I'm honestly not a fan of Glimmet's body shape which people have compared to a bike horn or a rubber chicken. If it was up to me, I would have configured it like Yokomon from Digimon- the bulb being the actual core of its body. Maybe the flower on top would even be just a bud rather than a full bloom. As for Glimmora, some people believe it's partially based on the Passiflora, so its flower could have been a lot more elaborate even if you kept Glimmora as just a floating head. Although personally I think this would have been a great opportunity to make a pokemon based on a sessile invertebrate like an anemone, sea sponge (ie a glass sponge or ping pong tree), or feather duster worm. The existing "flower made of toxic minerals" theme would remain perfectly intact, but the designs would have been given a more focused direction. Coral or barnacles would be good choices too, even though there are already pokemon based on them. A Bryozoan would also fit the bill, but there isn't as much brand recognition so to speak.

[wndrcarol]

fix your act | villanelle

request: “Hii do you still take requests?? If you don’t please ignore me!! If you still take them, may I request a killing eve fic where V is still fixated on Eve but is getting reckless trying to get her attention, so the 12 sends the reader as a distraction to hopefully prevent V from going rogue and V uses R to vent her frustrations? Can be smutty if you want!”

a/n: I love this request omg-  sorta wanna make this a regular oneshot instead of fully smutty but don’t worry there is more smut to come ;) I hope you guys enjoy + sorry for any typos!

pairings: Villanelle (Oksana Astankova) x Reader

warnings: mentions of blood and wounds right from the start!! so read on with caution!

———

She was getting sloppy and she knew it. It would have been a matter of time before she was taken off the field and back to interrogation if she didn’t clean up her act.

Here she was sitting down on the floor of her hotel bathroom, trying her best to close the bullet wound on her thigh that she had gotten from a shoot out with the target.

Ever since Villanelle was told that Eve was on her trail again, it only gave her more incentive to do more. Do more for Eve to find Villanelle so they can talk, be face to face.

But, with this wanting of Villanelle, it made the Twelve begin to see how messy their best assassin was getting. Hélène wanted to go in and put Villanelle in check but they decided to send you instead, knowing the history between you and Villanelle and hoping that another familiar face would fix things up quick.

Walking down the hallway, a pit in your stomach began to grow and grow with every step you took. You hadn’t seen Villanelle in a long time, ever since you decided to call it quits with the relationship you guys began to have.

It was hard dating someone who worked alongside you in the same profession, especially in the one you both were in. Between the things of travel and separation, you could feel Villanelle begin to pull away when Eve first became her target. Her obsession grew for the detective and it really grew on you, how distant you had become. Breaking things off with Villanelle seemed as though it was the only option left for you both, even if it hurt you more than anything to leave.

So once you were put to check in on Villanelle, all the memories and feelings came rushing back to you. You had tucked them away into the back of your mind and it felt overwhelming, knowing what your next task was. If you had turned down going in to check on her, you knew you'd be in big trouble, possibly worse.

Getting to the door, you opened it swiftly with the key you snatched from the housekeeping cart, you walked slowly into the room, seeing Villanelle’s clothes. Slowly turning the corner to the bathroom, you looked in to see Villanelle aiming her gun at you before her eyes went a bit wide.

“(Y/N)” she said, lowering her gun as she looked you up and down. Before she could say anything else, a shock of pain shot through her making her wince and groan, going to grab onto her leg as she tried her best to stitch up the wound.

Instantly, you moved quickly to her, kneeling beside her and taking the needle and thread from her hands and began stitching the wound. Villanelle watched as you took the supplies from her hands, getting to work.

Finishing with the stitches, you began to clean up as Villanelle continued to watch you. She watched your movements, feeling a bit of gratitude towards you for taking care of her even in the slightest. This small feeling scared her knowing how much animosity you both held against one another.

“You could’ve let me bleed out” Villanelle said, breaking the silence. Looking at her over your shoulder and smiling before finishing with putting away the supplies in the bathroom, you shook your head.

“Consider it a favor that I didn’t” you said, closing the cabinet before turning around and facing her as she pulled herself up to sit in the edge of the bathtub, rolling her eyes at you.

“You don’t have to look out for me anymore. You’ve made that clear before” Villanelle said, fidgeting with the gauze wrapped around her thigh. You let out a small sigh, closing your eyes quickly before opening them and making your way to sit next to her on the tub.

“Oksana” you said, making Villanelle turn her head to look up at you. Hearing her true name roll off your tongue made her feel a bit lightheaded. She hadn’t heard that name in a long time and with it coming from you, it made her feel slight butterflies in her stomach.

“It’s true though” Villanelle said, swallowing the lump in her throat that had grown, composing herself again as she continued to stare at you. You looked down to the floor as she chuckled.

“Why are you here anyways?” Villanelle spoke again with a sharp tone which only made you feel more guilty. Looking back up at her, you tried your best to give her a blank look but she saw right through it.

“I was sent here actually. You’re getting sloppy running after Polastri and they can see that” you said, referring to the Twelve, looking at Villanelle as it was her turn to look away from you.

“Yeah? and is that coming from you or them? That I should stop going after Eve?” Villanelle shot back, turning back to look at you as you rolled your eyes and stood up quickly.

“Forget this. Fix your act or you’re out” you said, turning to the bathroom door before turning around quickly to face her again. 

“By the way, regardless of what happened between us, be glad I was sent to check on you and not Raymond” you said, trying to read her face but it was blank as she looked down at the floor. If Raymond had came and seen her in the state she was in, he would’ve chewed her out or even hurt her. He’s done it before and it only gets ugly.

Turning around, you felt a tear slip from your eye. Wiping it away quickly, you reached the room door before Villanelle called out your name, making you stop in your steps.

“It was good to see you, bug” Villanelle said, slightly smiling from the bathtub. You felt the breath leave from your throat as you hurried out the room, closing the door behind you. You hadn’t heard that name in ages it felt like and you could feel the small butterflies in your stomach which scared you a bit.

You stopped in your tracks once again, feeling a mix of emotions, not knowing how to feel. You still loved her, truly but you knew things were too messy to fix now.

But hearing what she said gave you an ounce of hope.

———

feedback is appreciated!

[polythremed]

wheres the essay op i want whitsun bugs

there might not have been an essay before, but there is now! bugs and inverts are hugely overlooked. however, the victorians loved insects! they were huge inspirations in art, shells were used in fashion, so what would be more vogue than a giant bug for a pet?

(Punch, September 29, 1877)

the bulk of this talk will be under the cut but tl;dr is that arachnids still offer a lot of potential, beetles and moths live in the neath and were popular at the time, and there are a lot of lesser-known bugs that fit fallen london

also cw for bug images because there’s a lot of them beyond here, this is for people with good taste only

firstly: arachnids

FL has a lot of arachnids and this year’s whitsun saw the introduction of a squirrel with a scorpion tail! i think it’s a fun design personally, but arachnid companions are Not obsolete. the most relevant arachnids are crabs, and crabs are more varied than you might think!

(image by abc.net.au)

the yeti crab was the first crab to come to mind, related to hermit crabs and living in hydrothermal vents in the deep ocean. it means we’ve got another underground beast, and could you imagine this as a spired crab? it could be the product of shapeling arts, and the yeti crab’s famously hairy arms have the potential to be used as arm warmers or 1890s uggs for the discerning londoner!

there’s also the japanese giant spider crab, which might be more lanky than it’s neathy angler crab cousins, but look at those legs! how big do you think it is? how about taller than the average person?

you have to understand how badly i want to be this man they also inhabit vents near the bottom of the ocean (the crabs, not this man), they’re omnivores and one specimen’s measured in at 3.8 metres (12ft) across its outstretched legs! it’d probably be a dreaded companion by the sheer size of it, but imagine the walking sticks you could get from those legs

arrowhead crabs and horseshoe crabs are also runners up for this!

mites also came to mind, being small arachnids- the mite above is an adult female tea mite, and not much is known about mites! they’re primitive but have a terrible reputation, and FBG have shone the spotlight on other unloved creatures in the past. there’s also Caveat Emptor which tells us that the bazaar has parasites which are probably like mites? you could have your own romance vampire, surely nothing could go wrong

and if you’ve come here for spiders, how about the pelican spider? with a pelican-like head, pelican spiders prey exclusively on other spiders! isn’t that a fun way to counter sorrow spider infestations? introducing new species is a good thing, right?

higher tiers of this companion could start to own the whole pelican thing. i’ve seen monster designs of spiders with human heads but never a spider with a pelican head!

(image by me)

all he needs is some love and spiders

close arachnid contenders that i want to mention before this whole post is made up of eight-legged companions: camel spiders, harvestmen, and whip scorpions!

secondly: beetles

as john b. s. haldane once said, “god has an inordinate fondness for beetles”. and he’s right because there are more known species of beetle than types of mammal

in fact, the victorians fucking loved beetles (and butterflies but we’ll get to that)

we have phosphorescent scarabs as luminosity items and a few mentions of beetles in airs texts and in sunless sea, the latter where a beetle has been eating through your ship’s supplies. being from england, i have a vague idea of what sort of beetles would end up in london!

there are still stag beetles, rove beetles, and even cardinal beetles, but these by themselves might feel pretty basic. they’d be good t1 companions, but why not have a companion that’s a whole insect keeping setup? there’s even some colourful beauties like the scarlet malachite beetle which are now incredibly endangered

but if you want something Huge and Large and easily convertible into a fashion accessory, hercules beetles have a lot of potential! horns that can be used for knives in dockside brawls, or you could take most of the bug features and place them on a furry animal like a guinea pig since seas already gave us the guinea page

these beetles could also add diversity for the phosphorescent scarabs- and speaking of phosphorescent beetles, why not look to fireflies? they aren’t fire and nor are they flies, but to carry on with FBG’s habit of “slapping animals together to see what happens”, you could easily make something with the features of a firefly larvae

or you could take the even more interesting approach of having a grub the size of a cat, for example. hercules beetles have some of the largest larvae and the feast of the rose gave us maggots, so why not have one of these babies but the size of a cat? and glowing? they’re a possible light source that might make you more bizarre or respectable

a close runner up that i wanted to mention was diving beetles and how freaky they can get if they’ve adapted to the zee but the sabretooth longhorn beetle is going to close this segment as an embodiment of a dangerous and respectable companion- it already looks like it’s been carved out of wood! i think a carved polythreme beetle would be incredible

(see also: bombardier beetles, weevils, oil beetles, tiger beetles, harlequin beetles, trilobite beetles, and giraffe weevils!)

moths, and less commonly found underground, butterflies

another love of the victorians: butterflies!

butterflies are basically moths by a different name (there are way more moths than butterflies) and we do have canon dreams where a frostmoth the size of your head appears in your window, and wouldn’t that be useful for hunting in parabola? much like the beetles, there’s a lot of diversity that can be explored especially if we add shapeling arts

white plume moths are also found in the UK and just look at those wings

we can have a usual approach of adding the wings to something else, like a particularly unlucky bat, or just have something bizarre with the moth itself! more eyes? more eyes has been a common theme lately, or you can combine an insect with an arachnid and give it whip scorpion hands

these wings would be one hell of a decoration because white plume moths are considered to be micromoths

on the other end of the spectrum and taking the role of a respectable companion, the white witch moth is considered to be one of the largest insects on earth because of its wingspan! maybe they’re a more risky cousin of the frostmoth, maybe you could turn the markings on these wings into shifting sigils? don’t set your moths on fire

(image by Acrocynus)

white witch moths themselves have a lot of diversity while cup moths are another contender for an animal you could combine with another animal

(image by itchydogimages)

why not add the tail of a squirrel to this one? or a scorpion’s tail? a lion? with enough of these, you could end up with a very striking tawny coat. this thing is the embodiment of being neathproofed. even if they’re opposites of frostmoths and are associated with embers because of it, or if the tail is closer to being a candle!

moths are also good at mimicking in order to defend themselves, which is why you see so many moths and butterflies with eye patterns on their wings. birds hate eyes so much so there’s room for some real eyes on your brand new butterfly or moth companion

but some moths also mimic snakes, so for any fingerking fans out there: behold the atlas moth

this is such a mithridacy companion. can you imagine the t3 version of this where the snake heads are alive? we have a two-headed terror bird, so why not snakes on a moth? there’s even jokes to be made about one head telling truths and another telling lies, maybe the only head that could tell you the difference is the moths!

for butterflies themselves, we have butterflies that drink the tears of alligators and tortoises- so melancholy butterflies that only appear to feed on lacre? (and they might not be butterflies down here, you might’ve already mistaken a day-flying moth for a butterfly, not that the difference matters for much in the neath)

another strong mention is vampire moths if we’re carrying on the theme of insects drinking odd things, but a vampire moth with bat wings could be wonderful at ruining the lives of taxonomists

luna moths are also massive and could be more fitting now that we know who the creditor is, and that whitsun is talking so much about the bazaar and the masters

other lesser-known but interesting insects

we don’t entirely need to cover bees and wasps but it would be nice to have a piece of media showing wasps in a way that doesn’t present them as evil, but wasps could wait until hell is really significant again since wasps and bees are incredibly cool cousins. and thread waisted wasps!

(image by Bev Wigney)

get a load of that! these don’t even have the ability to sting humans, what would a thread waisted wasp-themed spindlewolf look like? how much shadowy with something with these colours give you? imagine the corsets inspired by these things

assassin bugs are another dangerous option considering how good they are at hunting other insects, and the neath wouldn’t be complete without more creatures that burrow underground and can find themselves in this weird cavern

(image by Fir0002)

their forearms are specifically developed to dig! perhaps they can dig through a rival’s belongings, or perhaps you can fashion their claws into brass knuckles or a belt buckle?

(image by faraaz abdool)

another fashionable, lesser-known invert is the velvet worm! we have plenty of slugs in fallen london, but you know what they’re lacking? legs

about 200 species of velvet worms have been described and they’re already quite rare! they all fall under the onychophora name and there isn’t anything else like them. you could easily have some persuasive with this, or if you turn it into a stole that can hold however many hands you want!

(image by docj96)

also, thrips! i found out about these today and apparently you’re likely to hear about them if you’re into gardening. sometimes they have crab claws for forelegs, so hey- more bazaar similarities! they have an interesting method of flight (clapping their wings together) but this might not bee too impactful unless you want a novel way to raise your investigating

flies are also criminally underrated, but i couldn’t tell you how many flies live in fallen london. stalk-eyed flies, however, are gorgeous things that would work so well as t2 companions! you could even go all out with a horsefly taking on attributes of an actual horse

(image by minden pictures)

the stalk eyed fly sees you five minutes before you can see it

there are genuinely so many more that come to mind (even neathy types of mantis- orchid mantids that have adapted to blend in with mushrooms! imagine!) but a good way to finish this off is with a love story

there are centipedes who will guard and hold their young close to them! giant centipedes are protective mothers and you can get hundreds of companions in one- or perhaps just one companion who really misses her hundreds of kids. and they hold their eggs just as carefully whilst waiting for them to hatch!

isn’t that a good love story? there’s a lot you can combine this with, but i’ve spent most of today writing this one! do with these creatures what you will, i definitely enjoyed talking about neathy possibilities for insects!

(bogleech also has a fantastic article on insects that should be used as the basis for pokemon designs, if you want even more out there bugs be sure to look here)

[syngoniums]

Creatures observed while out and about - Mr. and Mrs. Argiope aurantia; a harvestman stalked then rushed by a thread-legged assassin bug (Emesaya brevipennis); nostoc rejuvenated after the remnants of Hurricane Pamela blew through; Bombus pensylvanicus; Polistes carolina; and Pyrausta inornatalis.

[ren-c-leyn]

Happy WBW from @magic-is-something-we-create!! No need to send an ask back this week, as I'm just here to ask questions!!

A few WBWs back, we started a conversation about the Fel, and I was wondering: What kinds of monsters lurk there, and what kinds of threats do they pose to the Shade-kin? Could they ever reach a peaceful conclusion, or is it more like an infestation/health problem?

Also, what kinds of things could lure people to the Fel, beyond hesitant trade and hiring assassins? What drives people away?

I hope you have a lovely day!!

And a happy world building Wednesday to you as well ^^ I hope you are having a lovely one thus far, Pax. This turned into quite the little ramble, so I'm going to put it under a read more.

In addition to the Shade-kin, The Fel is also home to a particularly tricky breed of giant spiders. They set traps for the Shade-kin, and other monsters, in the form of hidden holes, dangling threads of fine web they use to yank them up off the ground, and even dropping on their heads from high in the ceiling like skyrim spiders. They are venomous, paralyzing their prey to the point where lungs and other vital organs have a chance of failing. You will find that almost all residents of The Fel hate spiders in all sizes, shapes, and forms as a result.

There's also tunnel serpents, they're like giant snakes with legs and serious attitude. They aren't venomous, but they don't need to be when they have rows of sharp teeth and thick scales. They run pretty quick for having short legs, and are as flexible and dexterous as a ferret. Their claws aren't particularly sharp, but they are tougher than metal as they use them to dig through stone. The general rule with tunnel serpents is to just... leave the angry snake thing's territory alone if you can. It's not worth the collateral damage to start fights with them, but if they get too close to the claimed part of the city, then they don't have a choice but to fight before it brings to fight to their homes.

There are also more... supernatural elements, such as undead and another creature that you could consider to be the Shade-kin's cousin? They were formed during the same magic ritual as the Shade-kin but they aren't sentient. They're mindless killers, semi-incorporeal wraith-like beings. I haven't found a good name for them yet, but they like to dwell in dark places steeped in tragedy. There is no reasoning with most undead, nor the wraith-like kin. They only seek one thing - to rip the life out of the living.

Giant rats, bugs, and other such pests also exist in The Fel, but they're more considered to be like raccoons, and food sources.

There are some people who come to The Fel to learn from the Shade-kin assassins, though very few are willing to take on outsiders as students, and even then it is only in secret. Some come to try and explore the unclaimed tunnels, mostly mages and historians. They're generally either eaten or chased out by the tunnel serpents and giant spiders. There are others who come to study the Shade-kin themselves, as they are a secretive and unusual race there's many scholars who are fascinated with their culture. Many of them get dejected by the lack of openness and trust in The Fel, or find themselves falling victim to the quiet, but bloody, politics of the place. There are also miners and prospectors who've worked out treaties with The Fel to dig out some of the minerals in the tunnels. They too often find themselves victim to angry snake monsters, giant spiders, or bloody political struggles.

The constant gloom and quiet of The Fel drives a lot of people out fairly quickly, to say nothing of the constant danger presented by either the monsters or your neighbors. I'm sure eating giant roasted rat and weird glowing mushrooms on a regular basis is also a turn off for some people. The residents of The Fel don't go out of their way to be welcoming, either. Outsiders are expected to be able to fend for themselves, just like they can, and if they can't, well they should not have come.

Thanks for stopping in ^^ I hope you have a lovely day/evening.

[a-magical-artist]

Top Ten Favorite Doppels

Turned in less than five minutes before Halloween ends, but whatever:

10. Abigail

Hagumu is really just a scared kid despite being a Neo Magius stooge, and Abigail is a very good representation of that; Hagumu closes her eyes whenever she comes out, to which, same as Abigail is a very intimidating doppel filled with teeth and spikes. Her form’s listed as a “reversible shape” and she gives the impression of a torn up, straw-filled doll with a toothy mouth and spines/shards all throughout her inner lining. It’s also a good twist that since Hagumu’s magic makes her unusually strong against witches, Abigail is the opposite, being effective against magical girls. 

I really love the exterior on this one, it looks very pretty and ornate, and it does a nice job contrasting with the messy, shard-filled fiber underneath.

9. Gothel

I’m very close to unlocking Gothel (all I need are materials for Magia leveling), but I already love her design. She takes Yozuru’s wish and magnifies/projects it as many witches (or doppels) do, in her case, trying to find someone or something that can make Yozuru feel the emotions she wished away. She takes the form of a tower (name being a great Rapunzel reference) with exposed ribs she uses to drag in and crush whatever she sees, which is...fairly impressive as a doppel design without being too gory (a reason why Beatrice and Therisia aren’t here or in this slot). 

8. Clothette

I...really, really don’t like Suzune Magica, and I don’t like Suzune. I do however, have a grudging respect for her Doppel design. Clothette’s based around a gadfly, comes out of Suzune’s eye, has bells for eyes, and is constantly on fire. It’s a great design, but points off for coming from a character I can’t stand.

7. Gibdaughter

So, fun fact about hummingbirds for anyone who doesn’t know; they’re beautiful little birds...that have the worst tempers. I love them for that, and I’m happy to see one used as a base for a doppel design. Gibdaughter, as per usual, externalizes Kanae’s wish to be left in peace by using her very love of music. Her main attacks all revolve around the vibrations she gives off, adjusting them to resonate with her targets until they shatter. Given both the animal and the character of Kanae, this was an all too appropriate fit. The doppel’s mechanical appearance is pretty and both a nice reference to hummer feathers (they give off a metallic sheen when light hits them), and to Kanae’s aloof exterior.

6. Sylvie

Given how sweet and caring Ikumi is, this one was a surprise. Sylvie’s a very invasive doppel-moreso than Hevelius even-in that she’s not only formed from Ikumi’s lower half, but also seems to thread her way through her entire body given Ikumi’s eyes turn into glowing, barbed anchors. Definitely lines up with her nature, but...jesus. She gives the impression she’s based around one of those cymbal monkey toys, which is already creepy enough, but Sylvie’s “head” is just Ikumi, and also the gigantic screw jutting out of her upper back. The accordion midsection does not help in any of this and makes Sylvie’s movements look off, even for a doppel. Good but horrifying design, though the glowing eye anchors are a little over the top for me. 

5. Hund Balou

Hund Balou is one of the rare genuinely disturbing doppels; Hanna was already very close to being her by externalizing her curse on the world and those around her, so there’s not much for Hund to do except just. be destructive. Her form is creepy, her description’s creepy, everything about Hund is really screwed up. And Hanna, being spiteful, vindictive Hanna, loves her and thankfully, never got the opportunity to use her for some pretty obvious reasons. Hanna’s relationship with Hund is similar to Alina’s with Old Dorothy-both are in sync with their doppels and have the same goal, which is...horrifying given both characters. Hund is really cluttered and witch-like in appearance, being covered in leashes, chains, and buttons with a splattered green/purple/blue dress topping it all off. Her mixed media feel is pronounced, which is a good indication of how close Hanna is to her, and how messed up her implications really are.

4. Ein Roter Drache

This is the stupidest, and yet most awesome doppel I have ever seen; it’s a dragon that makes its entrance by riding on its hoard of treasure and smacks its targets with its tail. The tiny crown is a really funny touch for it and I will forever be sad that I can’t get Elisa outside of a support as of NA’s shutdown

Also love how it’s just Elisa’s bottom half to give the illusion she’s riding the doppel-that’s awesome and I love the creativity going into it

3. Oaji

*Insert the “What are you doing in my swamp” mere here*

Oaji takes the appearance of an entire swamp that lures people in, hinting at both the barrier of the witch and the witch herself possibly being similar to Zola, which is a cool concept. I love how simple she looks, and her coming out from behind Chiharu lines up with her misguided efforts to help her. She kind of gives off a similar vibe to Elsa Maria from the original series-even the branches bring the Sebastian familiars to mind. Also really love the lantern and the gray pool forming underneath Chiharu-the gold streaks just really top everything off here.

2. Marita

I love assassin bugs and so I love Marita. Instant number two for me

For real though, I didn’t expect these to be used as a doppel base, so I was very surprised when Sunao came out and her doppel had this as one. It looks appropriately creepy and very elegant, and I like the little necklaces hanging just below the head of the doppel. Marita also shares the needle/sewing aesthetic with Latria, and although there’s no blood, the giant one serving as a mouth is scary enough in implication. The crystal ball (that turns red during attacks) being the doppel’s abdomen’s also a nice touch. 

Honorable Mentions:

Old Dorothy: Old Dorothy in-game is described as witch-like, and that’s because unless the viewer knows where her core body is, she just looks like an unrecognizable mass of puffballs and paper flowers dipped in orange paint. With witches, you can never really tell what it is you’re looking at, so Old Dorothy gives off that same impression. She didn’t officially make it because of her weird little core body, but I do love her gimmick. 

Theresia: I do like Theresia, but I felt her design wouldn’t fit since I’m trying to avoid the more gory doppels. I do like how she’s literally just Sana’s ears, and how there’s two versions of her that have an equal chance of coming out (though this does present some complications when going competitive with Sana).

Poker Alice: Too much of what looks to be exposed muscle for me to feel comfortable putting her in, but I adore the skulls exploding outward behind the chair and the hands covering Yukika’s eyes. Speaking of, the eyes on this thing are both cool and nicely scary in contrast to the simplicity of the rocking chair. 

Gosirsa: Colorful and very beautiful, the wheels at the front make for a surreal touch, something that many doppels tend to lack due to being scaled down versions of the full witch. Didn’t make it because there’s too few slots and too many doppels to choose from, but definitely in my personal faves.

1. Campanella

Campanella’s just the right amount of dumb, elegant, and unsettling, hence her being here at the number one spot. Yachiyo’s training event also helped me warm up to her; while Yu Hong and Cyan were self-defeating and frustrated respectively, Camp was really, really mellow by contrast. She seemed willing to work with Yachiyo as long as she accepted and stopped rejecting her, which was, at the time, a very nice change from the usual (not that Camp doesn’t try to take over however-once Yachiyo implies she’s going to keep running from her, she goes on the attack). She takes the form of a ticket puncher holding a lantern, comes out of Yachiyo’s leg, and gives the overall impression of a scorpion, ridiculously oversized shoes and all. Her anime appearances are a nice representation of Yachiyo’s fears and it’s just really satisfying to find out  that they have enough of a relationship to where she can use her in fights. Doppels when it comes down to it are a sort of agreement/truce between the magical girl and their witch self; not only does it allow them to come back, it allows them to make peace with their insecurities and fears without the danger of turning into a witch. Campanella, both in-game and the anime, represents that relationship to its fullest, so she’s at the #1 spot.