#cluster bee hive

[dodgeryy]

Let's settle this home boys.

[beeapocalypse]

dont really have an idea for Why haalmen are bug guys yet but mmmaybe roly polies served as incidental pollinators as they rambled about scavenging food and Thats why theyve got the fluffy mass of setae (scopa) at the end of their tails

[spaceyqueer]

reflecting on wasps for a moment and like. I'm sure there's people who will say I'm lucky, but I've handled wasps and bees (which I do not recommend for anyone, I'm an idiot who sees a pathetic looking insect and decides to help it) and never been stung, which I really think is just because I don't panic and flap around and aggravate them, which is why I'm perplexed when people make out wasps to be evil. even some people in biology fields are so scared and paranoid of wasps that they'll decry them too, and I just don't get it at all. wasps are just as needed as bees, and our planet would suffer greatly if they went extinct.

and I know people can't help their phobias (it depends on the phobia, though you can work on some to overcome them), but even if you're scared of wasps and bees it isn't necessary to kill them. you can just let them live their lives yknow? get a mosquito net for your windows. put a fly curtain on the door. don't leave an uncovered bottle or can of soda outside. stop killing them unnecessarily for the crime of just existing

[bogleech]

Many parasites takeover the minds and bodies of insects, spiders or other creatures, making them like zombies. You’ve listed some in spider-ween and other places. Do you know any parasites that take over bees? I know wasps lay their eggs in their larva, but haven’t really found anything about those that pilot a bee’s body.

Strepsipterans! Also frequently just called "Stylops"

These are the weirdest most alien insect group in existence. What you're seeing are the head ends of the mature females; their bodies are just bags of tissue that absorb nutrients from the host, so they no longer have any trace of limbs or wings and their flat little heads no longer have mouths or eyes.

The only reason the female's heads stick out of the host at all is because the head evolved into the end they mate with. The short-lived mature male is a very tiny flying thing (whose anatomy is unlike any other insect alive today - a totally unique type of wing, unique eye arrangement, we have NO idea what these evolved from, except for some loose connections to beetles!) who mates by breaking through the female's featureless armored face with his bladed genitalia and then he dies. And Strepsiptera can be found infecting all sorts of arthropods, even apparently some arachnids, but none of those arthropods really tend to sit still when a little tiny flying man tries to land on them, so the females usually do something to their hosts (we aren't sure what exactly) to make them slower and more complacent. Social Hymenoptera like bees are especially common hosts though, and when a worker bee or wasp is infected by stylops, she actually abandons her colony and her duties for extended periods of time to just perch in one place while the parasite broadcasts its mating pheromones. This is especially eerie from the bee's perspective; a worker bee is a female bee that wasn't allowed to become a queen and isn't "supposed" to be going around mating, but now she's sitting around waiting for a male just like any other bug that wants to be a mom. It's just not a male of her species and she's not the one who gets to reproduce. Is the parasite tapping into buried queen behavior? Does the bee's little brain think it's calling for a drone to help it start a new hive? Or does the parasite just make the bee a lazy slob who stops caring about her hive and just feels like chilling out on a flower all day? We might never know.

Here are those unique eyes of the male for anyone wondering. Not set in a fine multifaceted grid like in other insects, but clustered, still set in their own individual "sockets" like we see in much more ancient arthropods like trilobites! This suggests that Strepsipteran eyes date back to when insects were first beginning to evolve towards true compound eyes, but there still aren't many insects in the fossil record that have anything else in common with these animals. EDIT: oh yeah I forgot to include that these are in the children's book made by @revretch and I!

I did the rough pencil sketch of this page while Rev did the beautiful inks! I felt kids should know about these animals but I tried to explain it in the most kid-friendly way possible.

[mindblowingscience]

A Leeds researcher is keen to help beekeepers shape their practices following his study which appears to disprove the widespread belief that honeybees naturally insulate their colonies against the cold. His findings suggest that the creatures are potentially being subjected to thermally-induced stress. University of Leeds Ph.D. student Derek Mitchell is calling for further debate on the ethical treatment of insects, saying his research appears to contradict the widely accepted theory that the bees' reaction to cold temperatures is to form layers of insulation—an idea that has led to them being housed in hives that are extremely poorly insulated compared to their natural habitat. The study, which is published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, looks at honeybee "clusters"—where the insects huddle together, forming dense disks between the combs, to try to keep some of them above 18°C when the outside temperature drops. For almost 120 years, the outer layer of honeybees in the winter cluster—known as the mantle—has been said to insulate the cluster core—the honeybees at the center.

Continue Reading.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Bee Mandala - Gwyllm Llwydd

* * * *

“If they’re here—all females in a winter hive—they’re clustered together inside (an oak tree), queen at the heart of their sisterhood. The fine, transparent wings they beat hard in summer’s heat—a constant buzzing fan to keep the hive from cooking—they hold, now, folded and still. The tiny muscles to which those wings are attached shiver. One honey bee shivering her flight muscles does not make much heat. But twenty thousand, huddled together, shivering, can keep the queen and the colony’s honey supply at their core at a tropical ninety-two degrees Fahrenheit, even as blizzard winds, inches away, flail the trunk.”

–Gayle Boss, "All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings", p. 14

[honeycomb-butch]

"[T]his mouse was mummified by insects. Mice often enter honey bee hives in winter in search of a warm home. Honey bees would not tolerate such an invasion during the summer, but during the winter, they are clustered around the brood in the center of the hive and the corners of the hive interior go undefended, especially during colder weather. Sometimes the invading mice die a natural death, or perhaps the bees attack and kill them on a warm day in early spring (Should have left earlier!). In either case, the honey bees now have a dilemma because a mouse corpse is too big for them to carry out of the hive as they do with the bodies of dead bees and other debris. Their solution is to cover the cadaver with propolis, which effectively seals the dead mouse off from the rest of the hive. Notice they did remove the hair first.

Honey bees make propolis by gathering sap and other exudates from trees and mixing it with beeswax and saliva. The result is a glue-like substance that they use to seal small cracks, glue things in place, and help maintain sanitary conditions. Propolis is sticky and pliable at normal summer temperatures but becomes hard and brittle when cold. Propolis has antifungal and antibacterial properties." (source)

[flowerishness]

Dahlia x cultorum (garden dahlia)

Winter bees

Today is Halloween and dahlias are one of the few flowers still going strong. This is good news for this honey bee because her hive is getting ready for winter. Unlike most bees, honey bees don't hibernate and remain active throughout. They cluster up into a ball surrounding the queen and survive by eating small amounts of honey. Then they shiver their flight muscles to generate heat and keep warm. These specialized 'winter bees' are born in the fall and getting the colony through the cold winter months is the only task on their job description.

[kydrogendragon]

Bees? Bees!

🐝

Lmao, literally everyone has asked for bees xD Alrighty, tagging @pluckyyoungdonna and @introvertbibliophile since y'all asked for bees as well.

This was a Febuwhump prompt I hadn't finished, but was very excited for. The premise being that there was an old tradition for beekeepers that if the beekeeper (or family of the beekeeper) passed away, one was supposed to knock on the hive and let them know, otherwise the bees wouldn't be able to process their grief and the hive would fail.

So this takes place post The Wake in a version where Dream and Hob grew very close (whether in a relationship or not, up to you).

Hob walks out into the back garden of his home in the countryside. The flowers were in bloom, the small patch of bush beans and tomatoes and peppers and a scattering of other vegetables they had planted together were flourishing. Their leaves were strong and hardy. Their fruit, plump and shiny. Hob still remembers Dream kneeling beside him, his fingers trailing through the dirt on the cloudy spring day. He’d just started this new life a year back and had wanted to return to his roots some. Plus, food prices kept going up and it was satisfying to eat what you’ve grown with hard work. He had planned to make a dinner for the two of them with the harvest of their garden. The sun is shining bright and the air is sticky warm with humidity. It’s far too nice of a day for this. There should be rain, he thinks. Dream would have found it thematic. He dips into the storage shed at the edge of the gate and pulls the veiled hat over his head. He wouldn’t need the whole outfit, not for what he’s doing. He’s got jeans and a long sleeved shirt on as is. It’ll do. Besides, it’s not like he can die, right? The beehive sits inside a ring of wildflowers. Dream had planted those. Said they came from the dreams of the bees themselves. Hob had laughed, said they were going to have the most spoiled bees this side of the Thames. The flowers have wilted now—the only sign of decay amongst the thriving summer life. Hob tries not to cry. Clusters of honeybees dance around the wooden box, waggling with their pollen coated legs, talking in dance to their sisters. Dream had spent hours out here when they’d first gotten the hive set-up. He says their patterns and movements reminded him of the movements of early star’s dreams and the nightmares of some alien race Hob’s never heard of. (In fact, that was the first time he’d learned that aliens are also real.) He kneels beside the hand painted wood, trailing his fingers across the sun-worn black paint of two ravens—one much more realistic than the other. Dream had drawn the first one. A small raven with a white breast. Jessamy, Hob had learned. He’d heard her name, heard her story. Now he knew what she looked like. Matthew, who’d been enjoying the bird seed left out for the natives, cawed that he deserved a spot on the box as well, so Hob had done his best to make a decent rendition of him beside Jessamy. The smaller, fine brushstrokes of Dream’s hand over his own painting—refining it, bringing life and shape to the black blob—still remain.

The WIP Game list

[cambion-companion]

Roses in his Hands, Fire in her Veins

In collaboration with @lady-phasma

Tag list: @allihavenegativethoughts@sanniebabie@cullenswife@schniiipsel@ohsehunbabyy @dontforgetoctober3rd

Chapter One

A Maellory Tyrell x Aemond Targaryen AU

Maellory Tyrell is the ancestor of Margaery, a copy/paste of our Game of Thrones heroine, during the reign of Viserys I Targaryen. Maellory and her grandmother are summoned from their seat at Highgarden to the Capital. There in the throne room she is first introduced to the royal family, including the one-eyed prince Aemond. Little do they know, with one announcement their lives will be forever changed.

Word count: 4,024

Aemond strode into the throne room to find a retinue of House Tyrell in audience with the Queen Regent. His mother had taken up the mantle of regent quite well, even if it was unofficial. Her capacity to rule didn’t surprise him. His footsteps echoed in the hall and he excused himself to his mother with a bow and took his place at the far end of the throne’s dais. A young Tyrell woman stepped out from the cluster of lords and ladies at the front of the room.

The blue jewels on Maellory’s dress were almost an exact match to his sapphire though she could not have known it. They gathered the delicate fabric together between her breasts. Her flat stomach was exposed on the sides, tan skin contrasted with the pale fabric. Her ethereal nature, her light footsteps, and ability to command the room enchanted him. He tried not to stare but the shape of her body and the cut of her dress proved too enticing. 

When she curtsied to the Queen Regent he looked away. He surveyed the courtiers in attendance. House Tyrell brightened the throne room like glittering gems. Even her grandmother, Lady Morwenna, wore the bright, near-tropical colors. Maellory stepped to the side of the throne nearest Aemond and she flashed her blue eyes up at him. He was momentarily taken aback by the crook of her lip and the mischievous glint in her eye. He recovered and nodded a small bow as she curtsied.

Her grandmother was speaking to the Queen Regent. He tried to listen, affairs of state were important to him mostly because they weren’t important to his brother, but his attention kept wandering to her. She was watching the exchange attentively, her hands clasped delicately behind her back. This posture only served to draw attention to her breasts, he thought she must know that. She had to. He swallowed and turned his gaze back to his mother. 

Maellory was keenly aware of the Targaryen prince’s single-eyed gaze burning into her. Her lips curled into a small smirk as she ducked her head, feigning humble attention as her grandmother continued speaking amicably with the Queen Regent.

“It has been far too long since we hosted your family within the halls of the Red Keep, Lady Morwenna.” Alicent’s expression was warm as she turned her attention to Maellory, who straightened, returning her smile. “I met you when you were just a babe, how you’ve grown into a beautiful young woman.”

“You are too kind, your grace.” Maellory’s smile widened, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she dipped into a low curtsy. She arched her neck just so, her wavy chestnut hair tumbling over her shoulder, noticing from her periphery how Prince Aemond shifted on his feet in response. A thrill of satisfaction shot through her chest as she rose once more, running her ringed fingers along the satin skirts of her dress.“It is a privilege to be welcomed here at court by your family. Perhaps you will visit us at Highgarden when the Harvest Festival is celebrated.”

Alicent nodded. “I would like that.” She looked to her father, Otto, before continuing. “It has been too long since I visited the Reach. For now, let us retire to the dining hall and make merry for this long-awaited reunion!”

The nobles around the hall shifted and began to depart, a murmur of voices rose, sounding very akin to the sleepy buzz of bees in their hive. Maellory looked coyly over her shoulder, catching Aemond’s eye, noting what a lovely shade of purple it was and how his pupil dilated as she surveyed him, a pursed smile upon her lips.

In that moment she made her decision, turned with a swirl of silken skirts, tossed her long hair, and walked smoothly up to Aemond’s brother. She dipped a curtsy to the eldest prince, noting with studious interest how he drank in her appearance with obvious lust. As she beamed at him, her eyes betrayed nothing of how her skin crawled.

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Prince Aegon. I have heard so much about your magnificent conquests.” 

Aemond made a noise that sounded as though he had just barely strangled a laugh before it could escape. Her cleverness surprised and humored him. Maellory tactfully ignored him, instead turning to the silver-haired woman standing beside her brother and husband. “And this must be Princess Helaena.” Maellory gave the girl a gentle smile. “I have heard tales of your beauty, though they have not done you justice.”

Aegon snorted, looking over at his wife. “She prefers the company of insects to that of actual people.”

“Indeed?” Maellory kept her soft gaze on Helaena who had looked at her feet at the barbed comment. “I would love to see them sometime. There are many insects at Highgarden, throughout our prolific gardens. They seem to do quite well in the warm climate. Perhaps I could show them to you when you visit.” At her kind words, Helaena looked back up into Maellory’s earnest face, gracing her with a genuine smile of gratitude and nodding. Aemond quickly glanced at his sister’s pleased face but kept his air of disinterest intact. 

Maellory at last turned to Aemond, her spine tingling as their eyes met. It was so easy for her to read the people around her, but the expression on his face proved difficult to place. It wasn’t the open lechery she’d grown accustomed to manipulating from noble men, something more akin to admiration, maybe a hint of… apprehension.

“Prince Aemond, rider of the largest dragon in Westeros.” She formally greeted him, looking up into his face through her eyelashes. “Your renown proceeds you as well.”

“As does yours, Lady Tyrell, the ‘rose with silver thorns’,” Aemond’s curved mouth twitched slightly as he inclined his head to her. His demeanor had wavered when he spoke the appellation. 

Maellory’s eyes widened in genuine surprise at that, she tilted her chin up, laughing breathily. “Is that what they named me here at King’s Landing, your highness?”

“A silver tongue is more like it. Can’t imagine that gets you far amongst the rabble,” Aegon grinned wickedly at her.

Maellory kept her blue eyes upon Aemond as she answered sweetly. “If you give the people your love, they will return it a thousandfold.”

Aemond’s jaw noticeably clenched at his brother’s antagonism. Still, he held Maellory’s gaze as she seemed intent upon doing. She was as deft with her words as he was with his sword. She didn’t back down, didn’t shield her parries, but feinted to conceal her true thoughts.

Before he could speak she had turned, delicate blue fabric flowing around her legs, and walked to catch up with her grandmother. He watched her hands clasp the old woman’s elbow and lean in toward her conspiratorially. Her exquisite laugh rang out above the other voices.

Aemond shot a spiteful look at his oblivious brother. Aegon had walked off with some vapid lady so Aemond offered his elbow to his sister and escorted her to the dining hall. 

* * * 

Aemond pulled Helaena’s chair out for her. She sat between Otto and Aegon, who had yet to appear. Aemond walked to his place at the table. He stopped as Maellory was seated at the opposite end of the table. With a small, discontented Mmmm he continued to his chair. He was unaccustomed to feeling disappointments on such an inconsequential scale. Large disappointments colored his entire worldview, but meaningless events like seating arrangements had never affected him.

A servant slid her chair forward as Maellory took her place at the far side of the table. Naturally she sat beside Lady Morwenna who had a surprisingly honored place next to the Queen Regent. That was auspicious, he thought, then dismissed it. He pulled out his own chair more aggressively than was appropriate. The Tyrells sat to his left, limiting his line of sight. Perhaps he had only meant to study the intriguing new arrival, try to understand her, but his disadvantage nagged at him. His inscrutable disposition kept most people at a distance and maintained his carefully balanced leverage.

Maellory chatted with her grandmother and he occasionally heard her airy laughter drift down the table as the meal was laid out for them. No one sat to Aemond’s right this evening so he took to surveying the hall. The dark green hues of the Hightowers’ attire combined with the blacks and reds of the Targaryens’ clothing made a pleasing backdrop for the bright colors of House Tyrell. Aemond sipped his wine as he thought about Maellory’s blue eyes, the blue of her dress, and his own blue gemstone eye. He felt some of his composure return as he glared at the people assembled at the dinner. Aemond’s armor took shape in his stoic, unreadable expression and, ironically, his remaining violet eye. 

Thankfully Otto Hightower sat on his left and Aemond was far enough away to only occasionally have to listen to his brother’s drunken drivel. Attending to their sister was something Aemond had been doing since childhood because of Aegon’s disinterest but their grandfather seemed to delight in the task this evening. Aemond sat straight-backed but his shoulders did relax slightly at the sound of his sister chatting happily. The wine helped as well. The servants finished setting the tables and a hush fell over the hall. The attention in the room shifted to the head of the table as Queen Alicent rose from her seat, goblet of wine held in her hand.

“Friends, well met and be welcome. We have summoned you all here today to bear witness and celebrate the imminent union of House Targaryen with House Tyrell.”  Her brown eyes sparkled down upon the smiling Morwenna Tyrell. Aemond shifted in his chair, glancing briefly at the back of Maellory’s coiffed hair, his brow furrowed slightly as his mother continued speaking.

Alicent raised her goblet, encouraging others to toast. “It brings me great happiness to announce that Maellory Tyrell will be betrothed to one of my sons, Aemond or Daeron.” The queen regent nodded to Maellory, Aemond noticed her posture stiffen momentarily, almost imperceptibly. His own shoulders were tense with surprise, he stared at Alicent trying to draw her gaze to his, but she didn’t seem to want to look at him. His eye narrowed, the only outward sign of his emotions. 

“Since Lady Maellory is the eldest daughter of Lord Karlen Tyrell, she will have until the anticipated Harvest Moon Festival to decide who she would like to marry.” Alicent regarded the many faces looking back at her, soft murmurs spread around the table as Aemond lowered his eye to his plate. His face grew hot as the whispers grew louder.

A man’s voice rose above the rest as he addressed the queen.

“Forgive me, your grace, is this not a rather out of the ordinary way in which such matters are done?”

“Thank you, Lord Beesbury,” the Queen Regent acknowledged the slightly impertinent inquiry. Aemond looked up to watch his mother address the old lord. “For long House Tyrell has been faithful to the Crown, thus we extend this courtesy to honor that loyalty.”

“I am Hand of the King and represent his Grace’s wishes in this matter.” Otto spoke up next to Aemond, turning heads in his direction, allowing Aemond at last to look upon Maellory’s candlelit face. Her eyes flickered to him momentarily, long enough for her to raise a thin eyebrow and widen her eyes as if to commiserate in the surprise of their situation.

“The Hightowers are vassals to House Tyrell, and King Viserys has agreed to this plan for the sake of his queen, as well as myself, and our relationship with the lords of the Reach.” Otto drank from his own wine glass, relishing the reaction of those gathered over its glass rim. He trusted his daughter and she listened to his advice but this had been a stroke of cunning that even he could not have foreseen. 

Lord Beesbury looked more satisfied, though still confused as his sunken eyes flitted from Maellory to Aemond. “Very well, however I still think it is not in keeping with our customs.” Some of the heat left Aemond’s face with his grandfather’s defense of the Crown’s position but his analytical mind searched for the reasoning, for something in Maellory’s character that would allow a first born daughter to have her choice of Targaryen prince. Lord Beesbury made an excellent point and Aemond was unsure if he disagreed. The realm was held together by tradition. He detested it but understood that tradition often meant security and peace. This deviation from it was perplexing, maybe even a bit intriguing. 

The sounds of dining commenced, knives and forks against plates becoming a clamor that echoed around the large room. The noise served as a distraction from his instinctive strain to hear the lowered voices and individual conversations at the table. He looked at his plate and pushed it away. 

Alicent lowered herself into her plush dining chair, turning her attention back to Maellory. “Daeron is on his way back from Oldtown where he has been squiring many years for my father’s nephew, Sir Ormund.” Maellory mirrored Alicent’s movements as the Queen leaned forward conspiratorially, lowering her voice. “Some would say Aemond has had an unfair advantage in meeting you first, however I think you will find Daeron to be very charming. He matches you in age, I believe, he just turned seven and ten years last winter.”

Maellory glanced surreptitiously down the table to where Aemond sat, his profile sharp as his long fingers tapped the wood beside his untouched drink. Despite her perplexity, she molded a careful smile upon her lips, turning back to Alicent and Morwenna. “You honor me beyond words, my queen.”

As Alicent’s attention was diverted by the arrival of more food, Maellory’s gaze sharpened upon her grandmother. “When were you going to tell me of this arrangement?” The polite, courtly smile remained on her face but her voice, though she tried to sweeten it, carried an icy undercurrent.

Morwenna looked at her granddaughter grimly, her voice low enough to avoid being heard by any listening ears. “It is not abnormal for sons and daughters of great houses to be unaware of their impending fates.” Her wrinkled mouth pressed into a fine line as she read Maellory’s displeased expression. “My petal, you have been given more freedom than most girls in your position ever have the opportunity to hold.”

As the plates were cleared for the next course Aemond stilled his hand on the table and fought the urge to storm out of the hall. Otto glanced at his grandson, opened his mouth, then closed it as he caught Aemond’s glaring eye. With great restraint Aemond stood and moved his chair silently back under the table. Unlike in the throne room he wouldn’t have to draw attention to his exit from the dining hall. He bounded down the steps of the dais and into the shadows of the side wall. 

Maellory nodded at her grandmother’s words absently as she watched Aemond leave the table. He wasn’t entirely inconspicuous. His striking figure seemed to catch her eye whenever they were in the same room. She looked around the room quickly, noting her possible points of egress. For the moment she turned to Lady Morwenna and smiled warmly at her. Her grandmother was artful in her politics and Maellory admired her dearly. She felt the first twinges of anxiety that she might be left alone in King’s Landing without her grandmother. Maellory had learned so much from her in seventeen years but knew she would need her in the near future perhaps more than she ever had before.

* * *

Maellory wasn’t at all sure where Aemond had gone when he turned down the hallway. Her light, soft steps made nearly no sound but she wasn’t going to race to keep up with his long strides. She caught her breath and her brows knitted together with a mix of consternation and determination. She retraced her steps back to the last corner they had turned and stepped out of the Keep into a small, narrow garden balcony. It was enclosed on only two sides and opened up to a view of the city and Blackwater Bay glinting with the early moonlight in the distance. 

The cool dusk air ruffled along Maellory’s gown, causing her bare arms to erupt in gooseflesh. Hugging herself for warmth, she swept her eyes along the large balcony, her curious gaze alighting upon Aemond’s form. His back was to her, and the way his silver hair shone in the dim moonlight only served to make him more intriguing. 

She didn’t know at all what to expect from the youngest prince but through her observation of the eldest she mused that he would be nothing like this second son. Daeron was most likely as different from his older brothers as they were from each other. The way Aemond tried to be a looming figure in the background seemed to have the opposite effect on Maellory. She thought the contrast with his elder brother made him shine like a polished river rock, hard sides to be sure, but so much more refined than Aegon. She imagined that every thought Aegon ever had passed over his face if not also past his lips. Aemond, on the other hand, chose his words and his facade as deliberately as she did.

He was unaware of her presence, his emotions in turmoil as he clasped his hands tightly behind him. His silver hair stirred in the salty breeze coming off Blackwater Bay, the long strands tickling his cheeks. Aemond's nebulous thoughts pulled at the corners of his mind, unformed but beginning to coalesce as he stared across the city of King’s Landing.  Normally he would be content in readily yielding a betrothal to his younger brother; now, however, Lord Beesbury’s words had stayed with him as much as the shape of her raised eyebrow had lingered in his mind’s eye. Why not let her choose? 

He longed for the clarity of being astride Vhagar. Flying with her gave him the space he required to think. This part of the castle had, so far, proved to be secluded enough from the chatter of the court that he could indulge his racing mind. He had avoided his stuffy chambers, not wanting to pace in front of the fire as he was wont to do. The very last feeling he needed now was encumbrance. One completely solid feeling amongst all of the others, identifiable above his roiling thoughts, was coercion. 

Maellory found the stairs at the end hallway. She smoothed her windswept hair before approaching the balcony’s railing. She kept a slight distance between herself and the prince. Aemond didn’t turn to her immediately. He listened to her footsteps as she walked up to him and saw her hand rest on the railing from the corner of his eye. He kept his hands behind his back but shifted his weight slightly toward her. 

His eye lingered on the waves in the bay. The crests caught the evening moonlight making the bay appear to be filled with stars. The waves could just barely be heard above the noise of the city as it settled its affairs of the day. Leaves rustled on the vines overhanging the balcony. The breeze shifted and he could smell Maellory’s perfume. Everything about this woman was proving to be breathtaking. Aemond disliked being so disarmed.

“I often seek out the fresh breeze in a wide open space when I feel overwhelmed. Being surrounded by moonlight and flowers is calming.” He turned slowly on the heel of his boot. The moonlight caught on her eyelashes as she looked at the garden below. As she lifted her head to look at him he saw it glint off her bottom lip. He clenched his jaw. His hands gripped his forearms behind his back. “I imagine it reminds you of home, my lady.”

“The scent of all these lovely flowers is intoxicating, to be certain.”

The moonbeams falling across Maellory’s face turned her eyes to silver, lighting them from within. Aemond was entranced. “Yes, the flowers as well.” He murmured, pleased to see a slight blush rise to her cheeks.  

“I want to apologize on behalf of my brother for his earlier behavior.” Aemond let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “He despises being at court, manners have never come easy to him.”

“I was not offended.” Maellory looked out toward the shimmering ocean, the curves of her neck accentuated by shadows and soft argent light. He noticed she wore no jewels at her neck. Her neck and collarbones needed no adornment. The low cut of her dress began to draw his eye back to the gems of her bodice. He rubbed the inside of his knuckles with his thumb.

“My brother, Loras, would prefer if he weren’t the eldest son, he shirks duty in favor of the empty glory of tourneys and a quick tumble with a lover.” She looked back to Aemond, noting how his eye flicked quickly up to her face. “It often falls upon my shoulders to represent our house with the honor it deserves.”

“A feeling I know well.” Aemond nodded, his arms relaxing, unwinding behind his back to rest at his sides. He placed his hand upon the stone wall of the balcony, his fingertips inches from hers. “Now you have been burdened still more with the decision of who you are to wed.”

“I wouldn’t name it a burden.” Maellory felt a twinge of mischievous delight at the way Aemond’s curved lips parted slightly at her words. “A surprise for both of us it seems, but not an unwelcome one.” She searched his face, trying to read what he was feeling, pursing her lips slightly when Aemond gave nothing away. 

He nodded at her slightly, his eye never leaving hers. “No, not unwelcome. I have grown accustomed to proving myself, this is no different.” He wasn’t sure if the story of how he claimed Vhagar had traveled to Highgarden intact. Perhaps Maellory knew precisely what he had sacrificed in addition to his eye to prove himself. The court may have even embellished the tale beyond recognition. A second son having to prove himself was not unusual but his mutilation was something most outsiders felt he must overcome.  

“I would rather you show me who you are, than feel you have something to prove.” Maellory’s gaze was still intent upon Aemond, watching with interest as a flicker of surprise softened his expression.

He smiled gently down at her. “I will keep that in mind, Lady Maellory.”  Her name felt like silk on his tongue.

Maellory shivered again, unused to the chilly nights at King's Landing. She stepped closer to him. He swallowed dryly as she did so. He followed her gaze out to the bay, not turning his body away from her. The silence was peaceful, punctuated intermittently by the first birdsong of the evening. The constant prattle of the court and its ladies made his silence a respite for her. Within that lacuna she saw through Aemond’s imposing presence, saw her own facade mirrored in his posture, in his impeccably curated attire, in the intangible armor he wore everyday. 

“I will leave you to your thoughts, my prince.” Maellory’s eyes lingered on the contours of Aemond’s face. “I hope we can speak together more soon.”

“That is my desire, as well.”

Maellory dipped her head and offered him a tender smile before she walked to the stairs. As she turned the side of her hand coquettishly grazed Aemond’s, their skin barely touching at all. 

Aemond watched her leave, a gust of wind caught the thin fabric of her azure dress while her long auburn curls bounced with each step she took.

His eye remained upon the doorway long after she passed through it. The way her eyes had moved over him, exposed him, it was a unique ability, a challenge he had never had to meet before. With a sharp exhalation through his nose, Aemond replaced his hands behind his back and turned to survey the moonlit landscape, a smile of satisfaction tugging up his lips.

[downtofragglerock]

Alright, only one group left to look at (kinda), its time for the arthropod extravaganza

Out of every group of animal, it is by far arthropods with the most rahi representation

We got four main subgroups to look at so lets go over them

The myriapods (centipedes and millipedes) only have one maybe rep in the form of the terrain crawler, which for some reason was canonized as a rahi despite all promo and story material clearly not having that be the intention

As arachnids go, the mu is chockfull of spiders and scorpions, many of them very large. For spiders you have the the chute lurker, the dagger spider, the electric spider, the Fenrakk, the Fikou, the Fikou-Nui, the sea spider, the silver chute spider, and all seven breeds of Visorak. Then for scorpions you have the catapult scorpion, the Kofo-Jaga, the Nui-Jaga, the Zivon, and the scorpion rahi from the cancelled pc game. Interestingly, a uniting factor across all arachnid rahi is that they are immensely bigger than the largest of their real life counterparts, to the point where event he smallest ones are as big as the largest real life ones.

Onto insects, there are also quite a lot, several of which aren't given much elaboration on what specific type of insect they are: like the cliff bug, the colony drone (which technically isn't outright stated to be an insect but from context clues and also the name, kind of has to be), the electric bug, the fireflyer, the lava crawler, and the night creeper (which again, while also not outright stated to be one, is probably an insect due to context clues)

As for specifics, the acid fly is well, a fly. The frost beetle and Hoto are both stated to be beetles, the Kirikori Nui is a grasshopper/locust, the metallic hornet is a hornet, the metru mantis is a mantis, context clues imply the Niazesk is a gadfly of some kind, similarly context clues imply the sand snipe is a gnat, the Nui Kopen is a wasp, I think the tunnel stalker might be an earwig, and the Nui Rama is a bit of a cluster fuck, as it's been referred to as a fly or a mosquito by different media, and they also have the eusociality and hive-building like bees or wasps, so I think they're another one for the specevo pile

Lastly, the crustaceans, all of which are crabs: The Hahnah, the Keras, the Mana-ko, the Manas, the spider crab, the crab rahi from the cancelled pc game, and the ever-lovable Usaal

Despite there being so many arthropod rahi, a number of groups are left out, other types of crustaceans, arachnids that aren't spiders or scorpions, and numerous rather recognizable insect groups like ants, butterflies, moths, roaches, dragonflies, a lot of different beetles, termites, stick insects, and cicadas

And again, a interesting unifying factor among all of them, barring some insects, is how overall larger they are than their real-life counterparts

And with that where done, we've gone over basically every animal group

But there's still some cleaning up to do

[fakecrfan]

That one "oh what if bees see us like GODS" post is so dumb, presumptuous, and arrogant. No they don't. And no we aren't.

While there are experts who study animal behavior and keeping and do good work, at baseline most humans are extremely dumb about animals and make a shit ton of mistakes regarding their care. In beekeeping, this can look like setting up poorly insulated hives and then when beekeepers see the bees clustering for warmth, they went "Oh this is a normal behavior! Nevermind that bees in the wild always choose warm and well insulated spots to build their hives in the wild."

We aren't wise and powerful gods benevolently guiding other species. We're dumbasses, and we're acting in our own interests, not theirs. Humans may be more intelligent than bees, but intelligence doesn't equate to automatic knowledge. Don't mythologize yourself as a human.

[captainjonnitkessler]

I got a phone call from my local post office this morning two minutes before they even opened so they could inform me that a) my bees have arrived and b) they are NOT bringing the bees into the main office so could I please come pick them up asap

I wonder if “sorry, the post office is mad at me so I have to go pick up 12,000 bees” is the weirdest excuse for leaving work early my boss has ever heard.

So behold! This is what it looks like when you get three pounds of bees shipped through the mail!

The bees in the crate are clustered around the queen cage and a can of sugar water for food. The last picture is the queen in the queen cage - the cage is to prevent the bees from killing her before they've accepted her as the queen. It's stopped up with candy - the bees will eat through it to get at her and ideally by the time they do that, her pheromones will have had time to work.

The hardest part is that now I'm supposed to just not touch the hive for a week while they settle, except to make sure the queen has been released in a few days. This hive already has drawn out comb and honey though, so they should be able to hit the ground running!

[clock-onyx]

The Great Attractor

Nicknamed 'Astral', They/them

YOOOOOOOOOOOO NEW FELLA??? well... its one ive had in mind for atleast half a year now but YOOOOOOO

I got lazy and didnt do the classical kind of ref sheets i do because theyre pretty unnecesary LMFAO. They DO have a more... alien form but i havent drawn it, this is the most humanoid they can become, which while for us it looks all silly and stuff, looks rather unsettiling for any other being in their universe. They also may or may not have other outfits im just too lazy to draw them out

This fellow is very important! A native Star essencially born at the start of time and basically immortal. They serve the purpose of guiding lost stars/sparks to their Star cluster / Mother Star, or guiding them to a new one to be accepted into. They are also a punisher, a knight per say for those who disturb space and time themself, especially planets, habitable or not.

Think of them as a worker bee in a giant hive, they protect anything important, and attack when necessary.

They do not have a cluster of their own, and do not need guidance from someone for a new one, its not in their nature to belong in one, making them extremly unique

They appear more in Vizion's story, Checkmate, but does brief apperances or mentions in other stories

[gatheringbones]

[“Let us give back to the masculine the ability to refruit and mushroom up freshly to fit changing circumstances and evolving relationships. Let us gift them fungal flexibility to experiment with creative, spiritual, and sexual expression, knowing full well that adaptability is survival. The more the masculine can adapt, the more able it will be able to withstand strong winds and chaos. Like Dionysus, we can remember our deeper, pre-patriarchal root systems that help us stay grounded, while still able to sway in a storm. Let us give masculinity back its flowering wand of reciprocal relationship with the natural world. Let us call Dionysus to the gates of our cities and homes. A man who can dance with plants and honor beasts, a man who can be a woman and an androgen and an animal, is more than a gender. He is a celebration. A hive of humming bees. A secret network of fungus ready to erupt as the air moistens. A murmuration of birds. A cluster of grapes. A throng of singing women. A magician.”]

Sophie Strand, from The Flowering Wand: Rewilding the Sacred Masculine

[cordycepsbian]

we have finally finished a full presentable illustration of the main cast of everlasting primordia! more info under the cut for anyone who hasn't been following this already

EDIT: we are moving all of our au posting to @bugs-in-situations go follow us there if you want to see more

this is a roleswap au where instead of vi, leif, and kabbu, the protagonists are jaune, muse, and bit. their team name is team peacock and instead of a chomper their collective therapy animal is a weevil named stompy

jaune (or jay, as most bugs call her) comes from the bee hive, a very isolated and hostile kingdom, but she dislikes being associated with most of her species. she packed up and left to live in the ant kingdom so she could explore and see more of the world. however, many bugs don't see past jay's outer appearance and take her for just another haughty and adverse honeybee, leaving it up to her to prove her worth as an explorer

bit comes from the west of bugaria, and traveled through the thorny hills of the golden path to reach the ant kingdom. along the way, he and his traveling team were attacked by a pitcher plant and a cluster of flytraps, and bit was the only one who escaped with his life. he feels incredibly guilty for not protecting his teammates and tries to bury his past by proving that he's strong enough to protect his new team, and usually ends up getting in more trouble than it's worth for their sake

muse was an explorer many decades ago, and went on a scouting mission to peacock island with her spouse to try to find an ancient artifact. the pair was attacked by a fearsome spider and muse was captured by it, waking up years later to find that everyone she knew is long gone. she became much more quiet and reserved, often feeling like a hollow shell of herself, on a restless search for the answer to why she's still alive after all this time

taking a detour on a mission, team peacock found a cavern holding a pack of weevils, and defeated the alpha weevil in battle. they discovered an unhatched egg in the nest and took it to a termite scientist to hatch it. the newborn weevil was named stompy, for his large paws, and now the team takes their beloved weevil pup everywhere with them

the end goal of all their missions is to find the everlasting primordia - a barely sprouted mushroom that is said to bring everlasting life to anyone who eats a spore from it. their journey will be long and hard, but will it end in success? find out... eventually! the end goal of this as a project is not anywhere in sight yet, but it's very fun to think about as a concept