Archaeology Moth

An ask/rp blog for Professor Neolith from Bug Fables, side blog to @penitentluminary

[mothprofessorneolith]

Would you like to interact with an easily flustered archaeologist moth?

Available in multiple verses, including Bug Fables, Hollow Knight and more.

Please reblog or leave a like if you’d be interested in rp with Professor Neolith from Bug Fables - and if your main isn’t the blog you’d like to interact from, please leave a comment as well so I know where to find you, thanks!

This is a sideblog to @penitentluminary​.

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[mothprofessorneolith]

flaming-tropics​:

Roaches? Well he’d definitely seen some roaches in his time, but never really had any previous experience with them in terms of a considerable civilization of theirs. Some bugs were solo wanderers, some had some major colonies or kingdoms they hailed from, unless it was obvious he hadn’t ever bothered to question one’s origins… So, as for whether or not those he’d seen had anything to do with the roaches from Bugaria was questionable.

“Interesting.. I’ve seen roaches before, but never much looked into their origins or heard about a major faction involving them. I’m guessing they were fairly significant here though, if you’re taking the risk to come here and search for ruins.” At least now he had an idea he was looking for structures, rather than randomly scattered artifacts. He wasn’t an archaeologist, so he didn’t have the trained sort of gaze to know a lost trinket from a piece of pottery a few hundred years old. But he knew a worn down building when he saw one.

He kept an eye on the various creatures around them- weirdly enough, not the first time he could say he’d seen something akin to a jellyfish out of water. But given the last ones he saw had a tendency to violently explode, he was particularly wary of the fungal creatures. The caterpillar-like creatures not so much, comparatively they looked rather harmless. 

“You have?” Neo echoed in surprise, his antennae flicking slightly in his startled curiosity. “Ah - yes, very significant. They were the first of the sapient races here, and until recently they were thought to be extinct.” He explained, gesturing vaguely as he contemplated the thought of somewhere that such a thing was not of significance. Then again, perhaps they hadn’t been the first people in other places?

“They created many notable works, both in terms of technology and magical artefacts.” He continued, though he warily eyed the thought-bereft creatures as they passed. “I’ve tried asking the recently rediscovered Roaches about their forebears, but a lot has been lost to time, and I was told that many of their records were lost when they crossed the Deadlands.” In all honesty, he was still impressed that they had survived a trip like that.

Though the caterpillar-like Inichas didn’t look like much, they were apparently rather aggressive. When the duo were near enough, about two of the creatures attempted a rolling attack in their direction, a Jellyshroom following in their wake with vague bored hostility.

[mothprofessorneolith]

waspseekinghoney​:

Zasp nodded and sat back down on the bed, stretching out and letting a small yawn slip. It had been a long day and the bath had only served to make him even more tired. Maybe he should just rest his eyes for a little while? Yes, that sounded like a good idea. He closed his eyes, only intending to rest, but by the time Neolith returned, he might just find his companion had fallen sound asleep, hugging a pillow in lieu of a stuffed toy.

It was a little while before Neo emerged, having wanted to take his time to get all of that sand out and just relax. When he did step forth though, he was rather struck by the unexpectedly sweet sight. “Aww...” He murmured, gently drawing the blanket up over his travelling companion. Even tough adventuring sorts could look tranquil when getting some much needed rest. Turning out the light, Neo headed to bed himself, figuring he should be getting some shut-eye as well.

[mothprofessorneolith]

flaming-tropics​:

For now with the brief fight over, all seemed about as well and fine as it was going to get. Galehaut hefted the axe back over his shoulder, glancing back to Neolith for a moment before continuing on… The ambience of the place was.. Surprisingly pleasant, given they had just been engaged with the walking dead not several minutes ago. 

“I think as long as we stay vigilant, we’ll be just fine. But with a moment’s peace, and a look at this place.. It does make me wonder to ask. What do you expect to find in here, professor?” Well- Neolith was an archaeologist, so that partially answered some of it. Here to research old civilizations, find artifacts, that sort of thing. But who had been here previously..? Were the zombiants old inhabitants, or just the missing explorers mentioned before?

Maybe that was what he was trying to find out… Or maybe it was something completely different. Most he could do for now was continue along (particularly carefully on those stalks, given his weight) and wait for the moth’s answer. If he had one he felt like sharing anyways. For all he knew, they were just going to patter around and chance upon something random by luck- if anything at all. 

Peering back at Galehaut, Neo rubbed the fluff at the back of his neck and offered up a sheepish smile. He’d forgotten that he hadn’t explained, that his new travelling companion wouldn’t have the context of all that had come before this. A little silly of him not to think of that, really - he hoped he hadn’t forgotten anything else of importance.

“Oh, ah, I’m expecting there to be some Roach ruins in here somewhere.” He responded, wondering whether Galehaut might know anything about the Roaches, or whether they were unknown where he came from. “A previous exploration brought back an artefact created by the old Roaches, so I’m hopeful that there may be more to discover here.”

Thankfully, though there was a bit of wobble to those stalks, they didn’t end up unable to handle Galehaut’s weight, and both bugs were able to safely cross. So far, no other foes had yet noticed them, but there were a few odd creatures in sight. A few looked like some kind of cross between jellyfish and mushrooms, cyclopic and apparently bored, while others resembled spikily armoured caterpillars, small and hostile in mien.

[mothprofessorneolith]

waspseekinghoney​:

Zasp walked back into the room after drying himself off, taking a seat on the bed. He stole a quick glance at Neolith. “Sorry to interrupt…but you can use the bathroom now, if you want,” he murmured, hoping he wasn’t disturbing him. He seemed to be taking notes on something or other, probably theorizing further about the form and function of what they’d found - not that he could blame him. Until it cooled off, though, they could focus on relaxing and doing whatever they wanted. After that they could head back to the museum.

“Oh! Thank you, Zasp, that would be lovely.” Neo responded with a smile, sitting up and setting his notes and his belt aside. No sense in getting either of those waterlogged, now was there? “Not to worry, I was at a reasonable breaking point anyway.” He added as he got up, offering a little wave as he headed into the bathroom to get the windblown sand out of his fluff, and generally to simply have a good wash.

[mothprofessorneolith]

waspseekinghoney​:

Zasp gave him a small nod and got up to head towards the bathroom. It wouldn’t be long until Neolith might hear the sound of running water, though Zasp wouldn’t fill it up all the way. He didn’t have to, since all he had to do was dip one of the provided wash cloths in the water and lather it up with soap in order to get himself clean. He scrubbed himself thoroughly, even if he couldn’t quite reach his back, but he made do. When he was finished, he wrapped a towel around his waist and pulled the plug to let the water drain, granules of sand draining along with it. 

Relaxing as the cool air of the hotel room did its work, Neolith couldn’t help but be relieved to be out of the baking heat outside. Archaeological discoveries might be a passion of his, but they couldn’t insulate him against extremes of temperatures. Well, unless he discovered something that could, but he doubted that would happen so conveniently. While he waited for Zasp to return, the sound of water as a backdrop, he fished out his notebook to begin writing about what had taken place so far. It was important to keep records, after all.

[mothprofessorneolith]

waspseekinghoney​:

Luckily for Neolith, their room’s only light was located on the ceiling and therefore out of reach of either bug. Zasp sat down on one of the nearby beds, leaning back against the soft pillow with a sigh. He hadn’t realized just how tired he was until now, maybe even a bit sore. He’d have to see about taking a warm bath to relax. Though the inn didn’t have a hot spring like the last one Mothiva had visited while on tour, he could probably make do with soaking in the tub for a while.

“Not bad, as far as hotel rooms go,” he commented, glancing over at Neolith to see what he was making of this. “And it’s a lot cooler in here than it is out there. At least we know for sure the air conditioning works.” He stretched a bit. “I’m probably going to get cleaned up first, if that’s all right with you. Don’t need any of that sand getting in places where it shouldn’t be.”

Thus reassured that he wouldn’t find himself fiddling with the light fixture, Neo readily slumped on the other bed. Sighing contentedly, he spread his wings out in order to lose heat more quickly.

“Aah, it’s quite alright, don’t worry, I intend to just stay like this for a little while.” Neo responded, gesturing vaguely and nodding. “I need a breather, the bathroom can wait. You go on ahead, I’ll be fine.”

[mothprofessorneolith]

flaming-tropics​:

Galehaut made a soft chitter in acknowledgement to Neo’s affirmation- considering how brutal he was in combat, a surprisingly calm noise. With the worry of being ambushed behind him, at this point, he was focused but relaxed. Not too worried about such small enemies, especially if their main means of assault was using that stalk like a whip. 

He lurched forward to meet in the middle with the charging zombiants- roughly bashing them with the handle of the axe. Keeping them at an even distance was crucial for his next move. Rearing up again, though more careful to put the momentum into a wide sweeping swing rather than into slamming the floor. Another clean, powerful strike to break down the remaining two undead. 

“Well.. If we can keep up this smoothly, we shouldn’t have much issue. Ants are rather easy to knock down.” At least when they were undead they were. Normally ants were amazingly powerful for their size, and well coordinated. But as mere husks, if he took a risk to get that up close.. Honestly.. He could probably punt them. That would be a bit funny to test. 

The sound of that chitter was fairly reassuring, though Neo knew it would most likely be better if he were to remain alert. He could relax later, when the investigation was over. It didn’t seem as though anything was behind them yet, but that was likely to change the deeper they delved into the place.

As they were whacked with a hefty axe handle, the zombiants’ carapace buckled, their momentum thrown off by the impact. They tried to pull themselves back up to continue their attack, but the sweeping strike Galehaut lashed out with was enough to break them.

Now, the part of the cavern they were in was as quiet as it was blue-tinted, the sound of the river ahead all that remained ambient. It seemed as though some stalks had fallen down across the flowing water, which may have been what allowed the zombiants to cross this far. “That’s good to hear... I don’t actually know what else might be in here, but at least these weren’t too difficult...” Neo responded, still a little fretful but reassured now he couldn’t hear anything shambling about.

[mothprofessorneolith]

waspseekinghoney​:

“Don’t worry about it, I don’t mind. Let’s go to our room,” Zasp replied, smiling slightly as he guided his companion upstairs so that they could get some rest. It had been an exciting day, and they could both use the rest. They could head back to the museum at night, when it was cooler, to continue studying their findings…even if Zasp wouldn’t be able to make heads or tails of it like Neolith could.

Smiling back at Zasp, and figuring it would get awkward fast if he let himself fall into the trap of continuously thanking him, Neo nodded. “Yes, let’s.” He agreed, humming slightly as he followed the wasp onward. It was ice, getting the chance to get to know him better like this. Neo was well aware that he needed to mingle a bit more, but he often tended to get a bit too sucked into whatever he was working on at the time.

The friends he’d managed to make, though, were the best he could have asked for, and he was fairly sure the same thing was happening again now. Then again, maybe he was simply a sentimental moth and considering them all the best he could have asked for regardless. “If there’s a little lamp near a bedside, could we move it further away? It’d get a bit too tempting to play with otherwise.”

[mothprofessorneolith]

waspseekinghoney​:

Zasp gently pushed Neolith’s hand back down with his free one, instead taking out eight more berries to pay for Neolith as well. “It’s no trouble, really. And don’t worry about paying me back,” he added, shaking his head slightly. “I’m more concerned about making sure you’re safe.” He could easily earn the berries back from helping other bugs around town, since some bugs either rewarded with those or with items that could be sold for berries.

“Oh- ah, thank you, Zasp - if you’re sure...” He hadn’t expected that, but it was a kind gesture, and one he appreciated. Slipping his berries back into his pouch, he made a mental note nonetheless. Zasp might not want to be paid back, but that didn’t mean Neo couldn’t find some way to do something nice for him in turn sometime. “Shall we go see the room, then..?”

[mothprofessorneolith]

flaming-tropics​:

“Zombiants..?” He was about to question what the hell that was supposed to be, until the undead trio got within clear vision. Ah. Husks, of some form- that made a lot more sense. Well, especially with clear cordyceps involved, he wasn’t going to be taking any chances- keep them at a distance. Galehaut reared up to his backmost sets of legs, before landing back down hard. 

The ground slightly shook with the motion, hopefully to keep the zombiants unsteady as he lunged and took a swing at them with the axe. His reach was enough to hit the closest of them, cleaving into the comparatively small husk. But with a two handed weapon, he couldn’t quite swing far enough to hit all of them at once. Not unless they were closer than he wanted them to be, or swinging broadly enough to leave himself vulnerable. 

Galehaut was a touch worried about having something come up behind them if this was already an unpredicted situation… But for now, he was keeping his eyes on the current and obvious husks. Most important rule of combat; never take one’s eyes off the enemy. He had Neolith behind him, so he wasn’t likely to be blind-sided. “I’d consider this manageable- but do me a favor and keep an eye out for anything trying to flank us as we proceed. Unlike some other spiders, my field of vision is rather limited to what’s ahead of me.”

Neo couldn’t help a squeak as the impact made its mark, though unlike two of the zombiants, he wasn’t knocked to the ground. One of those was the closest, ineffectually scrabbling to get up. It might have managed it in a moment, like its fellow, if it hadn’t been cloven in two by the axe. Its fellows showed no signs of alarm at this event, though the nearest survivor did attempt to whip at the axe with the stalk of fungus sprouting from its head.

“I’ll keep watch, yes!” Neo was glad to have something actually of use that he could do, turning to face the way they’d come. Admittedly, there wasn’t much he could do about anything coming up behind them, unless papercuts might do the trick, but at least he could provide backup in the form of intel. “So far, we’re clear behind us as far as I can see.”

As Neo spoke, one of the zombiants tried to charge at Galehaut, head stalk thrashing. It seemed as though this was their primary mode of attack, but there was still opportunity to block the charge, one way or another. Still, it wasn’t alone, its fellow ‘survivor’ of sorts dashing in just a moment later.

[mothprofessorneolith]

waspseekinghoney​:

“Oh, ah, we’re…not a couple,” Zasp answered. “Ah, pardon my mistake,” the termite quickly apologized, though she glanced down at their still intertwined hands for a moment before clearing her throat. “Ahem - in that case the total for a room comes to eight berries per bug…so eight berries, if you please.” Zasp nodded, handing over the appropriate amount. “Your room will be upstairs, first door on the left,” the wasp added, passing them a key.

Although he could see why the termite had made that particular mistake, Neo was in no hurry to let go either, especially if doing so would seem to Zasp as though he were recoiling. That could be hurtful, and he wanted none of that. With his free hand, he fished out eight berries of his own to pay his share, offering an awkward smile. “Ah, thank you...” He responded, prepared to take the key if Zasp didn’t get to it first.

[mothprofessorneolith]

waspseekinghoney​:

Zasp nodded, taking Neolith’s hand so they wouldn’t get separated just in case as he guided him to the inn. It really was getting hot out, much too hot for even Zasp’s comfort, so it was a relief when they finally managed to reach the inn. “Welcome to T&W Inn - will you be staying for the night?” the termite working the counter alongside their wasp companion. “We’re currently running a couples’ discount.”

It was rather nice, having Zasp’s hand in his. For support, naturally, in case the heat got to him. Of course. Anyway, it looked as though they’d made it to the inn, thankfully. He felt as though his fuzz was going to catch fire at any moment in this dry heat. “Oh, we will be, thank yo- oh-” Oh goodness - he didn’t quite know what to say, glancing at Zasp for backup.

[mothprofessorneolith]

flaming-tropics​:

The general lack of magic use in this area was definitely food for thought. Bugaria certainly wasn’t the only place like that- but overall it should be kept in mind. Helpful here, but if he did end up exploring further he probably shouldn’t use it too much. Just being a tarantula alone was going to get him more attention than he likely wanted, whether Neolith was there to vouch for his decency or not. No need to make extra fuss with magic in public…

Carrying on, the general atmosphere heralded caution, keeping his pace moderately slow. He wasn’t particularly fond of catching a fungal aroma or oleic acid first thing- of course finding dead bugs wasn’t going to surprise or scare him.. But that was a specific and pungent mix of things in the air. Now, fungus normally mixed with decay, but how many dead bugs were here to make it such an easily noticeable scent just getting into the cave? 

… Or maybe it was proximity rather than amount. The fur on his abdomen stood on end with the approaching shuffle- a first instinct to be ready to kick off irritating hairs at any potential threats. But.. For now not needed, probably. He shifted to hold the axe in both hands, preferring to just have it ready for whatever was coming their way. “Any chance you happen to know why this place reeks of death and fungus, professor?”

Neo’s musings on the nature of wherever it was that Galehaut was from and the magic that might be found there was somewhat interrupted by the pungent mix of scents, his antennae lowering. That was... somewhat unpleasant. “Well, there’ve long been cautionary tales about zombiants and similar lurking in this place. I believe Kabbu mentioned something about encountering them when I last spoke to him about the place, but I think he’d mentioned them being further in than this...” He probably should have mentioned that before, but he had been somewhat distracted, in his defence.

As he spoke, Neo could see something approaching. A group of what had once been ants, maybe even previous explorers who’d braved the place only to meet with their ends. From each of the shambling trio’s heads, a fungal shoot had burst. Cordyceps. For some reason, though, it didn’t seem capable of producing spores.

“It doesn’t look as though their structural integrity is great...” Neo mused, warily remaining firmly behind Galehaut as he peeked over at the creatures. “I doubt they could stand up to too many hits. It’s likely numbers that’d make them dangerous, but there’s only three right here.”

[mothprofessorneolith]

waspseekinghoney​:

Zasp sighed and shook his head, though he didn’t seem to be all that bothered by the praise. Maybe a little flustered, but hardly enough to blush this time. “We should get to the inn, Neolith - I don’t want you to keel over from heatstroke,” he reminded the professor gently. Then, to the museum director “We’ll likely make a reappearance later, once it’s cooled down some. I know from experience that heat and fluffy bugs don’t always get along.” In no small part courtesy of Mothiva wishing to avoid the desert whenever possible.

“Oh, yes, the heat...” It wasn’t the friendliest of climes, and the threat of heatstroke wasn’t to be taken too lightly. “Yes, let’s do that... I don’t want to be baked in this heat.” Though he had his reservations about Mothiva, it was true that having worked with her so long would have given Zasp opportunity to learn how to look out for moths in various environments. “Lead the way, would you?”

[acdplayer]

[mothprofessorneolith]

waspseekinghoney​:

“No, of course not,” the museum director was quick to assure them. “They’ll be stored in the vault until you finish assessing them, professor Neolith. It will be wonderful to finally have some new exhibits to add to the museum, and it’s all thanks to you and your friend there.” Zasp’s wings buzzed a little and he shook his head slightly, though he seemed slightly flattered by the praise. “It really was nothing - Neolith is the one making all the big discoveries.”

“Thank you so much, I appreciate you doing this for us.” Neo responded at once, tone warm and a smile broad across his face. “I must admit, I’m rather looking forward to that as well, it’d be lovely to see more here. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be able to expand the place sometime in the future.”

At Zasp’s words, Neo shook his head, chuckling a little. “You’re too modest, Zasp, I wouldn’t have known about this at all if you hadn’t told me, remember? That’s hardly nothing.”