#bug fables jayde

[beast-feast]

He's got that shit AWN!!!

[spectralgecko]

SHIP TIME-

Am I gonna get roasted for this? probably lol XD

Bug fables ships be upon ye:

now to cross my fingers and hope I haven't committed some fandom-decided atrocity I had no knowledge of XD

Reasoning/Explanations under the cut!

Cute: Zasp and Samira - cuz they cute! And have been on my brain ever since I remembered that Zasp and Samira were originally going to be partners.

Hot: Fuff and Vanessa II - Gonna be real there isn't much that I default to "because it's hot". That's not usually my reasoning. Technically this would lean more cute, but the vibes are a little to the left.

Canon: Rebelle and Voi - There were a lot of things I coulda put here, and originally I had that box doing triple duty with Wayde/Tynn and Zasp/Mothiva, but decided to space thing out. Also in that square, I would put basically all the other canon ships. Elom and Tekci, Artia and Reed, Venn and Anna... and the others I'm definitely forgetting.

Similar: Bumble and ...whatever blue-bandana wasp prisoner's name is - does this guy have an actual name???? Anyways, they both look worried for their siblings/compatriots, and ever since I realized I couldn't stop chuckling over it.

Different: Elizant II and Asto - Enemies to lovers? Lovers to enemies? Who knows! I waffled between similar and different for these two, because in some ways they are similar. But, at the same time they seem to have some very different values, and what similarities they have seem to amplify those differences.

Subtext: Isau and Astotheles - I blame The Merciful Bandit. That fic (and therefore it's lovely writer @tangyfighter) introduced me to the idea of these two, and I have loved it ever since. Especially depending on how you look at it, there is some fascinating subtext to pick at in terms of morals, values, and modi operandorum.

Fanart: Zasp and Mothiva - Technically I didn't need fanart to start shipping this, but the cute fanart definitely contributed to my love for 'em, and my contemplations of what that could look like.

Makes Sense: Wayde and Tynn - I wasn't really sure what to put for this square, and arguably I could/should have swapped it with Rebelle and Voi, but something about these two just clicks for me, I love 'em.

BECAUSE I CAN: Jayde and Hoaxe - Consider for me: a world in which Jayde and Hoaxe met while Hoaxe was a janitor, and they formed a sturdy bond and friendship (that eventually grows into more) strong enough that Hoaxe felt like he had an actual support system and didn't go all vengeance mode on the wasp kingdom.

[artgletic]

i dont have the time to do bugtober (no matter how badly i want to) but i still wanted to be able to make something this month. heres an idea that ive had for a while, in which hoaxe makes a friend

[azhdarchidae]

forgot to post this here LOL

nobody is surprised that the wasp liker likes the wasp

[spectralgecko]

[spectralgecko]

New HCs

in the right plACE THSI TIMEAKJSDHGKJHSFKJSCREAMING

Jayde taught Hoaxe to read while he was in the hive.

They mostly practiced on Bug Ranger comics, but she found some other things to read too. Most of them were fiction of some variety that she already had. Eventually she got some other stuff from the library.

They only got through some of it before Hoaxe just. Vanished.

She was the closest thing he really had to a friend, but their friendship never grew because he outright wasn't sure how, nor did he really have any grasp of being social short of what he could mimic from her or other wasps.

Part of the reason he's so caustic and angry is because that is in fact what most of the wasp hive taught him was normal. That's not the only reason he's caustic and angry, there's a lot more underneath that, but the hive didn't help.

Jayde was one of the few counterbalances to the above.

As we know, Vanessa gave Jayde the pendant that kept her safe from the crown's call. Whether Hoaxe was ever aware of this, neither is quite sure. Either she flew under Hoaxe's radar, or Hoaxe let it slide.

Hoaxe remembers Jayde. Jayde remembers Hoaxe. When he returned to the hive, they caught a glimpse of each other. Hoaxe recognized Jayde; Jayde did not recognize Hoaxe. Not with the crown, not with the robe, not his demeanor. Hoaxe told himself it was for the best.

Jayde is the one to connect the dots on who this usurper was, after everything was already resolved. Team Snakemouth described the mimic fly during the fight, and it clicked for her. For the briefest of moments, Jayde was the only living soul who knew Hoaxe's name.

She was able to retell what she remembered of Hoaxe's time at the nest. Needless to say, Vanessa II and Team Snakemouth were… a little conflicted at the revelation. Vanessa had never even known Hoaxe - she had no occasion to happen across him. She might've heard the initial report from the patrol that brought him back, but didn't necessarily do much follow up.

The kingdom at the time of Hoaxe's living there was in a bit of an awkward, restless point. Vanessa I was aging and clearly reaching the end of her days, and she had her heiress. There was some controversy over this new, mild-mannered heiress.

The wasps went much quieter for a bit when Vanessa II came to power, due to the whole "shift of queens" process. Vanessa II was crowned after Hoaxe had left.

When Hoaxe returned with the crown, Vanessa II was still a very freshly crowned queen. She had knowledge and lessons, but not a lot of experience. When Hoaxe swept in, she wasn't prepared or even sure what to do. This was not the sort of thing she'd had a contingency for, and this was her first true aggression to deal with outside of just managing her own kingdom.

The wasp kingdom as a whole was far more militant and aggressive under Vanessa I. Vanessa II was far more peaceful and in the process of trying to reform this. (For a small comparison, think Duchess Satine of Mandalore - the Duchess was a pacifist and Vanessa II is not, but they're both dealing with a people who have a history and heritage of war.)

Vanessa II wonders if she could have helped, had she known about Hoaxe sooner. The knowledge of what happened has only motivated her further to reform the nest's culture.

[beast-feast]

I tink I huave covid

[beast-feast]

He deserves some forgiveness, I think.

(Don't tag as ship.)