#my bug fables posts

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Something that I, personally, consider highly relevant to Elizant II’s character: queen ants are not born, they are made.

All female ant larvae start out the same, and grow into workers under default conditions. When they decide to raise a new queen, the adult ants will choose a larva to feed a special high-protein diet; giving her the nutrition she needs to grow into a larger, reproduction-capable queen.

Knowing this adds a whole new layer to Queen Elizant II’s insecurities. “Your mother CHOSE you, out of her many daughters, to become her heir. Was her faith in you misplaced? Were the resources spent on you wasted?”

I wonder if Elizant ever wished that she’d been left to grow into a worker, allowed to live a normal life.

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Why Relations Between Ants and Termites Turned Sour: Various Theories with Varying Degrees of Plausibility.

Queen Elizant II accidentally misgendered King Hector IV, and many other important termites; since she assumed that, like other eusocial insects, almost all termites were female.

Due to, again, not understanding the differences between termites and ants; Elizant flirted with Layra right in front of her husband.

In a sincere attempt to be welcoming, Queen Elizant II served Hector and his entourage pieces of wood at a diplomatic banquet. (Hector: “What is this, cypress?!”)

Queen Elizant II made a comment about termites eating furniture.

Hector actually ate some of Elizant’s furniture, and refused to pay for the damage. (Hector: “That chair was NOT worth 100 berries!” Elizant: “WHY DID YOU EAT A CHAIR!?” Hector: “The table is cedar, I HATE cedar!”)

Hector ate some of Elizant’s furniture, got sick from the varnish, and accused her of trying to poison him.

Hector ate a rare book from the Ant Kingdom’s library. Maki was barely able to stop Brooke from committing regicide.

The Termite Kingdom had a princess, Layra III, who went missing while visiting the Ant Kingdom. Sad and angry, King Hector and Queen Layra blamed Elizant and her subjects for the tragedy. Although she tried to resolve the situation, and sent her best knights to search for the missing princess; Elizant wasn’t able to handle the diplomatic incident with the sensitivity it warranted, and, in her frustration, said some deeply hurtful things to the grieving parents.

Queen Elizant II mistook Hector for Queen Layra’s court jester. (Kabbu: “With respect, your majesty, how could you mistake a king for a jester?” Leif: “Yeah, jesters are supposed to be funny.”)

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“Bug Fables” Headcanons: Bee Edition

Dancing, originating from the communicative dances used by pre-Awakening bees, is extremely important to Bee Kingdom culture. Vi loves dancing, and is very good at it; but HATED the dance classes she was forced to attend back at the Hive.

Bee sign language, now widely used across Bugaria, is also descended from their ancestral dances.

Bee mythology includes a Typhon-esque monster said to be “as tall as a tree, and black as a stormy night; that leaves craters where it walks.” It’s described as having “a cavernous mouth, a thunderous roar, and claws longer than a queen bee is tall.” This monster is a cultural memory of a bear.

The Bee Kingdom has a separate, smaller factory that produces special, extra-nutritious honey for bee larvae.

While most bees, and many non-bees, know that princess bees are created by feeding larvae royal jelly; exactly what royal jelly is, and how it’s produced, is a carefully guarded secret. This is meant to reduce the likelihood of rebellious workers secretly creating a princess to overthrow the reigning queen.

Princess bees (as well as ants, wasps, and termites) experience a period of intense wanderlust in early adulthood; a relic from their pre-Awakening ancestors, who typically left their birth colonies to start new ones. Increased aggression is another vestigial behavior common in adolescent princesses. *stares at Vi*

When he first arrived in Bugaria, Monsieur Scarlet snuck into the Hive’s drone quarters; intending to free Queen Bianca’s sons just as he had freed himself. To his horror and disgust, the princes were aware of their impending deaths; and either willing to comply for the good of the kingdom, or simply preferred a short but luxurious life over a long but uncertain one. Only one drone-Prince Leon-accepted Scarlet’s offer of escape.

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Leif was significantly closer to Queen Elizant I than he let on, as Elizant II discovered while reading her mother’s (VERY detailed) diary. Several moons pass before she’s able to look him in the eye again.

Kabbu: “You cheated on your wife?!”

Leif: “Of course not…Muse kept the Queen’s bed warm, as well.”

Queen Elizant II: *beckons Team Slacker over* “Please go to the “secret” tavern, and buy me the strongest drink they have.”

Vi: “Get me one, too…”

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Do you think Professor Honeycomb and/or Doctor H.B. ever pull the “You’re not my mom!” card on Queen Bianca?

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I think that, in a human AU, Vi would be a ballerina.

Hear me out.

A lot of people (including myself) headcanon that dancing, descended from the waggle-dances modern bees use to communicate, is very important in Bee Kingdom culture; and that Vi herself is a skilled dancer.

Vi is strong. Not only can she throw that beemerang hard enough to injure giant monsters, but she can also CARRY Kabbu: a beetle almost twice her size. Ballet is VERY physically taxing, more so than many sports or martial arts.

Speaking of the beemerang, many of Vi’s attacks (like Tornado Toss and Hurricane Toss) involve her twirling around; somewhat similar to a pirouette or a fouetté.

With all that said: while I think Vi would genuinely enjoy ballet dancing, and be very good at it (like, “could have gotten a full-ride scholarship to a prestigious dance academy” good); she would HATE formal ballet classes (to the point where she deliberately flunks out or gets expelled), and never have the temperament or desire for serious performing.

This could be a source of tension between Vi and Jaune in a human AU. “You had so much talent, so much potential! You could have been a star, and you just threw it all away?!”

Although Vi gives up on professional dancing, her skills do not atrophy even slightly. Imagine Mothiva challenging Team Snakemouth to a dance-off, and nearly fainting with shock when Vi flawlessly pulls off a very difficult and complex ballet routine.

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Vi daring Zasp to tell Mothiva he’s pregnant:

Zasp: “Mothiva…I’m with egg.”

Mothiva: “Really?! We’re going to be parents? Oh, this is wonderful! And it will be the perfect opportunity for me to debut the line of larvae clothes and toys I’ve been working on!”

Zasp: *groans* “…I guess I should start gaining weight, and pray that Queen Vanessa will let me adopt one of her eggs. I hope you’re proud of yourself, Vi.”

Versus: Vi daring Mothiva to tell Zasp she’s pregnant.

Mothiva: “Zasp…I’m pregnant.”

Cut to Mothiva cocooned in blankets, while Zasp brings her a Queen’s Dinner.

Zasp: “…and while you’re eating, I’ll start decorating the nursery; and then I’ll give you a massage; and then…”

Mothiva: *groans* “Nice going, you little twerp. Now I have to figure out a way to get knocked up for real.”

Vi: “…Or you could buy an Aphid Egg, and tell Zasp you laid a dud.”

Mothiva: “I can’t do that! He’ll die of a broken heart!”

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“Bug Fables” Headcanons: Allopreening

Just like in their pre-Awakening ancestors, allopreening, or social grooming, is very important to eusocial insect culture; serving not just to maintain cleanliness, but also to strengthen interpersonal bonds.

Although there are many salons and spas where bugs can go to be professionally preened; most preening is done by friends, family members, or partners.

Preening is usually done with brushes, combs, and cloths. Preening someone the old-fashioned way, with just your hands and mouth, is considered deeply intimate (though not inherently romantic or sexual).

Preening, traditionally, is heavily intertwined with colony hierarchies; with lower-ranking bugs preening their superiors. A higher-ranking bug, especially a royal, preening a subordinate is considered an immense honor.

It’s common for workers and soldiers to, at the end of their shifts, sit down together for a group preening session.

Queen Elizant II and Zaryant preen each other almost every day, as do Queen Vanessa and Jayde.

Zasp preens Mothiva to help her clean up and relax before and after her shows. (“Z—Zasp, comb my fluff! I must look dashing when we take down the tyrant!” “Are you, uh, nervous?” “N—No! It’s gonna be fine! It’s gonna be fine…”)

One of the few things Vi genuinely missed about living in the Hive was how, every evening, she and Jaune would preen each other while talking about their respective days. At some point after the Wasp King’s defeat; Jaune meets up with Vi to give her a long-overdue preening, while Vi tells Jaune all about her adventure.