[THE HIVE ORP] Enter the Hive!

[Ruriska]

It’s a massive change.

From a kin to... whatever you are now.

More limbs (or maybe less), it’s a brand new way of seeing the world.

You look around.

It’s warm inside the hive, lit by glowing yellow mushrooms, and the space you’ve stepped into is a large cavern, the sides dotted with hundreds of openings that lead away into shadowy passages and chambers beyond your view. Behind you, if you look back, is the hive opening. The doorway back to another world but also the pathway to the outside. It’s whatever you want it to be. There’s a hint of a blue sky if you squint and a cool wind brushes past.

You’re not alone. The place is abuzz with activity. With wasps and insects of all sizes, clearly working hard, carrying food and other items to and fro.

Directly ahead is a large praying mantis that stares at you unnervingly, the tips of her limbs alarmingly red. On one of her arms, an aphid is sitting. Surprisingly, the round-bottomed bug is waving to you cheerfully.

“Newcomers over here please!”

Well, you’d better go see what she wants!


(omg this is so shoddy i’m sorry lol)

[Welcome to The Hive ORP! This is a place for you to settle in and get acquainted with your new forms! When posting, please make it clear what your new form is! And take a look at the main thread if you're confused about any of the realm details here!)

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Royal Jelly had felt drawn to this place, and with as many bees swarming around, she understood why. She was one of them, a honey bee with a pleasingly plump abdomen and poofy pollen pockets for days. She might not be the queen bee of this hive, and it was ruled by a wasp, so maybe not a good idea to try. For now, she decided to go see what the mantis wanted. And the... smaller bug. She didn't actually know that much about bugs, come to think of it. Bees, yes. But bugs? Not so much.

She approached the mantis and little thing, wings a-flutter. "Royal Jelly, reporting for... duty?" The word felt unfamiliar to her. Ugh, was she going to have to work here? Her? "What's happening?" she asked the small round one that seemed to be doing the talking for both of them.

[lilacfishie]

Apple Spider was wary of the strange forest at first. If she wanted to be around a tree, she would just go to her grandmother's home instead. But, the temptation of the massive hive was too much for her to pass up. Hopefully the residents wouldn't mind if she got a little closer...

When she stepped through, Apple Spider found that she stepped with more legs than she started with. She stood taller than a lot of the crawling creatures around her, which was new, considering she was pretty average height as a doe. The abundance of legs was very quickly outmatched for her attention by her numerous eyes and very different view from before. She glanced around at all the parts of her she could see and tried to adjust to this new perspective. Her legs were nearly transparent, and there were eight of them. Color returned to her in the form of whites and pinks on her abdomen. Could it be...

If spiders could gasp, Apple Spider certainly was doing it. She was a spider! What an interesting experience! She wondered how this would change her hobbies in regular life. Before she could contemplate it very much, the voice of the nearby mantis cut through her daydreaming. This was not her domain, and she was not without manners, so it was probably best she listen. A hesitant grumble escaped her...mouth? She adjusted her chelicera thoughtfully.

While she approached, being mindful of the other creatures around her, Apple Spider spotted a bee moving with seemingly the same purpose. Maybe they knew more about this place than she did. Soon enough, she stood in front of the mantis and their companion. "What is this place?" she asked.

[Words: 287 | Total: 287]

[Ruriska]

“Welcome to the Hive!” The little bug greeted with an enthusiastic waggle of antennae. “Thanks for choosing us to come visit!” As she spoke, her front leg moved in animated gestures, pointing first at herself, “my name is Aphid” and then at the mantis holding her up, “and this is Headhuntress!”

The mantis, despite the name drop, did not move a muscle. She might as well have been a somewhat menacing looking statue.

“We’ve been charged with greeting all the newcomers and helping you settle in. You’re of course free to leave whenever you want but while you are here, it takes a lot of effort to keep a hive running smoothly.” Her gaze shifted to the delightfully plump very queenly sort of bee and she chirped, “as I’m sure you’d know!” before continuing with, “so you will be expected to take part in hive activities!”

She might have even winked, if she’d possessed eyelids.

“We’ll answer any questions, give you a tour and help you figure your your place in the hive!”

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Royal Jelly nodded, buzzing her wings in deference. She wondered if these bugs were kin she would recognize outside of this hive. Were their names the same? Hers, after all, had not been. She was a bee in a hive, the name Royal Jelly made perfect sense- although frankly, for someone as self-possessed and with such a strong identity, could the magic of a realm change her name? "It's good to meet you, Aphid and Headhuntress. You, Miss Headhuntress, remind me very much of my daughter Swarming Season, who is also very large and very brightly colored. And you, Miss Aphid, remind me of my son Buzz, who is also delightfully striped. They are good children; the comparison, I promise you, is a compliment."

"I believe I am here," she said with a wiggle of her... well, they'd been hips when she was an Acha... "to gather and deliver pollen. It is my duty, instilled by my virtue as a honeybee, to gambol amongst the flowers, to enjoy a kiss from a rose or perhaps a dandelion, and to bring it back to the hive to be turned into honey, thus nourishing the population and improving the collective good." Odd, that she found herself willing to work- but a bee's mind is very different from a kin's mind, and sometimes function does follow form, after all. "I should like to speak to whomever's in charge to ensure that this duty is correct! And see the marvels of such a structure, of course." She turned to the nearby spider. "This is such a strange new world, isn't it? Tell me, dearie, what do you think you will do for the hive? Spin, perhaps?" She was presumptive and fussy, certainly, but not mean; she genuinely was interested in what the delicately colored arachnid would be up to. Bees, after all, are buzzy busybodies if nothing else!

[doomsayer]

The rain outside was unrelenting. He recalled that he was in the middle of hunting deep in the woods when he found himself hopelessly lost among some ancient looking trees that all seemed to have some sort of aura or allure to them. Did the others know about this place? Was he supposed to be here? Is this how he meets his end?

The disorientation caused him to trip on a root and tumble into a hole on the side of a massive tree that had a hive of some sort clinging to it. Next thing he knew, the rain had stopped. He was in some sort of cavernous structure with a series of tunnels and chambers. When he tried to move, it felt...different. Too many legs. His vision also seemed...wider. His carapace seemed...lighter. Though he kept his original form's coloration, his new form changed him completely. He was still heavily armored, but in a different way than before. The extra set of leg took some getting used to. And now these sensory rods attached to his front--there antennae were giving him an overwhelming amount of sensory information all at once. Every realization was staggering, each new piece of information tat he suddenly just knew was overwhelming. Though stationary, he felt like the world was spinning around him.

A breath. Take a moment. Breathe.

Slowly, things fell into place. He rediscovered how to move his eyes in tandem with these new antennae and he relearned how to walk with these extra two legs. It was then that he heard someone calling from afar. Two insects, one intimidating in its size and stillness, the other disarming in its diminutiveness. An unlikely pair, yet the small one was perched on the larger one and was the one calling out to newcomers. He slowly approached them, realizing that others were gathering in their presence as well.

"Hello. I am... Cobalt." He knew that was not his name prior. but it rolled off his tongue and felt natural in this new place. "I don't know why I'm here. Or how. But I am here."

"Good." The small aphid perched on the arm of the mantis exclaimed. "Will you be a Worker or a Warrior here?"

He pondered the question. Clearly this was some sort of insect swarm. Why would they be in need of warriors? Was its purpose for warfare? Was it preparing for an inevitable attack? Was it an aggressor in some sort of larger territorial situation? Or perhaps the very nature of this place required it to be protected from itself?

"Warrior." He answered. Though he did not know what choosing that role yet meant, it was a role that he was familiar, even comfortable in. He was not one to shy away from hard labor, but when it came time to clash against other living beings for one's own purposes or one's own survival, his experiences would lend greater strength if he were on the battlefield.

[Ruriska]

The comparison was most certainly taken as a compliment, at least on Aphid’s end. It was hard to tell what Headhuntress was thinking but she did incline her head very slightly in response.

“That sounds wonderful,” Aphid exclaimed, as Royal Jelly introduced herself and announced her purpose as a honey gatherer. What more could a hive ask for? It was perfect. She nodded eagerly. “Hopefully we can meet your children one day, they sound very nice!” New friends were always welcome.

“If you like, I can arrange for you to have an audience with Queen Swarm. I’m sure she’d very much like to hear about your hive duty.” And with that, her attention also shifted to the spider, eager for her response to Royal Jelly’s question. A spider would be a great boon to the hive.

But it wasn’t long before another arrived, a beetle that announced himself a warrior. Aphid nodded to him as he stepped forth.

“Welcome, friend Cobalt.” Her smile was as warm as an aphid’s could be. “Did you find your way here by accident? You must be confused but don’t worry. If you want to return to your kin form, you need simply turn around and walk out the way you came. But you’re very welcome here, as a warrior and protector of the hive."

"This is Swarm's realm," she continued to explain. "A legendary known for her affinity for wasps, and in her realm, you become a creature most to both yourself and the hive.” She looked him up and down, clearly impressed. "And you are a very large and shiny beetle!"

[Ruriska]

She was a bee.

It seemed a very natural transition for Beeswax, who had always been inclined towards bee related shenanigans. She liked flowers a lot and honey was her favourite food. Her dreams had always been full of a pleasant buzz and a warm collective oneness.

So to find herself so changed after stepping eagerly into the tree hive, suddenly round, fuzzy and ready to work, wasn’t at all disorientating. She simply got to it. Bustling about the hive, pollen heavy on her legs, humming to herself all the while. Now if only someone would come join her and they could partake in some juicy gossip. That would truly make her life perfect.

[Illusei]

Dive In | Ditty

Dive In had found a massive tree on her journey that held among its branches she couldn't quite see. Curious, she came closer and found herself pulled into a dark hole.

When she came to, she felt different though she didn't immediately know why. Her vision was strange and disorienting. She was in an enclosed space unlike anything she had ever seen before. Insects the same size as herself were all about her. How are they so large? She wondered, more amazed than frightened. It was all so surreal that it reminded her of when she had eaten the dreamfish and hallucinated of worlds she had never been before.

She hardly noticed the attention to her presence until she felt called to move towards a preying mantis and an aphid across the oddly sized room. It was almost as if her body was compelled. Even movement felt strange and she soon realized why. Reflected in their eyes was a beetle. It was Dive In herself, transformed into a diving beetle.

"Where am I?" She asked, bewildered.

"Welcome to the Hive." The wasp told her. "Here, you will be an entirely different self and choose the role of worker or warrior. What shall we call you?"

"Okay, I'll be Ditty," She said instinctively. It felt right. "And I don't know. I suppose I still know how to dive." She was still confused, but wanted to be of use.

"That will be helpful in collecting resources from the lake," the mantis mused. "We will have you be a worker unless we find a more suitable role."

"Um, okay," Dive In, now Ditty, said, accepting her reality. "What should I do first?"

[Starrydance]

Diving into a new tree, Isabella found herself... well. In absolutely a whole new world indeed. Staring ahead at the giant mantis before her, in a strange wooden area with so many around, she tried to step foward and then blinked down.

WHY did she have so many legs. Why was her sight so... strange. Something moved on her back and she jumped in place, startled and then... fluttered.

"I. HAVE. WINGS!" she screamed in joy, promptly falling flat on her face. Jumping up again she spun around in little circles trying to figure out what magic form she had this time.

"A butterfly!" One all the colors of a growing spring tree, browns and greens, irridescent golds like the touch of the sun, tiny petals and glowing orbs. And the colors her strange eyes could see, so many more than she normally could see. Colors she had no name for, dancing and whirling in beauty. "Perfection!"

Hoping joyfully, fluttering at the top of each hop, she bound towards the mantis. Zooming all around were a myrad of other insects, busy doing this and that. She wondered what she could do here, she did not see a market, or a cafe, maybe there were races here? Or a dancing contest? What kind of wild dances could these forms do!

"Hello! I am new! I am Spr... Isabella! Nice to meet! YOU!" she giggled joyfully.

[Starrydance]

Sighing, Other shook the salt water off herself and explored further. Finding another great, clearly magical, tree with a book emblazoned upon it she considered looking inside.

Hearing giggling and someone quite literally singing "zoooooom" to themselves, she snorted and looked around, spying what she was sure was Isabellas' tail leaping into a tree.

"Well, if shes in, better to have a friend already inside!" Not seeing which realm this was, she followed on her heels. Only to find herself in a shockingly different place.

One full of buzzing, whirring, dizzying amount of busy motion in all directions. Overwhelmed, she blinked severall times and realized her vision was completely different! Closing her eyes she took stock of herself bit by bit.

First, her head felt... different... and she had things atop them. Not horns, but she could sense things through them. Strange! She lifted... one set of forelegs. One Set?! Two.. sets. Three sets? Six legs.

That made her open her eyes and stare back along herself. Above all that, she had large curved wings that looked very soft, with golden crescent moons and constellation stripes. A ... moth? Yes. A moth. She did always prefer the night, and found that fitting indeed.

"What..." she muttered and just stared, taking many moments to gather her wits again. Hearing a call for newcomers, she shook herself back into action.

Getting the hang of moving in a rippling walk, she marched up to the mantis as well, "And I am Jacquelyn."

[Ruriska]

“Well,” Aphid replied, readjusting her position on Headhuntress slightly, “I think the best place to start would be to get used to the hive, take a look around, make some friends!” Her buggy eyes gleamed. “Oh how fun it must be to swim! I’m sure that will be very useful. That’s a rare talent.”

There were surely plenty of resources to be found in lakes and ponds that a hive would love to get their feelers on!

They were soon interrupted by the next exuberant arrival and Aphid was delighted, jumping on the spot and nearly falling off Headhuntress. The mantis had to quickly rock from side to side to keep her sister from taking a tumble.

“Aphid,” she hissed, the first words she had spoken.

“Sorry, sorry! It’s just, she’s so pretty!” She tilted her head and gave a dreamy sigh. “Butterflies are so lovely.”

It would be a shame to even ask her to work when her mere presence was perfect. Maybe they could come up with a special role?

“Welcome, Isabella! You can use your original name, if you like! Whatever you prefer. It’s so good to have you hear. My name is Aphid, and this is Headhuntress. We’re here to guide you around the hive and help you find your place here.”

Headhuntress suddenly rocked to the side in a smooth motion, letting Aphid see past the flamboyant butterfly to the moth that had also arrived.

“And welcome to you too!” Aphid greeted. “How marvellous you look at a moth! Such lovely markings!”

[Starrydance]

Isabella continued to bounce in a rippling hop, "Oh! Call me Isabella, although I am also Spring Awakens!" her wings fluttered joyfully and unfortunately, bonked Jaq right in the head.

"Oh Im... .... JACQUELYN?" as she continued speaking, her voice rose to a more excited, joyfuly pitch with each word, "ARE .. WE.. SISTERS?!!?!"

The brilliantly colored moth heaved a sigh, "Isabella, I dont think moths and butterflies are sisters or maybe not even cousins, I am not sure it works that way at all..."

Isabella bounced more rapidly, turning so her wings didnt bonk anyone any further (hopefully), "Oh of course they are! They both fly! They both drink flowers like the bees! They are .. WE! are SISTERS here!" Hopping from leg to leg to leg, she leaned bodily against Jacquelyn and rubbed her cheek with pure joy against hers. Their wings were smushed together, springs greens and petals against nights moons and stars.

Jacquelyn closed her eyes to stop them from rolling out of her head, "Fine, sisters. If it will make you be still so we can hear the rules!" she tried to turn her head to look at the pair but was rather trapped by the nuzzling cheek. "It is very fine to meet you, Headhuntress, and Aphid, what kind of places are available?"

Without pausing for breath, Isabella squeaked out, "I want to sing! And make honey coffee drinks! Iced! And hot! yes! For everyone! And Jaquelyn with me too! We can be the Coffee Sisters!"

[Ruriska]

“Being sisters is not just blood but also your heart!” Aphid declared. “You can both be sisters if you believe!” She gave a sharp decisive nod.

Her head tilted curiously as Isabella continued talking, this time about... coffee?

“We don’t... have that, I’m afraid. I’m actually not sure what coffee is but it does sound interesting.” It must be something from one of the other realms or the limitless forest. They’d all passed through too quickly and gone straight to the hive.

“While you’re here, you become part of the hive and you get to work!” She sounded excited about it. and very much expected them to be excited as well. “There’s always so much to do. Collecting food and pollen, the bees make honey, general upkeep, making sure the hive walls are solid, and of course, tending to the glow mushroom.

And if you’re so inclined, you can be a warrior instead. Protecting the hive, keeping out intruders and patrolling.”

Not that they seemed like the warrior type.

“Dancing is also welcome though! Perhaps you can help motivate everyone, Isabella?”