#termite

scene from a wooden handrail in Singapore:

Three hours with a close-up magician. Gets bored of performing for mannequin heads on chairs so he'll show up when you're just trying to catch up on the news with a glass of fondue.

Pacific Dampwood Termite - Zootermopsis angusticollis

No insects were harmed in the making of this video, and as the footage will show you, this flailing specimen was blown back upright. According to my dear friend out in Squamish, British Columbia who found this large-winged beauty, it crashed midflight, fell to the ground, and became flipped over for a bit thanks to those long, paddle-like wings. It seems also that somewhere during the crash this insect got their legs tangled with sticky debris, further adding to the panic of having its underbelly exposed and vulnerable. While tragic to see this find flailing about, it does present a unique opportunity to examine the underside of this blog's very first Termite showcase! Admittedly, I've been sitting on this individual for a while now, but now I feel confident enough in the identification for this find, and the upcoming images of this individual. From what I've found of British Columbia and Pacific Coast, a Pacific Dampwood Termite is the closest identification based on what's visible in this footage. However, Termites can be very difficult to conclusively identify without a detailed analysis of their finer features. If I'm right, this is one of the more fascinating species as they prefer to form colonies in moist and rotting wood, rather than the more dry conditions preferred by other Termites. In addition, like Ants, when it's time for the next generation to seek out suitable wood, male and female Termites will also emerge as winged alates (known as swarmers) in order to disperse.

Iron Coated Termite I decided to redesign my Soaring interpretation of "Dwarves" from being Beetle-like to being based on Termites, particularly the kind that build giant earth mounds. Also found it weird that these insects just walk upright like people...unless of course that is just a trait of Insects in Soaring which ... I might consider ... if all vertebrates in Soaring can be Hexapods then there could be Insects that stand upright, and just as Mammals are called Goblins, insects could be called Fairies? This will be something to consider later perhaps... They very much are just Termites, but from the top down the workers and soldiers mainly look like they could be a Dwarf-Man with a big thick beard and mustache. The fuzzy coating on them is actually made of Iron Sand. These Termite's magic ability gives them magnetic powers to pick up iron out of the ground for protection and use in the construction of colonies. The Termite Alates forgo growing actual wings and instead incorporate grains of copper into their coats to create Pseudo-Wings which combined with their magnetic powers can create a weak electric-charge that can deliver a brief static shock in an individual but a group of them is called a Storm for a reason. King and Queen Termites then incorporate Gold into their coats probably not intentionally for their value but because of Gold is a non-corrodible metal which might be more compatible to them long term as the King and Queen can live many years longer that their subjects producing millions of eggs in that time. Dragons will sometimes raid Termite mounds for these valuable metals or use Termites as an indicator where to look for metal. I decided to redesign my Soaring interpretation of "Dwarves" from being Beetle-like to being based on Termites, particularly the kind that build giant earth mounds. Also found it weird that these insects just walk upright like people...unless of course that is just a trait of Insects in Soaring which ... I might consider ... if all vertebrates in Soaring can be Hexapods then there could be Insects that stand upright, and just as Mammals are called Goblins, insects could be called Fairies? This will be something to consider later perhaps... They very much are just Termites, but from the top down the workers and soldiers mainly look like they could be a Dwarf-Man with a big thick beard and mustache. The fuzzy coating on them is actually made of Iron Sand. These Termite's magic ability gives them magnetic powers to pick up iron out of the ground for protection and use in the construction of colonies. The Termite Alates forgo growing actual wings and instead incorporate grains of copper into their coats to create Pseudo-Wings which combined with their magnetic powers can create a weak electric-charge that can deliver a brief static shock in an individual but a group of them is called a Storm for a reason. King and Queen Termites then incorporate Gold into their coats probably not intentionally for their value but because of Gold is a non-corrodible metal which might be more compatible to them long term as the King and Queen can live many years longer that their subjects producing millions of eggs in that time. Dragons will sometimes raid Termite mounds for these valuable metals or use Termites as an indicator where to look for metal.

Fun Fact: In the Norse Mythology creation myth, the Dwarves were supposedly created from the maggots that fed on the dead body of the Giant Ymir whose body was used to create the worlds.

Wood Shrimp I actually don't remember how I came up with this, it was not based on anything but my own practice sketches of insects. I call it a Wood Shrimp for it's resemblance to a shrimp but it's an insect, not a crustacean though they may be edible like a shrimp...? I imagine they eat plants and rotting wood.

Water Omukade The Omukade comes from a mythical Japanese Monster that looks like a giant centipede and is known to prey on Dragons. This creature is not actually a centipede or a true Insect, but actually an elongated Trilobite. They are still feared by dragons and they use that fear to their advantage, they don't produce a fear aura like Fear element dragons, but their hunting strategy involves using terror tactics. Once they are feared by their prey they have inflicted a curse that drains the prey of their natural magic and energy causing the Omukade to grow and become stronger but especially so against the target of their fear effect. Any attempt for the target to attack the Omukade while the curse is in effect and the Omukade will notice and cause it to backfire. The more feared they are, the bigger the Omukade's grow; They start off as miniscule scavengers, but the oldest of them can become sea monsters, even to the point where they may not be able to support their own weight and die, but their bodies become food for younger Omukade and they can pass on the terror they inspired in life so their legacy lives on and causes the others to rapidly grow.

Attercoppe These spiders are too large to build webs, it would also be impractical for then because one of the benefits of being a smaller spider in a web is that they are harder to be noticed by prey and harder to target by predators. If this spider sat in a web then they would stand out. They still produce webbings and use it to spread tripwires along the ground or along trees to trap smaller creatures that lure larger creatures. It can feel vibrations through it's web network so even in dark places it always knows where you are and will find you. They have a venomous bite that paralyzes prey and liquifies their organs.

Green Crab Mantis This creature is inspired off of a Bionicle character called Nidhiki, a former Air Toa who was dishonorably banished for trying to sell out his comrades to the Dark Hunters, and then was turned into a freaky bug monster when he tried to flee the Dark Hunters. The Green Crab Mantis is neither a Crab nor an actual Mantis. They live in the trees blending in with leaves and using their camouflage and grab any creature big enough to fit in their pincers.

Water Crab Mantis This creature is inspired off of a Bionicle character called Takadox, one of the leaders of the league of 6 kingdoms until they were banished to the pit and mutated into a Mantis-Shrimp like sea monster. The Water Crab Mantis are not amphibious but can dive and remain under water for several hours before needing air, and emit a hypnotic glow to lure fish for them to snatch.