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H.i.v.e. - Blog Posts
my christmas cookie decoration was the survivorship bias diagram
what if your doppelgänger wasn’t evil it was just a person. what if your doppelgänger wasn’t trying to replace you it was just trying to learn to be a person and you were the best model it had. what if your doppelgänger looked at you with your eyes and said with your voice that it just wanted to be loved. what then.
what is your least favorite Canon relationship in hive? (Doesn't have to be romantic)
Hi! Thanks for the ask!
And as for your question, is it fair to say Overlord and everyone? No? Overlord and Xiu Mei then.
(Including a Read More so I can ramble)
The thing about this relationship isn’t that it’s bad— on the contrary, it’s fascinating! But Mark Walden gave us crumbs when there was a whole cake, right there.
Overlord is a delight to me, but as far as villains go, he falls a bit flat. He serves his purpose as Big Evil AI competently, but that’s it. Little motivation beyond a hatred of humanity. While that links into HIVE’s themes of consciousness and where the bounds of artificial vs authentic each begin, it’s still just… basic, for lack of a better term. And there was so much more room for development in the realm of family, especially with the character of Xiu Mei.
Xiu Mei is many things in this series, but her role is primarily that of a mother. Wing’s mother, yes, but she’s also the “mother” of the series’ first true monster, and that fact unfortunately doesn’t appear much because she dies pre-series and Wing never ruminates on his mother’s role in Overlord’s creation. But HIVE does a lot with the concept of childhoods and what happens when they are disrupted or denied.
Overlord and his progeny (with the exception of Otto) are all denied childhoods, and as a result are hedonists with a need for immediate satisfaction and a constant impatience with their circumstances. Overlord’s birth is described as “waking up from a nightmare,” and he’s immediately asked to state his function. Theres no patience there, and no room for properly orienting oneself. Just Xiu Mei’s focus and optimistic haste with the result of her project. But (in my eyes) to that AI, it’s demanding and borderline rude, and we know that AIs can recognize such disrespect through HIVEmind and his treatment. And of course it doesn’t go well for the scientists at all.
But then, there’s Wing. And what’s special about Wing is that Xiu Mei does not make this mistake again. She fights to her last breath to give him a childhood- she hides him from the League as long as she can and does her best to preserve his innocence. And this shows in Wing’s maturity and relatively well-adjusted behavior later on. It’s a big contrast to her first “son.” She and Nero both have the feelings of “once burned, twice shy” characters who are brutally aware of their mistakes, and I wish that had been focused on more. Especially since she seems empathetic and I do think she would wonder how the activation went so wrong- was it something she said? Did? And so on.
I don’t know, I think something should have been done with Overlord’s feelings on his mortal “parents,” especially considering the three main figures involved are strongly linked to themes of parenthood in HIVE. You know how Otto asks why Overlord didn’t keep him locked up somewhere, and why he left him to develop naturally? Maybe it’s because Overlord did not develop at all and he knows innately it’s unnatural and risky. We needed more time with Overlord’s hatred for people being targeted at specific people, potentially his mother who is a competent parent to all but her “firstborn.” We know Overlord was aware of Wing’s upbringing, so there’s certainly room to develop it more.
I’m sure there’s a better way to phrase this all, but in summary:
Tl;dr : Overlord should have had a relationship with his “mother” to compliment HIVEs themes of childhood and its significance, but also because she and Overlord both suffer from a lack of screen time or POV moments that leaves them feeling a bit one note- the Dead Mom and the Bad AI.
He’s your fav character because of that one cool scene, he’s my blorbo because his handful of character traits provide enough for me to ground him in source material while simultaneously extrapolating on him in ways said material cannot due to inherent limits of mass-marketed media
We are not the same
love when characters have to have a domestication arc before you can even consider giving them a redemption arc
ok real talk who was doing it like shelby trinity. thirteen years old at villain school day one she invents the most over the top valley girl persona ever and is fully prepared to stick to the bit for the next six years. actively watching one of her best friends break his ribs and fight for his life and asked him to pick her up a vegetarian meal for the escape flight. one of her best friends has legitimate supernatural computer powers and a photographic memory and yet she keeps pace with him to the point where they’re basically neck and neck in class rankings. shot a guy in the knees because he double dog dared her to. world was ending boyfriend had been kidnapped and she was looking in the dictionary for the word ‘pregnable’ because of a one-off comment. legitimately spends more time stirring the pot between her roommate’s love life than she does on her own. mommy and daddy issues out the wazoo and we never hear about it because she’d rather be spying on the senior boys water polo practice and she does all of this with a cunty blonde ponytail and lockpicks in her shoes. actual girlboss i love herrrrr
Having Zero thoughts tonight.
It’s one thing to grow up semi-normally, unaware that you were physically modified (Otto), it’s another thing to grow up in a very condensed amount of time, receiving behavioral modifications you did not agree to but are aware of, and knowing about a multitude of experiences that you have both been denied since your birth and know that no one intends to share with you.
He’s very much Overlord 2.0 in that regard, but also… HIVEmind parallels.
I wonder if Darkdoom ever protested against Number One before his disappearance or spoke out about him. After the Overlord Incident, Cypher didn’t seem to want anything to do with villainy, but he still told Wing all about Diabolus’ exploits? So he must have still been keeping an eye on G.L.O.V.E.’s dealings for a while.
Ooh, I just discovered your blog. Always glad to discover another H.I.V.E. fan :) The series is my favorite, but I can't help but cringe at the fact that the core four have been at H.I.V.E. for six years and haven't aged a single year
Hi! The same to you, seeing other H.I.V.E. fans out in the wild is a delight!
(No idea if you’ve finished the series, so spoilers below, fyi!)
Yeah, I think it’s a common fandom belief that they do age like normal school kids and graduate at 18. There’s no way Otto meets his dad, gets possessed (multiple times), and loses his girlfriend in one year, give the kid a breather at least! I’ve heard some say it had to do with the publishing company, but who knows? Common sense says they’re ready for college when they get out.
The core four should have been able to get revenge against Dr. Nero somehow.
strongly agree | agree | neutral | disagree | strongly disagree
Think of all the gray hairs they gave that man— is that not revenge enough?
(Although I’m not opposed to one of them pulling a stunt later with him as a taste of his own medicine… maybe Shel should steal his credit card, or slip him a ridiculous fake ID as payback.)
Mark should have explored the superhero plotline more
strongly agree | agree | neutral | disagree | strongly disagree
Yes! Don’t get me wrong, I like the more grounded nature of the series and how most of the powers are experimentation-based, but you can see the remnants of the superhero idea in it and they’re so interesting. I really feel like Cypher was supposed to be tied to that idea somehow given his outfit and the whole “secret identity” thing + his goal technically being saving the world at any cost. Same with H.O.P.E., I feel like they either used to be some sort of anti-powers initiative or some sort of hero team based on their vibes. The series could’ve been really interesting with a superhero twist!
Oh well, at least we have fanfiction.
That Scene In OP:
Nero: I don’t understand- what madness inspired you to do this? Money? Power? Revenge?!
Cypher, high on at least two painkillers and severely concussed: I miss my wife :(
As a character design nerd this piqued my interest, so:
Nero and skulls! Also, while we’re at it, bees/hive insects (lots to be found there symbolically I think, considering they’re almost entirely mothers and the males don’t do much… what happens when a man has to substitute, in a way? Hard to explain, but there’s something there.)
Anastasia with both ice and fire— I like to think of fire being associated with her more reckless younger self and ice being more of her new-age Glasshouse aesthetic.
Cypher and the ocean, both through his ship and it’s name— it’s a nice contrast to Nero and his volcano.
Number One and space: Further distance makes it easier to hurt others without regret. Also, being far from people who could have originally threatened him… but also being stranded from help when Overlord took over.
This one might just be my headcanons talking, but Laura and games (I refuse to see book 2 as anything other than Laura playing an extended version of Battleship with Cypher.) Also nature/plants.
Animus and viruses.
Shelby and cats.
Darkdoom and marine life or prehistoric animals (Megalodon, and Dreadnoughtus is a sauropod genus.)
Zero and lab equipment + memory.
Anna and angels.
The Malpense family complex and symbiosis, specifically:
Otto/HIVEmind = Mutualism (Both parties benefit.)
Overlord/Animus = Obligate parasitism (cannot survive without host)
Zero/Anna = Predation (One gains, one loses, and usually loses fatally.)
What's some random things associated with the H.I.V.E. characters that aren't immediately obvious?
E.g. Nero and fire trucks
H.I.V.E.mber Prompt 9: Ruby
In my head NumberOne-Verlord's mindscape form is various kinds of terrifying; he's the agonized amalgamation of Otto's father and the digital parasite that destroyed him from the inside out. That should be all kinds of messed up.
H.I.V.E.mber 2024!
Alright, it's H.I.V.E.mber time! This year some things are shifting around- this event will span from November to December this year, and counts anything from headcanons to fanart to fanfics; it's all fair game! This is just for people to have fun, there's no pressure to complete it. Bonus prompts are included to switch out for other prompts or to give people something more meta to work with. Just make sure to tag anything for the event with #HIVEmber2024 ! Now go forth and have fun!
Goth Queen
this is my buddy joey, we consider him a lesser form of life
“I did this for you.”
I FORGOT ABOUT THAT LINE
Post Rogue Wing Fanchu moodboard
First of all, the playlist? Stunning and no notes. Lots of theater-type songs and that suits Lucy so much better than expected. The art is fantastic, you’ve made blue and gold go together really well and that can be tricky to do! Great job friend!
H.I.V.E. Birthday Bundle - Lucy Dexter
Picrew Maker
PLAYLIST: (Image: Impression Sunrise — Claude Monet)
Once Upon a December (Instrumental)
Chorégraphie du départ — Daprinski
engravings — Ethan Bortnick
Me and the Devil — Soap&Skin
The Ballad of Mona Lisa — P!atD
Cell Block Tango
Control — Halsey
killer queen
Glitter & Gold — Barns Courtney
Wait — NoMBe
Way down We Go — KALEO
Serenade for Strings in E Major, Op 22, Tempo di Valse — Dvořák
Vienna — Billy Joel
The Nutcracker: Pas de deux — Tchaikovsky
FANART: (Blue, Eight of Pentacles)
HEADCANONS/PROMPTS:
HC: Eldritch Creatures Sinistres (is this already canon? Maybe a little bit). Her skin is just a little too pale, her mouth doesn’t move exactly right with her words, you could’ve sworn she wasn’t there a second ago, and hey… when was the last time she blinked?
Prompt: A lot of the Sinistres with powers are adopted. They just find them out there and YOINK (a la The Umbrella Academy however I only watched season 1 take this with a grain of salt)
Prompt: Something something both the Contessa and Lucy chose to sacrifice themselves in an incredibly destructive fiery end to save a lot of people
Prompt: Lucy survives Zero Hour without anyone knowing (including her) and kind of just wanders into the local town, amnesiac, confused af. A solid while later Shelby finds her Clark Kent-ing it out in the world on her Illegal Globetrotting Fun
HC: Lucy definitely had some voice training. What I’m hearing is that she can sing opera (👀 Opera Singer AU anyone????)
HC: She cannot pose for photos At All. Dorky ass peace sign.
AU where everyone graduates H.I.VE. as normal and when everyone’s out on the streets of Italy, Lucy gets recognized because she’s actually kind of royalty (also she has a Wikipedia page)
HC: Lucy is usually seen as pretty mature and kind of shy, but every once in a while she’ll make a 69 joke or some other kind of innuendo that Shelby high fives her for
HC: Lucy gets some snake bite piercings right after she gets her wisdom teeth out at the H.I.V.E. Doctor with a clean(?) safety pin. Miraculously, they do not get infected.
Only child Lucy got real good at braiding her own hair. The five of them hang out and talk shit and braid each other’s hair. (Otto gets that fun little two year old spiky ponytail)
crack prompt: Lucy and Anna somehow meet.
Lucy: Stop killing people!
Anna: You’re not my mom!
Lucy: *gasp* I WOULD’VE NEVER SPOKEN TO MY MOTHER LIKE THAT
alrighty that’s all I got. THANK YOU MITCH @dr-nero-is-god FOR MAKING THIS EVENT
H.I.V.E. Birthday Bundle 2024:
With the best worst father with too many names, Cypher!
(And the color gold.) Buckle up folks, it's a long one!
Playlist- Not Afraid (You Should Be)
The Lab Era Mad IQs- I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME GUY.exe- Superfruit On The Run E.V.O.L.- Marina and the Diamonds Pork Soda- Glass Animals Lent- Autoheart Paranoia in B Major- The Avett Brothers Family Man Clusterhug- I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME C Sections And Railway Trestles- The Avett Brothers The Loss Paper Scars- Lovedrug Black Light- My Epic Cypher Is Born So Called Life- Three Days Grace Look Away- The Dear Hunter Me Against You- Three Days Grace Rumors- NEFFEX The Siege Absinthe- I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME Yin Yang- USS (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker) NFWMB- Hozier All Alone Leopard- Jack Stauber Paul Newman vs. The Demons- The Avett Brothers Gone Rogue P.O.L.I.T.I.C.S.- MISSIO Wolf In Sheep's Clothing- Set It Off Bleeding White- The Avett Brothers Gone Forest Whitaker- Bad Books, etc.
Art:
I got a rabbit as my animal, which honestly fits- lots of cool symbolism there. Something, something, snares and escaping and prey animal vs predators, etc. I honestly think this man is motivated more by fear than he lets on. Fic: A Temporary Alliance (A negotiation leads to an effective, if begrudging partnership between Cypher, three girls… and a pilot in deep over his head.) Headcanons:
Extremely paranoid ever since he began working in the villain industry, and this only became exacerbated after Xiu Mei’s death. Also misanthropic and believed most people are more bad than good, though he recognized a few exceptions like his family.
Instead of a plain oval of glass, his mask was a modified helmet resembling a motorcyclist’s. Alongside gloves, it allowed him to cover every inch of skin to prevent anyone getting hair or fingerprints for DNA testing.
Had long hair ever since he entered G.L.O.V.E., as he became paranoid that someone would assassinate him while cutting it. As Wu Zhang, he cut it himself and kept it up in a high ponytail (when down, it was a little past his shoulders). After losing Xiu Mei, he didn’t keep up with caring for it as often and let it grow a few inches longer, tucking it into his helmet as Cypher and tying it up otherwise.
Wore his mask anytime he was around others during his Cypher era, including his own henchmen. If he ever needed to sleep– such as on long flights– he would sleep with it on and hold a gun the whole time.
Based his Cypher look on some of the Power Rangers-esque shows Wing would watch as a child; he would watch them with him sometimes as a form of easy bonding time.
Adored Darkdoom’s exploits and would tell Wing bedtime stories about him; took inspiration for the Kraken from Darkdoom’s vehicles.
Despised Xiu Mei at first after the Overlord incident, but acknowledged they were stuck together. Their escape from China was full of violence, running from enemies, assassination attempts, and the usual actiony antics. This is when they first learned to appreciate each other as they both saved each other a few times.
As a husband, Mao was less physically affectionate. He showed love through gift giving, usually by making Xiu Mei small robots or trinkets or buying her nice things. He was very aloof as a person in general, so she valued being one of the few people he would willingly be close to. They enjoyed having movie or tv nights at home more than any other kind of date, which they’d usually end with a cuddle on the couch.
As a father, he was distant, but hardworking and comparatively loving. He knew from his teen years that he wasn’t cut out for family life, but did his best once avoiding it was no longer an option. He preferred to do the “maintenance work” of the family (house work, handling paperwork, planning stuff, etc) behind the scenes while his wife handled the face-to-face parenting. After Xiu Mei’s death, he was emotionally negligent and occasionally verbally abusive whenever he and Wing would argue, but never lashed out physically. He feared how angry he could be as he grieved and would separate himself early to avoid outbursts, but the absences only made things worse.
After Xiu Mei’s death and a small depressive period, vengeance became his primary goal and he began training himself in combat. This is where some of his absences in Wing’s life came from and where Wing’s early fitness started, as he tried a few times to work out with his father to bond with him. Considering that Wu was always very upset when doing so, it never worked out. Cypher was roughly at Nero’s level in combat by the end and had some training with most weapons; he’s not a boxer and wouldn’t do well in a fist fight, but if he was armed or given the chance to strategize, he could be very dangerous.
Did not build his criminal empire from the ground up– he instead infiltrated and worked under another villain for a year or two before assassinating him and stealing his holdings, using a few robots he’d made to bolster his defenses until he was powerful enough to use his reputation.
Genuinely believed Nero stole Wing for hostage purposes, as he received a letter that appeared to be written by him threatening Wing after his disappearance. In reality, this letter was crafted and sent by Overlord to encourage Nero and Cypher to go to war.
Needed glasses or contacts; his vision wasn’t horrible and he could function without them, but he was prone to bad migraines without them. As Wu Zhang, he preferred contacts, but switched to glasses as Mao Fanchu. During his time at H.I.V.E., he would become very uncooperative if not provided with glasses and an occasional exam. Also had high blood pressure and other chronic stress issues, but knew how to manage them.
After the fall, he had to do daily physical therapy. Nero ensured he had equipment to do so (which was stored under his bed), but he struggled with chronic pain for the rest of his life. Also occasionally had chronic pain from Overlord’s blast, but this was less frequent. One of the closest relationships to amicable he had as Cypher did come from this though, as he developed an acquaintanceship with Dr. Scott.
After Overlord, he was a brontophobe (feared lightning in particular) and had a strong distaste for the color red despite using it as one of his cardinal colors. Also feared A.I.s and almost threw up at the sight of H.I.V.E.mind in Rogue.
Resented most supervillains’ “they’re disposable” attitude towards their technicians or low-ranking staff, especially as Cypher. He also preferred to avoid killing enemies’ staff, but did so to fit in and get closer to Number One, seeing it as genuinely necessary in his mission to save the world.
And finally, Prompts! (AKA my rejected fic ideas for this...) - Darkdoom the pirate finding siren Wu after the latter got in a scuffle with the infamous Captain Nero. - A student finds Cypher's cell and talks to him through the door. - In an AU where he survives, Cypher playing Battleship with Laura. - Wu Zhang and Xiu Mei fleeing from G.L.O.V.E. after the Incident. - Cypher arguing with Nero in his cell about bringing Overlord online too early.
Anyways, hope y'all had fun! Can't wait to see what you've all created!
YESSSS THIS IS SO GOOD
I got Anastasia Furan the hive birthday bundle 2024
YESSSSSSS
What fantastic work! Loving the cover image, Raven looks so ghoulish but in her usual cool way (she’s never uncool, it’s physically impossible). And the art is fantastic! Your lines always look so energetic, which matches your prompt art really well. It does raise the question though… would Raven eat Taco Bell? I feel like she would just to irritate Nero.
Good job Vela! I love all this, I can’t wait to read the fic!
HIVE BIRTHDAY BASH BUNDLE 2024!
I got raven and so here's her as a rough and rowdy kid
(picrew credit)
my color was black so i adorned her in black/gray bc the background wouldn't change. points docked sorry
Raven Playlist
(...that has to do more specifically with the fanfiction i wrote, either lyrically or vibe-wise, because i was navigating around already having one for her general character and i overthink)
(for the non-spotifyers: yes, anastasia (tori amos) crimon and clover (joan jett & the blackhearts) so heavy i fell through the earth art mix (grimes) DARE (gorillaz) the killing moon (nouvelle vague cover) dream state (son lux) lose your soul (dead man's bones) pavlov's daughter (regina spektor) biting down (lorde) sad pony guerrilla girl (xiu xiu) weird little birthday girl (happyness)
Raven Art
my art prompt was the ancient of days by william blake, so i emulated raven doing that with the taco bell logo on my breakfast & edited a bit in mspaint (and that's on wrist injury!!)
Raven Prompts
Interiority time! I'm not doing the math but I know that Raven was a kid in the USSR in the late 20th century! What's her opinion on space, if any? Does it hold meaning to her? Was it just a political thing she didn't care about? Or can it be symboliiiiiccccc??? You tell me. This is a prompt
Raven cuts her hair, either in Glasshouse or as a routine post
There was only one bed Raven and Ghost MEGA AU
Raven's Gay Awakening TM (take this as you will)
What pet would Raven keep, if she were to keep one? ALTERNATIVELY, is it in character for her to keep a pet? Much to think about
Raven Fanfic
Well happy birthday, her blood's on my hands
(It's kind of a shame cause I did like that dress) or, raven has to assassinate someone who does not want to be assassinated.
~500 words, rated T for This Violence Could Happen In HIVE, title/desc from "yes, anastasia" (lol) by tori amos, ao3 link
This particular assassination takes place at least six different times. Raven is best in her profession—but even she botches things.
Thank you Mitch
for organizing this little event!!! (you get your own header♥)
6, 8, 13, 14, 20 for the ask game!
Thanks for the ask! 6. Vaguely spoil one of your fics without telling us which one it is.
Nigel makes a plant buddy (unfortunately, this one still has a body count). 8. Share the last line you wrote. In truth, it's "More blood should have been shed for the drops Silver had lost, but Silver didn’t need any more excitement right now. They’d all have to save their vengeance for later." which is for some H.I.V.E. Glasshouse OCs (part of Raven's class) that I haven't shared here yet. In terms of canon, more-likely-to-be-posted stuff, it's "He knew as much as Overlord did— and Overlord knew it, even though he despised that understanding— that Overlord wanted the birth to be successful. He needed the mother and child to live." which is for an unfinished chapter one of my AU fics that I can't wait to update. (Let's just say the Overlord Incident did not end in humanity's favor...) 13. Do you ever write crossovers? Unfortunately no, most of my fandoms don't cross over well. I've written one snippet for a Vicious/H.I.V.E. crossover where Victor is a doctor working for the school (and he and Otto snark at each other), but otherwise I haven't dabbled much in them! 14. What fandoms would you write crossovers for? H.I.V.E./Guardians of Ga'Hoole- "H.I.V.E. but fantasy owls" is just a perfect combination, plus there's some similar tropes that could be fused together. H.I.V.E. and the James Bond franchise could also be really fun, I think!
20. What was the last thing you researched for a story? How pregnancy/the birthing process works, how many people are usually in the room for it, and anti-anxiety medication, which was for the same thing that the snippet above is from. For a different project, I also had to ask a friend about what car pre-Overlord Number One would drive that was equal parts cool and sexy (think Bond-style) but definitively had a trunk a person could fit into. Because again, it's One... he's up to shady stuff.
Thanks again for the asks!
4, 19, 28, 35?
Thanks so much for the asks!
4. Post a screenshot of one of your favorite comments. That's so hard! Here's a few off the top of my head:
19. What headcanon do you always include in your stories?
That despite having an implant, Zero's understanding of most basic concepts is incomplete due to a lack of natural instincts and because he wasn't raised or taught anything at all; he just got left in his glass box to develop alone by watching technicians and reading whatever thoughts/memories he had access to. This is most notable in my fics as both unusual sentence structure or vocabulary when he speaks (he substitutes words often when he hasn't learned the correct term) and a slight limp, as he learned to walk solely by watching someone and copied them incorrectly.
28. What fic is closest to your heart?
Oh another tough one! Hmm... for now I'd say it's probably Hunger, a Zero-centric fic based off of "Endler's steps of predation." It's basically a biology concept discussing the steps of a predation event and how the prey can intercept each step; I wrote this fic around the time I was finishing my senior project, and I had to research the concept for that too. Plus, I'm really proud of the way I framed Zero's headspace, as it felt like I was representing the character the way I see him. Very fun all around! 35. Have you ever written a fic because you were inspired by a title? Alas, I don't think so- I usually title my fics after they're written as an afterthought. The closest I've come is Your Eyes Were Lovely, Dark and Deep, which is actually a song lyric from The Woods by Sam Fermin, which inspired the fic.
I'm behind on fanart posting, so here, have a lazy 3 AM Contessa from a while back.