Commissioned by me, but

Drawn and colored by Knotbot



Although the terms 'worker' and 'drone' are used interchangeably, they are distinct.

Within a hive, workers (occasionally - and confusingly - referred to as worker-drones) are on the low end of the hierarchy. They are above newly-arrived captives and outrank a few menial roles... but not much more. Workers are nevertheless the backbone upon which any Exhuman Hive is built.

They are obedient to the extreme. They seem to retain all thoughts and individuality, but they are completely subsumed within a larger hive mind. The endless sound of buzzing - of other thoughts and feelings and emotions - is so deep, powerful, and transcendental that workers, no matter who they were before, become a part of it.

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Workers are distinct from drones in several ways. For one, drones are essentially objects; they are plugged in to machinery to be pleasured, transformed, milked, and used. Drones are taken by dominant queens and kings to massage their legs, worship their bodies, and provide conjugal delights.

Workers do occasionally engage in these activities, but are better-equipped for more tasks.

Shock gloves allow them to stun and restrain targets, as well as quickly interface with the hive's machinery.

Transgenic wings allow them mobility in the atmospheric but zero-gravity environments of many hives. Their design is based Earth insects, and can be folded and shrunk when not in use. 

Utilitools include specialized nanobot generators. They're simple, small, and connected to workers' wrists and legs. They create small tools like wrenches, knives, powered screwdrivers, pliers, simple rotary grinders, and more. They are inexpensive to produce. The nanobots within are usually optimized for certain tasks - as befitting the actual worker's skillset - but more expensive models become any imaginable hand tool. They are normally controlled by the hive-mind inserts, but newly-promoted workers can still use voice commands and touch controls.
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Workers perform many baseline functions. These include, but are not limited to:



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Ideas are thanks to Speedy-08  , NatashaMilasevic  , thebestnick ,  and MusicalMarche  - all of whom helped brainstorm the Hive with me. 🐝

Read more about the Exhuman Hive here: phantomdotexe.deviantart.com/g…

Click download for a mind-bendingly large version! You can really get to see all the awesome details that Knotbot put into it. They were very helpful in finalizing the design; including coming up with the color scheme. I wanted black and yellow - classic 'bee' colors - but they also suggested that some hornets and wasps have very pretty shades of blue and purple as well. I think the results speak for themselves. 


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Mature Content

Hive Drone, Colored by Knotbot