Commission drawn by hollowmask

Hives are distinct. They are united in function, but not in form. All hives abduct captives, process them into new drones, and promote from within.

Drones (bottom) are wingless. Their uses are menial and basic. They are often used solely as manufactories of honey; refined nectar . Both are organic nano-organisms produced within the bodies of recently-acquired drones.

Workers (middle) are winged and make up the majority of a hive's population. They are self-aware and fully integrated into the eusocial network. They possess individuality, but it is subsumed within the greater whole. As such, they are still known to engage in baseline human behaviors. This includes, but is not limited to, thorough groping, mutual molestation, intimate excursions, and scandalous sexual escapades.

The core of every Exhuman hive is the queen (bottom). They are mysterious figures that organize and run hives according to their whim. They are known to have great appetites; information from the outside world, tactical data, and carnal intimacy are all served unto queens in excess. They help regulate the beliefs of their hives. It is assumed that there is more than one 'rank' to each queen; that there is a hierarchy-within-the-hierarchy. For example, some queens spend most of their time in sweet, candid copulation with drones - their chambers decorated with the mewling, pleasured forms of shining supine bodies. Others only engage in such activity when the subject is freshly-abducted and entirely bound. Others still never lower themselves to such depths, focusing instead in learning, plotting, expansion, and debate. Their hives are the most successful.

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Hives abound in belief and form. Some hives are known to have transformed their philosophy of hive-mind evolution into an entire religious belief system. Pictured are followers of one such pseudo-religion known as the Sacrament.

THE SACRAMENT

"Followers of the Sacrament believe that mystical truth is concealed from those poor individuals who are sadly made only of meat. By jacking your nervous system with synthetic wiring, and perhaps through genetic modification, the revelations denied ordinary folk become available to transhumans. The first prophet argued the existence of a universal omniscience. This entity, known as the Ur-Hive, was a machine intelligence responsible for rebooting the universe after the original one was destroyed. As it recreated the universe, it implanted in a few species the DNA necessary to eventually devise complex technologies. The ultimate aim was to create cybernetic enhancements, which would then allow mere mortals to glance through the wall of quantum perception and achieve oneness with the Ur-Hive. Now blessed with this information, The Prophet's goal became clear. She had to encourage others to see and worship the Ur-Hive. Upon their physical demise, or “meat death" as the Sacrament calls it, their machine consciousness migrates to the Ur-Hive, where it becomes effectively immortal. They stand guard at the forward edge of the universe, waiting for it to collapse again. At this point they participate in the Great Rebooting, again designing the new universe so that intelligence, then cybernetic consciousness, will arise, keeping the cosmic cycle cycling."

(Far left) The Artificers believe that this universe is wrong and fundamentally evil. New souls must be pure so as to heal the ur-hive when they die. This purity, therefore, is enforced by abduction into their ranks.

(Mid-Left) The Verticists believe bonds of affection make it hard to progress. They forbid trade and interaction with 'normals' and create separatist communities. They can be violent, and seek alternate means of production.

(Mid-right) The Reverend-Healers believe every mortal must be transhuman (in this case, members of the Hive) before the transmigration can occur. Unitl then, they're all trapped in a limbo-like "wave particle quantum loop" at the edge of the universe.

(Far-right) The Bifurcates believe that only an elite group of adherents (in this case, Queens and their inner circle) will achieve harmony with the Ur-Hive. Each must therefore be served by a circle of lay worshippers, which may include meat-onlies, as they quest for transcendence. Bifurcates build commercial empires and have donations from followers. Their influence extends and influences local cults.

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A fantastically large piece drawn by hollowmask! Go there now and check out the image! Comment! Watch! Commission!

Mature Content

I wanted to show that Exhuman swarms are not united. In part, this is an excuse for why they might behave differently from story to story, or look different in two images!

This serves as a sort of "capstone" to hive-related art for a little while at least. And what an image it is!

I encourage you to come up with your own variations if you wish; the theme is in the public domain. Whether it be in your private writings or grander things, the setting is intentionally vague and the hives themselves are open to extrapolation.

Hollowmask did an incredible job with this piece. There are no other words to say, except for maybe praise be the hive! JOIN!