Comments on: Bee-kinden by David Mumford http://shadowsoftheapt.com/blog/185 The Insect Man / Empire Rising Thu, 17 May 2012 13:11:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Adrian Tchaikovsky http://shadowsoftheapt.com/blog/185/comment-page-1#comment-1407 Adrian Tchaikovsky Sun, 15 May 2011 23:04:06 +0000 http://shadowsoftheapt.com/?p=185#comment-1407 Hmm. Actually a kinden based on bumble bees would be alarmingly dark. They are a screwed up sort of bee, having looked at them. They don't exactly have the social insect thing off properly, and the yearly life-cycle ends up looking like Macbeth. Hmm. Actually a kinden based on bumble bees would be alarmingly dark. They are a screwed up sort of bee, having looked at them. They don't exactly have the social insect thing off properly, and the yearly life-cycle ends up looking like Macbeth.

]]> By: Anton Juhl http://shadowsoftheapt.com/blog/185/comment-page-1#comment-1395 Anton Juhl Wed, 04 May 2011 17:19:18 +0000 http://shadowsoftheapt.com/?p=185#comment-1395 Reply @ Adrian - Maybe although they lack the barbed suicide-stinger found on honey bees Reply @ Adrian — Maybe although they lack the barbed suicide-stinger found on honey bees

]]> By: Adrian Tchaikovsky http://shadowsoftheapt.com/blog/185/comment-page-1#comment-1392 Adrian Tchaikovsky Mon, 02 May 2011 08:16:34 +0000 http://shadowsoftheapt.com/?p=185#comment-1392 Reply @ Anton - Bumble bees are also suicidal, aren't they? There are likely to be some small and relatively primitive Bee-kinden communities of larger, hairer individuals, somewhere off the edges of the map. Reply @ Anton — Bumble bees are also suicidal, aren't they? There are likely to be some small and relatively primitive Bee-kinden communities of larger, hairer individuals, somewhere off the edges of the map.

]]> By: Anton Juhl http://shadowsoftheapt.com/blog/185/comment-page-1#comment-1382 Anton Juhl Sun, 24 Apr 2011 17:45:22 +0000 http://shadowsoftheapt.com/?p=185#comment-1382 Will we see big, furred, non-suicidal bumblebee-kinden in the future? (although "big" might be due to the size of the other insects I normaly see here in Denmark) Will we see big, furred, non-suicidal bumblebee-kinden in the future? (although "big" might be due to the size of the other insects I normaly see here in Denmark)

]]> By: low http://shadowsoftheapt.com/blog/185/comment-page-1#comment-1173 low Sun, 19 Dec 2010 03:58:08 +0000 http://shadowsoftheapt.com/?p=185#comment-1173 What do the pikes of the bees look like? Are they just really long spears or are the y glaive headed or are they more like awl pikes? What do the pikes of the bees look like? Are they just really long spears or are the y glaive headed or are they more like awl pikes?

]]> By: low http://shadowsoftheapt.com/blog/185/comment-page-1#comment-1130 low Mon, 29 Nov 2010 04:30:09 +0000 http://shadowsoftheapt.com/?p=185#comment-1130 So bees would make crossbows similar to the one Lyrus used, except non-repeating. So bees would make crossbows similar to the one Lyrus used, except non-repeating.

]]> By: Adrian Tchaikovsky http://shadowsoftheapt.com/blog/185/comment-page-1#comment-1108 Adrian Tchaikovsky Tue, 16 Nov 2010 00:18:12 +0000 http://shadowsoftheapt.com/?p=185#comment-1108 The Bees have a sort of battle-trance, where they fight to the death, heedless of wounds or odds. It's not particularly effective against the sort of weapons and tactics the Wasps (and others) can drum up. At the time that the Szaren Bee-kinden were conquered, nailbows and the like weren't much in circuation, but other Bee cities may well have access to them. They're good enough artificers, but their strength is really in the skilled and careful manufacture rather than design. Superior craftsmanship in this generally means better machining, balancing, smoother working parts, more delicate mechanisms, leading to greater accuracy and reliability in the finished product. The Bees have a sort of battle-trance, where they fight to the death, heedless of wounds or odds. It's not particularly effective against the sort of weapons and tactics the Wasps (and others) can drum up. At the time that the Szaren Bee-kinden were conquered, nailbows and the like weren't much in circuation, but other Bee cities may well have access to them. They're good enough artificers, but their strength is really in the skilled and careful manufacture rather than design. Superior craftsmanship in this generally means better machining, balancing, smoother working parts, more delicate mechanisms, leading to greater accuracy and reliability in the finished product.

]]> By: low http://shadowsoftheapt.com/blog/185/comment-page-1#comment-1094 low Fri, 12 Nov 2010 02:14:49 +0000 http://shadowsoftheapt.com/?p=185#comment-1094 So what does berserk-er mean anyway. (I've red enough fantasy to know what a berserk-er is but I just can't see bees behaving that way.) And do bees have any advanced weapons like nail-bows or wasters. How does "superior" craftsmanship come into making a crossbow anyway. I mean it's a mass produced weapon, not like a bow or a sword. (I'll say it again, poor bees. They really do deserve a killer bee kinden.) So what does berserk-er mean anyway. (I've red enough fantasy to know what a berserk-er is but I just can't see bees behaving that way.) And do bees have any advanced weapons like nail-bows or wasters. How does "superior" craftsmanship come into making a crossbow anyway. I mean it's a mass produced weapon, not like a bow or a sword. (I'll say it again, poor bees. They really do deserve a killer bee kinden.)

]]> By: Adrian Tchaikovsky http://shadowsoftheapt.com/blog/185/comment-page-1#comment-1067 Adrian Tchaikovsky Mon, 01 Nov 2010 19:12:26 +0000 http://shadowsoftheapt.com/?p=185#comment-1067 No, not really. It's really not much fun being a Bee. What they really have is an absolute fight-to-the-last-drop berserker thing, which in itself is hardly something to look forward to - that's why the Wasps do the queen-stealing business to add Szar to their Empire. But the Bees are really there to show an Apt race that hasn't really made the grade. They're tough and capable, but they don't have the unity of Ants, aggression of Wasps or adaptability of Beetles. Note that there are Bees elsewhere doing better - c.f. Dirovashni on the Exalsee which does very well as a business partner to Solarno. No, not really. It's really not much fun being a Bee. What they really have is an absolute fight-to-the-last-drop berserker thing, which in itself is hardly something to look forward to — that's why the Wasps do the queen-stealing business to add Szar to their Empire. But the Bees are really there to show an Apt race that hasn't really made the grade. They're tough and capable, but they don't have the unity of Ants, aggression of Wasps or adaptability of Beetles.

Note that there are Bees elsewhere doing better — c.f. Dirovashni on the Exalsee which does very well as a business partner to Solarno.

]]> By: low http://shadowsoftheapt.com/blog/185/comment-page-1#comment-1061 low Thu, 28 Oct 2010 21:23:56 +0000 http://shadowsoftheapt.com/?p=185#comment-1061 I know their not as graceful and fast as dragonflies and flies but in the stories bees are described as flying in heavy breastplates and helms. So bees are strong fliers if nothing else, right? I know their not as graceful and fast as dragonflies and flies but in the stories bees are described as flying in heavy breastplates and helms. So bees are strong fliers if nothing else, right?

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