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Introducing the first species artwork of the Flotation Device reboot – The Ozmites. The token "evil insectoid aliens with aggressive tendencies and bee hierarchy" race of the setting, or at least the only one I plan on making; the Ozmites have some peculiarities and quirks about them, especially after their war with humanity, but they're still pretty much violent alien bugs. Like all of my races, unless otherwise noted, Ozmite characters are not limited to the stereotypes I'll be explaining below, and you can write them with a variety of personality traits beyond the norm as you desire. As a shorthand for their design, they're basically the Bugs from Men in Black, the Cragmites from Ratchet & Clank, and the Rachni from Mass Effect rolled into one. They replace my old Demeterans from the original Flotation Device, but are significantly different other than being insectoids.
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In the past few centuries, few organisms have made a name for themselves in the Musketeer Galaxy quite like the Ozmites. While the concept of the "evil alien bug" has existed in the folklore and fiction of many different cultures across the stars, the Ozmites are one of those rare species of wretched and heinous insectoid invaders that fit the old stereotypes almost perfectly. Well known for their invasion of a number of sectors and star systems around the galaxy, the Ozmites became notorious throughout the stars for their brutal occupation of much of Conicoid territory, and their subsequent invasion of nearby human systems. An ill-fated confrontation with the Usans resulted in the beginning of the Human-Ozmite War over a century ago.

Despite the ferocity of the monstrous aliens, humanity persevered and beat back the insect tide, ultimately forcing the fiends into surrender, and ending the conflict. At the time of this writing, the pacified aliens rebuild their holdings and subsist around such desolate regions of space like the Torat Sector. Since their defeat, more understanding and cooperation has ensued between the two sides of the war, and the greatest peculiarity of the Ozmites was discovered: They evolve to match any organism that defeats them in battle. Even on a species-wide scale, this attribute has allowed the Ozmites to become less hideous in the generations following their loss to humanity, and the royalty of their hives even look humanoid, bipedal and often conventionally-attractive. This evolutionary process has also had an important effect on their stability and resurgence as a species, as they take on human traits from their "conquerors" and grow more powerful through cultural and biological osmosis. Soldiers, once centipede-like with firearms and blades seemingly strapped or implanted into their flesh, are now more humanoid, with discernible upper bodies, arms, digits, and weapons that are far less ugly and far more practical, all in the vein of those humans that defeated them a hundred years ago.

Of course, they still stay true to their origins, not completely becoming human just from this one defeat. Largely foolish and oblivious, the Ozmites still have much to accomplish before their civilization grows to match those of their neighbors. They exist perpetually in a hierarchy with individuals in selective roles, such as Workers, Soldiers, and Nobles. All Ozmites are born from the omnipresent sexual appetites of the Nobles. The most humanoid of the Ozmites, and also the only ones with gender, the Nobles are the leaders and parents of their respective hives. The government of the Nobles varies from hive to hive, with some in full monarchies with queens or kings, and others in aristocratic states, all ruling together as wealthy lords and ladies. Despite their importance, they have the smallest population of the three subspecies, and are stereotypically incompetent at everything other than intercourse. Many, even their own subjects, think of them as little more than bumbling, foppish, spoiled blue bloods with a penchant for drama, duels, and mating, and a budding fetish for their human "conquerors". Because they are responsible for bearing all the children in their hive, they have very quick pregnancies, and are almost always fertile. Since losing the war against humanity and altering their physiology, Ozmites are capable of breeding with many other humanoid species.

Workers, on the other hand, see themselves as the sanest and brightest of their hives. Numerous and genderless, though very masculine if compared to other species, they are, in some opinions, the perfect working class. Diligent, tireless, and ever-motivated to build, repair, and invent, they are the backbone of Ozmite civilization. Workers are often known for being the least violent among their saber-rattling kin, and many other species have developed an appreciation for their work ethic and dry wit. However, despite their own claims of abstinence from conflict, they are just as drawn into the total war zeal of their brethren when war is declared with another species, and eagerly develop weapons for a coming storm.

The face of the species is usually that of the also-genderless Soldier caste. Among the largest and most ferocious of interstellar warriors, Ozmite Soldiers are brutes of the highest calibre, and contenders for the most perfect of organic war machines in the galaxy. Often considered the dumbest of their species, they have a savant-like acclimation of tactics, and are ruthless, powerhouse soldiers in combat. While they have lost some of their monstrous, mindless bloodthirst since being beaten by humans in the war, they have not been dulled at all in combat, and have taken to refining their weapons, tactics, and capabilities to better match those who bested them a century ago.

Overall, the Ozmites represent both the darkest the void of space has to offer as enemies, and the brightest hope that they can be redeemed. While still hilariously warlike, the Ozmites have become a more respectable, hearty, and affable race in recent decades, and more doors among their old enemies are opening up for them as allies every day. The brainless marauder of old has been replaced with a halfwitted drinking buddy that only occasionally punches you in the face for laughs, fully expecting you to return the favor. Many enjoy the change, though the Ozmites are still not to be underestimated, or mocked. A proud people spread thin around the entire galaxy, not everyone around them has earned the favor they afford to humans, and their aggressive expansion can still threaten other species if they ever set their sights on something they want.

In any case, the Soldiers are fun to fight, the Workers are great to hold a conversation with, and Nobles are definitely some of the best bedmates in the known universe. Visit one of their hives if you have some spare time and good medical insurance.
–Captain Mercury's Blog
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

That's it for now. There's some other stuff about them I didn't type up either because it's not public knowledge in-universe, or to save time, but you get the gist. Adaptive-evolutionary insectoids with an aggressive foreign policy, obliviousness to their own quirks, hilarious overconfidence at everything, extreme talent in whatever they were born for, a savant-like and simplistic understanding of the universe around them, and and a lust for anyone strong enough to defeat them. No one is actually sure if they originated in the Musketeer Galaxy because no one has any idea where their homeworld is (they might not even know themselves, the fools), but that's where they tend to thrive. Like most of the species of the Torat Sector, Ozmites can be found anywhere you want them to if you choose to write them, and can be found in other galaxies, though they probably don't have any colonies or population centers outside of the Musketeer. Oh, and they can appear in virtually any color. I simply drew them with purple chitin for fun, but you can color them however you want.

The author of the above, Captain Mercury, will probably appear at some point in my stories, but her in-universe blog is a well of information on the Musketeer Galaxy, and will be referenced often for these exposition pieces. Feel free to add to her blog if you want to.

Comment and enjoy!

Description
Theme
Introducing the first species artwork of the Flotation Device reboot – The Ozmites. The token "evil insectoid aliens with aggressive tendencies and bee hierarchy" race of the setting, or at least the only one I plan on making; the Ozmites have some peculiarities and quirks about them, especially after their war with humanity, but they're still pretty much violent alien bugs. Like all of my races, unless otherwise noted, Ozmite characters are not limited to the stereotypes I'll be explaining below, and you can write them with a variety of personality traits beyond the norm as you desire. As a shorthand for their design, they're basically the Bugs from Men in Black, the Cragmites from Ratchet & Clank, and the Rachni from Mass Effect rolled into one. They replace my old Demeterans from the original Flotation Device, but are significantly different other than being insectoids.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In the past few centuries, few organisms have made a name for themselves in the Musketeer Galaxy quite like the Ozmites. While the concept of the "evil alien bug" has existed in the folklore and fiction of many different cultures across the stars, the Ozmites are one of those rare species of wretched and heinous insectoid invaders that fit the old stereotypes almost perfectly. Well known for their invasion of a number of sectors and star systems around the galaxy, the Ozmites became notorious throughout the stars for their brutal occupation of much of Conicoid territory, and their subsequent invasion of nearby human systems. An ill-fated confrontation with the Usans resulted in the beginning of the Human-Ozmite War over a century ago.

Despite the ferocity of the monstrous aliens, humanity persevered and beat back the insect tide, ultimately forcing the fiends into surrender, and ending the conflict. At the time of this writing, the pacified aliens rebuild their holdings and subsist around such desolate regions of space like the Torat Sector. Since their defeat, more understanding and cooperation has ensued between the two sides of the war, and the greatest peculiarity of the Ozmites was discovered: They evolve to match any organism that defeats them in battle. Even on a species-wide scale, this attribute has allowed the Ozmites to become less hideous in the generations following their loss to humanity, and the royalty of their hives even look humanoid, bipedal and often conventionally-attractive. This evolutionary process has also had an important effect on their stability and resurgence as a species, as they take on human traits from their "conquerors" and grow more powerful through cultural and biological osmosis. Soldiers, once centipede-like with firearms and blades seemingly strapped or implanted into their flesh, are now more humanoid, with discernible upper bodies, arms, digits, and weapons that are far less ugly and far more practical, all in the vein of those humans that defeated them a hundred years ago.

Of course, they still stay true to their origins, not completely becoming human just from this one defeat. Largely foolish and oblivious, the Ozmites still have much to accomplish before their civilization grows to match those of their neighbors. They exist perpetually in a hierarchy with individuals in selective roles, such as Workers, Soldiers, and Nobles. All Ozmites are born from the omnipresent sexual appetites of the Nobles. The most humanoid of the Ozmites, and also the only ones with gender, the Nobles are the leaders and parents of their respective hives. The government of the Nobles varies from hive to hive, with some in full monarchies with queens or kings, and others in aristocratic states, all ruling together as wealthy lords and ladies. Despite their importance, they have the smallest population of the three subspecies, and are stereotypically incompetent at everything other than intercourse. Many, even their own subjects, think of them as little more than bumbling, foppish, spoiled blue bloods with a penchant for drama, duels, and mating, and a budding fetish for their human "conquerors". Because they are responsible for bearing all the children in their hive, they have very quick pregnancies, and are almost always fertile. Since losing the war against humanity and altering their physiology, Ozmites are capable of breeding with many other humanoid species.

Workers, on the other hand, see themselves as the sanest and brightest of their hives. Numerous and genderless, though very masculine if compared to other species, they are, in some opinions, the perfect working class. Diligent, tireless, and ever-motivated to build, repair, and invent, they are the backbone of Ozmite civilization. Workers are often known for being the least violent among their saber-rattling kin, and many other species have developed an appreciation for their work ethic and dry wit. However, despite their own claims of abstinence from conflict, they are just as drawn into the total war zeal of their brethren when war is declared with another species, and eagerly develop weapons for a coming storm.

The face of the species is usually that of the also-genderless Soldier caste. Among the largest and most ferocious of interstellar warriors, Ozmite Soldiers are brutes of the highest calibre, and contenders for the most perfect of organic war machines in the galaxy. Often considered the dumbest of their species, they have a savant-like acclimation of tactics, and are ruthless, powerhouse soldiers in combat. While they have lost some of their monstrous, mindless bloodthirst since being beaten by humans in the war, they have not been dulled at all in combat, and have taken to refining their weapons, tactics, and capabilities to better match those who bested them a century ago.

Overall, the Ozmites represent both the darkest the void of space has to offer as enemies, and the brightest hope that they can be redeemed. While still hilariously warlike, the Ozmites have become a more respectable, hearty, and affable race in recent decades, and more doors among their old enemies are opening up for them as allies every day. The brainless marauder of old has been replaced with a halfwitted drinking buddy that only occasionally punches you in the face for laughs, fully expecting you to return the favor. Many enjoy the change, though the Ozmites are still not to be underestimated, or mocked. A proud people spread thin around the entire galaxy, not everyone around them has earned the favor they afford to humans, and their aggressive expansion can still threaten other species if they ever set their sights on something they want.

In any case, the Soldiers are fun to fight, the Workers are great to hold a conversation with, and Nobles are definitely some of the best bedmates in the known universe. Visit one of their hives if you have some spare time and good medical insurance.
–Captain Mercury's Blog
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

That's it for now. There's some other stuff about them I didn't type up either because it's not public knowledge in-universe, or to save time, but you get the gist. Adaptive-evolutionary insectoids with an aggressive foreign policy, obliviousness to their own quirks, hilarious overconfidence at everything, extreme talent in whatever they were born for, a savant-like and simplistic understanding of the universe around them, and and a lust for anyone strong enough to defeat them. No one is actually sure if they originated in the Musketeer Galaxy because no one has any idea where their homeworld is (they might not even know themselves, the fools), but that's where they tend to thrive. Like most of the species of the Torat Sector, Ozmites can be found anywhere you want them to if you choose to write them, and can be found in other galaxies, though they probably don't have any colonies or population centers outside of the Musketeer. Oh, and they can appear in virtually any color. I simply drew them with purple chitin for fun, but you can color them however you want.

The author of the above, Captain Mercury, will probably appear at some point in my stories, but her in-universe blog is a well of information on the Musketeer Galaxy, and will be referenced often for these exposition pieces. Feel free to add to her blog if you want to.

Comment and enjoy!