Chuck Tingle

BUBBLEBUG - TIMELINE #42083005

Added 2023-01-31 19:00:25 +0000 UTC

(Timeline Tuesday #79)

Bubblebugs are a species of small animal, closely related to the insects of this timeline but strikingly different in some very important ways. When fully grown, they measure approximately two inches in length, with flat, disk-like heads and four appendages protruding from their form. These creatures are light blue in coloration, with a face that features four eyes and a pair of inner and outer mandibles. The head and limbs of a Bubblebug are constructed from hard carapace. Their bodies, however, are quite unique.

Bubblebug torsos are soft and malleable, leathery to the touch and capable of stretching into a thin membrane. Despite all this, the skin stays incredibly tough, refusing to rip or puncture during even the most violent encounters.

These creatures are perfectly capable of crawling around on their four short limbs, but their other method of travel is much more efficient and common. Bubblebugs will fill their bodies with air, consuming a massive gulp in order to enlarge their frame and create a semi-translucent sphere. A natural process within the creature almost immediately converts this oxygen into a new, unknown element that is lighter than air, allowing Bubblebugs to float away on even the gentlest breeze.

While floating, Bubblebugs have very limited control of where they’re headed, but that seems to make little difference to these creatures. They use this method to drift around and collect pollen or dust for consumption, or to migrate their colonies and spread out across large swathes of land.

Since arriving on this timeline, watching the Bubblebugs float on a spring day has become a similar source of joy to those who enjoy watching the fireflies dance at night.