Formian Reproduction

Formians hatch as legless larvae from melon-sized ovoid eggs. After a few months of growth and a few weeks pupating in a silken cocoon, they emerge as young adults. Hives carefully control the environment and diet of their young to influence their development and steer them toward a specific role in the colony, such as worker or soldier. After a year of intense study and training, these youths become mature adults and full members of formian society. While some formians become winged individuals known as “alates” who are responsible for mating and establishing new colonies, most formians are nonreproductive, so their society places little emphasis on sexuality, gender roles, or gender identity. Sometimes formians reframe questions of gender or sexuality in ways that make more sense to them, often (quite famously across the Pact Worlds) responding to questions about gender with statements about their job or hobbies, such as “I am a historian” or “I like to read.”