Bugsnax

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Video game fandom
NameBugsnax
Developer(s)Young Horses
Reveal dateJun 2020
Release dateNov 12, 2020
Platform(s)Windows, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Related articles on Fanlore.

Bugsnax is an adventure game released by Young Horses in November 2020. Bugsnax was well received and gained a small fanbase.

Gameplay and Plot

The player plays as "The Journalist," a journalist sent to Snaktooth island in order to interview Elizbert "Lizbert" Megafig. However, upon arrival The Journalist's airship crashes and they discover that Lizbert has gone missing. In order to find Lizbert The Journalist must traverse the different areas of the island to meet the other residents and solve their problems. Usually, this is accomplished by catching bugsnaks for them. After getting all of grumpuses back to Snaksburg, The Journalist discovers that Lizbert had fallen into the center of the island and become fused to a giant, monstrous bugsnak. Lizbert uses the last of her control over the snaks to help The Journalist and other grumpuses escape the island on The Journalist's fixed airship.

There is also a subplot involving a secret society, the "Snakolytes," which is foreshadowed by Snorpington "Snorpy" Fizzlebean believing that the "Grumpinati" is sabotaging the characters' trip.

There are 13 main characters, not including The Journalist, Alegander Jamfoot, and Clumby Clumbernut. Of the main characters there are canon relationships that are reflected in fanart, such as Snorpy Fizzlebean/Chandlo Funkbun and Wambus Troubleham/Triffany Lottablog (see Shipping).

Glossary

Bugsnax utilizes a unique glossary which fans frequently adhere to in their art, fanfiction, and meta. A list is included below.

  • Bugsnak or snak- an individual bugsnak
  • Bugsnax, snax, or snaks- multiple bugsnax
  • Bigsnax or BIGsnax- large variants of bugsnax
  • Gastroentomology- the study of bugsnax
  • Grumpus or Grump- the species of the characters in Bugsnax, always capitalized in canon
  • Grumpsona- a grumpus sona
  • Paws- hands

Fandom

As of Dec 2022 Bugsnax has 512 works on Archive of Our Own. Out of all the grumpuses, Snorpy and Gramble are the most popular characters to be featured in Archive of Our Own fanfics, with Snorpy being in 192 and Gramble 186. On Tumblr and Twitter fans designate specific days to draw the characters, such as "Floofy Friday," "Filbo Firday," and "Snorpy Saturday."

Floofty Fizzlebean became a highly popular character in the fandom, with the Sexypedia listing them as a sexyperson due to them following many fandom sexyman tropes in fanon. However, not all fans agree, with one comment on their Sexypedia article saying: "I use this page often as a way to stop convos about what constitutes as a sexyman."[1] As of Dec 2022 Floofty is included as a character in 186 fanfics on Archive of Our Own, tying with Gramble.

Fans are encouraged to create their own "grumpsonas" by the game booklet provided in the physical Bugsnax copy. Having a grumpsona is common for Bugsnax fans, with some fans using their grumpsona consistently as their main sona. Grumpsonas both follow Bugsnax design conventions and break them; conventional sonas may use a two-tone color scheme, while non-conventional ones are more lenient with colors, or add complex patterns.[2] However, grumpsonas almost always lean towards using the same naming conventions as the game, which are usually composed of a misspelled English first name and a compound word last name. For example, the grumpsonas "Sildeus Brothbrain"[3] and "Deebee Ditzytune."[4] Fans also create their own bugsnax, called "fansnax."[5]

Shipping

The most popular ships on AO3 as of Dec 2022 are three canon ships: Snorpy Fizzlebean/Chandlo Funkbun (139), Eggabell Batternugget/Elizabert Megafig (96), and Triffany Lottablog/Wambus Troubleham (69).[6] All non-canon ships may possibly be considered rarepairs, due to low prevalence in fan art and fanfiction. Some of the non-canon couples preferred by fans are Filbo Fiddlepie/Beffica Winklesnoot, Floofty Fizzlebean/Beffica Winklesnoot, and Floofty Fizzlebean/Gramble Gigglefunny. At least one fanfiction features a moresome between Wambus/Triffany/Gramble.[7]

Some players ship The Journalist with Filbo Fiddlepie, which can equate to selfshipping for some fans. Reader insert fics and art most frequently occur for Reader/Floofty Fizzlebean and Reader/Filbo Fiddlepie, but self shippers occur with other less popular characters as well, such as Cromdo Face or Alagander.[8]

Fanon and Headcanons

Much fanon is related to grumpus speculative biology. Some fans headcanon grumps as being marsupials with a hidden pouch, where they may store items or eggs if they have laid eggs. Egg laying is also a part of grump speculative biology. One fan speculated that grumps are the evolved form a therapsid, to explain their wide mouths which move from the top jaw.[9] Another fan theory is that grumps once had horns but had later evolved to not have them, which is based off of some ancient grumps being depicted with horns in canon.[10] Grumps going into heat is common in NSFW Bugsnax fanfiction.[11] Some fans draw grumps more animalistic, with claws, paw pads, ears, and tails.

An AU popular on Tumblr is to create fully "snakified" versions of the characters, similar to Lizbert Megafig at the end of the game. Artists will design the characters as monsterous snak fusions, with one popular design being Gramble as a monster strawberry cake, called the "Strawberry Shortcake AU."[12] Another AU, the Queen Buddy AU, was started by CrystalCosmic and kaytjohanna in May 2022. In the Queen Buddy AU, which is mainly written through fanfiction on AO3 by the two, bugsnaks continue to exist in the characters' lives and The Journalist becomes their queen due to being immune to them.[13]

Fanart

Game Fanart

Grumpsona Art

Videos

Fanfiction

References

  1. ^ Floofty Fizzlebean, Sexypedia. (Accessed 12/2/2022)
  2. ^ designed my very own bugsnax guy!, Tumblr. 8/22/2022 (Accessed 12/11/2022)
  3. ^ predictably jumping on the grumpsona train, Twitter. Dec 29, 2020 (Accessed 12/11/2022)
  4. ^ Felt like redesigning my Grumpsona, Twitter. Jul 16, 2022 (Accessed 12/11/2022)
  5. ^ i made some bugsnax :-), Tumblr. 8/7/2022 (Accessed 12/11/2022)
  6. ^ Bugsnax, Archive of Our Own (Accessed 12/2/2022)
  7. ^ A Hat Isn't Hard To Knit, Archive of Our Own. Mar 7, 2021 (Accessed 12/8/2022)
  8. ^ Domesticated Ancient: (Alegander x Oc), Archive of Our Own. Sept 26, 2022 (Accessed 12/7/2022)
  9. ^ GRUMPUS SPECULATIVE BIOLOGY, Tumblr. May 7, 2022 (Accessed 12/7/2022)
  10. ^ I Overthink Grumpus Horns, Tumblr. 4/11/2022 (accessed 12/7/2022)
  11. ^ Heated Encounter, Archive of Our Own. Sept 15, 2022 (Accessed 12/7/2022)
  12. ^ Commission for @/bombcollar on twt!, Tumblr. Aug 28, 2022 (Accessed 12/7/2022)
  13. ^ Queen Buddy AU, Archive of Our Own. May 24, 2022 (Accessed 1/8/2023)
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