What do you do when waiting for a game release? Visit old classics? Start a new hobby? Or, as one Silksong fan did, create the world’s tiniest Hornet, only visible under a microscope? This clever fan, rous6, employed the cutting-edge technique of Electron Beam Lithography to craft a miniaturized Hornet on a substrate called ZEP520A.

“I used state-of-the-art electron-beam lithography to draw the ACTUAL world’s smallest hornet (roughly 4 microns long)”
- rous6 on subreddit

This intricate process allows for remarkable precision by sending a tight beam of electrons to harden specific parts of the resist material. Despite sounding complex, this demonstrates the fascinating capabilities of technology and creativity colliding.

The resultant figure measures about 1/5 the width of a silk strand, roughly the length of two bacteria, and is an astonishing 8,000 times smaller than actual hornets. It showcases not just technical prowess but also the vibrant meme culture alive within the r/Silksong subreddit as they continue to engage in playful antics while awaiting the game’s release.