tribus-mantodea

[tribus-mantodea]

My will and [Hers] the veil. Grant me no absolution. Cast judgement unto my last breath. For my people, I alone bear sin.

Heretic. | Coward. Tyrant. | Traitor. No matter the title: My resolve is firm.

#;;art #| 2021 #;;lastborn #|| sometimes I forget I have this blog

[tribus-mantodea]

funny; they share the same dash.

#;;art #| 2021 #;;firstborn #|| Truce momence... I had something wittier to add here but perhaps later.

[tribus-mantodea]

Hi so I binged most of your blogs in a day or two and I’m 300% in love with your Ze’mer and traitor’s child content, they’re my biggest comfort characters and the way you draw them is just *chef’s kiss*

thanks!!

#;;art #| 2021 #;;daughter #|| Still thinking about them... <3 #Oh to live in the world where they both are at the least alive.

[tribus-mantodea]

prideful

#;;art #| 2021 #;;firstborn #;;secondborn #;;thirdborn #;;lastborn #;;daughter #;;together we stand #|| Hello Tag Hell. but also hello again #now you get to know my hcs beyond the third

[tribus-mantodea]

…actually, I’m a mantis AND snail enthusiast! a mantisnailthusiast, if you will

#;;thirdborn #;;art #| 2021 #|| been a while since I drew them PROPERLY properly. (: ! #eyes though... #|| maskless hc because I adore them actually . <3 they'd have tiny pupils but not necessarily noticeable due to black eyes and all

[tribus-mantodea]

(it’s been in my head for three months now…)

#[ good afternoon; sometimes it's nice to indulge in light affections. ] #\\ #;;daughter #;;art #| 2021

[tribus-mantodea]

Idk if you want canon or not but there isn't a lot of stuff for this ship anyway so traitor lord's daughter and ze'mer?

ah... traitors' child my beloved... <3

it's been a while since i revisited them.

something difficult, would be their dynamic without diverging heavily from canon. where the daughter's tribe was against the union because the partner she sought was not quite simple: she's a great knight. strong certainly, but that title cannot be disregarded. and truthfully this would not have mattered so much, but they were infected, and so their resentment towards things hallownest related had been amplified.

and while it shouldn't matter. well. the mantis is usually more reserved about things and her emotions are often complicated. she does not indulge in affection blatantly, does not find many opportunities to meet with her lover, and is overall quiet about everything as her tribe of defectors makes it quite clear they detested hallownest if it wasn't obvious enough by their intrusion into a territory (that was not even the lady's own lands originally).

meeting is simply. hard. harder, when considering either of them may have or otherwise felt it wrong to confide in others about their little relationship that sprouted in who knows how. perhaps it was how confidently ze’mer carried herself with origins hidden by the armor she donned herself in. maybe her stories. and perhaps it was the daughter’s winning personality of curiosity that kept her drawn. an intrigue of her own that came from secrecy. and later, of course, it’s more attributed to when they spar. their clear differences in how the other was unlike normal denizens. an unfaltering nature.

though they were able to cherish what moments they could, perhaps it was an abrupt end. never telling the other where they must go (they should not have gotten so attached to begin with). ze’mer finding her lover departed far too late.

yeah.

yet in the verse where they were allowed, they would be considered gentle lovers. ze'mer is the one that often initiates contact and long-winded praises. she holds for the other cannot (not properly, at least, and those moments are the only times she felt her rightfully sharp claws were in the way). and though the child does not indulge in these matters frequently, it makes the times mean all that much more when she does happen to. a gentle head rest here. a prize from a hunt there. a short word in her language, returned with a loving phrase from other lands.

see also: the fact that both of them are assuredly a power couple. that's a whole knight and that's a bug hailing from a tribe that's no nonsense. the daughter fills in gaps with her innate agility when the sweep of the great-nail arcs just the slightest slow. ze'mer heads at the front and is capable of enduring blows that would otherwise have rung throughout metal and body and sung it numb.

also tropes of both of them managing to have their antennae curl into hearts! accidental yet lingering contact that slowly grows into more confident and deliberate touches. glancing at the reflection of the other in your weapon and seeing their enamored gaze. just... the general knowledge of knowing their partner will be okay. they're strong. reliable. loyal. (and yet they would still check on the other to see if everything was alright. if their lover was fine.)

hello. mantises huh! mantises. and ze’mer. i never quite settled fully on the important bits of their dynamic, but... ^^ :person_golfing:

nonetheless. it’s quite sweet that the daughter’s only at ease when the flower is delivered, after all the struggle the knight would go through (nails and claws and Possibly explosions) almost like what they were met with. and if you see it as void that leaks from the daughter’s ghost and the delicate flower tying into relieving(? this isn’t the word) stains of echoes and regrets in some way or another, well...

hehe... girlfriends

#[ okay time to move it over here for archiving :3c ] #;;daughter #;;a heart forged into nail #;;art #| 2021

[tribus-mantodea]

[ We remember the Elder. ]

sigh... so now I must do this, because a friend reminded me. (cakes my dear. why. how did the conversation swerve into...)

[RELATED DIALOGUE] ・ “Yes, even the wild bugs lurking below us. They were once proud like you, but now they are only monsters.” ・ “Ahh... I remember. Those proud lords... were they truly monsters? I remember their eyes now... bright and clear. Why then did I fear them so?” ・ ”If there was madness in that village, it was I who brought it. They were right to cast me out. “ ・”When I attacked, they were right to... // to kill... me...?” [SUB-NOTES] Lingering dream of a fallen warrior. Travelled the world tending to those affected by the plague. - “Never forget what once was lost, yet do not let it tie you down.“ "Dreamborn god of travellers and sages"

-

They were once proud, but now they are monsters.

He brought madness into the village (supposedly), and he was cast out. // He attacked, and then they killed.

By chance, he has encountered the Mantis Village, and by chance, he had stayed long enough to know that they are proud. How long had he himself been there (or how often had he visited) to say that they turned into monsters? How much respect had he earned that they had not outright killed him -- even giving him a grave once things were said and done?

It’s just... fun! To think about. Where this guy wanting to simply help those affected by the plague/purify things managed his way here, probably a timeline after the traitors defected (or maybe not). Imagine? He was the one that sowed the thought into the Traitor Lord’s mind among others? Speaking of the plague or otherwise attempting to resolve that in his own way accidentally leading to new(?) sentiments? Or, well, the madness could’ve just been him beginning to accuse everyone of being monsters and being unaware that he himself had gone mad (yet the lords had noticed; agreed as a council that he could not remain in their village and yet he saw that as evidence). Regardless... nice to think about, I suppose. I just think that the whole [waltzes on in and starts shit] would be a bit too out of the question since again, he’s got a grave and the respect of his belongings on said grave. It isn’t a mere marking or anything, that’s a whole structure.

-

yeah i don’t have much more to say on that, i just wanted to get it out there that it’s probably unlikely to treat him as bare bones “yOU’RE InfeCTed and so ARE YOU!!! NOW LET ME TREAT Y-- ah.” tried not to think abt this man and yet. mm... paincakey. maybe he was tho idk don’t look at me please do Not perceive me

#;;a heart forged into nail #\\ #[ i've rlly been consumed w/ other muses so Sorry to leave this blog dusting but . Well . ] #[ happy 2 indulge in hypotheticals but oh man ]

[tribus-mantodea]

[ Funny to call someone a heretic. ]

#;;thirdborn #;;art #| 2021 #\\ #[ but was recently thinking about lifeblood again and joni and sighs into my hands. ]

[tribus-mantodea]

[ Formalities. ]

long overdue. I’ve been trying to chip at a google doc and uh, hrm. think I’ll toss the gist into here for mostly myself and anyone else that happen to be curious

likely will still modify subtly in future drawings, but just general gist of what i want to do moving forward for personalization fun because i ... am too lazy to do subtle color shifts/other notes when i can just. [forcibly adds on things that makes it look more like ceremonial accessories than not] (the first is lacking more of the adornments because she doesn’t care for ‘em, plus hello brother)

i never mentioned it, but the scratches dragged across the third’s horns are due to a hunt, whereas the second had mirrored some of the scratches in gentle solidarity (even if it had went against how she idealized their eldest/how it was somewhat disadvantageous when working together but. eh.) and wound up gaining new ones anyhow

names:

i haven’t really figured anything out. i don’t see mine having actual names even when professionalism is involved (manta from yesterday i look at you VERY disrespectfully) as they’re commonly referred to as the collective “lords.” individually beyond respectful hisses and the striking of claws (or tapping the butt end of a lance against ground) at most four times depending on which lord is being spoken to, adjectives and titles are fun. maybe not self-proclaimed ones -- at least beyond the initial passage into adulthood long ago.

i... hm

where the first has been dubbed the primary arbiter and judicator. by merit, she is more adept than her siblings as an individual. not blatantly so, but her wit and due responsibility placed her as such. that being said... she’s not foolish enough as to decide everything on her own, certainly not for their village of warriors when they aren’t receptive to outsiders. she has the sense to seek counsel from the other lords. they aren’t at risk of an echo chamber, and in the end, she herself is the one that finalizes matters after an unhealthy amount of consideration. she has been called indomitable as well (though she herself does not see that the slightest bit true if saying so outside of her prideful spirit) in the way she presents herself and what position she takes in a fight. part of it is because she is a lord, so... what would it do for her to fall so easily and without fight? morale is a funny thing sometimes.

the second is the obligated huntress (and as some have regarded her as... warmonger). her personality is rather brash and almost snarky, and with not much else to consider herself skilled in, she prides herself in almost everything related to hunting. (patience, shockingly, and the utmost attention to little everythings coupled with perhaps a cruelly efficient means of doing things.) well. just a fighter. she’s also that one lord who later after they’d spoke with the king personally was like “We could use just even one of those unnecessarily shiny spikes on his crest as a substitute nail. He doesn’t need all of them does he?” “...Sister.” “Or we toss in a mushroom into that cage. See how long it takes for it to stop bouncing before he realizes.” “Sister.” “Bah! Would you rather I talk about how unrealistic but infuriatingly fun it would be to fight him and all of his people?”

while she finds it somewhat embarrassing, the third has been called an altruistic mediator in her attempts to settle disputes and internal conflict. that, and she more actively shows her concern towards things (thus having more bandages on her just as a precaution). she was the one most receptive to the idea of interacting with outsiders and doesn’t exactly agree with those (aka her older twin) that might feel it more necessary to outright sunder before they ever get to speak. don’t get her wrong though; she understands the justification and wouldn’t give anyone a slip of mercy either (especially if they happen to kill any of their warriors or youth, but she’d entertain a talk for something that somehow snuck through their village and let them go with the risk that of it being determinantal. (well. not like none of them can handle themselves, ha ha.)

the brother is simply... stalwart, zealous in his efforts to improve himself and be as good as his sisters (if not better). even when he tries to hide that, it’s quite obvious that he tries and in turn serves as some sort of inspiration for the other mantids. dude just wants to be the best for the tribe. he’s got little traits of all of his sisters, but in the end, he has interests at heart. he’s formidable! he’s cool! he’s. i forgot what else i wanted to talk about here so oops sorry mister man grjkaldfhj another time

bonus

“Only for a little—” “For longer.” “—okay.”

the third’s the type to overextend herself and dance on the brink of burn-out fairly often (especially so post-deposed lord; involving herself with the village is expected). while both sisters will call her out on it, more often than not it’s the second doing so. sure she’s not the greatest at what the younger can do, but. hey. they all rule together. 

come to think of it they all call each other out on their tendencies oops

#[ not a writing; just a self-ramble ] #\\ #;;together we stand #;;firstborn #;;secondborn #;;thirdborn #;;lastborn #;;a heart forged into nail #[ I am allowed to self-project subtly.. .as a treat..... ] #[ wish i could play them in writing but mmrm ] #[ feelin' Off these days oh boy ] #[ so sorry for mobile. this formatting is never good lmao ] #[ WAGH the first pic is too wide... puti...n... what am i on abt ]

[tribus-mantodea]

[ Harumph. ]

aka the few moments of when I’d repeatedly enter and exit the area of “notice/lords’ head lift” where I’m sure in another world they’d be sick of my shit and probably beat me up without ever prompting a challenge (but hey! there’s like. two pattern-orders of when they lower their heads!)

and then .... [stares respectfully]

#;;secondborn #;;thirdborn #;;art #| 2021 #[ ahh. my love for u... ] #[ also i never knew they even close the door until eons after i beat them ]

[tribus-mantodea]

I know the HK fandom likes to imagine the Mantis Lords as cool and no bs type bugs but after your post redrawing real mantis pictures with them, I can't stop thinking about them acting like real mantis do. Like the Pale King comes over to discuss the Mantis tribe becoming part of his rule and the Mantis Lords all just stand up, raise their arms and slowly move from side to side to intimidate him.

alt caption: “I changed my mind.”

✨ every bug has their quirks ✨ and dominance must be asserted over the shorter fork because that is Their Territory and They’ll be Damned if They Don’t

edit: alright but now that I’m more sane, what’s to say they don’t do a lil’ ol’ mantis trait here and there? lost in thought and (with the brush of wind, subconsciously teeters side to side even if subtly) or having to catch themselves and stop before going [W] snrrk

#home-again #;;together we stand #;;art #| 2021 #;;firstborn #;;secondborn #;;thirdborn #;;lastborn #\\

[tribus-mantodea]

[ Pew. ]

#;;art #| 2021 #[ it's not any specific mantis lord but. sure ] #;;firstborn #\\ #[ shotgun's because of a call and the ... lobster... cracker........... ] #scribbleshanks #...............

[tribus-mantodea]

[ POV ]

(video in question https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6ogBK4NmtE)

let him in vs “what u see as a bug trying to enter deepnest.”

#[ !! real imgs of insects/mantises under cut ] #;;firstborn #;;secondborn #;;thirdborn #;;lastborn #;;daughter #;;together we stand #;;art #| 2021 #\\ #arty-cakes #[ i tag u for good reason bc i haven't stopped thinking LMAO ]

[tribus-mantodea]

[ ...Context under cut. ]

i lied there’s really not that much context

“hello dear. how did the negotiations go?” “...honey, do you think your gardens need trimming?” “perhaps? what brought this?” “never mind.” hallownest is actually just a world of tools (and is there any way i can go back in time and unread scissors..... thinking about it now they’d be more like those zig-zag pattern scissors)

bonus herrah as a less violent alternative: “where did you get that.” “doesn’t matter. it fits, yeah?” “perfectly. we’ll move it somewhere less open.” “great. hey so I have one that looks kinda like the watcher and I think it’d go great as like a spoo--”

#;;firstborn #;;art #| 2021 #\\ #[ god you can't make me read that just before I go to bed ] #wywyrm #scribbleshanks #[ HM. SO. HERRAH WAS MEANT TO BE HOLDING A MASK IN HER RIGHT BUT. IT LOOKS LIKE CLIPPY...? ]

[tribus-mantodea]

[ MA-18 ]

king beloved. everyone thinks you look like a utensil standing on a box to look taller

(only context here is that though realistically all the lords’d be present for any sort of meeting, the eldest sister’s the one that kinda decides things usually and in the world where the others aren’t available and she herself’s making sure it’s okay, the comparison is echoing in the back of her mind.)

(she arrives back at the village and takes her throne. allows herself to slump, draw out one of the longest sighs she’s had in a while available only to her siblings. “told’ja.” “indeed you did.”)

#;;firstborn #;;art #| 2021 #\\ #[ thus ends the mantis ride ]

[tribus-mantodea]

[ Memories told through markings. ]

had this a month ago but forgot to tidy it up and post it so. here ya go (pre-betrayal)

WC ~ 820 | the youngest lord’s entrapped by his own thoughts... again.

He was well aware of what such a vile and vibrant orange meant. They saw how their proud warriors lost their minds, how their youth forgot their pride and fell into baseless instincts. It was testament to how foolish it was to cheat one's way and tarnish their efforts. Leveling them to nothing more than mere beasts—no. Lower than that. He knew his sisters shed no remorse to it, and in turn, neither did their tribe (at least expressively).

Surrounded by shrooms in unmarked grounds, he brandished his claws and danced a pace back among the spores, pivoted, clashed against a warrior and deflected them swiftly. The Lastborn belatedly regarded them, still musing over the same situation he and the other Lords had deliberated on their thrones. He bent low, leapt back from the impatient thrusts of three youths who mistimed their attack one after the other.

"Then what if they kept their minds?"

Accepting something so abhorrent meant committing the gravest sin upon their faithless culture (unless one considered their devotion to strength and pride as something zealous). The mantid lifted his forearms and forced his legs into the ground, pushing back against the heavy claws of two, white-strikes singing throughout his frame as the younger ones fell back and watched. Yes... he had remembered foolishly asking it, once. Just an afterthought (that he mulled over for far too long, remembering how often he had failed them, how inferior he was in comparison to—) that was easily met with dismissal, fury, and silence all in turn. He doesn't remember any concern (and they shouldn't fret over him anyways).

Standstill.

The older mantids stepped away when he straightened his back, commanded the bout closed with the sweep of his claw, arm lowering to the side as he looked over the five assigned to the hunt today. Worn appearances that wept a shaky confidence. An impatient frustration. Yet he knew firsthand the extent of their efforts, and so he’d found them admirable. They weren’t ignorant though. They had all heard the sowing tell of what went on outside their domain, how things were beginning to change what felt like too long ago. Would they be able to hold if the beasts grew beastlier? Likely. He knew his sisters would not dismiss them as a threat, but would certainly not change their minds too much on the matter. Yet he wondered. Had to wonder.

Wonder if it would be better if...

The Lord did not bow, but he folded an arm behind him and began his address respectfully. "There is some hesitancy in your swings—the both of you." Two nods. He then eyed the three that shied their gazes away (oh how they reminded him of his own sisters), snapping their widened eyes back to his pensive own only when a chiding warrior clicked their mandibles. He hummed. They all didn't need his guidance, not like this. They knew without him having to say. It was nothing more than… formality, he thought. He wasn't like the Firstborn who could eloquently advise, the Secondborn who could be blunt and brief, nor the Thirdborn who could ease and encourage. “Your aggression and teamwork was adequate and needs practice.” No, he wasn't like them at all. 

“Nevertheless—” He struck his claws together—grinned. “A sure improvement I’ve seen from all of you since our last hunt.”

There was nothing more he needed to say. And even with the position he held by merit, he couldn’t understand the glint of joy and hidden aspirations in their stares when his words felt empty with how lacking they were. He was distracted. Still was—and he’d curse himself later for not giving enough of his attention as he should. For now, he allowed them a minute longer of rest before they reorganized and set off again, the band promptly idling among themselves when he turned and acted as watch.

He swore he’d explode from all the ideas polluting his mind today.

Should he burden the infection alone—? His heart crushed the foul thought, yet he’d tried to reason it. Was his mind not hardened? Shouldn't he along with anyone strong enough be capable of keeping their minds so long as they had their kin to leave them sane? He wouldn't force anyone; he wouldn’t exert influence. It would be his own will. His want, to ensure their tribe even in face of consequence. But. They could just cull him when the time came and—!

He hissed lightly and stomped the ground, wondering when these whispers had taken root. Shook them off. Resolved to think about it another time when there was not a more important matter at hand. How foolish; as Lords the others wouldn’t want that. As Sisters, they would rebuke him to no ends (and he himself knew how mindless it was, yet… it was something still within consideration and…).

The Lastborn Lord quickly called for the other members and set off.

aka I like to imagine him seesawing between “My confidence is well deserved. I’m a Lord for a reason.” and “,,,,,,I could be better, and my sisters and tribe would be able to live more comfortably if I was, so I don’t understand all their sentiments that well when they look up to me because surely they’re just looking at the idealized form that I portray?”

aka-aka I may have pushed inferiority aspects a bit too much in certain areas and resulted in the slight savior complications but das just how it be...

(sure put him in for a loop when he had to rule over the defectors all by himself when it came to be, ha ha.)

#;;lastborn #;;a heart forged into nail #| 2021 #\\ #[ stares at other drafts... ] #[ maybe I make a tag solely for writings but ehh ]