Mantis (RCCC)

"Revolting is meaningless, you'll only just create more chaos in the end."
(This OC is for the Reboot Canon Character Contest by CactusOfTruth. Base code by Element.)
=== Introduction ===
"Bring them in!" you hear a voice call out from afar. The guards carrying you shove you into the room and lock the door behind, leaving you alone in the room of Mantis. You gaze up towards her in fear, unknowing of what she'd do to you. You've only heard whispers and rumors of what sort of things she's done to traitors like you. The room around you darkly lit with only a few candles, the walls lined with bookshelves holding countless amounts of randomly coloured books. The desk just behind Mantis was cluttered and had countless amounts of paper and books scattered across it.
"Now that you're here, care you explain yourself?" the royal HiveWing asked, breaking you out of thought.
"I didn't want to do that..." you try to explain.
"Oh, you didn't want to conspire against me and my Hive? Likely story." Mantis dismissed, taking off her glasses.
"Please, have mercy..." you tried to beg.
"Oh how rich... Pleading for mercy when knowing you're wrong," Mantis laughed. "Anyways... I've been needing a new subject for my own tests."
"Subject?" you echoed. Mantis ignored you and continued to mumble to herself. At this time you try to wriggled out of your confinements, shaking and wiggling around your wrists and trying to shake the cuffs off. You could feel the loose cuffs almost coming off when you hear the clacking of talons and claws. 
"Trying to escape?" Mantis questioned.
"I-- uhh..." you stammered, though Mantis has already walked away.
"Since you seem so keen on trying to escape, let's try with the Isolation Room." Mantis mumbled, cleaning her glasses.
"What do you mean--" you try to say, however Mantis has already finished and has picked you up by the horns. She dragged you along the floor, giving your scales a bit of carpet-burn. Mantis traversed through a few hallways from her own room into a brightly lit hallway. She opened one of the first few doors along the hall and threw you inside. Before you could even react, the doors were locked.
"Mantis? Please let me out!" you try to call out. Silence only returned. You look around your new prison. It's a white room, no walls and almost no windows except for a skylight on the roof. You try to break through it, only to ricochet off. The window is too thick to be broken. There's no other means of escape. No beds, no food, no entertainment of any sorts, nothing. Only you and your thoughts. But why would Mantis throw you in here? You didn't know. Suddenly, a small sliding piece built into the door opened up and a book, inkwell, and quill was thrown at you.
"You'll need it." Mantis chuckled to herself. The inkwell spilt a bit when it was thrown at you, but no matter. At least you had a book to read when you're in here. You open it up to see nothing inside. A blank book. Without anything else to you, you open it up and begin to write in it.
----
Mantis was in her study, re-reading one of her many books. The one she was reading was her own autobiography, which is better than her biography in her own humble opinion. However, she was soon interrupted by one of her advisors coming in.
"Mrs?" Thorax said.
"Am I requested for yet another unscheduled meeting with one of my pupils?" Mantis sighed.
"No, no, it's that I've come to inform you that the traitor has passed away." he explained.
"Oh thank Clearsight, it was getting dull waiting for them to croak. Waiting two months is far too long." Mantis got up and walked over to the testing hall. She was about to go in before Thorax stopped her.
"There's no need to do that, ma'am. I've already collected everything you needed." he said, holding up a scratched and torn book.
"Oh, thank you," Mantis gave a hollow smile before grabbing the book. "This will be a joy to study."
Thorax seemed to be getting more uncomfortable. "Am I dismissed?" he asked.
"Oh, yes you are. Go enjoy the rest of your shift." she said, waving him away. She walked back to her study and opened up the book, looking into it.
----
I wish I never followed through with that stupid plan. It wasn't supposed to end like this. I was just supposed to get the info and get out, but noooo, jerkface had to go and try and get into the stupid ruler's personal library. Now I'm stuck in here while they're probably out there saying that I 'died a hero' or something. I hope whatever freaky experiment that sadistic ruler is testing on me ends soon, I'm already getting lonely.
Haven't written in this in a while. I got food for the first time yesterday, it was about as bland and terrible as I thought; though it's better than nothing. All I can really think of is just this white room. I'm so close to escaping, I just need to get through that skylight...
Food hasn't been given to me in a while and i'm getting really hungry. i hope i won't have to resort to eating more of this book, i want to keep it around
i have no idea how long it's been probably a week or two its really lonely in here but at least leaf gives me some company though he can get a bit annoying when he hides from me
----
As Mantis read on, soon enough the pages became nearly incomprehensible. Words about how this 'Leaf' was out to get them seemed to show the exact signs of prolonged exposure to isolation. The test was a success! Now, next time maybe she'll put in a prize possession of the dragon to see the effects of that.
</noinclude>
M A N T I S 	M A N T I S
 	
Background Information	Background Information
Creator 	Some Person
Main Attribute 	Intelligence
Elemental Attribute 	Earth
Theme Animal 	Owl
Theme Color 	Lemon Yellow
Theme Song 	
Alignment 	Lawful Evil
Character Information 	Character Information
Age 	110 (53 HY)
Gender 	
Orientation 	
Occupation 	Royalty
Tribe 	HiveWing
Goal 	Teach all HiveWings how to be proper citizens
Residence 	The Mantis Hive Palace
Relatives 	Wasp, Bloodworm, Cicada, Hornet, Yellowjacket, Tsetse Vinegaroon,
Likes 	Reading, keeping peace, teaching
Dislikes 	Ignorance, chaos, disorder
Powers and abilities 	Tribal
Quote 	"I am not envious of Wasp for her little mind 'voodoo', knowledge is already enough power for me."
</noinclude>
===Appearance===
Mantis a bright, shining yellow HiveWing with light brown horns. Her underscales is a light, nearly white yellow. Mantis' wings are "perfectly stunning" as her subjects call it, with being spotted with black drops as if ink itself fell onto them. Her eyes are lemon yellow, which in dark light looks like two fireflies on a dry season's night.
Mantis less wrinkly out of all of the royal HiveWings due to her being one of the younger sisters, however she still has a few on her face. She is smaller than most other royals, but still towers over Jewel. Mantis is seen usually reading one of her own books, teaching, or cleaning up her fogged up glasses. She is one of the few royal HiveWings to wear little to no jewelry. 
===Personality===
Mantis has always been naturally intelligent and values the learning process immensely. She has a great interest in discovering more about the world around her, more so with how HiveWings and SilkWings and how Pantala was even made. She's quite reserved, but is still cold and rather controlling. Mantis wishes for a nice peaceful Hive, which she will go to any lengths to accomplish. She is more caring and kind towards the HiveWings rather than the SilkWings, but not by very much. Mantis doesn't really care about SilkWings, thinking of them to be "both useless and useful" in her own words. Around her sisters, Mantis is mocked for being a bookworm and for being too soft, however this was far from the truth when it came to discipline. 
Mantis always felt a sense of superiority over her other sisters due to her intelligence. She always criticizes the other Hives with being too barbaric with their punishments, thinking her punishments to be more "civil". However, she still stays silent and refuses to say any of her "critiques" (which is just more belittling and making fun), especially to Wasp. Mantis is afraid of Wasp like her others sisters, though insists she isn't due to wanting to look strong and intelligent. She believes that being afraid and showing weakness if just as bad as being unintelligent, which she avoids like the plague. 
To her citizens, Mantis is seen as being "stone cold" with her rarely showing any other emotion besides either disappointment, slight admiration, and malice. She is more open about her feelings to her closer advisors, which even then is usually mostly annoyance. When she's alone, she acts like a normal dragon. She smiles at seeing the spread of technology and is proud of her Hive being considered "the smartest" out of all Hives. She feels sorrow and fear when thinking of the consequences of angering Wasp. She expressed even blasphemous desires to worship Clearsight as more than Wasp. 
===History===
Mantis was hatched just a few years before Hornet and was almost instantly a handful. While her other sisters were brutish and malicious, Mantis enjoyed playing dirty tricks and outwitting them. She looked down upon her other sisters for being "dumber" than her, though she still was friends with Hornet due to them being the younger ones and Hornet being a bit brighter than the rest. However, saying that they were "friends" would be stretching it a bit since Mantis would secretly exploit Hornet by having her take the blame for her mistakes and her messes. This put a strain on their relationship, but never really wanted to tell Cochineal about it due to their shared passion of hating and fearing their mother. They still played around in the trees and had fun. During their childhood, they would would read and explore the jungle, once even finding a massive gaping hole (which they were too scared to go into). Hornet would always remark about how HiveWings were better than SilkWings and LeafWings, though Mantis didn't really feel it like that; or at least with the SilkWings that is. She saw HiveWings as better, yes, but she didn't really view the SilkWings as anything else. They were almost objects to Mantis, not worthy of any greater attention. LeafWings always sort of bugged Mantis though, as she thought their wings looked weird. Their entire childhood was nice and peaceful (at least when they weren't around their dysfunctional family), though it would soon all change when war was on the horizon. When Cochineal passed, Wasp took over the throne (much to the rest of the sister's disappointment). Pretty much as soon as Wasp took over things went down hill. At summits she would very clearly express her desire for the jungle to be gone and even threaten Monarch and Sequoia. Mantis tried to suggest for her to cool it, to which Wasp retaliated in borderline nonsensical rants about wanting everything to be perfect. While Mantis shared this mentality, Wasp seemed to want to go a bit extreme. 
One day, Wasp came back a bit... Different. She came back from a recent summit with a wicked smile on her face. Hornet and Mantis hid away in their rooms, predicting that Wasp wouldn't be happy. Well, they were half-right. Wasp explained to her sisters her new powers, testing it on a poor servant HiveWing. The rest of the sisters all applauded her, but were just trying their best to hide their terror. Soon followed the Tree Wars, in which Mantis didn't really do much. She thought about suggesting some battle strategies to Wasp, however she looked just fine destroying unsuspecting villages. Once the dust settled and the trees were nearly gone, Wasp announced that out of sheer "love" she'll give her sisters castles and smaller kingdoms to rule, which excited Mantis. Finally, she could have a kingdom the way she wanted. No fighting, no wars, only learning. While the Hives were being built, Mantis took up writing and began to enact on her long-time goal of teaching all of the HiveWings how to be "proper" dragons (which just means to be smart like her, though not AS smart as her). Once the Hives were built, Mantis got her own Hive and began work on revamping it. She began with building schools upon schools and a massive library, however her funds were cut back by Wasp a bit due to her horrible spending habits. This lead to Jewel hive having the biggest library for the longest time since not only was Mantis Hive full of schools and dorms already, but she couldn't support her own Hive financially until the universities and schools opened. This lead to Mantis having a small vendetta against Jewel Hive and Jewel as a dragon, saying that "they shouldn't have such a big library anyways, Jewel can't even read" and such. 
Soon enough as the years go by, Mantis began to drift away from her sisters. She never really visited outside of her own Hive unless Wasp ordered her to. She would teach the most gifted of HiveWings personally to give her something to do other than bug her servants around. She and Hornet still retained a bit of their once strong friendship, though now are just so caught up in their lives to see each other. Hornet does send a few letters to Mantis, to which she then promptly throws out and ignores due to her not wanting to get distracted. Mantis Hive is closely guarded and has the lowest population of SilkWings in all of the Hives, mainly due to Mantis refusing to teach any SilkWings. Mantis Hive has a low crime rate as well since most of the "bad kids" get some treatment with Mantis herself. At the time of The Dangerous Gift she's currently still hiding in her Hive, afraid and just waiting for the day Wasp finds her and kills her. 
===Relationships===
Wasp (Neutral / Negative):
Although she fears Wasp, Mantis still feels a sense of greatness over Wasp though her intellect. They haven't really gotten along as of late however, as when Wasp called over the SilkWings and HiveWings all to Wasp Hive Mantis stayed behind in fear. Wasp is currently looking for Mantis, and when she does find her it won't be a nice reunion. 
Cochineal (Negative):
Cochineal was never really a good parental figure to Mantis at all. She looked down on Mantis for being too "quiet" and "peaceful", which to Mantis meant that she was a failure. Though, no matter to her. Cochineal was never as bright as her, at least. Mantis doesn't need her approval, not at all. She doesn't need ANYBODY's approval. She's completely fine! Needing somebody's approval shows weakness, and Mantis is NOT WEAK.
 
Cicada (Positive):
Cicada never really bullied Mantis for being a bookworm, which was pretty uncommon in that family. The both of them would be friendly to each other and still to this day have a decent relationship, though it's mostly because of their close borders.
Bloodworm (Negative):
Bloodworm would always pick on and harass Mantis for being weak, while Mantis would mock and gossip behind Bloodworm's back about her being as bright as a mouse. When the Bloodworm Hive burned down, Mantis was more relived than sad; happy that the cycle of harassment finally ended with Bloodworm.
Vinegaroon (Neutral):
Vinegaroon and Mantis never really quite interacted and were fairly distant from one another. One didn't really interact with the other and it's always just been that way.
Tsetse (Neutral):
Much like with Vinegaroon, Tsetse and Mantis never spoke to each other quite much, though Mantis did think it was odd how Tsetse decided to make her Hive the 'old Hive' as she calls it.
Yellow Jacket (Neutral/Negative):
While Mantis and Yellow Jacket never really talked to each other, Mantis still viewed Yellow Jacket as sort of weak and a source of entertainment due to her unnecessarily dim-witted actions and general behavior. 
Hornet (Positive):
As mentioned previously, Hornet and Mantis have a good relationship. Both of them share a common interest and had a good childhood when spent together. Even if they don't communicate as much both still reminisce about how they'd play together. 
Jewel (Positive/Neutral):
Even though she isn't known for her smarts, Mantis tolerates Jewel (which is saying a lot). She has a good trade route with her and at times even uses her library to search for more books to steal. 
===Mantis Hive===
Schools:
Mantis Hive is full to the brim with schools, seven to be exact. Two for dragonets, two for adult HiveWings, and three for the smartest and most gifted. These Hives are made out of finer materials such as wood stuff and even actual wood. These schools teach such classes such as Math, History (though a very biased version of history where Wasp is painted as a good dragon), Science, etc. There is no physical classes as Mantis doesn't quite see it as "useful" to waste time learning on outdoorsy activities. The schools don't quite have names and all teach the same material, though one school, the School of the Sun, is Mantis's own private school where she teaches the best of the most gifted. It offers the best education and the HiveWings that go there usually end up with well paying jobs. These schools do not accept SilkWings, however. They only teach HiveWings due to how Mantis views SilkWings.
Crime Rates:
The crime rates in Mantis Hive is the lowest out of all other Hives due to the Hive mostly being filled up with "civilized" dragons who are too proper for nonsense such as disturbing the peace or defacing the schools. If there is any sort of crime it's very rare and usually from one of the few SilkWings or those pesky Chrysalis members.
Population:
Mantis Hive has a population of ten thousand, most of which live in dorms inside of the schools. However, only five hundred of that ten thousand are SilkWings. SilkWings in Mantis Hive are only there to be assistants to the teachers or to be servants, however they are payed quite well.
Discipline:
While most dragons in Mantis Hive don't do any sort of criminal activity, there are still punishments. There is of course the Misbehaviors Way, but that is usually more tame than her other punishments. If Mantis deems you as a threat to the Hive's safety, she'll take you into one of her more... Inhumane tests. Some being:
-Being forced into isolation (each test has something different with it, IE one having only be given water and not food)
-Having to do exercises and physical tests to test the dragon's limits
-Being placed in total darkness with one other dragon (yet another prisoner)
Etc and etc. Mantis defends herself by saying that she does this to "understand the HiveWings and SilkWings more". She keeps these tests a secret from the rest of the Hive and it's only her most trusted guards and advisors know about.
Main source of income:
Mantis Hive gets its money from taxes. Yes, that's right. Any dragons who wish to attend the universities and higher schools will pay for their courses and depending on how long and how much they learn will also increase the cost. It's quite lucrative, even ranking in as much money as Jewel Hive or Bloodworm Hive at times.
Mantis's public image: 
Mantis isn't really feared like the rest of her sisters, though she is known for being mysterious and odd. Most dragons even snicker and call her weak since she doesn't usually fight. Dragons in Mantis Hive respect her as a intelligent scholar and generally think of her as quite peaceful and nice. Her current image isn't all too great though, as when Wasp called all of the HiveWings over to Wasp Hive Mantis just hid instead of protecting her citizens and Hive. 
===Trivia===
*Mantis is a closeted aromantic due to her sisters and mother being... Well, themselves.
*Mantis has no idea that Wasp lied about the Book of Clearsight.
*Mantis is heavily based on one of the seven deadly sins, Pride.
*The hole on Pantala has always been a big mystery to Mantis and recently she's was trying to send out a team of disposable HiveWings to explore it.
* Whenever Mantis says that she doesn't need anybody's approval, that's a lie. Tell her that you're proud of her and she'll internalize it forever.
===Gallery===
Mantis (Fullbody).png
Category:HiveWings
Category:Status (Royalty)
Category:Characters
Category:Females
Category:Work in Progress
Category:LGBT+
Category:Inspired by Fiction
Category:Content (SomePerson9000000)
Category:Mature Content