#etykraks tag ;; the cracks of my skin can prove as the years will testify

[thvndersnow]

;; i know i haven’t finished his bio yet but…. thinkin about etykraks with baby eliksni. he was a mother before his death and rez and a lot of those maternal feelings stuck around. he gets the opportunity to hold a hatchling and he lifts them up so so gentle and clicks to them and purrs, just IMMEDIATELY so good with them and there’s a hollow sort of sadness to it for any of his fellow eliksni present

[thvndersnow]

the warm reception from the other ghosts has etykraks purring his approval, expression softening as he watches the way crystal interacts with shakespeare. shakespeare twists her shell this way and that, seemingly nervous — it is not often that they recieve this sort of greeting, but she is trying to find it encouraging, nonetheless.

shakespeare's shell is simple — the generalist, a plain cream-white with no special adornments. the only thing that really makes her stand out is her optic, a crimson that matches the eyes on one side of etykraks's face.

”it is good to meet you, crysal, quarry, reeves.” etykraks speaks each name like he is testing it on his mandibles, trying to make them fit on his tongue. he nods to each ghost in turn, reverant.

“i am… glad to hear you say that, kesivik,” etykraks continues, voice soft. “there are few eliksni i have met who have felt that way about me. it is good to know you do.

“i… feel empathy, for some of them. i understand their pain. but i hope my being risen can mean something for us, as a people. i hope to be a bridge.”

he hesitates at crystal's questioning, chuckles at her eagerness.

“i-i f-found him in the EDZ.“ shakespeare speaks with a slight stutter, not out of nerves -- just a glitch of her vocalizer. ”i kn-kn-knew he was mine, the moment i scanned his b-body. he was my guardian. i-i didn't know him before.“

“i wanted her to keep her name because i thought it sounded, ah… fierce. a warrior's name.” etykraks rubs the back of his neck, embarassed. “…i found out later the actual meaning behind it. but a poet's name suits just as well.”

The ghost hovering in Kesivik's hand looked up at Etykraks and his ghost, her gaze flicking at the two in both wonder and surprise.

"Wait, so, he's your guardian?" she asked Shakespear, a hint of excitement in her stern voice. "You were able to choose him?" She turned to Kesivik and her companion that hovered by his head. They weren't alone - another ghost has picked an Eliksni partner - more than that, now they knew they could!

"I'm Crystal," the ghost said, looking up at the eliksni titan and his ghost. "The one hovering by Kesivik's head is Quarry and the one hiding under his cloak is Reeves."

"Hello..." Reeves called, his voice small and timid. He floated forward a bit so as to be seen before drifting back to hide. The feeling of "please don't perceive me" radiated from the little ghost as Kesivilk gave him a gentle pat with his secondaries.

"He's the nervous one, but he's quick to notice danger and get you out in a pinch," Crystal said, glancing back at Reeves before looking up at Shakespear. "Glad to hear your chosen's a good one. Most others outside the crew Kesivik's aunt leads look at us as target practice."

Kesivik gave a nod and looked in the direction of his new friend. "Crystal speaks truth," he said unhappily. "Our people seek the great machine, not to receive its blessings as humans have, but to take them as the Hive and Cabal take..." He sighed and shook his head. "Many are angry and wish to take vengeance too. But the Great Machine gives and gives to all who turn to it and receive without anger in their hearts.”

He lifted his head, feeling the light of little Shakespear, and smiled. "I am glad to know that some of us are still chosen of the Great Machine, even if only through its children."

Crystal looked from Kesivik back to the other two. "So, question, Shakespear was named before she found you. Did you two not want to change the name or was it just too good to pass up? Also, second question, did you two know each other before you were risen? Or was it like choosing any other guardian? Asking as reference.”

[thvndersnow]

ETYKRAKS, THE LONELY ;;

name ; etykraks, the lonely (pronounced "eh-tih-cracks") species ; eliksni pronouns ; he/him gender ; mother sexuality ; not applicable by human standards class/subclass ; slagslinger titan ghost: shakespeare (she/her), generalist shell

phys. description ; 7’10” in height, etykraks is not quite at size with an eliksni captain, but he is very close, and he has the broad chest and thin waist typical of one. he often hunches over further even than other eliksni do in order to make himself look smaller, not wanting to intimidate his humanoid allies and companions. etykraks has dark brown, almost black skin, and his chitin is gold and iridescent. as he has piebaldism, these colors are splashed with white, the most notable markings splitting his face down the center. the eyes on the darker side of his face are the typical eliksni blue, while the eyes on the white side of his face are cherry red.

light abilities ; etykraks is a solar titan, but unlike a typical sunbreaker, his solar light manifests very similar to lava or magma, seemingly slow and sluggish until it erupts outwards in a burst of energy and devastatingly destructive. he can breath molten flame from his jaws, and when he gets especially upset or angered, this magma is known to well up and glow beneath his throat, or leak out from beneath his mandibles. his super manifests as four flaming, molten axes, one for each hand, rather than one large hammer.

personality ; the best way to describe etykraks is “reserved”. much like his light and the volcanoes it emulates, he is very slow to react, preferring to respond cautiously until he is ready to erupt with rage. etykraks is very maternal and loves children, all his anxieties melting when he is around them. he has a tendency to curl into himself in order to assuage the fears of others around him, having a very bad habit of hiding himself away for their benefit. etykraks views himself as a monster because of how humanity views him for being an eliksni and because of how his fellow eliksni view him for being a lightbearer.

brief history ; before his death, etykraks was a member of house devil's and the mate of a captain, her second-in-command, and their ship's munitions officer. he mothered many brood by them, and lived as contented a life as an eliksni can. during the battle of twilight gap, he lost all three of his mates to lightbearers. instead of finding a new ketch, he struck out on his own -- eventually coming upon a human settlement under duress by a rogue lightbearer. despite everything, etykraks sacrificed himself to protect the human civilians of the town. etykraks was rezzed shortly after the end of the red war, and for a time, for his own safety, was kept secret from civilian population by the vanguard. beyond light was his first major mission.

tags ; gen tag | hc tag | aesthetics tag | ic tag | gen ship tag

[thvndersnow]

TAG DUMP 2 ;;

eliksni time

ETYKRAKS TAGS:

etykraks tag ;; the cracks of my skin can prove as the years will testify

etykraks hc ;; as I breathe into our silence there's a voice that comforts me

etykraks aes ;; there's a beautiful sadness that runs through him

etykraks ic ;; all of us; some of us; love you

--

IIKSIIKS TAGS:

iiksiiks tag ;; time and again boys are raised to be men

iiksiiks hc ;; we'll press and press 'til you can't take it anymore

iiksiiks aes ;; may your ashes feed the river in the morning rays

iiksiiks ic ;; you must fix your heart

--

MIILAK TAGS:

miilak tag ;; sycophants on velvet sofas; lavish mansions; vintage wine

miilak hc ;; all of your flaws are aligned with this mood of mine

miilak aes ;; if it feels good tastes good it must be mine

miilak ic ;; this old world is a new world and a bold world for met

[thvndersnow]

etykraks does not move. he does not dare. he is more than just the wall – he is a mountain, smaller, perhaps, than the abomination he stands before, but a mountain nonetheless. the snarl that rips through him is the first warning of an eruption, a warning taniks should heed. a warning, he knows, taniks will not heed.

if he is not having this conversation, then that is enough talking. taniks grabs etykraks’s wrist, and the eliksni lightbearer, quick as an asp, whips his head to bite down on the metal arm. were he a normal eliksni, this would have gotten him nothing save some broken teeth - but his solar light has been pooling as manifested magma in his throat and mouth this entire argument. when he bites, he lets that lava flow free.

"i am not having this conversation right now!"

electrical sparks and roaring mingle to spew forth in a violent roar. cogs and gears shriek in unholy protest as taniks turns to run, to pursue— only to have his pathway blocked. the shriek that bursts forth this time tears itself from beneath his own helmet. his head whips to the side. arc-blue optics pin his fellow eliksni.

“get out of my way.”

it is less a plea and more a snarled demand, an order given by an abomination barely holding himself together. its form trembles and twitches. crossed wires and twisted tubing causes its limbs to spasm. his head jerks to one side. but those eyes never once leave etykraks. they wouldn't dare.

“claim you are similar all you want, but i will not allow your lie to stop my hunt.” taniks' hand lashes out, to grab at etykraks' wrist. “they are my prey. they are nothing but prey. creatures unfit to weild the power they stole from us. bugs to be squashed for daring to walk with the so-called great machine.”

a growl rumbles in his chest, “they are things and nothing more.”

[thvndersnow]

etykraks raises his eyes to look upon her face, tips his head upwards as he does. he has never been a confident eliksni, at least not since he had been risen; always on too unsure a footing, always acquiescing and holding back for other people’s benefit. etykraks is used to folding himself up and away for the appeasement of those around him. but the way liu feng speaks to him has given him a spark of that confidence he knows a titan, a true titan, should embody.

etykraks is a volcano. he is dormant magma, a planet’s most base elements rendered molten, hidden just beneath the surface of a mighty mountain. should he erupt, nothing would be left of his opponents – not even bone. liu feng makes him remember this. his mandibles flex, nostrils flaring as he gives her a nod.

“etykraks,” he responds. when he reaches up to take her hand, there is an air of awkwardness to the motion – not because he shies away, but because it is not a movement he has practiced, one he has seen in action, but never done himself. his three fingers wrap around her smaller hand, and he gives it a squeeze as he shakes it. “i am etykraks. and it is an honor to meet you, liu feng. truly.”

Tears unwanted evaporate the moment they drop from her eyelashes. She won't permit them fall. Grief is her permanent companion but she will dispense of its eternal song not through tears but through tearing, the armour and flesh of those that had desecrated the Burning Shrine, that had slain her family.

But even that must be shelved. There are new flames to kindle, a brother to guide in the ways of the Sunbreakers.

"I have every confidence in you."

I only wish I had the same confidence in myself, it goes unspoken. If Ouros were here... But, she's not. Nor Aodh. Perhaps, had they not stuck so rigidly to the old ways, they... So much swirling in her head that she could barely make sense of. She closes her eyes and breathes deep of the air, the smell of char and steel.

"... I am Liu Feng, the Fourth Empyreal Magistrate of the Sunbreakers Order. Wherever I am, you have a sister. Wherever I am, you have an ally. Wherever I am... You have a home."

Her eyes linger on the knelt form of the Eliksni before her. And then she reaches out to clap him on the shoulder once, twice. Her brave face wavers in this new and strange world, but she wears a smile just for him.

"Tell me your name, brother," She holds out her hand, "And shake my hand while you do it."

[thvndersnow]

etykraks nods at the explanation, unable to help the way his expression softens. he knows those feelings. if he was telling the truth, which he always is, he does not believe he was a warrior in his last life, either -- fighting always feels brutal and instinctual, less honed and calculated than he would like himself to be. since his rez, he has trained in the ways required of him, but his base is always the brutal violence of a mother protecting their brood.

on zavala's insistence, he has never sought out his own history, but that violent protective instinct has made him wonder. etykraks knows himself to be calm, reserved. this self image conflicts with his place on the battlefield, and with the volcanic eruption that is his light.

"yes," he affirms, gentle. "yes, you will learn."

another wheezing laugh. "yes, the silence is... well, it is the reason i prefer a sword, or my own light abilities. the terran guns i have been given do not often feel suited for my hands.

"but i think you are improving already. perhaps if you adjusted it for your own needs, rather than trying to hold it exactly as terrans do, you might see more success?" he tips his head. "you could try a heavier draw, using all four arms."

@oceanssecond

Kyklyks had been surprised and Rizlis was not sure if she had been thrilled when she rezzed them for the first time. The only example of Eliksni guardians was standing in front of them now. Kyklyks had been searching for so long, finding the little shine in a frozen corpse ages old. It was natural for both ghost and guardian to look to Etykraks for example on how to exist.

Rizlis is glad to be out with Etykraks over any other guardian, knowing they felt similar. They knew how eliksni moved, what their clicks meant, and Rizlis felt no shame when fumbling with their light around one of their kin.

The smaller of the two tries not to shrink back, they felt too nervous to be a guardian at times. Shy around the humanfolk in the tower as well as those of their own kin. "It is alright, alright. You do your best, best. Kyklyks thinks was not warrior in last life." That is to explain that Rizlis was learning on the fly how to handle being swarmed with enemies and fighting.

"We will learn, learn, yes." A new light, still learning to understand how the light flows through them. How to call upon the void to aid them. Smoke bombs were still taking them longer to create and use on the fly, if they could have vanished out of sight in the blink of an eye, one of their arms would not have been lost.

Two happy chirps are given, head nodding up as they did, "We like it, quite a bit, a bit. Sound is not so loud." The bow was much quieter than other weapons of choice, it's why they had been drawn to it when presented the arsenal. "Limbs are awkward. Not as fluid as humans yet, yet."

[thvndersnow]

“i am not different just because you want it to be so!” droplets of magma fly from etykraks’s mouth, sizzling and popping as they land and rapidly cool on the ground in front of him. instinctively, he moves to block his fellow lightbearer’s exit. his throat his glowing a dangerous shade of red, the light welling up within it threatening to pour out.

“my ghost did not revive me any differently. being eliksni has changed nothing for me compared to them. i think my own thoughts, i choose my own path, and so do they. just because you want them to be puppets, just because you would like something thoughtless and brainless to take out all your anger on, it does does not make them so!”

magma drips from between his mandibles. he spreads them and bares his teeth, every inch of the normally reserved titan screaming for taniks to dare to try and fight him.

“you cannot change the truth by willing it. i am the same as them.”

"you are different!"

smoke and exhaust pour from the creature's twisted mouth. the machinery in his chest roars in defiance, in indignation. how dare etykraks believe himself to be like those creatures? like those horrid, disgusting dead things that wholesale slaughter their people. it's laughable.

"the great machine was always meant to be ours." those blades he calls fingers curl close to his chest, tapping where his fuel pump struggles. "it fled in fear. it left us to die. you were always meant to exist, little mother, but they..."

he points now, to where the lightbearer fled.

"they are but hollow puppets. they are the accidents that came from its cowardice. and i intend to show this so-called great machine they were just another of its mistakes."

[thvndersnow]

;; ETYKRAKS IS SO FUCKING TRAGIC and i think about it so much. an eliksni lightbearer. humans are distrusting of him because he’s an eliksni and eliksni are distrusting of him because he is a lightbearer — and eliksni that don’t distrust him feel pity or sadness for his existence, many unable to see past him being a risen, dead thing. and cherry on top, he has all the markers of having been a mother. he used to be a mother. what must have happened, to have turned him into this?

;; i know i haven’t finished his bio yet but…. thinkin about etykraks with baby eliksni. he was a mother before his death and rez and a lot of those maternal feelings stuck around. he gets the opportunity to hold a hatchling and he lifts them up so so gentle and clicks to them and purrs, just IMMEDIATELY so good with them and there’s a hollow sort of sadness to it for any of his fellow eliksni present