#utik

Have a variety of doodles I've done over the time, most being not enough to be their own post or just concepts and scrapped wips.

Ka'ee and Dex at home relaxin'

The utik (yoo-tik) are a sophont species the rakii came in contact with when they first landed on Ra'hah, their second largest moon orbiting Rek. The utik were actually the first to even set foot onto it, as they had no other choice. After suffering massive damage to their ship, the utik were forced to land on the lunar surface and hope to survive or await help. Years later, the rakii show up, which started an a long, chaotic process of attempt of communication and debating ownership.

The bodies of the utik are actually not their true bodies. The actual sophont lies within the pearly cased cockpit. Utik like the Olac bio-mechs, mastered the technical art of bio-technology, having started on a very hot and humid planet. While unlike the Olac who switched to bio-technology as a means to evade a debilitating disease, the utik mastered it for years, working off various symbiotic organisms. Their mech suits, or cyborg bodies you could say are symbiotic, as after their nervous and circulatory systems are linked, the pilot has full control of the suit, having it feed off waste material from the pilot. The suit then takes the waste, replenishes it, mixes it's own formula into it and feeds it back to the pilot. Like a plant, it gets a lot of energy off light and other forms of UV Retaining it for hours. These suits are suitable (ha) for open space, and lunar terran for a limited time. However proper measures are made to keep the suits tidy from "space dust" so no one goes out "naked" and risk exterior damage.

(quick sketch of utik 'pooters n screens. NOT ENTIRELY FINALIZED)

However, this isn't their true form. At least they didn't start off like this.

Way before, after they reached the ultimate feat in their development, their star was noticeably suffering, as it was predicted to eventually turn into black hole. While they had years 'till then, there wasn't enough time to perfect their original forms for the long-term space travel. So. as best they could, they learned to carefully strip and reduce themselves to nothing more than squishy muscle and brain matter, beforehand creating living space suits and sleeper pods to maintain what's left. Several ships shot into space just in time before their star went dark and each ship jumped in different directions hoping to find and terraform a new world. This group of utik weren't so lucky, as said before.

Now for the first half of the year, rakii and utik were on some tense terms. A lot of internal debates on who gets the moon. While utik were capable of defense, they weren't in a great position to, and the rakii weren't sure how to proceed with their first extraterrestrial contact. (Non-religious turned contact I'd guess???) UNTIL, one day it was brought ahead that, the utik secrete an anti-radiation slime. Something they came with naturally, just cranked to 10.

At first, the rakii thought to use this fluid as an applicable substance similar to sun-block, required to apply pre-spaceflight. However, it was revealed that they are extremely allergic to it. So skin-contact was a big no.

(Unfortunate rakii subject applying utik-based lotion. Results: swelling in skin, which can further cause blisters and splits)

After several trials, they came to a conclusion of using it as a gel layering in space suits, capable of absorbing radiation and protecting the wearer.

Here's what utiks look like outside their shell. Just little brains in jars, workin robots. It was all they could do for themselves in their scramble for self-preservation.

They are able to survive outside their suits for around 3 hours, in the case of emergency, the fallen being will assisted by their fellow comrades and be placed in a life-support pod until another mech body is provided. The small brains are also capable of sight, though very limited. As like starfish, utiks have small "eyes" at the end of each limbs. They have a slimy texture similar to jellyfish as they constantly secrete a layer of slime to protect their sensitive skin. The slime which the rakii would harvest. However, they are never to directly harvest the slime from the utik's bodies, as they risk harming the individual. Along with some mild ethical concerns. Instead, they pull the wiggly pilots from their beds and vacuum the leftover substance from there.

utik — inferiority

popcorns

musings

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utik — unrequited love

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utik — on being a widower

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utik — psychology of a lost child star

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how does seve's past as a child actor influence his present behavior and his ability to "perform" in support groups?

utik — violence of grief

popcorns

musings

how does Seve truly feel about his father?