Race The Ethereals (Mod now available!)

☽ Ethereals ☾
(aka. stardrakes)

Mod Page

Summary:

Ethereals are humanoid creatures with pale skin, brightly-colored eyes, and feral features. Individuals of this race are highly unique, and their appearances vary greatly. They are valued for their high-functioning thought process, but feared for their unpredictable behavior. The toxic blood of an Ethereal is jet-black with a metallic sheen and hardens quickly upon exposure to air; it can easily stain almost any surface until after it has solidified. This has given them the nickname "tar blood," however, this is often used as a slur.

Just as any other race, Ethereals have their fair share of stereotypes. Their culture closely represents that of the Romani nomads of Earth. They are known to be expressive, artistic, influential, and very adaptable. They are clever and can detect when others are trying to deceive them. On the other hand, they are known to be stubborn, arrogant, and indulgent. Ethereals integrate into other cultures often, but tend to favor their racial traditions regardless.


Physical Appearance:



The most typical description of an Ethereal is “tall, pale, huge eyes, long ears, horned, fluffy tails," among other things. This is true for the majority of the race; of course, there is much more to them in the individual scope. It is rare to see a "normal-looking" Ethereal, as their culture is very involved with body modification (tattoos, hair color, piercing, etc.). Despite having a typical description, it is impossible to boil down just what Ethereals really look like. Some variations don’t apply to many of the details in said description. There are those that lack horns, have little to no fur, or are quite short. Some may not be recognizable as Ethereals at all.

There are a few things that are constant in the race. Ethereal are closest to reptiles in their biological structure, though they may not seem it at first. Every Ethereal's flesh is covered in small scales, which is sometimes hidden by their fur. The open mouth of an Ethereal displays dark flesh and sharp teeth. In addition, the race has large hands and feet, with long black claws.

History:

Before the infection of their home planet, Aetherium, Ethereals were highly coexistent with other races. Anyone who adopted their culture, native or foreign, was treated with respect so long as they only used what was necessary for their lifestyle. The residents of Aetherium were helpful to each other, and anyone who sought to defile their home was usually met with anger. Aetherium had been nicknamed “The Sacred Planet,” and its native inhabitants “Guardians.” Outsiders and visitors who were there only for tourism or resources were treated with skepticism and kept under close surveillance. Anyone who had wished to bring in weapons, foreign fauna or flora, or foreign substances required a heavy approval. Disrupting planet's fragile ecosystem was considered highly hazardous.

But more and more outsiders flocked to Aetherium. The Ethereal race began doing everything in their power to keep even more from invading, to no avail. At this rate, it was very likely that the next newcomer would carry a form of deadly disease into the ecosystem. It was just that which drove the residents to flee their planet, which had suddenly fallen under a foreign infection. A handful of the Ethereal population was able to escape, the others had likely hidden underground or perished.

The remaining now scatter the universe as nomads.


Relations:
Humans
Humans were the first to visit Aetherium. For this reason, Ethereals act less than kindly towards them.

Apex
The Apex are highly suspect of bringing the planet-killing disease into Aetherium. They are often avoided.

Florans
Ethereals get along quite well with this race. Some claim that their plant-like appearance reminds them of home.

Avians
The relationship with Avians is similar to that of the Florans, however they've been known to "borrow" feathers for aesthetic appearance. They also enjoy wearing Avian clothing. Avians tend to view them as annoyances, but allies nonetheless.

Hylotls
While they might seem similar, Hylotls and Ethereals don't get on as well as they should. They share a love for culture, aesthetics, and nature; the difference might be how friendly they are with Florans.

Glitch
The Glitch are startling to Ethereals. It is probably because Glitch had never graced Aetherium's surface and are very unfamiliar to the race as a whole.



Concept Art

All art is by me!



An Ethereal alchemist.



Ethereal jewelry maker



Potential Ship Design

Clothing and Adornments:



Ethereal casual wear ranges from very basic cover-up to long, flowing robes. The fabric that is used to make their clothing consists of finely woven plant matter. Dye is also created strictly from plants and minerals. Neutral colors in their traditional clothing is rare. Piercings and tattoos are common.


Weapons:
Coming soon!


Technology:
Coming soon!

——————————————


Creator's Note
I've had this race as a concept for years. I've never been able to really implement it into anything other than art, so I came here in hopes that it would gain some momentum. I'd be satisfied if this was only made into a mod. I get that it's highly unlikely to make it into the game. There are a lot of ideas behind this race that I haven't shared, because I think it would be too far-fetched for Starbound in general. However, I've been able to keep most features and that's good enough for me. If more information needs to be implemented, I will update the thread accordingly.


—​

 

Wow, your art is really gorgeous! I love the concept, too; their horns are really fantastic. I'd love to see this as a mod.

Just a quick sidenote, though - I noticed that you used the word "gypsy" towards the beginning of your post. A lot of people don't know this, but that's actually generally considered a racial slur. "Romani" is fine, but you might want to avoid using the word "gypsy."

 

I sUPPORT THIS!

 

Interesting concept.

 

I love it. Not only do I support this, but with their being custom race mods out already, I'd highly suggest somehow contacting someone to actually implement these in game asap. They need a cool ship. Maybe like a circular design? Always liked sphere ships.

 

Thank you for your feedback, friends!
@VoyageViolet: Apologies! I've seen the word "gypsy" defined conventionally and in a non-racist manner. But I understand, and I will remove it soon.

 

I really like that idea. Ship designs may come in the future.

 

Man I keep coming back to the pixel art you've made. It's really nice.

 

Yeah, it's a pretty commonly used word, so a lot of people don't know its background. I found some links here and here if you want to read more. Thanks for changing it.

 

This is a great idea for a race!
But I am highly confused... Gypsy is a term that exists in many forms and used by people that never encountered and dealt with the Romani, and is more ancient a term than the Romani themselves... I understand the Romani have deemed the term 'evil and racist' but that only began after the Soviet Union came into being... so it's perplexing that it is even viewed as such by any being that cares about racism unless they are an extremist that is easily insulted. I've never insulted white people by eating Crackers nor have people been insulted when I mention skin color to describe a stranger... but then again, I come from a family that preaches racial tolerance and to never use specific words associated with races over specific reasons.
Gypsy is a word that hasn't been considered racist by the Romani for over 100 years... I doubt that a random fanatic amidst them in going to complain... I won't complain if people say I'm 'colored'.

 

Some people are just incredibly oversensitive about things that are so very small, they would dwarf an ant. It's just how some people are. Personally, I'd have not removed gypsy, but we gotta respect the creators' wishes to do so, right?

 

Updated! Added clothing and adornments section, with picture examples (you can also see variations in the race itself. (; )

 

Very nice. You've got quite the artistic talent!

 

Wow, this is looking amazing! I am quite impressed at your artistic talent!

 

Normally I would have not removed it, but if there is one person offended by it, there is bound to be more. Multiple people telling me that my creation is offensive is just something I'd rather not deal with, so I modified the post. However, I added a link to an article for people to read in case anyone is confused.

 

Looks Awesome!

what about armor styles for the game sprites?

 

When i read Ethereals i though of X-Com and then i clicked the thread and found another furry thread. Ugh.

 

In all seriousness, it's funny, because they're not "furries." If this seriously constitutes as "furry" to you, science fiction video games must be painful for you. Why the hell are you even playing Starbound? How do you even enjoy this game if something so insignificant breaks it for you? Not to mention, there's no appreciation for the amount of work I've put into this or anything already; you're just blind to the fact that some of the race has... fur! (Oh no!)

Absolutely spectacular. But I'd rather you leave your unwanted elitism elsewhere.

 

Don't listen to him Horus. You're the bomb, he is just some random lame.

 

In time, my friend. I will update this thread occasionally with new content.

He's probably just mad that he missed the 2008 furry-hate train.