THEY ARE SO CUTE TOGETHER WAAAAAA
Profile
I've been breaking my bones, following ghosts...
「MANTICORE-17」
age adult
height 5'7
gender male
pronouns he/him
species exo
role antagonist
Manticore is a harsh, dedicated, and zealous former guardian, not only looking for vengeance on the titan who crushed his ghost, but to tear down everything he had stood for during his time as a light-bearer, furious at all he's lost. It has been a long road, but he hasn't been alone, working closely with another former guardian with a similar revenge quest, a stoic counterpart to his chaos.
Design Notes
- Can be drawn in armor or casual outfit!
- Everything can be simplified.
- Fangs not optional and very important!
- Opt. little gold piercing on his "ear".
- Pupils like a constricts cat's: thin, but does not have the ability to expand them. (He can spin them, though!)
Humorous
Dedicated
Skilled
Energetic
Stubborn
Sarcastic
Insensitive
Critical
Insecure
Everything he does, he puts his all into, throwing himself at whatever task is at hand and expects others to do the same. Confidence seemingly endless and unwavering, always attempting to keep up that image of a powerful and capable hunter, even long after his light had left him, even with all his fears, struggling with self worth and placing far too much of his value on his abilities. Never wanting to be alone with his thoughts, he cannot stand boredom, and is always looking for something productive to do, although he'll often settle for idle conversation and occasionally shenanigans.
While deeply ingrained with a sense of responsibility, he's slowly learning to ease up, finding things he likes. Actually pretty goofy if you catch him in the right mood, expressing affection with teasing and banter. It's difficult for him to express it any other way, feeling far too vulnerable admitting he cares for people, far too much like a weakness.
Likes
- Poetry
- Knives
- Fire
- Banter
Dislikes
- Lightless
- Irresponsibility
- Being questioned
- Himself, lol
01.
Risen
Risen in an abandoned braytech lab by a ghost named Augur, he was tossed quickly into battle and was shown to have a natural aptitude to wielding light. However, he was resistant to joining the vanguard, intimidated by seasoned guardians and their power. Despite his ghost's insistence he was destined for far greater, he took up bounty hunting instead while he adjusted to his new life. Augur was close with another ghost named Robin, who rez'd their own guardian named Kite only a week before Manticore, fostering a friendship between the new lights until they eventually viewed each other as family, even with how distant the exo could be.
02.
The Bounty Hunter
For nearly five years he would take bounties, testing his quickly growing skills. While initially skeptical of his own abilities, thinking other guardians would look down on him, Augur stoked his ego as well as constantly demanding more of him, convinced his guardian could never fail with his help until soon Manticore himself was convinced he was unstoppable as well. Setting aside his own insecurities as he demanded more and more dangerous bounties, slaying them with frenzied enthusiasm. Placing his worth entirely on what he could do, what he could offer, Augur using this to convince him the vanguard NEEDED him, the ghost having his own ideas how it should be run, promising Manticore he could make a difference.
03.
The Guardian
Eventually he agreed, welcomed into the vanguard with open arms by his sister, Kite, who had used the time to climb the ranks, finding him role alongside her. For nearly 15 years working together and gaining notoriety among the vanguard, they lead a fireteam and dominated crucible with brutal efficiency. Manticore finding himself with a festering god complex, seemingly on top of the world. He was harsh and commanding with his fireteam, while Kite soothed over hurt feelings and coaxed them to follow his lead. However his overconfidence would eventually prove to be his downfall.
04.
The Betrayal
Fumbling a high stakes mission he was nearly demoted, left scrambling to regain favor in the vanguard, Kite unable and unwilling to cover for him, he picked up a mission that sent him to a desert planet to take down a Fallen assassin. Bringing along a fireteam member, Xenoglossy-2, alongside a new recruit, Polar-3. It was far more perilous than expected, but failure wasn't an option. Despite losing Xenoglossy to an ambush and brutal storms inbound, he refused to turn back, causing Polar to crush his ghost and throw him from a cliff while his back was turned in order to save himself.
05.
The Ally
The fall didn't kill him, leaving him stranded amidst a raging wildfire and then flood, surviving holed up in a cave, refusing to process what happened, focusing entirely on revenge. It was then that another former guardian named Lone approached him, revealing that a close friend of Polar, DDoS-4, and crushed his ghost as well, proposing they worked together to bring them down, to which Manticore quickly agreed. He turned to Kite as well, the warlock thinking him dead, and while at first overjoyed to find him safe, was concerned by his violent plans, warning DDoS and Polar and leaving Manticore feeling betrayed yet again.
06.
The Present
While he only valued Lone for his usefulness at first, a temporary partnership until they killed the two guardians, the task proved more difficult than he expected, forcing the two to continue working together. The former titan providing support and company that Manticore desperately needed, having severed all ties to his previous life as a guardian. Nearly killed in their plan to trap the guardian duo, ambushed and temporarily jailed, they've been through a good deal, and as time wears on, Manticore is forced to come to terms with his new life, mourning his ghost and desperately attempting to retain some control. Although without the burden of responsibility and Augur's constant judgement, he's learning to loosen up just a little.
cowboy
Lone is the determined, deadly, yet patient force to be reckoned with, that Manticore never anticipated growing so attached to in their time working together. He's everything a guardian should be, Core thinks, and is just as eager to get revenge on Lone's enemies as he is his own, he wants to give back what he knows was taken from Lone when his ghost was crushed, heal his wounds and watch his back. Thanks to Lone finding him, he never had the chance to truly alone, even at his lowest point. Enjoying the companionship and banter as well as their guardian hunting, he cannot begin to express how much he cares for him. So he calls him Cowboy instead.
sister
Risen within weeks of each other, both viewing their ghosts like parents, they considered each other siblings. Kite the smooth-talking and social counter to his harsh and independent personality, leading a fireteam together with great efficiency until Manticore's attempted murder. They've had their ups and downs, both being bad at communicating, and Kite not seeing the danger in the way he so recklessly threw himself into his work. Now that he's on the other side of the law, she just wants to get him back, but has little consideration for how HE feels about it.
ghost/father figure
A commanding yet encouraging hardass who fed into Manticore's ego but harshly corrected him if he thought Manticore was making the wrong choice, not presenting himself as the perfect guardian. It was a lot of pressure, and Core never felt like he could ever relax around him, but figured that's what made Augur a good leader and influence, trusting him wholeheartedly. He carries the memory of Augur with him everywhere, trying to be the person Augur wanted him to be, but knowing that could never happen. He wanted a guardian.
parental figure
Robin is Kite's quiet ghost, composed and thoughtful. They always reveled in the two's success, watching over Kite and Core with pride. Their love for them was clear, and their love for Augur even more so, hardly ever questioning him but far more reasonable, valuing strong morals over strict loyalty and following orders. Yet they were often viewed as cold to anyone outside their small family, often hanging back with Core at all the social gathers that Kite dragged the two to. Core refuses to wonder how they're doing. He wants to get back at Kite, but he doesn't know if he could hurt Robin if she got in his way.
enemy
Taking him on as a temporary fireteam member was the worst choice he's ever okayed. Thinking at first he'd be a good asset, easy to intimidate and following orders to a T. Now he has nothing but hate and ire for the coward who couldn't even bring himself to face him in a fair fight, taking his light but not smart enough to double check and finish the job. He'll revel in every drop of blood spilled from the titan. He's clearly afraid of death and Manticore is all too eager to drag it out as long as possible.
enemy
Any enemy of Lone's is an enemy of Core's, and it doesn't help that he lost an eye because of the warlock, either. Polar's fireteam leader, he can't help but wonder if the titan picked up some of his ghost-crushing skills from him. Has found himself daydreaming of the warlocks bloody, brutal, end almost more than his own would-be murderer's, having plenty of fun throwing torture ideas around with Lone. He'll get what he deserves, although he's annoyingly skilled in battle and slippery when captured.
former ally
A colorful exo who was quickly dropped from the fireteam after it was realized their responsible image was just a front. A compulsive liar who never took anything seriously and hardly listened to Manticore unless he was recounting some of his stories of bounty hunting, seeming to take interest in the job themselves. Whatever they're doing, he just hopes its far away from him, and hasn't given them much thought ever since.
fireteam
A young warlock that had joined Manticore's fireteam, the baby of the group and named for his linguistic talent. He was looking for a found family where there was none to be had, nervous and eager to please who took criticisms harshly and to heart, Manticore was all too happy to pick his insecurities apart to get his mind off of his own. Hating all the validation the exo looked for, despising how likable those around him seemed to find such a pathetic light-bearer. Yet. He was capable enough to keep around.
fireteam
An underdog of a hunter who always tried to stand up for the little guy, who often ended up being Xenoglossy, and got into far more fights than he ever intended, yet he was never bold enough to piss Manticore off enough to fight, although he's come close. Like Core, he places a lot of value on the skills he can offer, but more so to his friends rather than to the vanguard. Manticore was always on edge around him, feeling like he needed to be at the time of his game to prove himself the better hunter.
fireteam
The sole survivor of her previous fireteam, yet the titan was never hailed a hero, as she turned around and ran the moment she sensed it might be a doomed fight. Has been trying to recover her image ever since, closely and unquestioningly following orders, going to great lengths to protect her new team, but doing so without actually caring much about them. Core despises cowards, but she's proved herself since. Distant, unfriendly, and always willing to back him up, he had no issue with her.
fireteam
Manticore knows Catch was jealous of his power and took great joy in knowing that. Knowing the titan was begrudgingly watching him closely to attempt to improve their own skills They were a fast talker, but hardly chatty. Highly organized with an amazing memory, they could always be trusted to file mission reports and take care of managing the fireteam's calendar. Happy to go along and to get along with the right crowd, they were a valuable asset to the team.
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