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guide:creating_a_vekimen_character

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Creating A Vekimen Character

This guide will help new and old players in creating a Vekimen character.

If you are having problems understanding something here, then please send a PM to Edto_Xar_Sivaree.

Please use the Character Template when creating a character.

Vekimen are currently exclusively found with the vekimen_defensive_task_force.

What is a Vekimen, why play one?

What is a Vekimen? The Vekimen have been called many things, but the one thing that is for sure is that they are one of the least “Human” races currently available to play on SARP. Playing a Vekimen means that many things that you think of as a complex human being, the things that come naturally to us, do not come naturally to a Vekimen.

This is part of the pull. They are instinctive. They focus on what is important for survival. Eating, sleeping, and mating are the three largest concerns to a Vekimen, and other more complex needs and wants, like love, friendship, relationships, material desire, are things that must be learned, and can be learned, or just discovered through Roleplay.

By playing a Vekimen, you will be able to play a creature that is experiencing the life of more complex, culturally diverse world without knowledge of how to live in it. A perfect foundation for a diverse, deep character built entirely through roleplay!

Basic details

All Vekimen can speak Vekimen, or as some call it, Vekimenese, but many are also able to learn other languages quite easily. You can start as a character capable of speaking Trade (language), or Yamataigo (邪馬台語), but other languages in the Sector will require and active effort through RP to learn, or a well thought out reason in the backstory, approved by the Species Creator, Edto_Xar_Sivaree.

Naming Convention

The Vekimen have a very specific naming convention. Their given birth names, their family names, and their Clan names. While the first two names are generally names you can really do anything with, there are currently only Four clan names available to use. This guide will explain how to name your Vekimen, and what those names mean. The first Vekimen character ever made was edtoto_nar_sivaro, so for the purpose of this guide, we will use her name.

Given Name

edtoto_nar_sivaro's given name, is Edtoto. When she was born, this was the name that they used to identify her. There to give a sense of individuality, the given name has very little meaning outside what meaning the individual builds on it. The easiest way to come up with a Vekimen given name is to use This generator, pick your gender, and add something to it, or keep the name as it is. Edtoto's name, generated from that generator, was “Edto”, and the player added “to” to the end of it to make the name more their own, however, the player of zoia_sivaro liked the original name offered and decided to keep it. Whether you use the Generator or not is completely optional, but it is there as a tool to help.

Family Name

Looking at the two previous examples of Vekimen Characters, edtoto_nar_sivaro and zoia_sivaro, you will notice that Edtoto has 3 names, and Zoia only has two. This, in Vekimen culture, holds significance, as Zoia does not have a “Family”. Family in Vekimen culture does not mean your mother or your father, brothers and sisters, but more the group you eat with, sleep with, mate with. Being in a family holds benefits in regards to comfort as each family has a family den. Some Vekimen, however, live without that. Outcasts who were not brought into a family after their time in the youngling dens, who do not get near as many resources allocated to their locations. A Vekimen without a family name would be the closest example to an orphan.

Clan Name

Clan names are, by far, the most important name you will be choosing as a player. This is because the Clan Names make very large physical and social changes and expectations of your character. The four clans available to you, are Laderen, Kiraten, Sivaro, and Morioka. Think of Clans almost like sub-species. There is a fifth Clan, the Sohodin, but this name is a punishment.

  • Laderen1): The Laderen, by far, are the easiest Clan to play for those who want to be friendly with others and lack the estranged idiosyncracies that the many of the Vekimen have. Appearance wise, they are strong, tall, well built, and have a general visual appeal to them that the other Clans often lack. Males have nicely toned muscles that are well maintained in general, while the females often have generous, smooth curves. Personality wise, they are generally charismatic. This can be used for good or for evil, but generally, a Laderen will be manipulative, using a strange sense of empathy to get on the good side of all but those who wholly desire nothing to do with them.
  • Sivaro2): The Sivaro are best described as walking talking super-computers. Supremely intelligent with a curiosity that gets them in far too much trouble. Physically, Sivaro are of medium height with very thin and frail bodies. They are sturdy and capable of taking punishment just like any other Vekimen, but they will not be making any grand feats of strength without an extreme amount of effort that most Sivaros couldn't be bothered with. Sivaros are often androgynous, more leaning towards a feminine appearance, so keep this in mind. Socially, the Sivaro are usually awkward. Constantly thinking, if something doesn't make sense, it is wrong. When they get idea's, they will often go about testing said ideas, with or without permission, or a care of what gets destroyed in the process.
  • Kiranten3): The Kiraten are brutes, plain and simple. Short, stocky, violent, and generally simple creatures, they embody what the Vekimen at their core are. They care little for social interaction and seeing a Kiraten in a position more than Canon Fodder or Labour is a highly rare sight indeed. Visually, the Kiraten have thick, bulky appearances that are often more feral than other Clans. Socially they are gruff, rude, reclusive, and will generally indulge in what they want regardless of what others think.
  • Morioka4): The Morioka Clan is a strange clan, one that breaks the general view. A Vekimen of the Morioka Clan can be from any of the four regular Vekimen clans. These are the Vekimen who were familyless and taken in by the morioka_clan matron bhelith_blackspear, and is the only clan that a Vekimen can choose to join.
  • Sohodin5): A Sohodin is a Vekimen that has been maimed in a way that a Vekimen cannot naturally repair. The Vekimen take great pride in their horns, and when one or both horns are damaged or broken, they are considered outcasts, seen as worthless to the general Vekimen. Even Vekimen without a Family are seen as worth more in society than this clan. They usually lost their horn due to making some grave mistake, said removal being a punishment. Often from being demoted from officership, removed from their family, and occasionally from combat. Most Sohodin die, either being killed by the general population, or by their own hand.

Family and Marriage

“I want a family, I don't know enough about families!” we hear you shout, or maybe your Vekimen has learned what love is and wishes to proclaim that love to their partner in whatever way they can. We understand! Romance and families are important in RP, but how does that exactly work? More so, how does it work if you are in love with someone who isn't a Vekimen! Well, we have some answers for you. Not all of them, but we have some.

Family Unit

The Vekimen hold a very loose definition of the term “family”, and how each Vekimen is placed in that circle. Since the race started to die out, inbreeding has become all but unavoidable. The family is everyone, so now Family does not mean blood relation.

Within Komodo City, there are many Dens6). There are the Family Dens, the Main Den, the Maternity Dens, and the Younglings Den. When in labour, and Female will be brought to the Maternity Den, which is the warmest Den. This is one of the only locations guarded by actively armed female soldiers. The Mother will stay here with their youngling until it can eat properly, then be sent back to her Family Den.

The Youngling will then be sent to the Youngling Den. It is the second coolest Den in Vekimen Cities. This Den is where children learn and are evaluated for their Clan Sigil. This is also where they socialise with other children and form bonds that will last into their adult life. Upon leaving here, a child will either go back to their Mother's Family Den, the Family Den of someone they are close to within the Younglings Den or to the Main Den.

The Main Den is a Den of Free Agents more or less. It is the least comfortable den, given its vast size. Vekimen who did not have the ability to get a family for whatever reason are sent to this Den. Here they await the opportunity to join a Family Den with someone. It is uncommon that a Vekimen does not get into a Family Den at some point in their life.

Family Dens are Dens that are specifically regulated to make perfect conditions for breeding. Family to the Vekimen is who you are willing to breed with, and given the nature of the Den, this desensitises most Vekimen to sexual relations. From here, the cycle repeats.

What about interspecies relations? How does this work?! We know aliens can be confusing sometimes, but when you are confused, look for the path of least resistance, to begin with. A Vekimen's natural recourse would be if it is not explicitly mentioned to be allowed, it probably isn't. If your character is sure this lovely individual they are infatuated with should be allowed to join their family, then that will be a talk with the Government, to figure out the legalities. By government, we actually mean Faction Managers. From there you can likely work out a deal but remember. Your partner will be expected to abide by Vekimen Law while on Komodo, and so will your Vekimen. A room filled with animalistic cold blooded lizard people likely is not the safest space you could bring a soft, squishy warmblooded creature. Keep this in mind.

Marriage

Marriage in the VDTF is an awkward subject, simply because they do not have a formal type of marriage. Everyone in a family are partners, there is no real idea of exclusivity within the Family unit. This does not mean that there are not sometimes fights for a partner. So, to quell this problem, the VDTF devised a system operated by the Family Heads. Should two Vekimen within the same family feel a strong bond with each other, then they will ask the Family Head to join them in what they call Niligi Yakme. While not a marriage in the grand scheme of things, respect for this bond is enforced by law, claiming any Vekimen means you do not need to fight for them. So long as they are physically together, there would be no fights for who can and cannot mate.

Those squishy non-Vekimen need to pay attention to this! This is your safe haven! Let's cut to the grit for a moment. You are considered a part of a Vekimen Family, they will treat you like one of the family. They will feed you, sleep with you, and in all likelihood, try to mate with you. I can see how being in a big pile of creatures who generally don't have the idea of exclusive partners could cause something of an issue. Niligi Yakme is your answer. So long as your lovely Vekimen Waifu or Husbando is near you, and you are bound to them like this, no other Vekimen can fight them for you. Now, if you decide to go for a nice, secluded walk then you might have some issues. Remember, stranger danger. Always use the buddy system!

Birth Year

The Vekimen operate, technically, on two different Calendar systems. You can use Station Years or Komodo Years to indicate the general birth year of your Vekimen. Station years are 181, 24 hour days, and a Komodo Year is double that at 362, 24 hour days. No Vekimen currently will be older than 100 Komodo Years, however, this may no longer mean they are close to death. Some Vekimen can7), with proper food and care, live indefinitely. There is currently nothing stopping them from dying by other, unnatural means like accidents or combat. Here is an example of how you would go about dictating the age of your Vekimen.

Say your Vekimen is 10 Komodo Years old. This will be the year expected for administration purposes and should show up on your character sheet. The current Komodo Year is KY-01. KY-00 is not utilised in the Calendar, so your Vekimen will likely be born in Pre-Komodo Years. Indicate that with PKY-##. A number line as an example would be PKY-02, PKY-01, KY-01, KY-02.

Station Years are more of a Fluff mechanic. Two Station Years make up one Komodo Year, and there were 2648 station years before they started on Komodo Years, which means that there are 1324 Pre-Komodo Years. Not required to know, but understanding that could give your Vekimen a small amount of depth that you might not have without it.

Clan Visual Appearance

While the Clan descriptions are accurate, a visual idea of what Vekimen look like is important. To have an idea of what it is you are playing, this information could be invaluable.

Laderen Sivaro Kirten
Male Male Male
vekimen2.jpgvekimen1.jpg
Female Female Female
3185afc25da633c345653a48c4c164fb6130df987774929fda_pimgpsh_fullsize_distr.jpg

Physical Details

vekimenbust.jpg The following is a list of physical details that should be looked at, in order to figure out what a character should have.

Height

  • Laderen: 5'0“ to 5'11”
  • Sivaro: 4'7“ to 5'4”
  • Kiraten: 4'5“ to 5'0”
  • Heights can vary. No shorter than 4'5“ and no taller than 6'0”.

Weight

  • Laderen: Male, ~150lbs. Female, ~120lbs
  • Sivaro: Male, ~100lbs. Female, ~80lbs
  • Kiraten: Male ~140lbs. Female, ~110lbs
  • Weights can vary depending on build, height, and other factors. These are just the average approximation.

Body

<WRAP right> edtoto.jpg </WRAP> All Vekimen currently are coloured the same, seen right. Currently, the only exceptions are Melanistic8) and Albino9) Vekimen, but they are often looked down upon. Their mane extends down their back along their spine and follows along the top of their tails. Their backs are primarily covered in the black scales that cover a majority of their body.

Hands

They have five fingers hands with claws on the tips.

Feet

They have Digitigrade legs, that have four primary toes, and a dew claw. Their primary toes are tipped with talons, one talon looking like the “Killing Claw” of a Raptor.

Scales

Vekimen have four types of scales.

  • Primary Scales: The Primary Scales of the Vekimen are the black scales that cover a large portion of their body. They are thick and have some protective capabilities. If the Vekimen knows how to, they can make basic blades glance off these scales doing minimal damage. They also work to displace force along the entire limb, thanks to their overlap.
  • Secondary Scales: The Secondary Scales of a Vekimen are the white, soft, snakeskin-like scales on their body. This is the most sensitive part of the vekimen, other than their tongue. This has no protective qualities.
  • Bone Plates: These are thick, bonelike plates that cover the Vekimens chest. These plates are very sturdy, capable of stopping basic ballistic pistol rounds and simple blades. These breaking are a problem, as the Vekimen will need to have them glued back together for them to heal properly, and it causes them discomfort.
  • Quills: These, despite not looking it, are actually scales. Instead of growing flat and wide, they coil out of the head to give the Vekimen a mane of sorts. They are stiff, pointy, and a very good indicator of a Vekimen's anxiety level.

Ears

Vekimen do not have visible ears. They 'hear“ vibration through their bones. This sense, however, is very sensitive, and Vekimen are able to hear sounds that most creatures couldn't, with the ability to differentiate two tones that are almost identical.

Tail

The Vekimens tail is always as long as they are. The top is covered in quills, and the entire length has scales of varying types, depending on the individual. Most commonly, it is Quills on top, black scales on the side, a small, grey protective scales along the bottom. Their tails are completely prehensile, and they are capable of lifting objects and people of similar weights to their own total body mass.

Mouth

The Vekimens mouth is by far the least pleasant part of their body. Filled with razor-sharp teeth, venom spitting incisors, and their saliva has a bacteria in it that rots flesh in minutes with enough contact. Their tongues are generally 2 feet long and are the most sensitive parts of their body. Thankfully, the bacteria has a symbiotic relationship with the Vekimen, so they do not suffer from the malicious effects of it. Appearance wise, Vekimen mouths are plain and simply, disgusting. Their teeth are caked brownish black, their breath smells like rotting flesh, and their food rots to a liquid so they can swallow it properly.

There are ways to mitigate this disgusting aspect of the Vekimen. They cannot clean their mouth traditionally because the bacteria spawns back rather quickly, and the bacteria is a major part of their immune system. However, more advanced races with access to nano or femtobot technology can create a syrup that will temporarily remove and stop the bacteria from growing in. This drys the mouth out quite a bit, but it is the only way a Vekimen can clean their mouth without getting sick. It can leave a scent of the users choice. There is a secondary bottle that comes with it, which deactivates the bots, allowing the Vekimen to eat unhindered within a few minutes.

Psychological Characteristics

The psychological aspects of the Vekimen.

Cultural specifics

The Vekimen are very prideful, nationalistic, and supremely loyal to their family or clan. They have very little in the way of an advanced culture. Vekimen are blank canvases, and like anyone, have talents and skills that can vary widely regardless what Clan they are from. It is not impossible for a Kiraten to enjoy science or math, or a Sivaro being talented at hand to hand comment. These are just out of the norm, but most will not pay any mind to an off-kilter individual taking a path not expected of their Clan. It will just be viewed as a rather risky move.

Otherwise, Vekimen culture is rather violent. They take what they want. Food, objects of interest, even sex. They are also very open about this. Walking through a Vekimen city, it would not be hard pressed to see Vekimen fighting, eating, or mating on the streets. The strong protect the weak, and the weak serve the strong, so consent is not something that is a concern to the Vekimen over-all. It is merely a fact of life to them. Individual Vekimen may have different views, but this is the norm overall.

Personality, Like, and Dislikes

Your Vekimens personality, likes, and dislikes are completely up to you. It is your character, and you are playing them. There is no mandatory likes and dislikes, but sleep, food, and sex are rather predominant, so not liking these would be considered very strange. You may be given suggestions, which while it would be strongly recommended you follow, are not required. The one looking over your character will tell you what is wrong and will be sure to differentiate from recommendations and requirements.

External Social Norms

I, as a player, have spoken with the Faction Managers of the Vekimen and have utilised the information and rights provided to a Vekimen by the vekimen_treaty_of_ye_3910) to join a Star Army of Yamatai plot, with GM permission of course. Now what?

Well, we are glad you asked. You may have gathered that Vekimen generally would not fit in a more… Normal society similar to the one we experience in real, day to day life. That will probably allude to a lot of very uncomfortable, awkward, and sometimes dangerous situations. Awesome! What fun is there in playing an alien, if you can't BE an alien?! Be strange! Do weird things that would make people stare at you like you were crazy! Lick the Captain to understand what they smell like so you can find them later! Steal the Neko's underwear when they aren't looking because “What even are these?!” The options are unlimited and if all the players are cool with it can lead to some really funny, memorable experiences with your alien character.

Edtoto Nar'Sivaro was infamous aboard the yss_heartbreaker because not only would she destroy the Cargo Hold practically bi-weekly in some insane experiment to try and understand this fascinating society she was staying with, but she would also sneak into the rooms of other crew members to crawl in bed with them and enjoy the warmth they naturally gave off with mixed reactions. Poor gal got chased around at sword point when she tried this on Tsukisaki Valesti. Who wouldn't try though? Look at that beauty!

Zoia Morioka, on the other hand, became accidentally internet famous when she discovered that high amounts of sugar have quite the strange effect on her brain and became quite the… promiscuous little alien. Adult Entertainment star almost over night! Talk about instant success!

Daran Ist'Laderen, a N'Thyva of the Vekimen Military joined a Nepleslian ship. He was quite the ladies man it would seem and has gotten into trouble on multiple occasions about sleeping with the crew. He even got the ships Security Officer ava_riggs pregnant! Uh oh! This caused, even more, Drama, because Vekimen children are raised by the government, but Ava wanted Daran to be a typical father, which he either didn't understand and refused or did understand and refused.

The Vekimen are a delight to play if you embrace your inner strangeness and look at the world through a more black and white lens. This doesn't mean you can't learn from your mistakes, but enjoy the mistakes! You're playing an alien that is learning, feel free to ham the mistakes and awkward moments to the max if your partners would allow it.

My, kids grow up so fast. Vekimen, grow up even faster. A Vekimen is considered legally an adult when they hit the age of 4.5 KY or 9 SY. While this is the age of consent for the Vekimen, the age of Maturity11) is different. Below, will be the age of Maturity for each of the main three Vekimen Clans.

  • Kiraten: The Kiraten, which are the basis for the Age of Consent, reach full biological maturity at 4 Komodo Years. This is when they have hit their development maximum, and will no longer change naturally at this point without an active effort on individuals part. The Kiraten have the least complex brain. They aren't stupid, they were just born that way.
  • Laderen: The Laderen are the in-between's of the clans. A Laderen will reach their biological maturity at 8 Komodo Years. This is due to the more complex brain and physical stature the Laderen have over the Kiraten. While they are smarter than their Kiraten counterparts, they are not inherently better. They will almost always lose in a fight, or in a contest of strength and endurance to a Kiraten.
  • Sivaro: with the frailest body, the Sivaro have the most complex brain. So complex, that despite how much energy their body puts into developing the brain rather than the body, it still takes almost twice as long for a Sivaro to reach their full biological maturity. About 13 years. This is due to the sheer complexity of a Sivaro brain. The brain matter and neural connectors of a Sivaro brain are so dense, it weights and average of 7.5lbs. That's over twice as much as your average human!

History

Having spent the last several centuries trapped in space, Vekimen do not have much in the way of personal history. They complete their mandatory military training and are immediately sent out into the job that best fits their aptitude. Promotion is often out of need, and talent in their field is always a boon, it does not necessarily assure promotion.

Playing a Vekimen that is younger than 4.5 KY12) is not allowed.

Other Information

This guide is not comprehencive. It is merely a start for you to make a character if you are so interested. If you have any further question, do not hesitate to PM Edto_Xar_Sivaree on the forums. Down below are link to pages that could provide further information on the Vekimen.

OOC Notes

1) , 2)
Common
3)
Uncommon
4)
Rare
5)
Very Rare
6)
Places of Communal Living
7)
0.001% of the population
8)
All Black
9)
All White
10)
Now Disbanded
11)
This is referring to when a Vekimen stop growing and is considered biologically an adult. A Vekimen will not change physically once they hit this age
12)
9 SY

Quality:
guide/creating_a_vekimen_character.1506846031.txt.gz · Last modified: 2023/12/20 15:49 (external edit)