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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 currectly exclusively found with the vekimen_defensive_task_force.
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 is 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!
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
“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.
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 Dens. There are the Family Dens, the Main Den, the Maternity Dens, and the Childs Den. When in labour, and Female will be brought to the Maternity Den, which is the warmest Den on the Ship. This is one of the only locations guarded by actively armed soldiers, all Females. The Mother will stay here with their child until the child can eat properly, then be sent back to her Family Den.
The Child will then be sent to the Childs Den. It is the second coolest Den on the Station. 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 Mothers family Den, the Family Den of someone they are close to within the Childs 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 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 Vekimens 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 was forced by law, claiming any Vekimen could no longer fight their partner for their mate. So long as they were 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!
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 no longer means they are close to death. Vekimen can, 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.
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 |
Female | Female | Female |
The following is a list of physical details that should be looked at, in order to figure out what a character should have.
<WRAP right> </WRAP> All Vekimen currently are coloured the same, seen right. Currently, the only exceptions are Melanistic1) and Albino2) 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.
They have five fingers hands with claws on the tips.
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.
Vekimen have four types of scales.
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.
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.
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.
The psychological aspects of the Vekimen.
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.
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.
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_393) 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 Maturity4) is different. Below, will be the age of Maturity for each of the main three Vekimen Clans.
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 KY5) is not allowed.
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.
edto_xar_sivaree created this article on 2017/03/12 07:52.