[OOC] The Galactic Ocean

[Avanhelsing]

Jack might just hit on him. Just a warning.

[Cath]

Can't wait to get started. When is the IC's ETA? After we get past a certain number of players?

[Heat]

A lot of human characters, was expecting some alien ones... Also, those two characters are looking good, finish them up.

Can't wait to get started. When is the IC's ETA? After we get past a certain number of players?

@Catharyn

Most likely tommorow

[Cath]

A lot of human characters, was expecting some Alien species Most likely tommorrow

@Heat

Super stoked. Are we only allowed one character? If not i could maybe whip something up for people to enjoy. Also any hints on the opening scenario so i can start my opening post?

[orichalk]

A lot of human characters, was expecting some alien ones...

@Heat

I'm writing up an alien character right now. The trouble is that I live in Europe and I tend to sleep between 6 pm and 2 am East Coast USA time, though I have plenty of spare time otherwise to be active. Is that something that could be worked around?

[RumikoOhara]

Sorry had to run a 100k so I got delayed I'm planning on an alien character so I have the race to work up as well I'll try to have it all ready by this evening, again sorry for the delay

[Heat]

A lot of human characters, was expecting some alien ones...

@Heat

I'm writing up an alien character right now. The trouble is that I live in Europe and I tend to sleep between 6 pm and 2 am East Coast USA time, though I have plenty of spare time otherwise to be active. Is that something that could be worked around?

@orichalk

Yeah, I've done RPs with European people before, the time differences aren't an issue unless the RP is speeding along, which I don't intend for this one to do.

[Heat]

A lot of human characters, was expecting some alien ones...

@Heat

I'm writing up an alien character right now. The trouble is that I live in Europe and I tend to sleep between 6 pm and 2 am East Coast USA time, though I have plenty of spare time otherwise to be active. Is that something that could be worked around?

@orichalk

Yeah, I've done RPs with European people before, the time differences aren't an issue unless the RP is speeding along, which I don't intend for this one to do.

A lot of human characters, was expecting some Alien species Most likely tommorrow

@Heat

Super stoked. Are we only allowed one character? If not i could maybe whip something up for people to enjoy. Also any hints on the opening scenario so i can start my opening post?

@Catharyn

Yup, one character per person. I can't give any real hints, sorry, I've got something good planned for the start, with a plot twist thrown in.

[Cath]

I can't give any real hints, sorry, I've got something good planned for the start, with a plot twist thrown in.

@Heat

Awh, you're killing me! I'm also GMT 0 time.

[Empty Fate]

Jack might just hit on him. Just a warning.

@Avanhelsing

Haha, that's fine. I encourage all kinds of character interaction. We'll see if Drew reciprocates, though. Update: I'll probably finish up my sheet after dinner tonight. I made some really small adjustments so far. Mostly I need to write my bio out.

[orichalk]

I'm going to bed now. I'm not sure how much work I'll be able to get done on my character tomorrow, but either way I think it's best if you take a look at this before I get too far into that task. So anyway, here's the species description I wrote out tonight. It's not especially inhuman, but I'm not sure I want to deal with the complications of that right off the bat. Tell me what you think.

Species: Oko

Species name: Oko Appearance: In the early days, there was quite a bit of experimentation with the Oko genome and a great amount of variety has mostly died out since stability returned. Though exceptions remain, individual variety is not larger than, as a point of reference, humans, and traits have been selected for utility in space travel. They are slender and small (normally between 100 and 130 centimeters in height and rarely exceeding 40 kilograms in mass) four-limbed sophonts, functionally either bipedal or quadrupedal. A human would compare them to a very strangely-proportioned monkey or variant of marsupial. [I’m going to use convergent evolution here as an excuse for not wanting to deal with a very non-human character having to interact with human ones.] The Oko have rust-red to burnt-orange, feathered (though in somewhat hairy, in that Oko kind of way), slender, and vaguely humanoid builds, atop of which are relatively large heads, set with aural canals on either side, two eyes facing forward, and a large mouth. Their ears are capable of hearing slightly higher than humans (their speech is also higher and has but a few very distinct consonants); their slitted eyes have but one color, which is usually a shade of blue; and their mouths a row of square teeth and sensory receptors for both taste and smell. Perhaps owing to similar initial conditions as those of Earth’s, Oko have many traits that are similar to humans: they respire, they have a skeletal system supported by muscles not too different conceptually from ours, they maintain very precise homeostasis, they have highly advanced and adaptable immune systems (though they have mostly fallen out of practice), they have four four-fingered hands/feet (two of which are more like thumbs), and they have a tough and greyish layer of skin. They really aren’t too interesting for a human xenobiologist, but they do have olfactory receptors elsewhere in their skin, so they can “smell/taste” objects with their arms or hands. They are hermaphroditic. Owing to the enhancements back in the more hectic old days, their skeletons are made from much tougher mineral structures than those of a human. Their bodies are much better at repairing the damage done by radiation, mostly rendering it hardly a problem. They can alter their homeostatic state to decrease their requirements of food and water. They are very good at thinking in three dimensions. They can take twice as much instantaneous acceleration as a human. That being said, they are still small and physically weak, so they are pretty easy to beat in a fistfight. They’re aware of that, though. Powers: They can take a lot of gees Strengths: They are relatively intelligent and optimized for space travel. As a species, they tend to be pragmatic, but this has been known to lessen with age. Weaknesses: Size, strength Age scale: With rudimentary medical techniques, Oko can easily live with their advancements to 200 years, of which youth is considered to be about 30 and old age past 150. In the highly-developed core worlds, individuals have been known to live to 600 years, but past 400 the brain has checked out. Culture: Most of the extreme elements of Oko culture died out a long time ago. bloodthirsty factions tended to die out in the long-run, and the religions that remain have given up on any violence, instead trying for converts by being appealing. For the most part, the Oko begin any interactions with other species in a friendly manner and attempt to keep them that way. Return customers are the best customers, and the combination of a certain understanding that the galaxy is a dangerous place and their desire to have as many allies as possible tends to make them fear ripping others off even when they easily could. That being said, they’re not ones for charity. Though some of the technology they possess may be vastly superior to anything a human has even laid eyes on, they don’t give away those things for free, or even for anything humans could possibly offer them. Their pragmatism and skill in economics leads them to always match product to customer: highly developed civilizations get the expensive offerings while the new species, such as humans, are offered the technology of the Oko’s dark ages. But everybody gets something better out of it, and that’s enough justification for the Oko. They’re a species aware of their mortality, playing to stay around as long as they can. Homeworld: Oka Rarity: Common, about 30 billion, but spread relatively thin over a considerably large volume of space. Government type: This varies somewhat, though the most long-lasting and powerful independent states are democratic. Strength: They are no military superpower. They keep themselves armed enough to deter attackers and no more, preferring instead to buy their way out of conflicts or turn enemies into trading partners. They think they’ve learned from some of the older civilizations around that warmongering is a pretty bad strategy to outlast the competition. Backstory - The Oko have been a space-faring civilization (depending on the definition) for about 1200 years. The first few hundred were rather tumultuous: hasty expansion, wars, and environmental disasters brought the species to fewer than a billion living on a handful of distant worlds. Eventually, a collection of peaceful factions restored stability and put the pieces of their civilization back together. The discovery of other intelligent life forms sped the recovery and spurred the path of their development into a species predominantly dependent on trade. As they have matured and developed as a species, the Oko have developed a set of peaceful and relatively democratic institutions focused mainly on trade. They continue to expand, with timing determined by the best guesses of sophisticated artificial intelligences so as to minimize risk. They have outposts extending in tendrils hundreds (sometimes thousands, along the best trade routes) of light-years from their core dozen-or-so home worlds (which are in a sphere about 50 LY in diameter). The trade networks ferry goods from their sources to the optimal markets, which are generally determined by AI. Anything that will turn a profit and not endanger the Oko themselves — raw materials, hardware, software, technical knowledge, artwork (which they produce a fair share of themselves), passengers, often even weapons, etc. — is fair game for the Oko merchants. For the most part, they have been able to avoid conflict simply by doing their best to provide whatever other species want. Sometimes, of course, their goals are territorial expansion. In that case, there’s not much choice but to fight, and the Oko have proven able though not especially apt. When they succeed, it is not through force but through clever use of whichever advantages (be they better AI, weapons technology, or resources) to subdue the aggressors. When they fail, they normally attempt to trade territory for security, which has been a successful strategy thus far. The core worlds of the Oko are highly developed, relatively egalitarian, crowded, and wealthy; however, these qualities all begin to fluctuate more and more outside of this region, and often are highly dependant on the status of surrounding civilizations: the wealthier they are, the wealthier and better-run the Oko colonies near them tend to be. Some of the colonies along major trade routes may even be wealthier than many core worlds, though others are not so lucky. The tendril of colonies which overlaps with Human space (for all intents and purposes a very young, if potentially promising race), for example, are generally considered to be a backwater of crime, poor automation, perpetual poverty, a relative lack of enhancements, and wretched medical technology. [That’s where I intend my character to start out, as an “in” for this human-based venture.]

[Cath]

Some awesome ideas there!

[SillyGoy]

PASK HATES ALIENS Protip: see my sig

[Avanhelsing]

Jack sees them as nifty little things for experimentation. He likes getting DNA from them for his little tests. Nothing wicked.

[Zlatan Criceto]

Hey, how are we all? Thought i'd post my proposed race before creating a character. Species name: Mesocricetians Appearance: Mesocricetians (mazo-cry-sate-ians) are typically stout-bodied, with tails shorter than body length, and have small, furry ears, short, stocky legs, and wide feet. They have thick, silky fur, which can be long or short, colored black, grey, honey, white, brown, yellow, red, or a mix, depending on the sub-species. They posess an upper and lower pair of large incisors, and have elongated cheek pouches that extend as far as their shoulders. Generally speaking, a Mesocricetian is around 3-4 feet high when on all fours, but can reach 6-7 feet if they stand on their back legs. Their front feet are akin to human hands, with stunted claws and only four fingers, but lack posable thumbs. Powers: None to speak of. Strengths: Mesocricetians are extremely flexible beings, despite their size and stocky build. They're also quite strong, and this coupled with their large incisors makes them formidable in close combat. They are able to communicate and hear in the ultrasonic range. Weaknesses: Despite their powerful build, Mesocricetians possess fragile bones, and cannot take the kind of beating they look like they could. Additionally, they are colour blind and nearsighted, forcing them to rely on their sense of smell. Age scale: 30 years is considered the average lifespan of both males and females. Culture: Mesocricetians are anarchists by nature, believing that no one creature has authority over the other. Their history has not been of competing nations, but of competing individuals. Naturally, they did not evolve same way as other races, and their population has always been small. However, with the advent of human contact, came outside intervention in the form of behavioural inhibitors. Over the last 100 years, nearly 90% of the Mesocricetian population has been implanted with microchips that greatly impair their natural aggression to each other. The consequence of this, is the rapid establishment of the Mesocricetians as a rising power. Birth rates have skyrocketed, and under careful human observation, their technology has reached plateaus that would have otherwise been impossible. However, a cultural void has taken the place of their inhibited aggression. Depression is widespread, and most Mesocricetians rely on a cocktail of anti-depressants to keep the suicide rate stable. No religion, and not much art to speak of. The Mesocricetians exist because they must; because alien ideals of unity, increasing life spans, flashing lights and political clout have to pay off at some point. Right? Homeworld: Meso Rarity: Mesocricetians now number in the hundred millions, thanks to the behavioural inhibitors. However, they are rarely seen anywhere other than their homeworld. Government type: Democracy, based on and established by Earth. Strength: Meso is a rising power, with its current industrial output sitting at roughly 50% of Earth's. Their fleets and ships are modelled on Earth's, with slight alterations. Though capable of mounting an effective defence of Meso, they are ill equipped for offensive warfare. Typically they assist Earth in its endeavours, and rely on it for defence in return. Backstory: See culture. Can expand if necessary.

[SillyGoy]

@RumikoOhara I thought it was common understanding that, before posting in the Character tab, your sheets have to be approved by the GM in the OOC tab?

[RumikoOhara]

Got ahead of myself, I guess I'll delete an leave

[Avanhelsing]

Or you could just move it?

[RumikoOhara]

Sorry I guess the new system I returned to has me flustered with it's duplication of effort

[Empty Fate]

Finished Drew up. I sent you a PM regarding him, Heat. Depending on that answer, he might change one more time, but you already know how, so you can probably determine whether you want to accept him or not off of that. :P