[M] TradeHard, an Interstellar Adventure of Exploration and Trade (OOC)

[Atethecat]

Ooo, that may work.

[AngelDellaNotte]

Here try this one as a starting point.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/498281146265584902/

I can't decide if I want to use a badass mean looking character or cute and innocent looking.

[Atethecat]

That could work, my character concept is actually pretty similar to that, minus the tail with squinty eyes and larger, more mole-like claws.

As for your character, I guess it would depend on what you're going for. Near-human? Beast-like? Etc.

[AngelDellaNotte]

That's another hard part I can't decide.

[Atethecat]

Yeah, I was sort of teetering between animal-based and human-like, but I guess in the end I chose the former. Just because it'll probably have more interesting implications, especially with biology.

I definitely think a big aspect of the space opera-ish setting (ala Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy) derives a lot from more human-like races though.

[Splat]

If I think of a cool alien species, I will for sure throw a sheet into the ring. Will probably be a mercenary/combat type character but I haven’t decided yet.

[Atethecat]

Spoiler: The Cook 

Full Name: Huxley Wormeater
Alias: The Cook
Species: Talpin
Biological Gender: Male

Spoiler: Appearance 

Crew Position: Master Chef
Personal Equipment: Huxley carries few things with him, in the kitchen he has happened to salvage and build a vast assortment of tools from a programmable meat vat capable of growing a vast array of cultured meats to basic manual cooking instruments such as spatulas and mixing spoons.

On-Hand Items:
- Binoculars with heat-seeking capabilities and a built in nano-drone for scouting long distances (a gadget he has no qualms with sharing)
- Pocket Knife Laser

Skills: Huxley is skilled at cooking, his prolonged lifespan allowing him to absorb a great deal of recipes. His species’s diminutive stature and light weight allow him to potentially sneak around relatively unnoticed to many.
Strengths: Talpins have a highly attuned sense of smell and Huxley is no exception in that regard.
Weaknesses: A great sense of smell can be considered a natural compensation for the relatively poor eyesight of Talpins. Though they are not blind by any degree, their range of vision is roughly equivalent to what is known as myopia among the near-human species. Huxley’s diminutive size also makes him weaker relative to larger species.
Personality: Huxley is a laid back fellow, caring little for conflict and preferring to focus on the art of cooking. Though caring, Huxley is not beyond self-defense, though he is slow to go on the offensive. Many would condemn Huxley for his overly trusting and forgiving nature, though the tulpin has little need to distrust many people in the first place, at least in his worldview.
History: Little is known about the origins of the talpins other than a seeming subterranean evolution. Their naturally small stature and weak upper body strength allowed for slavers to exploit them with relative ease. For a time, in a bygone galaxy, talpins were widely used in slave labor, especially on hospitable planets for repairing damaged machines and and overseeing mining operations on various asteroids rich in valuable minerals.

Over time however, only a few centuries ago, several of the talpin slave colonies slowly began to collaborate. Rising in revolution, these slaves drove their masters offworld and seized the vast mineral wealth of the nearby asteroid belts. Eventually three planets with long-standing talpins slave-populations would be purchased and subsequently converted into talpin homeworlds: Talpinia, Talpiton and Freeworld.

Huxley himself was born on the desert world of Talpiton, where he grew up in the vast subterranean cities carved out by his ancestors. Due to their troubled history, the talpins were raised to distrust outside influence, something Huxley heavily rejected. Against his parent’s wishes, he snuck aboard a passing freighter ship, only to be captured and enslaved by pirates. Despite the apparent enslavement, the young talpin was treated relatively well by his captors and would eventually purchase his freedom and travel the galaxy, learning a variety of recipes.

After nearly all the crew expired in age, the now over century-old Huxley would venture out in search of a new crew to cook for and a new life with new friends to start.

Other:

• He is approximately 137 years old in galactic standard years.

• His favorite dish is fried tunnel worms, a delicacy among the talpin of Talpiton.

[AngelDellaNotte]

Is he mouse size or bigger?

[Atethecat]

He's around three feet or a meter in height.

[Splat]

I think I have a character idea but I’m having trouble finding a good picture. I’ve scoured Pinterest but no luck. I’m thinking something big and serpentine or reptilian.