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Schocoa's Species

This is just to have a dedicated thing for any species I'll make/have made.




Xariels are a space-faring species that coexist with a species (that's still in progress) on their home planet.
Their relations are fairly strained, as they were warring off and on for a while before they finally solidified a truce and moved on to explore the stars.
For the most part, the planet itself has many steep valleys and mountains. The trees that grow there are pretty wack.They in general are a very curious species, aiming to document everything in the known universe. They try their best to work with the native species, but like their home planet, different regions may have a disagreement with the terms one region may have come up with.

Anatomy (Basic)

A fairly simple fella - they're primarily canine with ears inspired by bats. The inner flap is a more extreme version of ear fluff as their ears are pretty massive, and so the ear flaps must be deliberately moved out of the way if they want to listen better.Their tails are primarily muscle and fairly reactive, but they are able to train themselves to use it as a third hand.They also have a secondary eyelid that enables infrared vision, which coupled with their accent markings glowing infrared, makes it easier for them to see each other when it's dark. (Built-in night vision goggles & friendly recognition)

Patterns

The patterns are fairly consistent for Xariels, the main thing is the difference for the accents, which way the lil offshoots curl, how many of them offshoots there are, what side the white dots are on, and whether they go from largest to smallest or smallest to largest.Now, when it comes to their general colors, it is all based on 1 color. You first pick a color: it can be very saturated or fairly pale, but never gray as Xariels always have some sort of color in them. This'll be the internal color.
To get their primary color, you take their internal color and darken it a good chunk. Usually the secondary color is darker than the primary, but there is a 1 in 30 chance for that to be inversed.
The only way for them to have 2 colors is if they are multicolored, and even then, it's just 1 color split roughly 50/50 on each side of their body.One of two exceptions to the dark-only fur would be Merle Xariels as parts of their fur and hair is lighter - it's still as desaturated as the fur, but now lighter.The other exception is Albino Xariels - where either their primary or secondary color is white, and the other is a paler shade of their internal color. The example may seem to have no white dots, but they are there, it's just white-on-white.

Irregular Coloration

It's not super common, but Xariels have started to have irregular fur patterns more and more often, and the superstitions tied to them have practically evaporated as advancements in tech have been made and natural camouflage isn't as important to the crew's survival.
On top of the effort by the Council to dispel any preconceptions made without a solid basis in science.Albino Xariels are fairly rare but becoming more common (1 in 6,000). In the past, Albino Xariels would usually be paired with other Albino Xariels as their white fur made them better suited for Arctic expeditions.Merle are somewhat common (1 in 500) and also used to be paired up with each other, but for planets with lots of varied foliage.Multicolored Xariel are extremely rare (1 in 1,000,000) so it's highly unlikely to see more than 1 with that fur pattern on a ship.If you have dice (or don't, then you can use a number generator) and want to let RNG decide the coloration, I recommend first doing a 1d100 role to determine if they have a color alteration (100 & 99 would be a yes) and then another 1d100 where 99 & 100 would be multi-colored, 80-98 would be Albino, and the rest Merle. If you really want a color alteration, I did a 1d6 with 6 being multi, 4-5 being Albino, and 1-3 being Merle.

(Left to Right: Talis, Bas, Apogee, Atax, Avarian, Tes, Mortis)

Sexual Dimorphism

There aren't many differences in male and female Xariels, just height and their genitalia. The average height for female Xariels is 6'2" (188cm), while for male Xariels it's 5'6" (167.6cm). As an example, the lineup is of male to female, shortest to tallest. Talis is 5' (152.4cm), while Mortis 6'3" (190.5cm).

Gender & Sexuality

Due to how hard it may be to discern a Xariel's gender, Xariels primarily refer to each other using gender-neutral terms. Most won't disclose their gender unless they know the person fairly well, as it's a bit of a private matter, and some just prefer being referred to in neutral terms.
In regard to their sexuality, they typically don't care too much on which gender their partner is, as the only time it would become relevant (to an extent, to be fair) is if they want children. It also isn't all that irregular for some to have a complete disinterest in finding a partner.

Self Expression

Xariels have several options when it comes to self-expression - but the main way to let others know is either through outfits or body modification. It's usually more common for Xariels on planet to do this, but it isn't unheard of for those faring off planet to do the same, but usually even then to a lesser degree.Outfits aren't fully solidified, so currently any drawn outfit is temporary. (Same with weapons which is unrelated to self-expression, kinda, but I don't have a better spot to mention it)

Body Art

Xariels sometimes pierce body parts, usually their ears.They also sometimes cut out parts of the cartilage of their ears to put designs in their ears. Most Xariels don't do this in fear of doing that would harm their hearing.
Some don't care.

Another thing Xariels may do is have pigment augmentation done to their fur to have a pattern etched into their fur of their accent color - it's possible to do the white like their spots, but that's fairly uncommon as it's harder for shops to get the equipment to do so. To have it done in their secondary color is also fairly easy, but usually used for shading as it does need mildly different equipment.This is also used officially, but purely to keep Commandos from scarring their face when they merge crews and pick a leader. Especially since crew merges aren't as permanent as they used to be.

Crew Specialization

Responsibility

Every part of the crew has something they can do "Off" and "On" Planet.
Some of them may seem to have one role, but that's because it's either that complex or broadly applicable.If the area they're exploring is hostile, they try to avoid it or explore undetected. They may end up in a hostile area as a part of an agreement to help.


No Specialization

Those part of a crew without their accent markings dyed a role color are either shadowing a role they wish to specialize in or just don't want to specialize.Those who don't specialize tend to do general tasks and labor to assist whoever. Depending on the size of the crew, they might even be assigned certain people or areas to maintain.Not every crew has people who haven't specialized - mainly just the bigger crews have 'em.

Commando #232aff

In general, Commandos are the Captain of the crew - if there's more than one, the crew votes for which Commando is the Captain. The Commandos then have a mark placed on their jaw, 1 for being the Captain, and anymore meaning they're working under the Captain. This used to be managed by the Commandos themselves when crew merges were more permanent, and so older Commandos may have a scar instead of pigment augmentation for their jaw marking.
Commandos also tend to get an eye augmentation that lets them see clearer and farther than usual.On Planet, the Commandos are the ones that organize intel gathering and strategies for exploring the planet itself and how to handle the local people.On Ship, the Commando works with the Diplomat to solve any issues or disputes the crew has.Combat Specialization
Commandos usually specialize in a form of combat, typically as a sniper, but some have specialized in something else.
Why sniper? It lets them have an overview of their crew and protect them without hostiles knowing about it. If they aren't a sniper, there may already be one in the crew, or they just avoid expeditions where a sniper is optimal.

Hunter #ff8730

In general, Hunters have specialized in tracking and following a target without being spotted. They may vary their preferred weaponry, from ranged to melee, but they have that same basis. They'll usually be the ones to take the sniper role with or instead of the Commando if needed.On Planet, they study the fauna of the world. They will also hunt suitable fauna for food if they can.On Ship, they work as the crew's cook. They work alongside the Botanist to provide a full meal, as the Botanist can give them native flora to use without accidentally poisoning the crew.

Soldier #e8262c

They work as general Security for the entire crew - if not them, either the Hunter or Commando fills in for them.They tend to learn multiple styles of combat to be more of a generalist. Part of their work routine is a mild refresher of each style.

Logistics Officer #fed20d

In general, they're in charge of inventory management, making sure anything leaving or entering the ship is documented and stored appropriately.
They also work with the crew to get any resource they may need but don't have, such as helping the Engineer get raw materials for their latest project, and his main job there is to find the best cost-efficient way to get the resource.

Diplomat #d30afe

On Planet, they work with the native species to come to an agreement beneficial for both and let their crew explore the planet.On Ship, they hang out with the crew to find out if they have any questions or concerns, and then work with the Commando to solve them. They also work with the Commando to keep morale high.

Botanist #35fe7b

On Planet, they study and document any flora they find. They'll also take samples to see what kind of concoctions can be made with them - and if the plant is safe to consume. If the plant they've been studying is edible, they'll provide the Hunter with some plants to experiment with themselves.On top of that, they work with plants in inventory to make a variety of potions and make sure the ship is well-stocked in healing salves. They also tend to be the one doctoring anyone who's hurt.

Engineer #30fee9

They design and maintain the crew's ship, armor, weaponry, and equipment. Usually, though, an Engineer specializes in one or two of those category and focuses more on designing stuff for those categories and doing the essentials for the rest.