Turek

Writing for Turek

When writing for turek, refer to the pinned species sheet. For everything else, please keep the following facts in mind.

Hermaphroditism

• When turek have sex, both partners can become pregnant simultaneously. They do not necessarily become pregnant with the other's sperm.
• Turek can fertilize themselves. There is little genetic risk in doing this.
• Turek do not have a concept of separate genders, or in taking one role in preference over another. Being a mother and a father is of equal honor to them.
• When conversing with other species, turek have no preference for what gender they are considered.
• Given how quickly offspring grow up, turek do not pairbond like other species, but they prefer to remain in good relations with any other turek who they have made an offspring with.

Epigenetic Memory

• Turek are born with an impression of the memories of their parent(s).
• This is not an exact copy of their parent's memories. Rather, their neurons are arranged in a similar manner to their parent(s), which may create very similar memories. Most of these neural patterns are without relationship to memories, however--things like motor skills, language acquisition, habits, and so on.
• Despite this being a fuzzy process, turek are born with memories of being a full-grown turek, even if these are a combination of memories in a way things did not really happen. They will tend to feel like they are a direct continuation of their parent(s).

Attitudes Toward Death

• You might wonder how on earth a character who doesn't fear death can be written, because obviously if species doesn't fear death then they should commit suicide right now. Don't be daft.
• Most turek are in no more a hurry to die as other species. Turek live for pleasure and see little issue in gambling for it with their lives.
• While suicide is an option for turek who would otherwise suffer intolerable indignity, most would prefer to go down fighting. After all, fighting offers the chance of seeing a pleasurable life again.
• As such, most turek should seem more happy and satisfied with their lives on average than other species.
• Turek have zero issue with destroying their own eggs or young. They do this frequently since they will only allow hatchlings to grow up if there are sufficient resources for them to survive and live well.

Leisure

• It is a turek axiom to live well.
• Despite being framed as a warrior race, turek are a species that deeply appreciates leisure. They are not afraid of working to attain it, nor are they terrified of losing it since it can be attained again.
• Turek are free to feel generous toward others. They can take pity, seek to comfort others, and participate in charity. Turek can seek the improvement of their society without coercion.
• Turek enjoy feasting, sleeping, relaxing, chatting, taking long hot baths, playing in sporting events, pursuing hobbies, doing nerdy shit, getting drunk, having sex, and nearly everything that any other species likes to do.
• I point this out mainly to dissuade writers from assuming that turek should behave basically like Star Trek klingons--they are not solely obsessed with glory or machismo, nor do their have to justify things like interests in science or arts in terms of a warrior mentality.
• That said, turek *also* like to fight. They'll not do so needlessly, but they will also not forgo a fight in pursuit of comfort instead. Turek fight to acquire more resources for their appetites.
• Turek ships and living arrangements are far from spartan--they are instead arranged to facilitate comfort in their quarters at the very least, if not the entire ship.

Religion

• None.
• Turek generally do not concern themselves with metaphysics. They see life as brief and decaying save for the effort required to keep it going for the sake of love and pleasure, and there is little deeper meaning to it.