About the Tayken

[insecureinnuendo]

The Tayken are a mammalian species with superficial humanoid similarities. They're a little taller on average than humans, and adapted to slightly cooler climates, but both Tayken and humans can live on the same worlds and space stations comfortably.

At first glance there are two things that make Tayken distinctive from humans - their eyes and their hair. Tayken hair is not, strictly speaking hair in the way humans think of it. Unlike human hair, Tayken hair is living tissue, and a part of their sensory system. It's roughly six inches long, and the thin fibers can move and sway under their own power. The movement of a Tayken's hair can give hints to their emotional state - hair clamped close to the skull usually indicated embarrassment or fear for instance. Tayken hair is also very brightly colored. Neon hues are not unusual.

Tayken eyes match their hair in color, but don't have irises like human eyes do. Instead they have countless individual light receptors which open and close in response to differing light levels. This makes their eyes look lighter (if few receptors are open) or darker (if more receptors are open). It gives Tayken the ability to function in a wider variety of lighting conditions than humans, and gives them a more finely tuned color sense.

Tayken biology goes through several distinct phases as a Tayken grows. Alamber is in the 'di' phase, and thus considered a di'Tayken. Di phase Tayken are considered adults - it's the life phase where they're expected to go out and find their place in the world/universe. It is also the point where they are sexually mature, but not yet fertile - fertility doesn't come until the 'qui' phase, at which point most Tayken settle down to raise families. While in di phase, Tayken are "the most enthusiastically indiscriminate species in the universe". They produce libido increasing pheromones that seem to work on most every species the Tayken have come across. It's not mind control - the pheromones make others horny, but they're still in control of how they react. Still, di'Tayken who have to interact with other species regularly wear a masker which neutralizes their pheromone output.

Sex for di'Tayken is a social activity, a way to bond, and, well, fun. But it doesn't have the same sort of emotional resonance that it does for many other species. What di'Tayken crave is touch and intimacy more than anything else. Sex is just a fun way to get it. In groups, di'Tayken often sleep communally, and while yes, sex does happen, it's more for the comfort of having others around.