Plutonian

"The humans in Pluto were originally exiles, then deep space explorers, and now they're simply outcasts and those who wish to live 'off the grid' as the humans say. Be cautious around Plutonians, and if they say something morbid make sure that you laugh before they do. That's either their humor or their way of flirting. Either way, it's how you know that you've been accepted." ~Quazhe, Kheezer Humanologist.

The Rememory

It's an odd quirk of their existence, living on a rock orbited by a small artificial sun so far out that they're the last consideration for any government of any stripe. Even their Technocrat is a hopeless drunk, not that they care what he has to say anyway. Their harsh and lonely existence gives them a sense of solidarity, and they remember the fallen. They have a mnemonic, mematic understanding of the curves and lines of the True Name gylphs of other Plutonians, and they encode incredible amounts of information within them. This information isn't like the ID numbers of Uranites, facts and figures. The information in the True Name glyph are the sorts of things the Plutonian found important; descriptions of their art styles, their skills, their friends or family connections, who killed them, their greatest ambition, etc. The symbols of the gylphs are so memetically entrenched into Plutonian psychology that sometimes it's difficult for them to understand why others can't read them. A fate worse than death for a Plutonian is allowing their True Name to be forgotton, while paradoxically they guard their own names jealously and feel that writing them down in a static medium is inviting death.

True Name Contemplation

If a Plutonian sees the glyph of another Plutonian, they can 'read it' as a window into the others' life. Through an hour of study, a Plutonian has a 10% chance of gaining 1 experience point. For every experience point successfully gained, there is a 1% chance that nothing further can be gleaned from the glyph. Additionally, the reader can discern all relevant information about the owner of the glyph's history, personality, and even their secrets.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Plutonian feminine names are stereotypically single syllables and regardless of how the original name is supposed to be pronounced the consonants are always emphasized. Ann Bea Beth Bree Claire Dawn Elle Eve Faith Fay Flo Grace Gwen Hope Jane Joy June Kate Lee Liv Mae Meg Nell Pam Paige Rose Ruth Skye Tess Wren

Masculine names

Like their feminine names, Plutonian masculine names are stereotypically single syllables and regardless of how the original name is supposed to be pronounced the consonants are always emphasized. Ack Ben Blake Brad Brett Brock Bruce Carl Chase Chris Clay Cole Craig Dale Dan Dave Dean Drew Finn Flynn Grant Hank Jack Jake James John Kent Luke Max Neil

Unisex names

Plutonian names are stereotypically single syllables and regardless of how the original name is supposed to be pronounced the consonants are always emphasized. Ash Blake Britt Brook Bryce Cade Case Chris Dale Drew Flynn Gray Jade James Jan Jay Jess Jo Jude Kai Lee Max Pat Quinn Ray Reese Sam Sky Tate Wren

Family names

As often as not, Plutonians eschew surnames. Otherwise, they draw their surnames from any and all Old Earth cultures and frequently from nonsense syllables.

Other names

Plutonians have aliases. They stack aliases constantly, and regard their aliases as their full name while using it. A Plutonian may be known as Max at work and Sam to his friends while his spouse knows him as Tate and their parents call them Kai. To compensate, the PSC has attempted to attach all aliases as names, so it is not uncommon for a Plutonian to show up in a database with a name like Max Flynn Sam Kai Drew Blake Ash Tate James Chris Lee Jade. Plutonians tend to find this hilarious while PSC law enforcement finds it universally frustrating. One thing that Plutonians would not tolerate going into those databases is their True Name, an unpronouncable symbol they accept at adulthood, usually tattooed somewhere on their bodies.

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

Plutonians descend from a penal-work colony that was abandoned during a pan-solar war thousands of years before the Cozine Disaster. Earth was shocked when they found descendants of survivors instead of ruins.

Shared customary codes and values

Plutonians are fatalistic, and exhibit an exhuberant stoicism.

Common Dress code

Plutonians often wear neon-bright clothing, though they will tone down the expression in professional settings. They disdain mass production, and when they buy clothes they often won't wear them without significant alterations.

Art & Architecture

Plutonians build in a brutalist style and decorate it with bright pigments and plenty of good lighting.

Foods & Cuisine

Plutonian soil was rendered fertile with the use of 'rock grubs,' an engineered species of isopod. Much to the abject horror of visitors, they bake and season these creatures and serve them in the shell. Other dishes include a variety of cloned meats and plant dishes grown in algae houses.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

See: Union of Kur

Coming of Age Rites

Plutonians that reach adulthood (generally determined by their parents) are welcomed into Plutonian society with an uncharacteristically solemn ceremony where they accept their 'True Name,' an unpronouncable symbol. They discover this symbol by consuming Kur-Spice, a regulated substance that causes hallucinations. In the vast majority of cases, the True Name ceremony ends with them having this symbol tattooed on their bodies in nanite ink, the resulting sigil will become more complex as they go through life.

Funerary and Memorial customs

A Plutonian who dies is cremated, and their ashes scattered on their homeworld. Universally, Plutonians wish to have their names carved on a stone and thrown into the Well of Souls by those closest to them.

Common Taboos

Someone else drawing or otherwise depicting a Plutonian's True Name while they're alive is a guaranteed way to rouse them into violence. They never share their True Name with those that they don't trust.

Common Myths and Legends

There is a persistent rumor that Maneya, Goddess of Death, walks among the Plutonians as one of them.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Plutonians live in a dark world. They like colors. They wear tattoos, and these usually have deep personal meaning to them. Self expression is paramount, and a certain amount of sincere artistic backing.

Courtship Ideals

Plutonians value deep emotional connection and long courtships of mutual discovery focused on each other.

Relationship Ideals

Plutionians who form long term relationships continue their deep connectivity and strong bonded partnerships.

Major organizations

Union of Kur

Template - 9 pts

Advantages 15 pts

True Name Contemplation 10 pts, Higher Purpose (Earn a Name) 5 pts

Disadvantages 5 pts

Light Sensitivity (1) 5 pts.

Quirks 1 pt

Delusion (The Lady of Pluto) 1 pt.

Parent ethnicities

Diverged ethnicities

Voidster

Encompassed species

Related Organizations