Sheerin Culture

[Kolek Ztardok]

We're running into some fun cultural quirks with Sheerin characters that I thought might be fun to talk about here. The Sheerin are extremely communal. So communal that they have a racial trait for it. How do you all think this plays out in game?

I play a Sheerin Mystic and in the Starfinder scenario we were in there was a Sheerin in a bar with two mean looking Vesk guards. I saw what the author was trying to do but didn't think they thought it through. Since My Sheerin and the NPC Sheerin were the only two Sheerin in the place it just seemed completely natural for my character to simply walk over and be NEAR the other Sheerin. No words needed to be said. I played it off as simply a natural inclination of the species.
Also, when drinks were ordered my Sheerin ordered a Bowl of what I ad-libbed as "Zil" (a drink Sheerin like) with five straws, one for each person at the table and 1 extra in case someone wanted to join. I saw this as mimicking the act of sharing resources in a matter of fact way.

How would you interpret Sheerin culture? Ideas? I'd love to hear them.

[Slyme]

I like the ideas you have there, I assume you are talking about the Shirren.

I really like the 'addicted to choice' aspect of the race. I plan on having mine spend his down time playing choice based games on his commpad/computer.

[Sir RicHunt Attenwampi]

Kolek Ztardok wrote:

How would you interpret Sheerin culture? Ideas? I'd love to hear them.

HA HA! {begins furiously typing up quasi-facts, exaggerations, and outright libelous falsehoods about race of baby-faced ginger raconteurs}

Slyme wrote:

I like the ideas you have there, I assume you are talking about the Shirren.

Rats. {deletes}

Edit: I meant no harm or mockery. Just saw an innocent typo and pounced on for the sake of silliness.

[starlite_cutie]

Slyme wrote:

I like the ideas you have there, I assume you are talking about the Shirren.

I really like the 'addicted to choice' aspect of the race. I plan on having mine spend his down time playing choice based games on his commpad/computer.

NEVER take a Shirren out to eat at a restaurant, you'll be there for days while the menu is being read...

[Aerotan]

Ix'ix: "Yes. I have selected! Of all the menu options, I will choose, of my own will, the porterhouse!"

Party:"Thank the gods, finally."

Server:"...How would you like that cooked, rare, medium rare, medium, medium well, or well done?"

Party:"FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF-"

[Rysky the Dark Solarion]

Aerotan wrote:

Ix'ix: "Yes. I have selected! Of all the menu options, I will choose, of my own will, the porterhouse!"

Party:"Thank the gods, finally."

Server:"...How would you like that cooked, rare, medium rare, medium, medium well, or well done?"

Party:"FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF-"

Don't forget the sides.

[Hijiggy]

I enjoy that the larva spend their first couple years being carried around in jars.

Also imagine a Shirren entering a store with a larva in a jar and everyone starts hearing telepathic crying.

[Tacticslion]

I've mentioned this before, but in one of our games, we've established one of the many subcultures of Shirren to have an acute love of a human (subsequently turned half-elf) Popstar.

Her tendency to focus on a positive message of being yourself, and individualism themes tend to make her popular among some lashunta and half-elf communities as well.

We built off of the social inclination to avoid speech as a tendency to prefer silence or softer volumes. To that end, we (originally jokingly) suggested that those who enjoy her more soulful tunes were the equivalent of Shirren metal-heads; in more seriousness, though, we have established a strong "pop-metal" culture among certain groups of Shirren (of which her Shirren fans are a part).

This involves all sorts of minor piercings, paints, and shiny additions (such as bejazz'ling or metal bits).

[Ecliptic12]

Sir RicHunt Attenwampi wrote:

Kolek Ztardok wrote:

How would you interpret Sheerin culture? Ideas? I'd love to hear them.

HA HA! {begins furiously typing up quasi-facts, exaggerations, and outright libelous falsehoods about race of baby-faced ginger raconteurs}

Slyme wrote:

I like the ideas you have there, I assume you are talking about the Shirren.

Rats. {deletes}

Edit: I meant no harm or mockery. Just saw an innocent typo and pounced on for the sake of silliness.

https://i.imgur.com/VgB1mix.jpg

[Metaphysician]

To go a little more seriously, I imagine that the Shirren cultural concept of "bad behavior" is, like much else, centered on choice. A "bad" Shirren makes their decisions without concern for the effect on others. This can range from being merely scalawag, in a socially-approved form of social unacceptability, all the way down to genuine evil.

On the other hand, to actively and deliberately deprive another of their ability to make choices, like via slavery or coercive brainwashing? *That* is viewed by Shirren culture as beyond the pale, tantamount to betraying the whole society back to the Swarm. Its analogous to the difference in how a human would view a criminal, versus a serial killer.

[Ventnor]

That would be an interesting character concept. A shirren overlord mystic who hates his mind-control powers and yet is forced to use them to keep his friends safe.

[Metaphysician]

Indeed. A non-evil Shirren would view Overlord powers as being. . . kind of like a human might view natural necromantic might. At *best*, its morally risky and unsavory, that can only be used for good in a "turning it against evil" sense.

Attitudes towards justifiable use for mind control. . . well, most species would view using Dominate Person as a better choice than killing them. Shirren? Not so much, they'd need a really good reason for why killing is not the better option.

[Deadmanwalking]

I've got to admit, by that description I'm basically in agreement with the Shirren on moral stuff in general.

[Steven "Troll" O'Neal]

Additionally, killing something permanently (in most cases) negates that being's ability to choose. A temporary imposition, while considered a violation of personal sanctity, would in my understanding be a lesser infraction. Now lobotomy is another story, that would be a horror to shirren.

[Deadmanwalking]

Steven "Troll" O'Neal wrote:

Additionally, killing something permanently (in most cases) negates that being's ability to choose. A temporary imposition, while considered a violation of personal sanctity, would in my understanding be a lesser infraction. Now lobotomy is another story, that would be a horror to shirren.

And now we're describing my own personal morality almost exactly...

This is getting a little eerie, guys.

[Metaphysician]

The Shirren would, I tend to think, disagree. Or rather, they distinguish between a person not making a choice, and a person having a choice forced upon them. A dead person is simply dead, they may not make any new choices, but their old choices still stand as being real choices.

This might be philosophically arguable, but bear in mind they only recently ( in cosmic terms ) escaped from the Swarm. From their cultural perspective, "its only a temporary imposition" sounds an awful lot like "they would have died soon enough anyway". Which is to say, a rationalization for fundamentally evil behavior.

[Kolek Ztardok]

Imagine living the rest of your life in terror or losing your control to some random person...

In regards to killing my Shirren would see killing as better. It's more like the difference between Murder and Rape. A murder victim is dead. Done and over with. And in a world where the afterlife is a Know Fact. Not so bad. A rape victim however continues to suffer, often for the rest of their lives. Mind control to my Shirren would be the Greater of the two evils.

A good depiction is the Netflix series Jessica Jones.