NebulaFlare

I do not play vaurca, but...yes. This makes sense. Not only by what Incog said, but equally that we do not know the true intent of these species. I sense some conspiracy that they have some ulterior motive...wanna give them as many hoops to jump through as possible.

Bullshit. Humans have a generalized dentition, that is, our teeth are arranged for an omnivorous diet. The closest comparison our teeth have is to those of primates, whom are also omnivores, with our closest relatives being known for eating smaller animals as well as other primates. We were never herbivores, but as with any omnivorous species we merely eat what is most readily available, whilst we hunted for larger and more filling meals. Agriculture changed this for a time, but it also brought along the breeding of livestock for meat, and hunting still remains to this day.[/size] You and I are both correct. Early humans were omnivores, but their diet was heavily vegetarian. I said primarily, not entirely. There's a lot of debate on how much meat was a thing, but the general idea is depending on where the human was - they'd primarily forage plant matter because that was easier to come by, depending on the surrounding environment. Areas where humans lived that were cooler were generally closer to a meaty diet, while places more tropical were closer to plants. Our canines aren't designed the same way as other animals either. Somewhere in the past I read an argument where our canines were better designed for tearing tough plant matter, and our digestive track is more suitable to plant-based diet than meat. We're closer to a vegetarian diet with meat bits tossed in here and there. If you get in a fight, you protect your head, not just the brain. It's for eyes, nose, and jaws. That head is important, and you don't have a protruding snout with sharp pointy teeth to use anyway. Humans will go for bites strictly in a life-and-death scenario. That's being on the ground and being dragged off, with punches and kicks of little to no use. If you DO get up close and personal, it's logical to go for headbutts - your skull is a very sturdy, and can wind someone like a decent battering ram. Hurts, yes, but a few seconds can go a long way. And, we actually have headbutts. In sport fighting, heads are often off-limits because of the permanent damage that can be received. But if a human aims for the neck or limbs, what do you do? You grab for them. You don't bite. But Tajara and Unathi aren't humans - they're aliens. Who's to say that this line of thought will be the same for thes species? They have sharp teeth, a strong chomping jaw, and their injury-prone parts far away from harm. Heck, trying to punch for their head would be a bad idea, because they could retaliate and bite the hand off, if they don't block it successfully. Tooooo many zombie movies. Again, the goal is to make these two species more alien to humans, by introducing a biting mechanic. Giving it to humans would just be moot. Unathi have a cultural norm of biting each other too. Two unathi that trust each other can bite the underside of the other's neck.

Yep, that. Sort of like glass cannons.

Pretty much, yep. If the dev team wants to go into really nitty gritty stuff, we could offer ideas like a grab>bite makes the teeth sink in, and drag the person around. Trying to resist would cause the wound to tear open. However, I fear that will garner some negative views of the two races being OP. Even if Tajaran have less robustness (I think?) than humans.

What? How do you even see... ... UGH.

Request: Strictly for certain species, melee combat while aiming at the arms or throat, will make a 'bite' flavortext, instead of clawing. Clawing will still be applied for all other parts of the body. The damage should be the same for the sake of balance. Applies to: Unathi, Tajara, and Vaurca Purpose: To make certain species more alien and less human, by adding beast-like characteristics to them. Imagine a human getting into a fight with one of these races, then finding that they'll use their sharp teeth to defend themselves, instead of just claws. Your coworker is a feral monster! Now, I want to make this very, VERY clear: The goal is to make them more ALIEN. Not furry. I am expecting we can act with acceptable behavior while discussing the logic of adding/denying a bite mechanic, without diverting straight into furry banter. I personally have nothing against furries - but Tajara are NOT furries. They are aliens with fur. Since the very beginning, our loreteam has taken the time necessary to draw the line and separate our Tajara from Bay Tajara, and they have done a wonderful job. They are a species with their own culture. I want to see that culture become a little more varied from generic humans. Why?: These three species have sharp teeth. Unathi are purely carnivorous, and Tajara, while omnivores, were historically once carnivores. Both came from hunter backgrounds. It wouldn't be a far stretch to argue they'd use their teeth as well. They're not humans, after all. It's out of the ordinary for a human to use teeth in a fight, unless it's absolutely life or death. But these species are not humans, and they came from hunting ancestors. Humans evolved from a primarily scavenger ancestor, with a heavy reliance on vegetable matter. As for the other races, I do not see them as being biters. IPCs have no mouth (Even if we bring shells back, I doubt people will build them with a bite function, with how much fear there is on Synthetic uprising), Diona would probably strangle, Skrell are so very passive in nature - and probably don't have sharp teeth, and vaurca already do things with their mandibles. Mechanics: If we want to add more meat behind this idea, we can add specific mechanics instead of a simple flavortext change. For example: Tajarans must be in an agressive double-grab, switch to harm intent, aim for neck, and then bite. Unathi can be in a single-agressive grab, aim for neck, and bite. This could at least mechanic-lock the bite and be seen more in the norms of society. Personally, I have three Tajara, and I can see all three of them, if push comes to shove, resort to teeth in a fight. That doesn't mean they go all savage at the single provocation - heck no. They have their own ways of dealing with such antics. But if they managed to get a good hold of somebody who had been waving a weapon at their loved ones, I could see them going for a bite. Feedback on this. Give reason to make it for or against this argument.

I dunno - I really like our lore. Our Tajaras aren't furries (If you EVER call my catbeasts furry material, I will strike you down with a pixelated wrench and shove you out an airlock) And there's some pretty vibrant cultural clashes between species. They can still be quite alien - but it relies heavily on how people will play them. To be honest, I see Tajarans as an offshoot hybrid of Wookies/dogs/cats. They're not cute and cuddly - they'll go feral on you and bite your neck if you try and hug them. At least...my tajara will. Unless family. ...We should totally ask for neck biting for Unathi and Tajara. That would make them more beastlike than humanoid... Off to suggestions!

I drew her in colored pencils. Yay.

Thanks for all your kind words and support, everyone! I do appreciate the feedback. What's wrong with the app? I gotta know what you dislike about it so I can argue/fix it. She's still a traditionalist, mixed in with Ourean values. She'll sacrifice everything for her baby brother, who is the only family member she currently has left. I knew if she were to ever go up to Moghes, she would not survive by being loud. She smart - she won't backtalk when she's faced down, but she'll still glower and glare in silence. She'll avoid conflict if it means protecting her honor, clan, and baby brother, but that doesn't mean she's going to back off on someone or something that insults her and disrespect her. The impression of Unathi females (going off of only 2 I see, one I've barely had the opportunity to interact with) are meek and feeble. Unathi are supposed to be headstrong and proud - and one of the females I witnessed was fearless enough to tote a gun around when her husband was in jeopardy. I'm not saying there's something wrong with being the dainty and quiet side - not at all. But stereotyping one set of characters will give no room for flavor or conflict - which is always fun. What people expect of Unathi are only surface expectations - stubborn brutish warriors who detest progress. But after digging through them a bit more, they're not. You gotta dissect them to find the good meat of their lore, and I'm pretty confident I can play Mazaka and still pull her off as a legit Unathi. She's not going to be wearing frou frous and cry for help when she sees a dangerous threat, I'll give you that. She's going to go through a wild learning and growth experience, which started well before she ever set foot on a station. She comes from a proud clan and she's going to go in with her head held high. Even if they were not with weapons, she had to fight her own battles and struggles, and she's proud of it.

Ehm. I'm gonna post something completely stupid and off-topic in the hope to derail the thread so everyone can maybe join hands and have fun on our lovely arpee server. So uh. Ninja Kitten!

Is there any reason to NOT +1 this? No, there isn't. +1. Vaurca seems very interesting...hmm. Quite interesting...

BYOND Key: NebulaFlare Character Names:Okay, here we go. Lori Alvarez, Rose Watson, Kyyih'ry'avii (aka Karima) Mo'Taki, DragonSnap, Demitri Rota, Tavaku Mo'Taki, Aji'Rah Laikov, Serenity Systems (AI), Ricochet, Echo (medical), Echo (security), Valary Field, Hawk Silverstone, Missy.....I think that's everyone. Species you are applying to play: Unathi What color do you plan on making your first alien character (Dionaea & IPCs exempt): Either sandstone brown or green. I still haven't decided...but most likely sandstone brown. Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yep. Twice. Please provide well articulated answers to the following questions in a paragraph format. One paragraph minimum per question Why do you wish to play this specific race:Originally, I did not like Unathi - at all. I'm a feminist (A legit one, thank you kindly) and Unathi culture just made me cringe. It was so very anti-female and anti-equality. I never would even consider making an Unathi app to play this race. But I got curious about the lore one day, and read up on it to get a better understanding. That's when I got inspired to make Mazaka. I presented an app for her, but it got denied, so I went and reworked her story and I am presenting it again. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: Ooooh...anti-equality, for one, especially among genders. Unathi live by a very strict code of honor, which is not only a part of their culture, but a way of life. They have a government based on a feudal system, instead of a democratic. They dislike change, at least sudden change, and while they tolerate it, they want to keep close ties to their more traditional way of life. It's a part of their identity. Character Name: Mazaka Sslinaekiir Please provide a short backstory for this character, approximately 2 paragraphs You know I'm writing more than two paragraphs: What do you like about this character?When I see other people playing Unathi females, they're always meek and submissive. I'm not gonna follow that with Mazaka. She's a spit-fire - a stubborn Unathi with the will to live. She's vocal and even among men, she won't accept 'her place' just because someone outside her clan tells her she can't do it. I want her to capture that essense of an Unathi - their tenacious spirit, refusal to quit, and respect for traditions. She lost everything and has been flung out into the unforgiving society of space - she'll have to stay strong to survive. She loves her family, and misses them dearly, and will do anything to protect her remaining clan members - especially her baby brother Lo'kix. She's going to find a difficult ground, controversially so, since she is a woman who seeks to make something of herself. She's a fighter and a survivor. How would you rate your role-playing ability? I'll give myself...7.8/10 Notes:

We don't have a set lore. Most bound-to-IPC players I know of have a few stipulations added to their story, so that it wouldn't be so snowflakey. They're either paying off a debt to NanoTrasen, were bought out and freed, or something else. Karima's been 'guilty' of assisting a few synthetics in the past, to gain their freedom. I make it that she vouches for the synthetic, with the help of a few other researchers, and that these are viable units to be freed for the betterment of NT. Lots of business politics floating about. Also do note: This process was done over the course of many, many shifts, and not overnight. General idea for a synthetic to be freed: They will still likely be property to their previous owner(s) They need to pay off a hefty debt They must be worthy of their freedom (no disfavorable personality or tendencies that humans won't like) They can be bought by someone else and transferred to an IPC, but they'll be property to that new owner A station bound literally has nothing - no rights, no property, no chance. So they're going to need a very lucky break to gain freedom.

Taking down a hostage with lasers and bullets is viable, but it needs to be done with tact. This is what most people miss. Instead of a proper planning phase to go in victorious, they just go in with guns loaded. However, I think now that we got a week age limit for security and 2 week age limit for difficult antags, it'll go a lot more smoothly - those are the job slots that are directly involved in hostage taking. Most good hostage scenarios I've witnessed, comes from seasoned players. The newer ones are from servers with more lax rules than ours, and a mindset of 'GUNS BLAZING FOR GLORIOUS HEROES'. That just doesn't work here. Second point is that most people do not believe the hostage takers to hold up their end of the bargain. So if they're going to lose the hostage as well, might as well take down the antag, with the hostage as 'collateral damage'. I get the idea that is what most hostage situations end up as. And Jackboot's right - people want to play hero.

And make them unable to pick up fingerprints. Some kind of fancy bluespace surface, please.

Somewhere in the Echo labs, Echo A-002 has just double-facepalmed. Because one was not enough. "...This station is nuttier than a fruitcake," he grumbles synthetically.

How the lore stands as now, I have little qualms over. I usually do not wish to be vocal over the internet, because it is going to cause tensions in the process. I just want to avoid conflict altogether. But since you asked for it... Oooh that's a toughie. Our species lore is pretty diverse and complex, and I love it (at least the species I care enough to read about anyway) Nut you know what could use some work? The political relations lore. A brand new player wouldn't know the finer intricacies of lore bits, (Like a tajaran sleeping 24 hours, but that's another example of species-based lore) but we get very, VERY little information of the government systems and political relations. If you were to ask me 'What is ATLAS' right now, I'll have to honestly reply, "I don't have a clue". We need a way to get lore more exposure on the station. Everybody has to read their species for whitelist, so by default, players already know their background lore - and humans can just be ignorant about it. Human ignorance is a useful excuse to play off lack of exposure, but it's still an excuse - and I would expect NanoTrasen to higher intelligent people to work on their state-of-the-art stations. It would be swell to host more events that deals with the Sol system - this is after all, human dominant space. The same can be true for other species. We got Unathi dignitaries visiting, and that added spice into the arpee. (The crippled prince won a battle using a mech with high-tech medical life support - Karima showed them a state-of-the-art Odysseus with high-tech medical life support. I AM SO CALLING CLAIMS TO THAT. -insert happy face here- ) Not only that, but can we please have our newscasters back to give our own lore more recognition? Reading up the random stories and arpeeing them into the shift was always a fun outlet. And it gave more exposure of the lore! It made people interested to go out and research the species we got on the wiki! The current political drama is great - tricky to keep track of, but it's so much fun. I'm hoping this will present some real volatile change in the lore of Biesel (Don't let me down!) instead of cascading back to a casual, "Oh yeah. We had a political campaign. Nothing's change" sort of deal. I wanna see conflict. I wanna see action. I wanna see things that will filter over to the station and make it HELL for our poor innocent sweet characters. The two parts I'd love to take a part of are either Synthetic Lore or Antag Lore. Synthetics...they're just cool. Spawned as human's need for tireless workers, they're finding their way in a society with no real place to call their own. They're just on a helpless drift, like leaves in a wind. With the way synthetic lore is going, it's great. I love it. If we need something, it'd be a stronger 'base' to develop our synthetic characters. We need to answer these hazy questions: Why can't Synthetics repair themselves? How much does a chassis cost? What are the steps necessary for a station-bound to become IPC? What is Synthetic life like in other parts of the galaxies? How is a property synthetic's rights different from a free synthetic? Etc etc etc. Perhaps the only thing we would need is to define a 'snowflake' meter for Synthetics. This ties in to another issue: you wanna keep it free and flowing to allow a many possible ideas all the leverage they need, but I get the impression that most people are wary to play around in that given room - either in fear of being it 'Too Snowflake' or 'not in line with the lore'. Having a more definitive representation of the Do's and Don'ts can clear up a lot of confusion there. Or maybe this is just me because every single one of my character is a freaking snowflake. Yeah, probably just me. Ahem.. Anyway, on to Antags! Out of all the antags, Syndicate is best. I would enjoy defining it, and adding more fluff to it. The setup we got now for antag is pretty sweet, and impressive. You know what would be cool? Writing up an illegal pirate newsletter for the Syndicate propaganda, or a list of intelligence that only Heads of Staff would know. I've been told that people tend to be confused with where the Syndicate stand in our lore. That it's been shifted from, 'No one knows a thing' to 'It's just sort of out there' or 'They're like the mafia - something to be afraid of and you don't mess with'. It'd be interesting to see Syndicate not only be a big fear hanging over the heads of every day citizens, but to have some conspiracy around them. We need to explain how they get all their tech and their gear, why they hate NT so much, and for what reasons are they spending so much on resources to send in a couple sleeper agents. Thirdly, bluespace. Can we have an IC explanation of how magic works in this game? Sci-fi games having magic is just...eh. It clashes. I'd politely ask we back it up with some cold-hard scientific facts, so a scientist can pull up info and explain why a wizard can do what they can, in regards of bluespace. Heck, we can even give xenoarcheologists more leeway in defining what it is, since this stuff is right up their alley. Clean it up. Organize it. Add in OUR own specialized guides instead of borrowing it off of Bay. Make it truly Aurora and make it PROUD to be so. If we could have a concise, single page that can give all the information a specific job slot needs (Or at least provide the further links) that would be so wonderful. Our species pages look great - don't touch it. Everything else? Good love, they need some cleanup. I've started writing a research paper on Synthetics (Yes, I'm actually doing that. I'm tossing in a few college-level psychology stuff from my one and only textbook of psychology) and I gotta say, I'm enjoying it like a true nerd. But the information for one single topic is spread out everywhere. I'm afraid I'm missing stuff I could add in because I won't be able to find it. I don't even know how many people know about EMPIRE coding, and I only found that page by a lucky fluke. We really need to organize the Wiki. Once it's organized, we can then see what holes are present in the lore, and fill em up. A list of 'Dos and Don'ts' for certain antag shenanigangs could clean up so much confusion. And for newer players, even a 'newbie friendly' guide that gives acceptable ideas and suggestions, to give them the chance to break the ice. I got so much HATE for the first time I went as a Heister, and I wasn't even responsible for it. The person leading the heist was new, and I handed the reigns over to them since I was unable to participate in a great deal of it. Less on lore, more on technicality. Hmm...I did not like the war on Adohmai. I don't have any qualms against the decision and where it's going, but it changed the Tajaran identity so drastically. I miss the species who were underdogs, lost in the chaos of Space and trying to find their place (Rhyme not intended). Now everyone's a war vet. Too many snowflake war vets. Yeah, I got nothing else to add to this. It's early in the morning, and I'm done shitposting.

Your family branch is yours to do as you please, Sierra. Go ahead and add/subtract siblings from Ziva's immediate family. Seeing as these two others are nowhere to be seen, perhaps I can offer moving them into a different branch instead of just cutting ties. They could be siblings on a separate family. I've seen Kiwi and Firstact around, about a month or so back. I haven't heard from them since, but if they're taking an extended break, I'd hate to pull them out. I ran into Rasul when I first returned. We can always say they were 'moved elsewhere' in their field of work. I had this whole Mo'Taki family idea to be very massive and diverse, like a family with many generations upon generations, and relatives you didn't even know you were related to.

Why not Copy and Paste the database, this is 2458. Everyone had done it every extended round and no one dared to question the logic. Maybe in the future our data storage capacity really sucks (or NT is just cheap) and only Odin can hold all the data. or no one just bothered to ever think that much about this general subject It could be that they don't want any syndicate undercover agents in the cleanup crew to access these databanks...

Omg, this would be so interesting - especially with Lipsi's idea. I just hope that such aging would take a great deal of time...expanded far longer than a human lifespan, maybe as long as a skrell? But then, positronic brains are kinda a new thing. If it's that long, I don't think any IPCs would have aged that far.

Using the term 'Plasma' has always, ALWAYS irked me. Scientifically speaking, plasma is a 4th state of matter made up of ionized gases. Yet, ingame we can cool this substance, make is solid, grind it up, and breathe it (With pretty bad consequences). It's not plasma. Plasma is a state of matter, not an actual substance. Phoron is a made up word, and would better suit the substance. I always treated it that Phoron was the actual technical term, and Plasma was the slang. Phoron /is/ highly energized, and a lot of its characteristics in the gaseous state could be compared to actual plasma. My IC theory is that Phoron is a carbon-based substance, made of xeno-based matter and can be manipulated in a myriad of ways. It can form crystalline structures, purified into gas, compressed into sheets, etc etc etc. I wouldn't say it's a new element, but it's a specific chain of a compounds that can only be found in certain parts of the galaxy, and people don't really understand bluespace physics to fully synthesize it.

:::BULLETIN UPDATE::: Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing well. As you know, the election is around the corner, and the candidates have been selected. They'll be hosting a question-and-answer session during their campaign, and we encourage everyone to be vocal. We are currently looking for volunteers to act as interviewers - we want people to go out and ask the candidates their views and stance on synthetic rights. You may email our office or post here for details. Also, apologies for the lack of organization and general lack of communication. Our servers had a few issues, but our technicians finally worked out the glitches. We'll be able to run services again! ::::::::

I'm assuming yes. But can they?