12antemeridiem

I believe the lore canonization applications are more meant for broader picture ideas. In that instead of proposing a character (or a series of characters) for approval, you would detail the entire lore for a new thing or place. That's a very good point. I'm going to reply to your post right now - use this as a placeholder/writeup spot for me, and turn it into a more coherent loredump over the next half hour or so. I'll ping you when I'm all done! : ) EDIT: It's all done! (ish) Okay. Loredump. I can do loredump. I'll structure this loosely like a wiki article, with timestamps and all that fun stuff to tie it into the universe's lore. Overview Lab-born, or "Vat-born" humans are now widely a relic of humanity's checkered past. Designed and patented by Zeng-Hu in the early 2200's during the advent of corporate surveying, strip mining, and widespread colonial investment of the Sol Alliance. While Einstein Engines had the market cornered when it came to the ships traversing and establishing the sprawling Warp Gate network - Zeng-Hu built up a sizeable portion of its capital on the use of primitive cloning technology, fabricating what can loosely be termed as "viable" and "human" clones with limited intelligence, and equally limited lifespans. Their utility came from their compliance, programmed brainwaves, and reliability. They could be "imprinted" and "taught" to perform fairly complex menial tasks, such as ship maintenance, basic first aid, janitorial duties, or record-keeping. Specific batches and product lines soon exploded out of the initial "MASON" run of clones, designed with offworld mining in mind, such as the immensely profitable "HANNAH" maintenance clones, and the more unpopular "RICHARD" janitorial series. They were used extensively throughout the 2200s, up to the late 2300's, as political agitation regarding clone rights began to swell, and were ultimately quashed within the Alliance courts system, and quickly fell out of vogue as profitability of batches plummeted with the advent of IPC technology, and more advanced cloning techniques allowed for a different sort of indebted slavery to take hold in high risk trades. Heads of Staff Vatborn or lab-born clones are not permitted to serve in any head of staff or command position, as they, ostensibly lack the mental acuity, and legal status as "persons." Mechanics The mechanics of vat-born or lab born human clones do not differ significantly from that of a normal human. Many are outfitted with robotic limbs or implants to extend their "profitable uptime," and all are "tape learned" with a basic trade in mind, with the exception of later, general-purpose labor batches. Almost all are designed to work in limited gravity, or require RMT pills due to cellular degradation and muscular dystrophy. Information for Players Interested in Playing a Lab-Born Human Job Restrictions: Put simply, as an early(or late)-run vat born, you are expected to be tape-learned (imprinted with the information) to perform a single set of menial, semi-simple tasks - from hull repair, to janitorial duties. Later runs have a limited ability to learn new tasks in real time, and are much more common in comparison. They are not capable of higher learning. Behavior: Vat born are capable of speech and complex language, as well as expressing emotions. They feel pain. They remember things that have happened to them. But, with a soulless, sad, plodding monotony, they carry out their assigned tasks without complaint. They exist in a quiet, eerie limbo between sentience and sapience. It is possible to have meaningful conversations with people, and even other lab-born - but there is very clearly something not there. Most early batches still in service behave with a stunted, lobotomized behavior pattern, and later batches just barely manage a tentative, winking self awareness that is always snuffed out when it seems to take root. Within warranty, at least. Speaking like a Lab-Born Shorter sentences, simpler words, and a disinterest in learning new ones outside of their assigned role are the typical hallmarks of a lab-born. A placid, serene tone of voice is the normal baseline, although when stressed, their designed response is fear or timidity. Some rare cases of menial labour or last-gen batches will respond when pressured with outbursts of childlike violence. Historically, these are terminated or retaped for their behavior. Physiology The physiology of vat born vary wildly between runs, and their intended use - whether in zero/low-g environments, or in planetside or high-G locales. Typically, they are identical to humans, with deficient musculature, and genetics programmed with obsolescence in mind. For companies interested in continuing to use a lab-born beyond the intended period, they must waive the warranty by submitting a relatively simple waiver - and administering a retroviral serum designed to "unlock" the pre-programmed markers meant to instigate cell death. Most models are meant to be easy to chase down, and easier to dismantle, sporting weak points in their cranium, and easily broken limbs. Batch Series List MASON SERIES Designed specifically for mass deployment for "by hand" mining applications on distant colonies, "Masons" are stocky and hardy vat born, designed to work well with their peers. Simple minded and cheerful, they gained a reputation for smiling, because it seemed to raise the morale of their human compatriots. Single minded and eager, Masons are the longest-running and most successful of all of the lab-born runs, and often congregate with each other, and have simple, friendly conversations with their counterparts. They live their lives in a lobotomized bliss, and will follow their orders to the best of their abilities. They will often congregate after work shifts, and quietly share everything they have experienced with each other. HANNAH SERIES Long haul cryopod ships, especially those carrying settlers to distant worlds, or hauling warp gates made extensive use of the "Hannah" series. Designed from the ground up with zero-g in mind, they are fragile, compared to their compatriots. They were also, arguably, one of the most independent minded and inventive of all of the runs. Meant to be woken up by themselves, or in at most - pairs, Hannah's are typically antisocial, and have difficulty in large groups. They become protective of the things they work on, and were typically meant to exist to perform limited maintenance of ship systems, patch hull breaches, and wake up the next Hannah(s) at the end of their expected 50 year life cycle. RICHARD SERIES One of the two most common, publicly-seen lab born, the "Richard" series was intended to perform increasingly unpopular and poorly-paying janitorial tasks on distant colonies and core-world facilities alike. Their absent minded nature, while comical, lead to several expensive re-designs of the product line over its marketing cycles. Richards are often the butt of jokes by their human peers, and have a markedly short life cycle of typically no more than 5 years, due to psychological stresses. Later runs solved much of the absent mindedness, but it is not uncommon for Richards with diverse janitorial skillsets and extended lifetime to become markedly more clumsy as time goes on. STELLA SERIES The last official run of vat-born came in the early 2300s, and was iterated on extensively until the influx of Skrellian technology - and the corresponding explosion in medical and robotic sciences made the concept of vat-born obsolete. "Stella's" are the most psychologically resilient and personable of lab-born humans, and are capable of learning a wide variety of menial tasks in real time due to their more developed brains. They can also be "tape learned," like older models, and reset by overlaying a blank "Stella" engram over the existing brain waves with advanced cloning technology. Helpful, demure, and professional, Stellas, while uncommon in the modern setting, were widely used up until the early 2400s. What is "Tape Learning?" Tape learning is the usage of imprinted brain waves to achieve a desired skillset, when "flashed" onto existing, mapped, vat-grown brains. Normal humans, or normal dead brains are exceptionally difficult to tape learn due to the lack of consistent neural structure, and will almost always result in brain death. Stella runs are the most common candidates for tape learning, and have the most extensive infrastructure for doing so. Please give feedback!!! : D

Type (e.g. Planet, Faction, System): Zeng-Hu Clone Series. Describe this proposal in a single sentence (12 word maximum): Allowing for lab-born batch-produced "humans" with letter&number designations in their names. How will this be reflected on-station? The creation of STELLA, and potentially other lab-born/vat-born clones produced by Zeng-Hu for menial labour & other tasks. Does this faction/etc do anything not achieved by what already exists? Currently, it is not permissible to play clones with limited intelligence or use dehumanizing letter-and-number designations in human names. Why should this be given to lore developers rather than remain player created lore? Because I was told that an admin that I was not allowed to play my character without making a lore application. Do you understand that if this is submitted, you are signing it away to the lore team, and that it's possible that it will change over time in ways that you may not forsee? Yes. Long Description: See below! Hi. So I made a character called Stella D-442 today. The idea was that she was an aging and fairly decrepit clone running on extended life support because of her value as cheap menial labour. I made a bunch of records and flavor text for her, and set up some custom items, but got told while playing that I wasn't allowed to play as her, because human names cannot have numbers in them, only IPCs. D-442 is a designation meaning "Batch D, #442," as the STELLA series were manufactured in large quantities to keep costs down. Here is a copy paste of the records, flavor text, and story that I made up for her. MEDICAL RECORDS: The medical records are lengthy - unsurprising for such a weathered, mass produced clone meant to medically expire after a few decades. DO NOT CLONE DO NOT RESUCITATE CYBORGIFICATION PERMITTED Lungs, liver, and kidneys appear to have been mechanically augmented with bottom-line Zeng-Hu products repeatedly over the last fifty years, allowing for an extended lifetime. Despite mechanical assistance, the respiratory system is under considerable stress. EMPLOYMENT RECORDS: Contracts of numerous STELLA series vat-grown utility clones have been purchased over the last century. Designed for low-grade, intense labour over a period of no more than 25 years, before designed obsolescence. This one has had its lifetime extended considerably by Nanotrasen - kept "on ice" in between shifts due to genetic degradation, and reassigned to lighter duties. The general impressions from the dossier suggest a demure and compliant, unthinking, barely-sentient worker who has earned the meager niceties expended on her several hundred times over. SECURITY RECORDS: Security records read more like an autopsy report and instruction manual than an actual dossier. Most of the text uses outdated terminology from almost a century ago - ripped straight from the pages of Zeng-Hu batch clone handling manuals. Designed structural weaknesses of the STELLA series are pointed out in detail, citing a designed lack of burst sprinting capabilities, and several designed weak points in the front and back of their skull, to allow for ease of access and decisive termination. Based on the lengthy records on hand, this particular STELLA has been remarkably compliant and obedient during its tenure on NanoTrasen stations. FLAVOR TEXT: Average in height, with a slim and malnourished profile. Lanky, greasy hair is cropped into a tight, professional pixie cut. Slightly hollowed cheeks give way to eerily young, fresh faced features. Dull, black, unsettling eyes stare out of sunken eye sockets. A slightly emaciated stomach gives way to visible ribs, and an almost non-existent bust. Lanky, but eerily lithe and muscular arms seem to be lightly enhanced by synthetic monofilaments. Her hands shudder involuntarily now and then - ghost signals from malfunctioning glands. Slim hips give way to thin, lithe legs, supported by monofilament muscular bracing. Worn down by years of walking and labour, her feet are completely flat. SIGNATURE "I am Stella." Creator's notes: So. Now that I have you down here. I created Stella with the intention of interacting with medical on a regular basis, as well as command staff, for direct assignment to departments at the beginning of a shift, and for regular "sustainability" checkups, to see if she's physically prepared for decommissioning. (A threshold which is ambiguous, but generally noted at 'too expensive to repair compared to the value of continued service.) The moral question of the situation, is what really tugs at me. People, in general, are used to the idea of robots being property, and not having rights. They also rabidly believe that synthetic intelligences should have full rights. But what about humanoid, living and breathing 'robots,' who only just barely classify as sapient. Beings who can only ever achieve an amateurish understanding of subjects, and were designed from the ground up to perform menial, repetitive labor. Are those human? They look human. They're alive. But they don't have rights. They don't want rights. They just want to do what people tell them, and go to sleep. I thought that this would be both an engaging moral and social question that would be fun for people to interact with, even on extended rounds. On secret or other rounds - Stella's suppressed death wish and slow mental degradation can really come to light in unsettling displays of animalistic regression and neuroses. I would like you to make this canon so I can play this character. Thank you. : ) < 3 EDIT: I was shown this song by a friend, and it very poignantly drives the point I wanted to make across beautifully.

The question Haydizzle brought forward about how exactly she ends up on the Aurora is presented just because that act of getting from Moghes aaaaaall the way to Tau Ceti can be a hurdle for character backstory, so we just want to make sure the logic of getting from point A to B checks out. That's perfectly sensible. So, pruned out from the basis of the character, was the stretch of time between post-war Moghes, and the current day. Like I said, she's middle aged as far as Unathi go. She was an adult during the war (early twenties, specifically), and already well established as a favored warrior with a strong bloodline + connections within the clan. The carnage sobered her personality considerably. For the time being, until I'm given a hard answer one way or another regarding which side Clan Szek'hakh favored during the war - I'm going to assume that they backed the Coalition. Which meant that much of the time she spent during the fighting was very bloody. Being forced to use dishonorable tactics in the face of overwhelming shows of dishonor. (Usage of breacher kits, laser weaponry, mass murder, etc) - and the extreme casualties their fighting and civilian populations weathered changed her outlook on war considerably. I'd imagine, on some level, the nuclear first strike was something of a relief, in a strange sort of way. It meant the butchery and carnage finally stopped. You have a period of some years after that where her role shifts to more domestic concerns. Settling matters of honor for the newly founded Queendom. Organizing parleys with the Reclaimers in the nearby deserts for parts and technical expertise. Poaching manpower from the Gawgaryn, overseeing security for trade missions to nearby cities ... And, in her time off, refining her craft, and trying to find some measure of inner peace with what she's experienced. Religious pilgrimages to holy sites and favored shamans, or priests. Seeking rest and solace. But she also became very valuable to the Queen through her reputation, and her abilities as a duelist and mediator. And, in no small part, due to how embarrassing it was to be defeated in combat by someone who looks very much like a female. So this naturally lead to her being "leased out," in exchange for favors. To the Compact, to Reclaimers in particularly dire straits, and usually for a short time. Long enough to settle a dispute, or finish an upstart with a decisive duel in another's name. Usually in exchange for technology or resources to help build the industrial and economic base of the Queendom itself. Radiation chems. Water filters. More resilient aquaculture specimens. So - then this brings us to Aurora, somewhat ironically. While Hephaestus is the go-to for the Hegemony, there's still small corporate interests at play on Moghes. Some of them have ties with pirates. Others with salvagers and smaller communities looking for any way out they can. I'm going to leave it ambiguous as per whether Anzhsaa herself secured a position as a Warden based on falsified records and a perfectly valid work visa in order to facilitate industrial theft for the betterment of her community in league with the Compact ... Or whether she's working as a paid hostage/liaison in exchange for favors via backchannels and NT affiliated "couriers" and "smugglers" running Hegemony blockades ... Either way you cut it, she's an experienced body, holding down a post, and staying in fairly squalid conditions for a cut-rate fee. As for the physicality of "how she got there," well. It was a cramped journey that took several different ships - all commissioned in some way or another by the Compact. The final stretch - an Elyrian freighter, and a stamp on a work visa. Nothing that boggles the mind.

Getting set for bed now - but thank you for the lore dump.

With the last name "Szek'Hakh," you'll be playing a character that is directly related to the matriarch of the Queendom herself, Lazak Szek'Hakh, being in the same clan as her. Perhaps I missed it in your application (I swear I read the whole thing!) but I didn't pick up on what their actual relation to her was. Ok, that's a really pointed question. In short, I was under the impression that clans encompassed entire geopolitical regions or tribes. Now that you've pointed out that it's more like a Dynasty or familial thing than something that everyone in Yu'kal would have, that forces me to consider either changing the last name, or rolling with the punch. I wasn't planning initially to be quite so ambitious as to plonk my character in the lineage of a ruling clan - even if it's of a miserable backwater. But it absolutely does bring weight and credence to her background as an experienced duelist. I don't know how old the Queen is. I don't know what the family tree looks like. Anzhsaa herself is in her mid to late forties. Realistically, she's probably not in the immediate line of succession, and is likely part of a clan or family bred and historically well known for producing duelists and honor guards for the clan. Much of her life has been dedicated to serving the interests of the clan - whether that's taking a noble's place in single combat, facilitating negotiations with rivals, serving in wartime in defense of the clan's interests - or more recently, undertaking more clandestine missions, and serving other masters in the cause of keeping her dwindling culture alive, and relatively untouched by the Hegemony's yoke.

1) What will bring your character to the station, and what job will she perform there? The goal of the application was to give a broad strokes understanding of the core concepts of the character, rather than shoehorn them into a specific role from the get-go. A lot of my brainstorming - while not cut exactly, was trimmed off to give more of an idea of what made the character who she is, more than what she is from a mechanical standpoint. How she gets to the station, and the role she performs would basically be a multi-para response, but I'll keep it fairly brief. The intention is to play her as a Warden or Visitor/Off-Duty, depending on availability of slots. What brings her to the station and profession is fairly ambiguous. I won't say it's entirely forged credentials. I won't say too much about being leased out by her nobility to pirates in exchange for extensive smuggling favors. I won't say much about industrial espionage to give her neglected and desperate homeland a fighting chance. Or too much about her proficiency, specifically, as a professional duelist - hence her value as a "leased" commodity. What's true, and what's not about this particular Unathi is going to be very much defined by what people experience, draw out, and witness first hand. 2) What religion do think she prescribes to and believes in? Growing up in a culture where spirits and ancestral traditions are omnipresent leaves an impression. Especially when the nature of who and what you are draws a lot of attention from the local clergy. What you've been told is true, your whole life - suddenly being used against you in very embarrassing and socially shocking ways can rub some people the wrong way. But the fact that others believe it wholly, and it rings as instinctually true for you? More often than not, it's not enough to shrug off those views. It's easier, socially, to acquiesce and accept. Whether she's a true believer or not? You'd have to ask her, and know her well enough to get an honest answer. It's probably yes. Strictly speaking, like most of those in her community, she professes a faith in the Th'akh doctrine. Accepts that there are two spirits within her, vying for control. And believes deeply that these are guiding spirits, there to temper her heart and soul, and provide challenge and direction in her life. She communes with her ancestors readily, and has been lead to believe by her spiritual leaders and confidants, that perhaps the female spirit within her is an ancestor, or a lover from a past life who refuses to leave her/his side. Doctrine, while when she was younger - it may have seemed more important, has faded far from her mind after the war. Spiritual succor and guidance, whether it comes from a shaman, or a Sk'akh priest, offers peace of mind, and some measure of balance and solace. Symbology and comforting words are powerful. 3) Exploring the themes of the species in general is what attracts most people to apply for that species. I noticed this is your first forums post and, as a result, your first whitelist application too. Going off of your answer to the ‘why do you wish to play this species,’ are there any specific elements of the lore that brought you to this species in particular? Such as the specific faction of choice, how Unathi behave, etc. It seems cheesy. The short answer is no. The long answer is a little more nuanced. I primarily want to play and be whitelisted as an Unathi so I can play alongside a friend of mine who I've hung out with on and off for a couple years now. I enjoy Unathi from an aesthetic perspective. I enjoy them from a literary perspective. I feel like this question is more geared towards teasing out a "have you got any spicy lore tidbits you'd like me to see you've read" response, but there really isn't one. Like I said in my first post, I spent about 4 hours this morning drafting up the character concept, drawing out idea webs, drawing out a rough timeline, age range, key points in history ... But really it's all about just playing something my friend thinks it'd be cool to play off of. You feel?

BYOND Key: 12antemeridiem Character Name(s): Miriam Hasson, Sandra Boone. Species you are applying to play: Unathi What color do you plan on making your first alien character: I'm leaning towards greenish scales, with sandy/cream belly+palm colourations. Not sold on frills or horns yet - I'll have to play around with the editor. Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: I went down a bit of a rabbit hole, honestly. I've had all of the lore pages open while brainstorming about this first character. 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: I enjoy contrast, and exploring the nuances of new cultures and alien mindsets with my writing. The Unathi obviously have semi-analogues in popular science fiction. It's easy to draw similar themes from species like the Yaut'ja, Krogan, Klingons - or Thraddash. In some ways, they're that archetypical "honorbound warrior," species that gets a bad rap for being stereotyped to shit, or simply a front for treatises on boneheaded aggression so common in human culture. The Unathi specifically, are, like many SS13 races, an expression of human ideals - in their case, regarding traditionalism vs. progressivism, technology vs. man, supersition vs. rationality, & the effects of interstellar imperialism on developing cultures. I want to play as an Unathi, because exploring these themes through characters makes for an entertaining evening. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: I feel like this question is a little bit of a misnomer. While other species in SS13 are inhuman, like I touched on in why I want to play an Unathi, they all heavily draw from human experience. None of them are truly alien in intelligence or motivation. What makes them different, is primarily based on culture, speech pattern, and physicality. You see very similar instincts and predispositions throughout the human experience. For instance, the spiritually based rejection of technology in regards to how augmentation or cybernetic enhancement "maims" the soul. This is something you see in fiction settings like Shadowrun. Similarly, the concept of reincarnation, the soul, and the specifics therein (is the soul transferred from dead meat to a clone?) all being subject to dogma is very human. At the crux of it, I would say what makes playing an Unathi different from playing a human, is often superficial. It's about culture. Biology. The realities of coming from a deeply traditionalist and spiritual society. Being a survivor of a nuclear war, in a galaxy that cares very little for your backwards species outside of what you can offer as physical labour. Character Name: Anzsaa Szek’Hakh Please provide a short backstory for this character: Alright. Short. I can do short. So. Unathi society is accepting of women who profess to have "male" spirits. The idea of a male's soul trapped in a female's body is widely accepted as a spiritual thing. What's frowned on, is open displays of feminine power and honor. It's embarrassing. It's not very traditional - and so, it's shunned. Anzsaa, when born, was expected to be a particularly prime male. His egg was visibly larger than most, was particularly difficult to lay, and was tremendously difficult to crack open. Such a chain of events, little feats and hardships from birth, were considered to be good omens by the priesthood. A traditional upbringing, in what is now the "Queendom" of Szek’Hakh, became rapidly more complicated as she came of age. A male Unathi being lost in love, or seen to be favoring women can be waved off easily enough. But when a severe hormonal imbalance is married to the mentality and physicality of a very male warrior, things become needlessly complex. Feminine voice, body structure, even colouration on a male already being groomed and prepared for life as a warrior is awkward. What followed, was a long serious of religious and social interventions by the clan. The begrudging conclusion - that the young aspirant had been merged with a female spirit as he came of age, possibly an honored ancestor. A conclusion most were satisfied with. She would simply have to reaffirm her masculinity in actions, and pay the proper fealties to the spirits to keep further ill luck at bay. Then came the war. Like other settlements, Yu'kal offered up its men, and they were slaughtered in droves. Anzsaa was one of few survivors, who returned battered and beleaguered by the horrors of the bloody fighting. While the settlement isolated from the worst of the fighting, Yu'kal suffered as its lakes withered into tentative oases in the midst of a harsh wasteland. Things were very different now. Where men had dominated the culture and religion, now there was a Queen. The clergy had been decimated. The men needed for breeding - too valuable to be exposed to the harshness of the wasteland. Anzaa's experience and physicality, and feminine appearance lead to an impasse. For the first time, she was given a choice. Whether to settle into the new role of the man, to cook, clean, care for a home and take on many wives. Or to continue to serve as she had before, as a warrior. Though now - without needing to kowtow and awkwardly reaffirm her masculinity at every opportunity. She chose the latter - perhaps unsurprisingly. Familiarity is difficult to give up. And the idea of having little life outside of cooking and "marital duties" to a cadre of females was a deeply uncomfortable thought. Instead, she caught the eye of Lazak through her service as a warrior for the clan. Huntress. Diplomat. A watchful protector - and a fearsome duelist for the honor of her sisters in arms. In private, she deals with her dysphoria through religious practice. An animistic praying to the "female and male" spirits which inhabit her body in unison. A respect to her ancestors. And a fervent prayer to the guiding spirits - to protect Yu'kal, and offer hope to her people as they struggle. Not just to survive, but to thrive in a world which has passed them by. In a galaxy which cares very little for a few thousand lizards farming gene-modded krill species #5592 in the shallows of dying oases. What do you like about this character? I made it. Realistically, though? I like her because it allows for the exploration of a lot of different aspects of Unathi society and culture, in a way that isn't painfully obnoxious or rote. How would you rate your role-playing ability? It's alright. Notes: Looking forward to feedback & suggestions, and getting to play the character. Cheers.