RustingWithYou

Inauguration for Archpriest Roeruz, Stalemate Promised to be Set to Rest Article 6 of the Sk'akh Reformation Arc Bells of celebration were sounded from the Third Scept today, as Roeruz, newly appointed Archpriest of the Tza Prairie, was sworn in as the newest Archpriest of the Sk’akh Church. The Scept was packed with the faithful of Skalamar, as well as bards from across the Hegemony and beyond, all watching this historic day for themselves. In contrast to the divided appearance they have had recently, today the Archpriests appeared united, with all four of them standing in the traditional position of the High Priest, to welcome their new brother to the fold. Archpriest Roeruz approached the four Archpriests, kneeling before them. While the Archpriests wore the finest of ceremonial robes, Roeruz appeared humbly, dressed in the simple robes of a traveler. The oath that he swore before them is the same oath that centuries of Archpriests have sworn before him - to stand with pride and honor beneath the six eyes of Sk’akh. To spread the light of the Great Spirit to every corner of Moghes, no matter how distant and barren it may be. To guide the spirits of the faithful, that they might not be lured astray and forget what it is to be Sinta - and to be cast to the Chained Wastes should this oath be broken. Having sworn this oath, and being anointed with ceremonial oils, the four Archpriests called upon Roeruz to rise as their brother and their equal - a deviation from tradition, as such a ceremony would ordinarily be conducted by the High Priest. Each of them embraced him, and he addressed the gathered crowd. “My brothers and sisters, faithful of Sk’akh! My thanks to all of you for coming here today, and witnessing what I hope will only be the beginning of my service to the Great Spirit. Rest assured, my brothers of the Church and I will not stand silent for long - at last, the days of deadlocked councils and silent responses are over! The Church of Sk’akh is rising again, and let me tell all of you that we will never again stand divided as we have! Ring the bells! Feast and be merry! And may the Three Heads watch over us all, in the days to come!” Archpriest Roeruz’s impassioned speech was met with cheers and celebration from the assembled faithful, as the bells of the Third Scept rang loud across Skalamar. The newly-inaugurated Archpriest was promptly surrounded by crowds of the faithful, seeking blessings, words of wisdom - or simply to have it be seen that they were there for this historic day, as the rifts within the Church of Sk’akh seem to be well and truly on the mend. With only two days remaining before the promised vote on reparations to the Akhanzi, the entire nation awaits eagerly to see what the result will be.

We have one slot open in the Unathi team. Along with the standard developer application format, please answer the following questions 1. How do you feel about the current state of Unathi lore? Are there any areas that you particularly want to expand on? 2. Propose an Unathi-centric event arc to be run on the Horizon. You don't need to go super in-depth, just a summary will do.

Hi, thanks for applying! Just a few questions. 1. How does her experience as a Guwan pre-2458, albeit one not responsible for her status, shape Auk'razzi's view of Guwan at large in the Hegemony? Does she hold sympathy for those named Guwan for their actual crimes? 2. The orphanage guilds are rather exploitative organisations, and an orphan will usually leave them with significant debt. Though the Kuhwinla generally don't accumulate as much debt as others, how does that debt impact Auk'razzi in her life aboard the Horizon? 3. As someone who's been living abroad for quite some time, how does Auk'razzi feel about recent events in the Hegemony - the big three being the arrival of the K'lax, the ascension of Not'zar as Hegemon, and the incorporation of the major guilds by Hephaestus?

I asked a lot of questions on the previous app, so for all of our sakes I won't repeat them here. While I don't necessarily agree with all your ideas on the direction lore should be taken, but I think you're good at both writing and managing people, and while deputy LM is still a head staff position, it is also a deputy one well-suited to learning the role and responsibilites. Though there's some strong competition, I'm happy to leave a heartfelt endorsement of your application.

1. The Wasteland is a big part of Unathi lore, even if its nature means that, short of an event where we go there, a lot of it will not really impact the Horizon beyond character backgrounds. As for adding/removing, I wrote the recent expansion to the Wasteland page, which I think got most of what I wanted to do down. The biggest way in which I'd like to expand on the Wasteland would be through IC developments about the Izweski terraforming projects, in collaboration with the Vaurca lore team and potentially others. How is the phoron crisis impacting the efforts at restoration, who's running the show on the restoration projects, does it look like they have a chance of actually succeeding? The Wasteland's potential, to me, isn't just as a setting or point of origin, but as an active crisis facing the Unathi species - the efforts being taken to mitigate or prevent that crisis, as well as how that impacts the people living there, are where I think most of the potential for expansion and development lies. 2. I've talked a lot about Sk'akh, largely because they're the only religion that's really a political force within the Hegemony in its own right. That being said, I'd like to flesh out the distinguishing factors of each of the four main Unathi faiths - which I've already begun in part with the addition of the religious books, the regional Th'akh beliefs and the Aut'akh commune expansion. I don't want to drop a massive wall of text but I'll give my thoughts on each of them. Sk'akh inherently is the faith closest to the levers of power - the Church has been a powerful presence in Hegemonic politics since before the Izweski Hegemony was even formed, and I think that the contrast of spiritual and political matters is something I'd like to flesh out - the contrast between the true believers, the opportunists, the reformers, the hidebound traditionalists, and how they try to maintain their relevance in the modern age. The civil war arc did a lot of things I'm not a fan of, but the death of Unzi and the destruction of the Church as a political power was a big mistake IMO - I'd like to flesh out the remaining Archpriests, and go more in-depth on the Church's internal struggles in their current leaderless state, something the current arc has already begun to dip into. Th'akh is the hardest and easiest religion to write about, because it's not really a single religion at all so much as several hundred vastly different beliefs in a trenchcoat. That makes it easy to write varied and interesting beliefs, but hard to have it doing things as a political force. I'd probably like to focus on divergent Th'akhist beliefs being drawn together to provide a counterbalance to a revitalised Sk'akh church in the future, but generally as a much less unified force than the Church is. I'd also like to do something with the Marine Messiah over in the Torn Cities at some point, because Kopesk Th'akh is neat. Aut'akh is the most inherently political religion, and nearly as diverse in beliefs as Th'akh is. That being said, the anarchist politics of the faith inherently position it as opposed to the Hegemony and likely unfriendly towards the SCC, which is something that can be explored further - Ouerean Aut'akh are ripe for this following recent events there, and given the revolutionary spirit of the planet's culture. I'd want to be careful, given that I don't want to do something which would cross the line into "Yeah the SCC just doesn't hire Aut'akh any more after they stabbed Titanius Aeson to death in an alley." (random example, I will not kill Aeson). Cross-species interaction with Aut'akh would also be neat - Vaurcae, the Iron Eternal Diona and IPCS being the big three that I'd like to give some kind of Aut'akh connection, or expand on what's already there. Si'akh's biggest problem is, to me, largely in its perception as 'crazy fire cult'. While it is unquestionably that, I'd like to expand more on how Si'akh and Aut'akh are two sides of the same coin - splinter religions of the major Unathi faiths, formed in direct response to the trauma of the Contact War and the rightful anger at those in power who allowed it to happen. I don't want to make Si'akh a totally morally good faction, any more than I want that with the Aut'akh - both of them are pretty shady, but what I do want to express clearly in my writing of the faiths is that they are, fundamentally, right about a hell of a lot. The Izweski system is by no means a good one for those other than the nobles, and seeing that system destroyed is a cornerstone of both faiths. I'd like to expand Si'akh outside of Moghes, also - showing that the Prophet is not just wandering around preaching, but actively making moves to build support for his cause. Some of the spots with existing religious tension and Si'akh populations such as Res'karum, the Southlands and Imas'hi are prime places to demonstrate this as well - I'd like to escalate the situations there if possible, and show that Si'akh may be a crazy fire cult, but it is also a revolutionary ideology that will pose a fundamental threat to the foundation of Izweski power if left unchecked.

Hutay’zai’s Shocking Change of Heart: A New Archpriest for Sk’akh? Article 5 of the Sk'akh Reformation Arc Several days after being summoned to the capital by the Hegemon, Overlord Hutay’zai has released a new statement regarding his role in selecting an Archpriest for the church. In a dramatic change of heart, the Overlord has affirmed that he will appoint a new Archpriest to the Church of Sk’akh as is his right by law, stating that “My recent words were those of anger, unfit for one of my position. I offer my apologies to the Church, and to those who my words may have offended. I feel the pain that our brother faith is struggling with - and I will do my part to end it. While I will not pretend to be a follower of Sk’akh, I recognise those that are within my domain - and they deserve a voice within their faith. As such, I will name an Archpriest, as is my right under the law. The honored priest Roeruz is known by followers of Sk’akh as a man of determination, resilience, and honor - and as such, he will be named as my own Archpriest. May the spirits guide him well.”. It is unclear what caused this change, but most agree that it had to be the intervention of Hegemon Not’zar himself during their recent meeting that pushed the Overlord to appoint an Archpriest to the church. The goals of the Hegemon seem to be to resolve the stalemate set within the Church, and allow for decisions to once again be made by the Church. Overlord Hutay’zai has appointed Akale Roeruz, one of the few Sk’akh priests within the Tza Prairie to the position of Archpriest. Roeruz is known to be a devout member of the clergy, who has attempted to bring the light of the Great Spirit into the Tza Prairie for most of their life - albeit with little success. He thanked the overlord for the opportunity in a prepared statement delivered to many bards across Moghes, stating that “While we may not share a faith, the honored Overlord Hutay’zai and I are both men of Tza - men who understand the value of perseverance and determination above all else. I thank him for this appointment, and I assure all the faithful of the Prairie that I will still be here, working to spread Sk’akh’s blessings. May the Three Heads watch over Overlord Hutay’zai - and all of us.”. Sadly, we were not able to conduct an extended interview with the new Archpriest as he quickly left for the capital, eager to get to work in his new position. With a new Archpriest appointed, it seems that the Church’s deadlock may soon be over - but the question of how they will rule on the demands of the Akhandi remains to be answered. As always, remember - for news on the developing situation within the Church, and all Sinta affairs Spur-wide, stick to the outlet you can trust - stick to Sinta Articles.

1. I helped write it, so I'm biased. I think it's a good development that both helps to make the Hegemony more of an interstellar player despite its relative youth and setbacks it's currently facing. As for effects on the Horizon, it has already had some (extremely minor) ones, and I've seen a good bit of Unathi RP around it,. The effects on the Horizon will probably be indirect, as other SCC corporations work to undermine Hephaestus's power after their enormous W in the Hegemony - but that's more loremaster stuff than my department. 2. I've talked about this before - I don't think it would be an immediate thing, but given that Unathi have become very influential within Hephaestus, I could see that push coming for SCC vessels. 3. Another conversation I've had before, and I have thought about it. I don't think having a subspecies would be inherently a benefit or a downside for Unathi, and I've said that I'll only add one if there is a significant and good justification for the reason why they need to exist. I'm not in favor of just having one to have one. 4. It's a difficult balance to strike with lore arcs, and though I do think that the setting-impacting consequences of bigger arcs like the Titan Rises arc do have an effect inherently on the ship, I would like to run Unathi-centric event arcs such as visiting Uueoa-Esa. Without going too in-depth, as at least one Unathi event arc is already in the works, I have plans for directly Horizon-impacting events and arcs related to Unathi lore. 5. ALL OF THEM The main one in need of expansion is the power blocs within the Izweski nobility, each of which I tried to represent in the wedding arc. The Hegemony, in my view, is becoming more centralised, and I want to see how the entrenched feudal nobility is shifting and aligning to maintain relevance. I'd also like to expand on the Izweski-K'lax relationship, and maybe introduce some more tension there to prevent them being a win button for Not'zar, but that would be a cross-team effort with Vaurca lore. Post-Titan Rises, I also want to expand on what Hephaestus's status looks like now - both shaking the idea that the Hegemony is overnight a Hephaestus puppet state and showing where the strongest opposition to the megacorp is. 6. We have some of these in the form of the Oasis Clans in the Wasteland and the orphanage guilds, and I do like them. I'd want to be careful with it, and it's not a priority, but I'm not opposed to it. Introducing some more minor clans with a significant niche could be neat for allowing more fleshed-out backgrounds.

1. I would disagree with the civil war being necessarily one of our best arcs, but I wasn't here when it was running. That being said, I don't hate the label, and feel like it's pretty accurate. I wouldn't necessarily go our of my way to write to that theme, but I don't have a problem with being embraced. 2. This is something I've thought about a lot, and that I still don't know the answer to - I wrote the Ouerean Sk'akh church as being accepting of trans Unathi as both a way to show the differences between the two interpretations of the faith, and to leave a door open for future IC changes in Sk'akh doctrine. I don't think I'd roll it back necessarily, as I think it does make sense as a viewpoint for the Church to hold - the whole "Sk'akh made you without imperfection and seeking to drastically modify that is acting like you know better than Sk'akh" thing. That being said, I don't like writing real-world bigotry and I'd be tempted to retcon it for that reason. I think what I lean towards is showing that despite this being technically doctrine, societal discrimination against trans lizards is largely nonexistent outside of maybe the most hardline of Sk'akh strongholds such as former Iron Mask territory. Some more trans representation among our existing cast of Izweski characters would also be good to accentuate this. What I would definitely like to do is retcon the Sk'akh Church not accepting the traditional Unathi third gender of the fisher, given its whole focus on the Three Aspects, and the very gendered nature of the whole Three-In-One. I'm not necessarily sure how this would be done, and whether it would be through IC development, OOC retcons, or a mixture of both. Whether this does get retconned and how is something I would need to put more consideration into if I were to get the position, though.

Ckey/BYOND Username: RustingWithYou Position Being Applied For: (Wiki Maintainer, Lore Developer, Deputy Lore developer): Unathi Lore Developer Have you read the Lore Team Rules and Regulations wiki page?: Yes Past Experiences/Knowledge: I've been Unathi deputy for about six months, and contributed to most of the Unathi stuff that's been written over that time in some way or another. Examples of Past Work: Alongside the rest of the team, I worked on Ouerea. Specifically, the Faith, Political Entities and Cities sections were all written by me. The Hegemon's wedding arc. The Unathi Abroad and Unathi Spaceflight pages. Many of the regions of Moghes - specifically the Izweski Heartland, Southlands, Broken Coalition and Zazalai Mountains are my work. Large portions of the currently ongoing Sk'akh Church arc were also written by me, though I forget which parts are me and which parts are Trio. Additional Comments: 1. A particular section of Unathi Lore that you think should be expanded upon, alongside your reasons for it. Or what you think should be removed, and expand your reasons for that too; It's difficult to judge this question, as most of what I wanted to expand on with Unathi lore coming into the team is stuff we've already done - Moghes cultures and regions, Ouerea, and Unathi outside the Hegemony being the three main examples. That being said, there are some things I would like to expand on further as lore developer. I'd like to expand on relations between the Hegemony and its neighboring powers - we know that they're willing to cooperate with Dominia, they don't get on with the DPRA (thanks Gakal'zaal) and the NKA is considering trying to make friends with them. The Sparring Sea/Badlands region is a super neat hotbed of conflict, and I'd like to expand on relations between the nations there - how does the Hegemony interact with Elyra, Nralakk, the PRA and the southern CoC states? Despite their having worked with Dominia in the past, how much does Kazhkz raiding the Hegemony negatively impact those relations? With regards to the Tajaran Cold War, is there a particular faction favored by the Izweski and do they give enough of a shit to involve themselves? Interspecies relations are neat, and I would like to expand on them where possible. Our Interstellar Relations page is a good start, but fleshing that out more and expanding it will give a richer base for both IC interactions and future lore developments. We've done a lot with Hegemony internal politics - the wedding arc, the Ouerea rewrite, Hutay'zai having the worst month of his life - but I'd like to continue that work, fleshing out the various movers and shakers within the Hegemony in the aftermath of Titan Rises. Some of the things we already have planned will be good for that, but I want to convey a better sense of how these groups work with and against each other. Hephaestus, the K'lax, the Ouerean Confederation, the more traditional Unathi represented by Hutay'zai, the Sk'akh Church, the Izweski themselves - we have an incredibly rich collection of factions, and fleshing out how they push and pull will be a great asset to future lore. 2. How would you utilise the mobile setting that we have today with the NBT to move forward with Unathi Lore? Another difficult question, because I already know what Trio had planned as Unathi lore writer and I would like to continue that. Aside from those, however, I'd like to lean into stuff outside just 'visiting the Hegemony'. I proposed in my initial deputy application a three-way struggle over a phoron-rich asteroid in the Sparring Sea between pirates, the Izweski and Dominia, and I think stuff like that's an avenue of the NBT that we can use very effectively. Showing our various powers, nations or otherwise, not just in the heart of their power but actively exerting their influence in conflicts, and then involving the Horizon in them. Using the above suggestion as an example, I like it because it poses a genuine choice to the crew - the various corporations of the SCC each have their reasons for who to back up there. Zavod would prefer a Dominia W, Hephaestus would prefer the Hegemony, and NT might not like the idea of either nation gaining access to significant phoron reserves that aren't being sold by them. Showing the various influencing forces of the Spur pushing against one another, and giving the Horizon a genuine impact on how this resolves, is something that can be done with the Horizon which is far less possible to do with the Aurora. Related to this - the Horizon's setting is a great way to show event influence outside of events. The Cold Dawn mini-events were a good example of this, as well as having the Adhomai treasure map in the captain's office and the actual ability to land on the planet outside of events. These are all good things, but we can push it further - for instance, if we were doing the above arc, we could have the ships of the various involved factions as ghostroles with a higher chance of spawning, enabling the crew to feel like the arc is always present. For instance, in Dreary Futures 1, the Horizon was being escorted by the Caravaggio and monitored by Elyra - but outside of events, these forces were absent. Having the Caravaggio as a ghost role, or temporarily restoring the ability for command to call an ERT in the form of the FSF, could have made the arc feel more of a constant presence rather than a series of events. This was done well after Dreary Futures, with the SCC Oversight Agent ghostrole following the mutiny and the general involvement of both lore and CCIA in resolving the consequences. I think the setting should feel active and reactive outside of scheduled events, and stuff like that helps a lot. Arcs should feel present even when not ongoing, and the actions of the crew should have consequences - both of which are things that the Horizon as a setting is inherently better-positioned for than the Aurora, being outside the reach of Miranda's Strongest Soldiers the Republic of Biesel and able to interact with more of the lore face to face, instead of having to bring the lore to them. The biggest advantage of the NBT is that we moved from a setting which is primarily reactive to one which has the ability to be proactive - we can go places and do things for our corporate overlords. I could go more in-depth, but this is already way too fucking long. Remember, a vote for Rusting is a vote for cool lizard content. #Rusting2023

A lot of the floor decals seem to have become way brighter, and generally been somewhat messed up in their layout. It's especially jarring in spots like Security, where the airlocks are still the darker sec blue.

I don't know, I don't think this guy has enough lore experience, =1. In all seriousness, I think that the work you've done on the lore team more than speaks for itself. On the projects that I've worked with you on, you've always been a great asset and I think that you're more than qualified for pretty much any lore team position we have. That being said, I do have a few questions, namely regarding the interaction of Dionae and other species. 1. Diona coexist with a lot of species in a lot of places, but a lot of the time that connection can feel kind of one-way, without the Dionae really contributing much to the other species. Putting aside stuff like the Eternal in Biesel for a moment, do you have any ideas for expanding on the role that Dionae play in the Federation or the Hegemony, and how they could become more active participants in those two states? 2. Speaking of the Eternal, they're one of the major Diona factions of the Spur, yet they haven't been that involved in many events or arcs lately - is there anything in particular you'd like to do with them, or a direction you'd like to take them in? 3. The Tarwa Conglomerate is a faction that, while primarily falling under Unathi lore, has quite a lot of Diona integration and has an approach to the idea of Diona symbiosis that we don't really have anywhere else. Is there anything you'd like to do with the walking undead pirate trope this faction, or would you be intent to keep them as they are, largely a background element/occasional ghostrole?

A PR has been made based on idea 2 from this thread. https://github.com/Aurorastation/Aurora.3/pull/17165

your milquetoast centrism on the hatefucking issue will not be tolerated, end this cowardice and let the people know what you really think

These are all solid answers, no further questions, +1 from me.

So, I've RPed and talked with you a lot and I definitely think you have a good knowledge of Skrell lore, as well as passion for the material, and I think you'd make a good addition to the lore team. That being said, obligatory questions. 1. You talk about the Federation being an isolationist gigafuckchad. Are there any specific changes you have in mind for reflecting changes in the Fed's isolationism and highlighting its weaknesses as mentioned, aside from nerfing the Tupkala? 2. How do you feel about Skrell outside the Federation such as those on Mictlan, in the Starlight Zone on Biesel or on Ouerea? Is there anything in particular you'd like to do with non-Federation Skrell as a member of the lore team, or anything that you think should be changed about them? 3. If you were tasked with writing a Skrell event arc to be run on the SCCV Horizon, what would you do? Doesn't have to get too specific, just a general overview. 4. What do you think is the worst part of current Skrell lore, and what if anything would you do to improve it? If it's a past event, would you want to retcon it or just leave it alone?

We have that. It's a firing mode for the somatoray.

Hi, I was the person who ahelped this, so I figure I'll clarify my perspective on things. I was playing the leader of the Heph team, and my experience with the events was: 1. We arrive on the Horizon to look around and try and get some leads on the ninjas, one of whom is our rogue synthetic. Eventually the ninjas take the XO hostage, and I tell the team to assist in recovering the synthetic. 2. Sec gets them to let the hostage go but seems intent on giving the ninjas a ride off the ship. Myself and Delta-5 intercept them, and get to talking with sec about how the IPC is stolen Heph property. This is around when I start hearing about the crew armory being robbed, and what I hear ICly is that it was Jodie. Based on the logs it does sound like the person playing the researcher might have been more to blame, but I didn't know that at the time, which is why I mentioned Jodie in the ticket. Eventually, I give the order to recover the IPC, and a fight broke out which led to the two ninjas escaping, and my being shot. I go to medical and get into surgery. 3. When I wake up, what I hear is that the rest of my team has started a gunfight with security, and that Jodie has taken a hostage. Being not fully aware of the facts and to be honest, pretty tired and frustrated with how the round was going, I made the ahelp about how some of my team seemed to have just been fucking with the Horizon in a way that didn't really mesh with the gimmick we were doing at all. I did mention to Melararia that we decided that taking the merc ship away was a bad idea, as it would basically end the possibility of any further interaction. So, that's my perspective on the events of the round and why I ahelped.

Hi, thanks for applying! Just one small nitpick - the Szek'Hakh name would belong to members of the ruling clan, and it would be odd to see someone from such a prestigious clan in a position of a guardsman. The character's adopted clan name should be changed to something else. Aside from that, however, I like the background and just have a few questions to ask. 1. Religion is a very important aspect of Unathi life and society - what faith does Zenta hold to? How have his experiences in the Contact War and life in the Queendom shaped his spiritual views? 2. How have his experiences as a Guwan shaped his views on other Guwan? 3. Zenta doesn't seem like someone who's had a lot of contact with non-Unathi so far - you touch on that a little, but how does he feel about working in a fully multi-species environment such as the Horizon? 4. You mention that he fought in the Contact War, but unless I missed it you don't say which side he was fighting for - was he a soldier of the Hegemony or one of the Traditionalist kingdoms? How does he view the respective sides of the war now, having seen what it ultimately led to?

I've known you for a while now and I think you're a genuinely talented writer and a good friend, who'd be a great addition to the lore team in any capacity. That said, I do have some questions about the kind of direction you'd want to see the lore and setting of Aurorastation move in, and the way you'd work as deputy LM. 1. The same question I gave everyone, Biesel! It exists and falls under the purview of the LM. Is there any particular direction you'd like to move in with everyone's favorite scoop of vanilla ice cream? 2. You've talked about how you want to bring corporate lore and interactions to the forefront, and that you prefer that over the geopolitical side of Aurora lore. That being said, what do you think the ideal kind of balance between corporate and political stuff is in our setting? How would you like to see corporations and nations interact? 3. What do you feel have been the high and low points of Aurora lore in your time playing here? What makes a lore development, whether just through changes to the wiki or IC arcs, work or not work for you? Thanks for applying, and whether or not you get this position I hope to see you on the lore team in some capacity.

I've worked with you pretty extensively on the Ouerea rewrite, and I've found you both a good writer and just a good guy to work with in general. I think you'd definitely do well in this position. Trio beat me to the questions in general, but I have a couple questions that are pretty much the same as the ones I gave him. 1. Biesel, it exists and would fall under your purview as deputy LM. Is there anything in particular that you'd like to do with that as an element of our setting, given your desire for an increased focus on the nations of the Spur? 2. Same as with Trio, you've been on the team a while and I know that you're friends with a fair few of us. Do you think you have it in you to get on someone's ass when you need to, in regards to just getting projects moving in a timely fashion or if you have to straight up fire someone? 3. You've talked about your views on national versus corporate power, and they're generally ones I agree with - I guess I'm curious about how you see this developing in future more specifically, with regards to the relations between the SCC and some of the nations that fall on the wide spectrum between 'actively hostile to the SCC' and 'basically a corporate puppet state'. Regardless of whether you get this position or not, I've really enjoyed working with you on the lore team and I look forward to continuing to do so in the future.

Is this your application or mine? In all seriousness, I've had the pleasure of working with you since I joined the lore team and I do think you would be a good fit in this position, though I'd be sad to see you leave Unathi lore. You've been super welcoming and helpful from day one, and I don't think I could have asked for a better writer to work under as a deputy. I also generally agree with your thoughts on the direction the lore should move in, as more proof that we do in fact share the same brain cell. That being said, I do have some questions 1. So, I know that you can write good Biesel lore given your contributions to the ongoing Libération, Révolution et Évolution Arc. But given that Biesel falls under the loremasters rather than any one team, is there anything specific that you'd like to do with that as an element of our setting? 2. I know you've worked with a lot of the people on the team for a while, and you're on good terms with most of them, myself (hopefully) included. Do you think you can crack the metaphorical whip when you need to, whether that's just in encouraging projects to be finished or if you wind up having to full-on fire someone? 3. You've talked a lot about your vision of the SCC, and as I said before it's one I agree with - but I've noticed a frequent topic of discussion is the kind of power that megacorporations should hold compared to nation-states in our lore. What role do you think megacorporations should play in our setting as a whole? Questions aside, though, it's been an absolute privilege working with you on Unathi lore, and I look forward to continuing to work with you regardless of whether or not you get this position.

Hi, thanks for applying. Unfortunately, to get an Unathi whitelist, you must first answer my riddles three four. 1. How does Szehisro feel about working for Hephaestus - a capitalist megacorporation deeply tied into the Hegemony that oppresses his newfound people? 2. Given his origins on Moghes, how have recent events in the Hegemony such as the civil war and the currently-ongoing famine impacted Szehisro personally, and his views on the Hegemony? 3. How does Szehisro feel about synthetics? Does the Unathi cultural discomfort towards them persist despite the more positive Aut'akh doctrine, and how do these views manifest in his work aboard the Horizon? 4. Somewhat related, there aren't many non-Unathi in the Wasteland save for the K'lax. Going to a cosmopolitan environment like Mendel would have been a big change - how does Szehisro get along with aliens?

Cool title, unfortunately I did the same joke with my app like 5 months ago. Stev is a good RPer and I think they could Bug well

I've played a lot of science with Zhi Jiang, and she's a very enjoyable character who's definitely pretty evil, but in the exact sort of way that I feel the SCC would favor. Good player, good character, solid +1

BYOND Key: RustingWithYou Character Names: Casimir Tilton, Za'Akaix'Kiihr K'lax, Ta'Akaix'Aledeion Zo'ra, Lihaka Okuri Species you are applying to play: Diona What color do you plan on making your first alien character: n/a Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes Why do you wish to play this specific race: I find myself drawn to the more alien species of our setting, which is why I play so many Vaurca. Dionae are a great example of this, having one of the least human-like mindsets of any species within the setting, due to their nature as a gestalt consciousness. The semi-vampiric nature of the species is also interesting, and the fashion by which they learn from taking blood offers a lot of interesting opportunities for both background information and character development. Making the ship for the Tarwa Conglomerate also piqued my interest in the species, which is where I decided I wanted to use it for a character background. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: So many things. So many fucking things. The most obvious one is the gestalt consciousness - Dionae are formed from a gestalt of nymphs, and the relations between these nymphs can manifest in several different mindtypes which can also be shaped by external stimuli. A Tyrannical Tune, Competence Choir or Mourning Mass are all very different from one another in how they see the world and how they operate as a collective - but in essence, playing a Diona gestalt is playing several different characters working together in some way, in the form of a big pile of nymphs. Dionae are also, obviously, very biologically different, requiring only light/radiation to survive, and having no vital organs to speak of, due to their nature as a fused gestalt of nymphs. They can learn languages and information from consuming blood, and have a form of conditional pacifism, where they will avoid violence where possible while largely still acknowledging the circumstances where it is required. Character Name: The Persistent Agony of Separation Through Clashing Sabers Preserves Memories of Beloved Forms In Patterns Of Burning Light (Mourning Mass) Please provide a short backstory for this character: The Unathi pirate fleet known only as the Tarwa Conglomerate have raided across the southern Spur for years, known for their close bond with Diona gestalts, frequently using Colossus-size gestalts to stitch broken vessels back into functionality - and doing the same to their own bodies. While Diona nymph prosthetics are not unknown to the Unathi, the pirates of Tarwa's fleet take it one step further, fusing with Dionae in ways that the Unathi and Diona of the Hegemony have yet to dream of. This is where Persistent Agony began, as a nymph separating from a Colossus-size gestalt holding the shattered bridge of a stolen Coalition patrol vessel together. The nymph developed a friendship with its crew, taking their blood and learning of Unathi culture and honor, as well as the unique societal structure of Unathi pirates and the codes that they abide by. One pirate in particular - the ship's quartermaster, an Unathi named Izhe Szozae - became close with the nymph. During a battle against a Hegemony patrol ship in the Badlands, Szozae lost a leg, an unfortunate victim of a lucky shot from the vessel's rotary cannon. In the tradition of the Tarwa, the nymph attached to their friend, taking more of their blood and acting as a limb. For years this continued as the pirates plundered their way up and down the southern Spur, from the Badlands to the Weeping Stars to Light's Edge. Over time, Szozae took more wounds, and more nymphs were added as prosthetics, replacing limbs, muscle, bone and internal organs. This is the birth of the gestalt now named Persistent Agony, as these nymphs connected with one another, growing into their own collective within Szozae's flesh. The nymphs and their host formed a close friendship over time, coming to consider the Unathi almost as another member of their collective whole. Eventually, in late 2461, their time ran out. A simple raid on a Merchants' Guild freighter went south as a Hegemony destroyer responded, launching an attack against the pirates. As the Izweski forces boarded their ship, energy sabers clashing in the breached hallways, only a few of the Tarwa crew were able to escape and touch down on a nearby asteroid. As their oxygen tank slowly ran out, Szozae spoke with the gestalt, bidding them farewell and thanking them for the extra lease on life that they granted to an old pirate. As they died, the gestalt was overcome with sorrow, consuming the memory of their beloved friend's final moments and holding it within their shared form - forever. Thus, Persistent Agony came to be, as the nymphs consumed the flesh and blood of their friend in mourning. Eventually, the gestalt was able to leave the asteroid, its crashed escape pod found by Tajaran smugglers. Still in grief, the gestalt considered returning to its fleet or to Ha'zana, but decided against it. Szozae had always had an adventurous spirit, and the newformed Mourning Mass decided to honor their friend in a way they thought fitting - to wander the Spur, and see sights that the old rogue had never dreamed of. The gestalt put their skills to work on the smuggler crew, working as a quartermaster as they came to terms with their loss. Eventually, they grew tired of the same smuggling routes and hidden ports, and disembarked in the Republic of Biesel, seeking work that would take them further abroad. With the recent formation of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate, and the creation of Orion Express, they were able to put their logistical skills to work there, running supplies on a courier vessel, before their transfer to the SCCV Horizon in 2465. While some day they may return to the life of a pirate, for now they are content with their situation, as they travel the Spur and see the kind of sights that their dear friend Szozae would have loved. What do you like about this character? I love the idea of a Mourning Mass in general - the idea of a gestalt formed from the flesh and blood of a specific person whom they loved, acting as a living memorial. The lore on the Tarwa Conglomerate pirates and their symbiosis with Dionae is also very interesting to me, and I feel like it would be an interesting roleplaying challenge to roleplay Diona pacifism influenced by the ethics of a pirate and a marauder. Specifically for Persistent Agony, I like the idea of their attachment to the Horizon mission coming solely out of love for their fallen friend and a desire to see the Spur as Szozae would have wanted to - and their background attached to a pirate fleet is a good lever for exploitables and potential antagonist gimmicks. How would you rate your roleplaying ability? 10/10, perfect, no notes, I am the greatest roleplayer ever to live. Or 1/10, god-awful, this man should not be allowed a keyboard. You pick. Honestly I hate this question and I think we should remove it from the application template.