Desven

Just something I was wondering: some of our sprites that feel the most outdated are some machines, furniture, and foods. Would you feel comfortable spriting the first two? I know you've mentioned the latter, but just thinking since it's probably what's required at the moment.

Dorn Presses ‘Orb’ Donation Due to the Phoron Crisis, the Dorn administration has requested a phoron donation from one of their domestic allies, the Zo’ra Hive. The petition for an ‘Orb,’ a Vaurca lifeform that serves as a live container of phoron, was made almost a month ago when Joseph Dorn and High Queen Vaur met in Mendell City. However, an ultimatum was made yesterday afternoon with the Dorn administration threatening to empty Dis, the Vaurcaesian stronghold which houses Warforms and serves as a military base. The announcement was made public in a report by Fred Bolas, a spokesperson for the Republic of Biesel. “Without further phoron supplies, it is unsustainable to continue to house Warforms, the property of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion, in reserve on Caprice. These weapons would be better put to use within outposts situated throughout the Corporate Reconstruction Zone,” the document reads. This is not the first time the issue of Warforms has come to the fore, with the Foreign Legion and the Zo'ra Hive having been in a long-standing debate on their ownership, both sides claiming to be the true authority. Although escalation is unlikely, this event is an unexpected turn in the otherwise friendly relationship between the Republic of Biesel and the Zo’ra Hive since their arrival to Tau Ceti. Even if the ‘Orb’ is donated, scientists disagree on the benefits. “We don’t know how pure the phoron inside the Vaurca is,” said Miles McGregor, one of the leading researchers of Vaurcaesian physiology. “Simply put, k’ois tend to stick to other components, and they're not easy to separate. It is highly likely that the phoron, even if it originated from pure crystals, may now be tainted because of the Vaurca diet.” While the Zo’ra Hive has made no official report, an inside source claims that the donation is expected to occur later this week.

I once suggested an idea for a money religion, which was originally suggested by @WickedCybs I believe? My idea followed some of the African religions principles and Africanfuturism. I can understand wanting to keep Eridani sterile, but in my opinion, having it as bland as white bread is also hurtful for how to accurately portray the characters. I think Boggle nailed it when he said Suits have little going on. In my opinion, Dregs do too, it's only that players of sci fi games are more familiar with cyberpunk tropes to pull them off (and even then, full punk Dregs working on a corporate ship feels a bit odd). Even if the human lore team chooses to keep Eridani as a group that has erased its own roots, I think there has to be something for them to have them replaced with. Eridani can often feel as a caricature planet because of the simplistic opposition between Dregs (benevolent punks) and Suits (corporate-speak white collars). Hell, I think even Suits could benefit from some Yuppie lifestyle, though I would definitely prefer to touch on African roots. At the end of the day, I think we do a great disservice to such a vast cultural group by having them be ethnically Sub-Saharan but nowhere near their customs, traditions, beliefs, or anything else than resembles them, other than their skin color and names. This is probably not brought up often because I doubt we have many (if any) Sub-Saharan African players here, but I would feel a bit cheated if Mictlan, for example, only had Hispanic names and everything else had little flavor going on.

Last year when you applied Visegrad was still not canon and NBT hadn't launched. Have the recent lore developments changed your perception of lore, for better or worse?

I agree with a lot of your points so this is mostly a nitpick, but I'm having a hard time to see how you picture to improve Eridani. I believe culture is crucial and to be honest I don't like the sterilized aspect too much. It makes sense but it has to be balanced—especially if you wish to add tourism. In the real world, culture is a huge aspect of tourism. I'm mentioning this because I know you don't really like to show the African roots in Eridani, but you would be willing to be more open to some remnants of it? It's mostly just a question, Eridani is a really challenging faction to write about.

I really like your ideas and your ZH sprites were always my favorite. I support this application fully.

I don't think lore has ever been able to capture how miserable the life of Dregs must be. It's always appeared to me as romanticized, which I find it hard if they're basically left for dead on a contaminated planet. I second the idea of slums, though I can understand it may be challenging to accurately portray them, or even too dark for the setting.

Rejoining the team as a deputy while the former deputy is now the developer is a significant dynamic shift. Do you expect any issues to arise as you no longer being in charge? I don't mean that to sound hostile, I do support this application. I'm just curious in a realistic answer. I don't know if I would be able to handle it as cool.

Basically what Faye said regarding the jammer. It's somewhat a niche item right now as many seasoned players won't yell "sec maint!" in the first sign of danger. Adding this functionality could increase its uses.

As controversial as it were, I can see the argument for security cameras disabled on green. It was just too common for sec players to sit on the cameras and wait for something to happen just to start shooting. It makes little sense as to why they would be disabled, given there's people whose jobs in real life are to monitor cameras where nothing happens 24/7, but for gameplay reasons I can get behind that. However, I don't think it's the same with medical. As many others have said, it's a lifeline and there are plenty of reasons a person dies on a normal round. Moreover, not everybody can yell "Medical!" once things go down, or be able to share their precise location. It happens a lot with miners, for example, many who die with nobody batting an eye because they never used their suit sensors. If you want to be sneaky, especially with a high-end target, you can already change the sensors of a person. But killing somebody, especially early, is already a high-risk. There are a lot of ways in gameplay were you can already cover up a murder almost perfectly just by using a bar of soap and having a good window of opportunity. Overall, I don't see the value of just making sure a possible antagonist has a better window. What I could suggest instead is some sort of device which can jam sensors for a bit for nearby targets (or even the whole crew, but that's probably too much), purchasable from the Uplink. Just ten to thirty seconds of sensors (not comms, just sensors) being down and with limited uses. That way you could attack and make sure nobody noticed the pulse change in monitors.

Good answers. Application approved.

Approved.

Veii’ktown Inauguration: Our Review It’s not easy to call a new place home. Yet, Queen Athvur surprises us with her adaptability. Not a decade has passed since the Zo’ra Diaspora emerged in Tau Ceti. However, Vaurcae still have few places to consider ‘theirs’. Especially in Biesel, where treatment has been less-than-ideal. In 2462, Queen Athvur relocated from Phoenixport to Belle Cote. The decision was not easy. In our exclusive interview with the Diva Queen 3 months ago, she stated that “The future of [the brood] is all I could think about when resettling. Have [they] not been through enough?” That’s how the idea of Veii’ktown was born. A place Vaurcae can call their own. Reminiscent of the ancient Veii’kt Plate capital, its construction was no easy feat. Simply put, Vaurcae and human architecture are too different one from the other—yet Veii’ktown works. “The secret,” says Ka’Akaix’Perluik Zo’ra, one of the main engineers behind the project, “is to build down and reduce hazards. Flagsdale fails because we are forced to go up and no waste measures were employed. Here, we try to make sure Belle Cote remains safe.” Veii’’ktown opened with five modest locals: three restaurants, a variety store, and a coffee shop. They are all run by the Zo’ra Hive and promise to use clean k’ois-free products. I awaited the coffee shop inauguration eagerly. At the end of the street, there was a small archway with traditional Zo’rane motifs. A neon sign cycled through different human languages, “Veii’ktown.” Coffee is not my forte, but I never reject a good cup. To my surprise, my drink blew my mind. The recipe is considered a Zo’ra especial —don’t worry, though. Only human ingredients are used! In addition to the staff being lovely, the general ambient on Veii’ktown was refreshing. You don’t always get to interact with that many Vaurcae outside of specific scenarios, such as work. Yet, in Veii’ktown, you can stroll around and learn more about fascinating Zo’ra history. So next time you stop by Belle Cote, why not visit Veii’ktown? It’s a lovely dining spot or just a nice place to walk on a Sunday afternoon.

One of the main reasons I created a new K'lax Queen (Tupii) was to expand on the relationships between the Hegemony and the Hive. In my opinion, none of the other Queens had really much going on which could make them closer to the Unathi. At the end of the day, Vedhra is written as a weirdo that becomes isolated because of her love of augmentation, and Zkaii is just... Zkaii. Not that I wanted to make a completely loyal Queen, either. Tupii is written as cunning, which makes her more willing to take advantage of the situation. Other K'lax Queens are more wildcards, but still have had little reasons to interact with the Hegemony government. I think Tupii provides an interesting scenario where relationships between the Hegemony and the K'lax are more dynamic. I've also been planning to expand Tret a lot, and in general just add more information regarding what services they provide to Izweski. So far, K'lax has only really been seen as merchants or Warriors. However, they're supposed to be an industrial Hive, so why not make Tret an important industrial center for the Hegemony? It also helps because they can keep blasting Tret without harming Moghes. That being said, I think at the end all Queens need to really get the ball going, as they've been stagnant for long. And as for C'thur, my mind has not been on them for a while, because of all we added in these past months. I think they're in a much more developed position currently than the other two Hives. This doesn't mean I plan on expanding them, however, but I would like to do some K'lax and Zo'ra shenanigans first. I didn't like the ending of the Bulwark arc that much, but it allowed for the C'thur to take a breath and regroup. The consequences of loosing their special relationship with Zeng-Hu has also meant the Hive depends much more on the Federation than before. I think that's a good symbiotic relationship.

I like dress-up, and I think this could maybe work? I would have to see it in action first though.

If I recall correctly, the Elyran army did have a suicide mission that failed. There was also a suicide mission in the TC invasion, and that one was successful. I would rather have only one, by the Elyran army, that had a mostly positive outcome, even if it didn't win the war. This is part of “merging” both invasions, something I referred in my OP. Nevertheless, I 100% understand if it isn't possible. I just think the Lii'dra would benefit from one single invasion. Even if I couldn't fulfill my plan, I would like to clear some details when it comes to Elyra and the Lii'dra. Mostly their purpose, just so it isn't a mindless attack.

Thanks for asking. I'm mainly concerned at the moment in many of the finer details (which are now mostly hidden, only mentioned in the old Elyran newspaper), but also the impact of the invasion as a whole. In short: —Proper motive. It's hard to justify why Bursa was attacked. It's an insular planet that's militarized. Even if the Lii'dra originally won, there's a planet literally glowing purple not too far away from there. I don't oppose Lii'dra being evil, just outright mindless. I like the idea of a force that everybody opposes, but Lii'dra as they currently stand are not engaging and they're an easy excuse to make an LRP gimmicks. For example, the Star Trek Borg are similar to the Lii'dra. While later in the franchise they've been shown somewhat more evil just for the sake of it, Lii'dra appear cartoonish next to the Borg. I've done a great effort on the Vaurca history pages to explain what could have caused a force like the Lii'dra to rise —I don't think there's a proper single answer, but there are more motives. While I'm happier with how the Lii'dra were in Sedantis, their presence in the Orion Spur is flimsy and poorly written. The best example is the Tau Ceti invasion, which is something I'm not happy with and would rather scrap. —The events: Now, the Lii'dra invasion timeline is also flimsy, with various attack waves that are often mixed together. Additionally, I've seen details of the TC invasion be instead placed on the Elyra happening. I think we could take the best of both, polish, and make an engaging story: not only for the Vaurca lore, but for human war veterans. I'm not too keen on the presence of the Tups as a deus ex machina that saved the invasion, only for the Lii'dra to return months later with black k'ois. Then there's a Lii'dra queen that was left to chill inside a cave, unprotected, and got blasted by soldiers. It may work on a sci-fi movie from the Alien franchise, but it makes the Lii'dra seem as a disorganized, brute force. I like the idea of an animalistic, amoral Lii'dra, but it should not equate with incompetence, especially when they're meant to be a Hivemind. —The outcome: For long, the Lii'dra invasion outcome has been mostly relevant only to Elyran players, partly because before the rewrite, the faction had not much else to reference. I like the idea and I would like to expand in this. Mainly, I would make the Lii'dra disappear from the radar afterward. But I would also like to see the lingering effects in the galaxy and the hardships the Hives have faced since then. Number statics are mostly empty; we know it had a large death toll but this is meaningless if there are no real consequences that showcase just how much it damaged Bursa. A smarter, more organized invasion would also showcase the Lii'dra as a better threat, so if they were to come back (I want to make clear this is NOT in my roadmap at the moment and I don't really think it would be in the foreseeable future) then lore writers would have a richer story to use.

Ckey: Desven Position Being Applied For: Vaurca Lore Writer Have you read the Lore Team Rules and Regulations wiki page?: Yes Past Experiences/Knowledge: Vaurca Deputy for almost a year now I think. Examples of Past Work: https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Special:Contributions/Desven Worked on most Vaurca pages, added a new Vaurca-centric newspaper, a new Vaurca Queen and many misc Vaurca lore. Additional questions: 1. What part of Vaurca lore do you enjoy the most?: Probably the idea of different, delimited broods, even if I often come to trouble with them. I like them a lot; I think they can make for very unique character concepts with a millenary tradition. I've also come to enjoy their unique quirks and personalities. 2. What part of Vaurca lore do you enjoy the least? How do you plan to remedy this?: Probably just how disconnected it still feels when it comes to other species. I don't blame the players that think Vaurca as a whole is 'useless' because of that. I would like to have more inter-species interactions, K'lax-Unathi is a great starter. 3. Do you have any plans for any retcons to occur? Do you believe they’ll be kept minor or perhaps major retcons may be needed?: There is an infamous document I have on the Vaurca lore channel where I would like to retcon the Tau Ceti invasion. I'm not too adamant about it and I understand if it's not possible, but I think it is largely useless to the current setting. Additionally, I would like to expand on the Elyra invasion. I don't know how major or minor this would be, I would probably consider it 'medium sized'. It definitely would affect other species, but I don't think many people are too fond of these events in their current state to have any sort of backlash. 4. If you were able to change anything about lore, without any hinderance, what would it be?: Outside of Vaurca lore, I would probably remove a lot of (mostly forgotten) old lore. Again, I'm not that pushy when it comes to that -- we've had our discussions about it in lorecord and I've voiced my opinion before. Overall I think lore is moving forward smoothly, but I do fear that sometimes we have to come to compromises when working with older storylines that don't exactly fit the current vision. Additional comments: I was literally about to close my eyes and go to bed when I got the notification and I just felt the urge to apply. I would like to go in much more depth, but I guess if you have any more questions I'm happy to respond. So I encourage you to just ask me anything here.

This is a nice application and I like the fleshed out character. My main question is: what would you say Vrith's purpose is? And would you consider them more on the mechanical side (menial excavating, albeit of fragile artifacts) or scientific (mostly interested in the research)?

Making a wiki maintainer app to edit mostly the lore part of the wiki is not a good optic. Even when modified, wiki editors rarely get to modify the lore part of the wiki. If they do, it's mostly proofreading and ask for permission. Applying to this position for what essentially is a personal lore project feels in bad faith. For this and all my comments on your previous apps I can't support this application.

You've done your homework, so I don't have much to ask really. The only thing I'm curious, from since when you approached me to ask some questions, is how do you plan to incorporate Run's day to its character and tasks

Hi, sorry for the late reply. I'm glad to see someone incorporating the change from Phoenixport to Belle Cote in their character. I think it was an oversight when the KOTW arc was planned that Phoenixport had a significant (NT loyal) population. When I changed it to Belle Cote, I thought ut was a fancy city and its rewrite fit the Athvur personality, but I've been curious as to how normal bugs felt the change, especially since Athvur was known to be fond of Phoenixport. Anyways, my question is not so much about the backstory, but rather, what makes Vaurca different from playing a human. Don't think about it as wiki lore, instead, think about how would you play a Vaurca, and how that is different from, say, your IPC characters. Thanks.

Despite the differences you may have with some of the team, I think you're a great pick and I'm glad to see you applied. However, I do think some of your perspectives (and criticism) come from an outsider point of view. This isn't bad, but I do think your perspective of lore would change greatly if accepted. My question is, do you expect to ‘soften’ in a way? Meaning, do you think you would be more understanding of the problems of lore and, if so, would you be willing to provide alternate solutions?

Crusher for me. Or Beverly, that's cuter.