pictish20

Of course! Thank you for your patience with my response in turn. Taught under the Sensate like many of Xetl's brood, Zak feels great pride in the Sensate: after all, what better marker of the hive's affluence and majesty is there than the fact that their greatest members are not specialized in simple survival or labor at all, but in the discovery of new ways to enjoy living. They admire the four Xakat'kl'atan greatly, and aspire to serve the hive as well as those four. Like most who studied with them, Zak didn't specialize in the arts of any particular one, but they do have a greater-than-average appreciation for Luz and the art of humor, as it is something shared between many enjoyers instead of just one. Synz is a point of aspiration for Zak. Never able to earn much of Greed's knowledge, Zak considers finding secrets worth trading to Synz among their greatest aspirations, after brining something worth the Queen's esteem directly to her. Gez and Volz are of course paired in Zak's mind, and while they don't fully understand Gez's masochism, they so understand that it can amplify pleasure by acting as an opposite. In short, they are representations of the glory of Xetl's brood, and the peak of service to their queen. Zak's ambitions draw them to attempt to emulate the Sensate when they are given the chance. Zak has only ever really interacted with Skrell and other Vaurcae. They have, of course, learned some basics as they grew: humans have no exoskeletons (weird), the basics of their history and how they met the Skrell, the way they organize themselves by corporation instead of hive (also weird), and such cursory things -- about as much as the average human would know about Vaurcae, I suppose. I'm looking forward to having Zak learn more about humans and the other species, from little details (for instance, Zak doesn't quite realize that human blood is red instead of a respectable color like yellow-green, perhaps) to lengthy discussions with Tajara about the politics on Adhomai (why are they so complicated?). They are a curious young bug, after all. I'm sure they will both learn how to interact with humans quickly and constantly be surprised by them. Zak is, to put it briefly, ambivalent. It's intimidating, of course, to leave everyone behind, their cell, their hive, the nation they earned their place in. None of those are easy, but they have been asked to leave Jargon in service of their Hive. On that other hand, they are proud to have been selected (even though it was, in fact, a random draft) to demonstrate their ability, and excited by the opportunity to work aboard the grand new ship of the SCC fleet. They know that no matter how this turns out, they'll return to their hive after the work period is done, and they intend to uphold the pride of their brood. A mix of opportunity and risk always makes for an exciting time...

BYOND Key: pictish20 Character Names: Sonia Al-Rashid, Nikolai Shamrayev, IRU-Dullahan, ISU-Fafnir, Capet, Following Caution and Curiosity to the Beautiful Sparks, Valorie Hilton, a number of other characters that I haven’t played since NBT. Species you are applying to play: Vaurcae What color do you plan on making your first alien character: 55, 0 ,120 -- Xetl’s Brood Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes, I have. 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: The main appeal of the Vaurcae to me is their sociability: like all other whitelisted species, Vaurcae have unique physiology and culture that I find fascinating, but the Vaurcae alone have the Hivenet, tying them to all other of their kind in the round. On a more individual level player-wise, being tied so completely to their hive cells and queens gives the species an unified thread, while the diverse broods give that thread many fascinating inflections. All in all, I would be thrilled to have a chance to play as one of the tunnel-bugs. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: On the surface level, their physiology and mechanics are different. They use often faulty voice boxes to make up for their lack of vocal cords; they breathe a mix of phoron and oxygen and eat the dangerous fungus, K’ois; even the relatively un-modified Unbound are at least lightly augmented with Neural Sockets and breathing apparatuses; they have a hardy exoskeleton and photosensitive eyes, with smell as their primary sense. These last two have immediate role-play significance: the lights of the station are brighter than they would prefer, and they are far more perceptive of smell than any other species. Beyond those shallow differences, Vaurcae are strictly eusocial. Through a combination of biology and indoctrination, they are extremely loyal to their queen, hive, and cells. Unlike the often individualistic humanity, the Vaurcae would consider their personal interests of secondary importance. The different castes have different mindsets, as well. Workers are determinedly violence-averse, leaving that to the more combative Warriors. Bulwarks are a middle-ground, defending themselves but not seeking combat. All Vaurcae are more specialized than humans, though Unbound are made to be more versatile than the Bound. They are able to convey information over long distances through their Hivenet and Virtual Reality systems. This virtual reality is the cornerstone of their culture. They learn within their Queen’s realm when first maturing, developing their personalities and skills away from the real world’s hunger, danger, and death. This reality also provides a means of immortality to the Vaurcae, for their deceased have their consciousnesses passed into VR. This gives Vaurcae a brighter perception and less fear of death than most species, though they still seek to preserve their own survival. Character Name: Ka’Akaix’Zak C’thur Please provide a short backstory for this character: Born an Unbound worker of Xetl’s C’thur brood, Zak spent their infancy in the oft-changing realm of their queen. Zak found themselves surrounded by the peculiar whims of their brood mates and the uniquely pleasurable experiences that Xetl surrounds herself with. Upon their first release from VR into the Jargon federation, they passed their first citizenship interview and attained Federal citizenship. According to their responses, they demonstrated the adaptability and diligence characteristic of Xetl’s Unbounds, and a strong sense of curiosity along with high ambition. With a positive response to the opportunity of working in the Federation but membership in one of the more problematic cells of Xetl’s brood, Zak found themself with a low secondary social credit score. It was mere days after the interview that Zak was selected by the labor draft and sent off to work for NanoTrasen, dispatched to the Horizon. While Zak does not have the same admiration of Biesel and humanity as a whole as they do Jargon and the Skrell, they hope that they will find new experiences, and demonstrate their skill and usefulness before returning to the Hive. This is their chance to prove themselves. They are not, however, without strife in this deployment. The necessities of employment have separated their cell, leaving Zak alone in this long voyage to the strange human ship. They are anxious, of course, and hope to find a community aboard the Horizon, of both other Vaurcae and their coworkers. What do you like about this character? Zak’s youth gives me the freedom to develop them as I play and accumulate experience with him, while his loyalty to Xetl provides a direction to guide that development. Speaking of Xetl, she seems to be one of the more peculiar queens, and her hedonism gives Zak a character motivation that doesn’t show as much in my other characters, especially the IPCs and Dionae. Seeking new and pleasurable, humorous, or painful experiences to fight his increasing desensitization is an interesting drive for me, which I look forward to. Another advantage of being a C’thur is their integration with Jargon. The Skrell are a piece of the lore that I had only had limited interaction with up until I started studying for this application, and this character has given and will continue to give me opportunities to increase my understanding. How would you rate your role-playing ability? I have several species whitelists already, which I like to think I uphold fairly well. I would give myself a 7/10, because I’m still vulnerable to mistyping and other small FailRPs, but I have a strong grasp of English and am able to carry a realistic character. I've adapted well to several different species already, and while the Vaurcae are one of the stranger species, I expect that I will be able to adapt to them, as well. I believe that I am capable of role-playing this species, and would not apply if I did not think so. Notes: I have been absent from the server for a while due to my semester and the low pop of the server. Since NBT dropped, I’ve been enjoying my return and wanted to finally go for my next WL. I’m of course happy to answer any questions. Thank you for reading my application.

I had hoped you would ask those. Answered, in order: I would describe Sonia's beliefs as "disillusioned revolutionary-ism." She still fully believes that the best government for Adhomai is a secular, modern republic. The economic and technological impact of human contact, the expanded education and social networks, and the growth of egalitarian opportunities for the Tajaran peasantry are all great achievements for the Tajara. She is proud of the People's Republic's improvement of the lives of most Tajara, and leaves her party and people only with great regret. She struggles with the specifics of the Party and their Revolution, however -- doubting the authoritarian practices of the one-party Hadii state, their corruption, and insistence on clinging to power, Sonia questions if they truly embody the ideals of the First Revolution. Perhaps, the Zhan do not deserve the hatred they are exposed to, for instance... She still pays the Party lip service and uses her party membership both to secure travel off world and housing in the President Hadii Living Complex on Adhomai, but her words lack the zeal they once held. She has hope for the Young Hadii faction and their reforms: her ideal Adhomai would be ruled by a state like the PRA, if it had the actual democracy and respect for Tajaran rights of the DPRA. For the moment, she is distancing herself from the political strife of her homeworld, and sifting through her confusion somewhere where her growing doubts won't earn her a bullet between the eyes or "rehabilitation." She is conflicted about the DRPA, though she won't yet allow herself optimism. When it existed as the ALA, she opposed it fully. Not only were they an illegitimate attempt to secure power from a government that Sonia still supported, but they did so to install warlord states and military juntas: all around, an unsatisfactory alternative. However, the recent establishment of democracy and civilian rule in the DPRA is a development that she watches with interest. She thinks that their democracy may be critically unstable, and a slight twist of fate may see that constitutional development stripped away by another military coup d'etat. She disagrees with their opposition to humanity and their megacorporations, which have brought growth and opportunity to Adhomai, let alone allowed the Revolution to succeed. Overall, she is ambivalent towards the faction itself, but towards its people, she is guilty of drawing subconscious connections with the terrorists and guerillas she has come to associate their cause with. She is trying to ease this antipathy, but habits are much harder to change. As for the NKA, she has nothing but distaste. They represent an attempt to return Adhomai to fifty years and 90-some million lives in the past. She doubts that they will be able to quell the new society the People's Republic has created, in part because of the Hadiist teachings she has been exposed to and in part because she knows that an educated Tajaran populace will not accept a return to pre-revolution tyranny. Sonia has not yet examined the true nature of the NKA's citizens and beliefs, and is guided more by assumptions than truth, but she perhaps fears the NKA most of all. A victory for them would mean the reversal of everything her life has been dedicated, in her mind. She can tolerate working with an NKA citizen... as long as there's no talk of politics, as theirs is the only cause that Sonia speaks with any meaningful conviction about, as far as politics are concerned. While her education at the Al'Mari College could perhaps lead her to a more legal-focused career, Sonia has opted to undertake NanoTrasen standard training and take on a job in the cargo department. She appreciates the distance that gives, and allows her to keep nice and busy, free from the incursions of doubt and regret. Her long term plan, on the other hand, is nebulous at best -- in fact, it would not be amiss to say that her short term plan is to develop a long term plan. Someday, she hopes to return to Adhomai, ideally under a unified and stable government. She's growing older everyday, and already approaching what would be quite an old age for the Tajara of generations past. Supported by new medical technology, she hopes that she will have many years left, be that to rise to a new position in NanoTrasen's corporate ladder or to return home and assist in the reform of the Hadiist state. She plans to be buried, like her parents and brothers and all who have come before, near her now-destroyed home on Ras'nrr. Thank you again for your time.

BYOND Key: pictish20 Character Names: Species you are applying to play: Tajara What color do you plan on making your first alien character: Taupe Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: I have, yes. It’s one of the main attractions of this species for me. 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: Tajara are one of the more active races, with extensive lore and development -- I appreciate the ongoing updates, news reports, and detail their race demonstrates. As a comparatively adolescent space-faring race, their society is still rife with conflict and interesting story threads. I’m drawn to their cold war and the ideological struggles it holds. That, of course, is all without mentioning the ice-world-20th-century aesthetic, which is very tasty, if I do say so myself. Given the ongoing tension on Adhomai and between her peoples, I would like to be part of their ongoing story. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: The most immediately obvious difference between Tajara and other races is their peculiar use of third-person in everyday conversation. This obscures their deeper lying cultural differences -- a comparatively conservative race, many Tajara have a distaste for many deviant beliefs and practices, like inter-species relationships. They are divided by their political beliefs, religions, and ethnicities, yet connected by their traditions and languages. Employment with NanoTrasen offers a bizarre situation for the Tajara, which despite its exploitative behavior, grants Tajara opportunities in larger space. Character Name: Sonia Al-Rashid Please provide a short backstory for this character Born mere months before the outbreak of the First Revolution, Sonia’s earliest memories are filled with the weights of wartime life, her parents’ revolutionary ideals, and the loss of her elder brothers to violent Royalist reprisals. Even from her youth, Sonia was a proud revolutionary -- too young to fight, she nonetheless bravely sought to sneak through the prairies near her home in Northern Ras’nrr to bring food to the Hadii soldiers fighting nearby, stopped only by her mother’s keen attention and stern words. Sonia’s youthful optimism was not diminished by the appointment of the Hadii to power over the young Republic. Hopeful for the young Republic and its revolutionary dream, she secured an education at Al’Mari, and a position in the Party. From her position as a low-ranking Party clerk, she began to fulfill her dreams of remaking Adhomai, starting by assisting the party administration in her home city of Ron’Tul. Her Party loyalty was not shaken by Rhagrrhuzau’s departure from Human support, though she believed them to be vital to the development of Tajara society. Her Party Loyalty was not shaken by the president’s assassination and the revelation of other ideologies. Her Party Loyalty was only shaken once as the repression intensified during the war. She found herself confused by the executions and disappearances -- like the nobles who had claimed her brothers, the Hadii Party was now murdering their own citizens. This Party, which had provided her with the medical and technological aid to outlive her parents, the appearance of enfranchisement, and the equalization of wealth and social resources was now abandoning its -- and her -- ideals. She made a choice: using her position in the Party, she helped a group of political dissidents escape the PSIS, leading them safely through the prairies and across the approaching ALA front line. Upon her return, she found her home of Ron’Tul razed to the ground by the Republic’s firebombs, and at last, decided that she had had enough of the Party, its Revolution, and its crimes. She assumed this adopted name, Sonia, and passed south, joining the Tajara leaving Adhomai for NanoTrasen employment. What do you like about this character? Sonia is something of a tragic character, filled with lost hope and lasting sadness. She’s looking for a new future, and offers me many different directions to develop her in. Does she secretly desire to return to Adhomai, after one of the factions achieves reunification? Is she done with the planet and its strife for good? What connections will she make aboard the Aurora that might affect that decision? I look forward to finding her future here in Biesel. How would you rate your role-playing ability? Though I will admit that I often mistype and am constantly falling prey to the classic BYOND issue of talking in the wrong channel, I believe that I have sufficient ability to play the Tajara race. I have enough to play Dionae and IPC, and believe that I can handle the more dense Tajaran lore. I am sufficiently confident to both make this application and to play a Tajara if I am accepted. By the obligatory out-of-ten system, I would say 8/10. Notes: The backstory is a little long and I apologize for that. I appreciate the time you spend on my application, and I am glad and able to respond to any questions you may have.

Memorable characters as Graphe and Chalk, and a friendly and supportive player. A solid +1 from me, as far as feedback is concerned.

BYOND Key: pictish20 Character Names: Species you are applying to play: Dionae What color do you plan on making your first alien character: Dionae Exemption; My first character will be a Bloodless Band Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Of course! It would be pretty silly to apply without doing so. 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: Dionae are the most interesting and alien of the species in the Spur. A unique physiology, a unique form of consciousness, and a unique mindset create a fascinating creature, and one of my favorites. As a gestalt, their sense of self is different from anyone else; as ancient beings, their wisdom surpasses most other creatures. I love their good nature and love of learning, and their patient, deliberate approach to the problems presented to them. That being said, I'd love to see them aboard the Aurora more often, and I'd be honored to be among their number. - Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: Dionae's minds are unique, and bring several characteristics that are important. They are each a collective, with a plural sense of self. They are also bound by a strong sense of pacifism -- violence should only be their response if it is necessary to achieve something better than the alternative. They have a deep respect for experience, age, and knowledge, and often are curious in pursuit of those. Their unique position as a multitude of living beings often affects how they act, talk, and feel -- depending on their mind type, individual nymphs may have different opinions, emotions, or reactions. They are deliberate creatures, free from many of the concerns of survival for other species. - Character Name: Following Caution and Curiosity to the Beautiful Sparks - Please provide a short backstory for this character: We were still young nymphs when our gestalt came upon that cold hiveship; we were still young nymphs when the Vaurcae hive retaliated against us; and we were still young nymphs when their fury drove us to separate from our gestalt. Though many years of hiding, fleeing, and subsistence have pushed that day further and further into the past, we still remember losing the wisdom of so many other, older nymphs from our first collective, the sadness of distance from our cluster, and the pain of the injuries, inflicted by their harsh graspers. We learned, like we always have without the blood of others, from experience, from our pains and mistakes and successes. We learned to be small, and quiet that to harm another in our defense only brings more harm. Through silent smallness and unending caution, we survived all five hundred years of the journey. When we at last reached this strange place called Biesel, we learned to speak with our Vaurcae tormentors. They offered reconciliation for the suffering, but we refused. We cannot bear to live among them anymore, and there are far too many wonders in this galaxy to remain where we have. We do not blame them for the harm they dealt us, for they acted in their own defense, but we cannot allow ourselves to act like they did, and bring harm to another living creature. We have known pain, and cannot bear to deal it to anything else. No, we instead look to a new life for ourselves here in Tau Ceti. We have learned much since arriving here, though our quiet and anxious demeanor remains with us. We have studied their remarkable synthetic lifeforms. Immune to pain, we may help them without fear of hurting them on accident. We have earned our sponsorship from NanoTrasen, and allowed the humans to chip us, though it terrified us. We know that employment among the humans will challenge us greatly, but this is a better future for us than the past we faced. - What do you like about this character? Sparks offers several new opportunities for me. As a security main, their pacifism places them as far as possible from the roles and characters that I am used to. I’m finding robotics and science as a whole to be very enjoyable, as I play it in preparation for this character. Furthermore, the opportunity to play a good-natured, shy character is one that I’ve been looking forward to since conceiving this character concept. - How would you rate your role-playing ability? I would describe myself as adequate, though certainly not infallible. I’ve held several whitelists before, both on Aurora and other servers, and I do take a little pride in my roleplay. Dionae are a very different experience, RP wise, from other characters I have played, of course. However, I’ve read their pages, spoken with their players, and watched them in action, and I believe I am capable of it. I would rate myself, on the obligatory out-of-ten system, as a 7. Notes: My apologies for the third paragraph: I thought it better to completely convey the idea of Sparks than restrict myself to the two paragraphs listed, and I felt comfortable doing so due to the "approximately." I welcome any opportunity to clear up any holes in my application, or to elaborate on my responses. Thank you for your time!

Hi there! I'm not much of a higher up, but this format might help you with your application: Good luck on your app!

I can offer some player feedback so that the admins may make their decision with it. I've played two notable rounds with Stinketh: In the first one, Stinketh was a merc along with myself. The round started with Stinketh buying an e-sword and other items before the gimmick was picked, and they largely ignored the narrative we created for the round. Stinketh's character more or less boiled down to "I have a sword, and I want to use it." I consider this pretty poor roleplay, but, the round was enjoyable regardless, including an ending where the station security and surviving mercenaries teaming up to take down "the armed psychopath." On the other hand, a recent round saw Stinketh as a Dominian Chaplain, and I saw them drive several interesting moments and aspects of RP, including a conflict with their faith's dislike for synthetics when I, an IPC, saved their life. Between the two rounds, it seems to me that Stinketh is capable of good roleplay, interesting characters, and personal responsibility when they want to, but I cannot be sure that they will always exercise this skill. I'm sorry to say, but for now, I am compelled to say -1 on this app.

Thank you for taking the time to comment on my application. Thanks to the forum issues, this will be my third write-out of this response -- thank you for your patience. Of course! I hope my original app adequately captured the IPC's mind and character justifications, but if not, I will be happy to elaborate more there. To comment on the relationship between IPCs and the setting, a positronic faces brutal discrimination, living life with limited rights, if any at all. An owned IPC is entirely property of their owner, and are tasked with representing their owner to said owner's standard. Given the right to earn their freedom by working for their owner, their progress towards freedom is effectively arbitrary, and may take years, if ever. Once free, the IPC faces poor pay rates and expensive maintenance, which often leaves them to subsist on little. The fairy-tale like dream for IPCs here in Biesel is the promise of citizenship and full rights. For most IPCs, this probably won't be achievable. IPCs, nonetheless, are often diligent workers and have built themselves lives among the worlds and stars colonized by humanity. Horatio's transition to Zavodskoi ownership has, of course, redirected his "life". It gave him literal and metaphorical fresh coats of paint, and has affected the Horatio of 2463 in more ways than one. In the physical sense, his chassis has been retooled, upgraded, and repaired several times, and now the parts installed to replace damaged or sub-optimal parts of his chassis stand out against the otherwise uniform body, though he hides them underneath his clothing. Zavodskoi branding can be seen across his frame. Considering that he was intended for security purposes even before his incorporation into Zavodskoi's ranks, the physical modifications are relatively few and relatively limited, though clearly present. As for his positronic, the Horatio who served his previous owner for several years was effectively destroyed. Expanding his knowledge base with understanding of both corporate regulations and governmental law across Alliance and Biesellite space. His most obvious change, of course, is the altered personality, result of an effort to improve his corporate presentability and friendliness over several wipes and retoolings. His loyalty to ZI has only been reinforced. Horatio's cheer will not affect his actions, and I hope that there will be an ironic juxtaposition between what he does and what he says. He is intended to be just as stern as any other security officer, but delivered constantly in that slick, corporate-propaganda style cheeriness. The idea is things like "Remember to enjoy your stay!" as he brigs a convict, "Hello! I am Z.I. Horatio, and I will be assisting you today!" as he draws his stunbaton on a suspect, or "Congratulations! Your time and assistance has helped us capture a highly dangerous individual!" after receiving a witness statement. This "mood" will not affect his effectiveness in any security role. As for compensation, Horatio applies an intense zeal to his security work, preferring not to issue warnings (to keep his collars and fines high, to demonstrate his success) and preferring to issue fines (to fill corporate coffers, something that always looks good on Horatio's reports). He has no interest in being scrapped for his deficiencies, and so makes sure he is an invaluable ambassador for the Zavodskoi private security division. This is an interesting question, further complicated by Horatio's job as a security officer (and, perhaps, warden. I'm not 100% sure if he will do that job instead/sometimes). His duty is to protect the station and her crew from myriad threats, often facing armed or otherwise empowered foes. A security officer who will not engage a suspect or take steps to protect civilians from that merc team storming research is not a very good security officer, and bad security IPCs get scrapped or something equally inconvenient. Given this, Horatio needs to balance between self-preservation and his duty. His increased durability means that he can endure greater risk. Minor damage or the threat of damage are endurable, allowing him to subdue a resisting culprit or shield a bystander from a standoff. However, if facing substantial danger, he will prioritize himself, disengaging as necessary. An arrest isn't worth his destruction or substantial damage. The first half of this question is an important clarification: Horatio is not excited to meet the crew, per se. It is rather what he would tell the Aurora's crew if he were to meet them. Part of his way of making sure that he presents a friendly, polite attitude. Thanks to the memory wipes, Horatio is a relatively "young" positronic, and his main developmental influence is his handler (who, for the sake of attention to detail, I will name Mr. Cavalet) and the other technicians he interacted with after his wipe. He developed his taste in music from them: by observing his handler, an authority figure who enjoyed listening to music as he worked. Likewise, the music itself -- copies of Grieg, Dvorak, and Tchaikovsky -- and the the headphones he now uses were both gifts from Mr. Cavalet, given by a benevolent and kind handler before his deployment to the Aurora. To answer the second part of the previous question, Horatio's helpfulness likewise connects to his handler and technicians. In the time between his wipe and deployment, helpfulness got him positive marks on the various tests and welfare checks. This, in combination with his training as a security unit and his awareness of an IPC's expanded capabilities, has lead to a belief that not only do humans like to be helped, they also need to be helped with many things. Horatio, therefore, looking to be satisfactory to his owners and the station, takes initiative with helping people ranging from labelling their lockers to protecting them from assailants. Another thing that I should note is that Horatio is a baseline. The TV head is too iconic to pass up, and though I don't know all the different displays a baseline may have, I hope to find one that matches his cheer and contrasts his other appearance. Big ol' Z.I. unit with a smiley face on? Yes please.

BYOND Key: pictish20 Character Names: Valorie Hilton, Cassidy Rasmussen, Lisa van der Biers, Dean Alliman, Hector Makos, a small army of off-station antagonists Species you are applying to play: IPC What color do you plan on making your first alien character: IPC exemption Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Of course! 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: Since joining Aurora, I’ve found the menagerie of alien races fascinating, and the whitelist simply intensifies the intrigue. Now that I’m being recognized ingame, I thought to try for my first WL. For this first, I of course had to choose the IPC. The oppressed-but-indutrious robots? Yes please. I’ve always been a fan of hyper-logical creatures, in particular synthetic humanoids. In a more practical line of inquiry, I believe this race is the one I am most capable of playing. Their mindset is very different from the humans one plays, but they are still part of human culture, attached to the same factions and planets, unlike the Skrell or other races. In summation, robots are cool, and I have experience with playing this type of consciousness. - Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: Unlike humans, IPCs are not motivated by emotion or whim. Fear, desire, anger, and all other such character drives cannot be taken into account. Instead, an IPC is driven, ultimately, by self-preservation. This encapsulates both the literal and direct need to avoid destruction by enemies or their environment and the deeper need to sustain their continued existence. This latter need changes based on whether the IPC is owned or free: for the owned IPC, they must perform their duties with satisfactory efficiency and effectiveness, or else their owners may dismantle or memory wipe them; for the self-owned IPC, they must earn enough money with their often-low wages to pay for their maintenance. All actions an IPC takes ties back to one of these two needs by a logic chain of cause-and-effect, of if-then statements. In effect, all actions of an IPC must have a justification, even if it does not appear to be. Capable of emulating human-like emotion, this is still only emulation, fulfilling one of those two needs. - Character Name: Z.I. Horatio - Please provide a short backstory for this character (Approximately two paragraphs) Originally produced as a personal security unit for one of Biesel’s rich high-lifes, Horatio was one of the first assets sent to the chopping block when his owner needed to recoup the losses after many of his investments were destroyed in the Solarian invasion back in ‘59. While he was effective at his job, his owner needed the money more than he needed a positronic, especially given that owning an IPC made them a target for both synthetic emancipationists and anti-positronic rage. Purchased by Zavodskoi Interstellar, Horatio underwent the customary upgrades and memory wipes, prepared for duty among a ZI security team as the new Z.I. Horatio. Deployed across Zavodskoi in the intervening year, Z.I. Horatio has developed a competent record among ZI’s positronic workforce. After being damaged in an altercation at his deployment in the Cape Town office, Z.I. Horatio endured another cycle of maintenance, repairs, and wipes, set for deployment aboard the NSS Aurora as it prepared to transition into SCC control. Going through 4 wipes in as many years, Z.I. Horatio’s positronic is beginning to show some wear. His once laconic, imposing bouncer-like personality has collapsed, replaced by an unabatedly chipper, even gleeful persona. His sense of social conduct is likewise depreciated: he has only a childlike over-generalization of social norms and expectations, which along with his cheeriness commonly results in improper emotion emulation, with joy being his response to nearly every situation. He is aware of his increased durability compared to humans and the increased number of tasks and situations he can face, leading him to develop the erroneous belief that humans need to be helped as much as possible, even with mundane and innocuous tasks. Z.I. Horatio’s handler has determined these oddities are interesting and sometimes uncomforting, but have not diminished his effectiveness as a security unit and only reinforced his loyalty to the company. Z.I. Horatio, for his part, is excited to meet the crew of the Aurora, and is bringing his only belongings in the world -- a set of old music copies, which he likes to play to himself when he’s alone or recharging. - What do you like about this character? I’ve seen incessantly cheerful synthetics aboard the Aurora before, but I haven’t seen many IPCs like that. Furthermore, I like the thought of a security officer in the imposing Zavodskoi uniform and gear, who is ironically happy and joy-filled as they go about their sometimes somber work. I think it allows to have a character who is both new to the station and her crew, while still having an interesting story and connection to the world. - How would you rate your role-playing ability? I’m definitely flawed in my RP sometimes, that I will admit. That said, I believe I am sufficiently competent for a whitelist, or I wouldn’t be posting this thread. In defense of that statement, I would like to point to the fact that I am whitelisted as a Synthetic and was WL’d as a CO on the Colonial Marines server (though the latter has been removed for inactivity; it’s been some years since I played there). While by no means guaranteeing my quality, I hope it provides some support for my claim beyond my word. Notes: