ChevalierMalFet

A snowflake is a character: - That is unusually competent in their field, or unusually versatile. - That is unusually attractive or charismatic, especially if they have inhuman features - purple eyes, etc. - That lives outside the concerns of normal human beings, or is unbothered by normal human problems. - That is either unusually innocent or unusually jaded. - That 'sees through,' to the author's satisfaction, the thoughts and opinions of people around them. - That is too young, or else too old. - That frequently bucks authority or insults others, especially when that authority is gained 'normally.' - That is different from other characters in ways that are materially noticeable but dramatically trivial - "different for the sake of different." - That functions as a wish-fulfillment vehicle for the author or player.

I have a challenge for you, Metaphysical, an actual, personal challenge. I want you to create, just as a thought experiment, an interesting character that you think you would enjoy playing, within the following limitations. - They come from a working- or middle-class background. - They are from Tau Ceti. - They do not have unusual physical characteristics of any kind. - They are not unusually skilled. - They are not unusually skilled for their age, whatever it is. - They have never done anything materially special - all the special things they've done have been internal to them, in their feelings and motivations and relationships with others. - They are working because they have to; they need the money in order to pay the bills. Just do your best with this. Do your best, and play a couple of rounds with them, and see how you like it.

I love bugs, I love our bugs, I always want more bugs; if I can see you playing, if you post a promotion after a round and I like what I've seen, then I'll +1 it.

Salud. As we speak, I am currently writing this little thing for my own amusement about the Vaurca; I'm even calling it the Vaurca Dialogues. However, my whole understanding of them, and all my extrapolations, hinge on two specific factors that I want to get confirmation for. 1) Unbound Vaurca can return to the Virtual Realm from their material bodies, and from there eventually return to the Material Realm in a different body. 2) Unbound Vaurca will only die if they are in a body that is destroyed, or if their CA-host is destroyed, and cannot die of old age within the Virtual Realm. My central image of the Unbound Vaurca is that they are essentially AIs, ageless, formless, who occasionally condescend to inhabit material bodies when the need arises or if they feel the need for adventure. All the work I've done with them is dependent on these two points. If these two points are correct, then I am happy; if they're incorrect, please correct them so I can work around that. EDIT: And, finally, I have another very important assertion - in fact, this is the most important assertion of them all. 3) Only a small proportion of all Vaurca born will have their personalities uploaded to the Virtual; the "number of Unbound" in the wiki section on the different Hives refers to how many Unbound personalities there are period, and not simply how many personalities exist.

BYOND Key: ChevalierMalFet Character Names: Sarad Amrapurkar, Za'Akaix'Tlexa Zo'Ra, Subhash Gokhale, Chadrakhar Gokhale, Ajit Patil, AI SAMSARA Species you are applying to play: Unathi What color do you plan on making your first alien character (Dionaea & IPCs exempt): Brown. Browny-green. Earth tones. Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: 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: Because the Unathi are a direct, man-of-action warrior race, and there's nothing I find quite so interesting as subverting this expectation and creating somebody who belongs to a direct, man-of-action warrior race and yet is himself something like Doctor Zhivago. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: Unathi are failures, in that their traditional leaders have failed them; millions of Unathi were killed in a flash of atomic light and they have now become vassals to Human/Skrell ambition. The central story to the Unathi, if indeed there is one and if I may be so bold as to make such a claim, is that they must struggle to figure out how to live in this new, massive world - having been plucked out of their small pond, where they were big, fat, lazy fish, and dumped into a vast ocean full of shadowy whales. Character Name: Mizgur Vokimok Please provide a short backstory for this character, approximately 2 paragraphs Mizgur Vokimok was born on Moghes, but her parents moved to humanspace before she was old enough to realize it. Her oldest memories are of the red plains of Mars, and of her father - once of high station, now a broken-up man working menial jobs - complaining bitterly about the foolishness and blindness of the Unathi race. In her home, there was nothing Unathi, nothing of Moghes - her parents wouldn't even let it into the door. Her first language was Sol Common, and she attended school - the only Unathi for a thousand miles - with all the human children as though nothing was wrong. Her classmates and teachers meant well, sure, but she knew they couldn't shake their image of her as a savage, as a wild animal, as a piece of living trash for the Alliance to stomp on. It made her angry. A stronger mind, a more independent spirit, could have taken all that anger and turned it back on the others, growing a sense of defiance and stubborn pride in her people despite their straightened circumstances. Mizgur wasn't such a person, and she could only send her anger inward at her own people and her own origins. They were right, she thought to herself, the Unathi are garbage. I'll have nothing to do with them, nothing ever. My body may be scales, but in my heart, I can be like a human being. I can be somebody. I can matter. Her drive to bury all that was Unathi about her drove her through school, where she achieved top marks. She was the only Unathi to march at her graduation from the University of Mars Medical School, and the only one in the room when she was granted her medical license. Now, she is a doctor - an accomplished doctor, a respected doctor, a jewel in the world of general practice. But no matter what she does, she can never escape the memory of the day when everyone in class looked at her like the creature she was. What do you like about this character? Mizgur is gentle, thoughtful, and tender-hearted; a friend to friends and to those in need. Assuming you believe that she's a competent doctor (which she is), I imagine there's nobody you'd rather have as your physician - even if she does struggle with profound self-loathing. How would you rate your role-playing ability? 9 out of 10. It would be irredeemably arrogant to rate myself at a 10, wouldn't it? But I actually do think I'm very good at this; it's one of my major hobbies and has been for ages. Notes: No notes.

nvm. Didn't know 'bout that.

I love motorcycles. I own one, and am about to sell it and buy another. If you want to talk bikes, I'm your guy.

So there I was, one day, as captain, and I thought I'd slide out my gun to flick it into red mode to kill some spiders. Next thing I know, there's a medal popped into my other hand, and I had to put it back on my uniform. LSS, make it like in the old code so that a single-click on your uniform will flick out anything you have in a holster, and leave your medals unmolested.

At one point, you were operating on Tlexa during a Wizard round, and it took like 25 minutes while I got took all around on a roller-bed. I was quite upset at the time and thought you were just waffling around, but then I realized you needed more nanopaste to heal me, and in the end it got done right. So, props on sticking through with the operation to the bitter end.

Absolutely not. All of your characters are chucklefucks and I can't think of a single time I've ever enjoyed interacting with them. -1

No, seriously. If you /didn't/ have it, I'd be concerned. Just give it to yourself.

I know it's too late to change now, but I really wish someone had chosen a name other than "Jargon."

I know I'm probably not the best person to say this because I think I'm the last one playing Vaurca at this point, but I think that the "loyalty implant = minimal Vaurca racism" probably has something to do with, and can be justified IC with, the fact that the Vaurca - as a polity - are much more powerful than any of the other alien civilizations. Check the Wiki again; the Zo'Ra hive is second only to the Sol Alliance as a power, and it's a very strong second. This isn't just a race thing; it's a Cold War thing, and powerful people openly antagonizing the Vaurca without some kind of reprimand could have long-term consequences for NanoTrasen. I mean, Vaurca drones are bugs, of course; the Zo'ra and K'lax hives probably sold them to NT without any anticipation of ever seeing them again. They're meant to be used and thrown away. But open hostility towards the Vaurca program from officer-grade employees could have political consequences.

I saw you do some Dionas and I think you did a good job. I would support your continuation. +1.

+1 as well for Dr. Venteil.

I recently celebrated making my 14th character, and thought this was as good a time as any to write a post about them all. Feedback is accepted and welcomed, of course, and I'll update this post with any new characters I create. This is all OOC, by the way; I'll describe my thoughts as I made the characters and what I did with them. Character 1: Sarad Amrapurkar Sarad was not my first character on this server - I remember starting with a couple of Persian guys running around as a chaplain or a botanist or a nurse or something - but he was the first one that mattered. Sarad only ever plays Chief Engineer; holding such an office, and having worked his way up in the ranks, is an important part of his character. I still consider him my 'main,' though he probably isn't anymore. I settled on Engineering as my 'main' department after I spent a little time on Baystation and had some veterans show me the ropes. Sarad's a working-class hero; he grew up in near-poverty on New Gibson. He joined the merchant navy as a teenager, and has since worked his way all the way up being a head of staff. This was an ambition on my part; I probably took this responsibility before I really knew what to do with it - though I think I definitely know much better now. I also got his people, the Panchamayanis, Lore-Canonized - I've made a lot of other characters who were Panchis as well. Sarad has a wife and two young children; he is a family man. Character 2: Calonice deNomikos Calonice is another single-job character; she's a Psychiatrist. I chose Psychiatry because I wanted an 'easy in' into medical; she could be a competent doctor when I felt comfortable with it, but could plead ignorance when I didn't. She's not a man and she's not a Panchi; I've since made several other non-Panchis but no other women. I initially used her once to dip my toes into science, but did such a catastrophically bad job with it that I was scared away for a long time. I haven't played her in a long time. Like myself, and most of my characters, she is a smoker and she likes motorcycles. Character 3: Chen Yiwei I've spent a little more time with Dr. Chen. He was supposed to be another scientist, and I gave him an arrogant, 'you're wasting my time' scientist attitude, but his short-lived science career did not entertain me. (To this day, it's the only department where I haven't spent any serious time.) From there, I brought him into Genetics, but spent enough time doing medical work and surgery in particular (which I am now slightly better at) that I decided he should focus on medicine. I figured that since the Genetics lab has a surgery table, he should be good at surgery. He's one of my only two multi-career characters; he can spawn as a Geneticist, a Doctor (as a Virologist for them sweet green shoulders), or as a Chemist. A smoker and a biker but not a Panchi. Character 4: Kyaw Maung Also known as U Kyaw Maung, for which I got in no small amount of trouble. I have not played him since the first time I played him and had to change his name; he's a Buddhist chaplain, and I tried to make him a good one. His biggest contribution to my career was forcing me to figure out the signature function. Not a Panchi. Character 5: Chadrakhar Gokhale Chadrakhar - Chad to his friends - is a single-career Security Officer, though I did give him one go as a forensics expert. (Made a hash of it.) I think Chad is one of my best-performing characters; I'm good with him and he's good at his job. He was born on Biesel but is a Sol Alliance citizen; he has an apartment and a girlfriend and is pretty much just living a good life. As an aside about myself, I think I play really good security guys. He's another smoking, biking Panchi. Character 6: Cyborg Only I've actually never played this character; it's a single-career Cyborg set to return-to-lobby. Character 7: AI Only / SAMSARA Ahh, here we go. One of my recent favorites, SAMSARA is a station AI. I'm really enjoying playing an AI, and SAMSARA alternates between being very helpful and being kind of imperious. His catch-phrases are 'according to the relevant indices' and 'access to this area is limited to personnel with access to this area.' One of my most fun recent playthroughs was a Nuke round where he was subverted. Character 8: Ajit Patil A single-career Captain. A smoker, a biker, and a Panchi. Another major character, he was a Research Director on the Apus before he was Captain. An urbane, smooth aristocrat, he tries to lead with a gentle hand but often gets flustered if people disagree with him. He recently got in trouble during a Wizard round; I'm still mulling over in my head what he'll do on his return. He's my oldest character - he's 67, if memory serves - and has been married for many years with two grown daughters. He's also my richest character, sitting comfortably on 9 digits, and gets an excellent salary from NT that he's parlayed into some very good investments - including holding enough stock in the company that he's comfortable throwing that fact around, though probably not enough that it'll actually get him anywhere. Character 9: Subhash Gokhale A single-career Head of Security, and Chad's father. A smoker, a biker, and a Panchi. A career officer in the Sol Peacekeeping Force who had to leave due to a kickbacks scandal, he was hired by NT directly as a Head of Security. I'm still figuring out his tone; I want him to be a straight-edge, no-bullshit military type, but leading Security is often like herding cats and I find I get more results with a more gentle touch. Nevertheless, I think he's one of the most competent HoS around, though some might argue. Character 10: Ka'Viax'Keku Zo'Ra A Bound Vaurca. Initially just a miner, but I branched him out once (for about 15 minutes in a nuke round, until he was killed) as an Engineer. I think I might play him as an Engineer more often, if I want to engineer but don't want the burden of leadership. There may actually be more than one Keku; maybe the Engineer is a different one from the Miner. I may cop out and say as much in his employment records. Character 11: Za'Akaix'Zishik Zo'Ra An Unbound Vaurca. Initially worked in medicine, but I since moved him to Robotics - though he has a back-up as a regular Scientist. I've only played two gos with him so far, but I imagine him as a sensitive and intellectual philosopher. One thing I like about Vaurca is that their Unbound can be extremely old, especially when combined with the fact that time in the Virtual Realm passes at its own pace. As such, Zishik is over 2,000 years old, and has spent much of his life as an influential thinker. Character 12: Za'Akaix'Tlexa Zo'Ra An Unbound Vaurca. This one is a warrior, though like my other Unbound he has a love of beauty and poetry. Also fantastically old, though not quite as old as Zishik; he was a war-leader in the campaigns against the other hives to establish Zo'Ra supremacy. As such, he has a regal, military bearing. He's also a 'good' officer, though he still gives the impression that he thinks he' smarter than everyone else. He defaults to Warden, with Security Officer as a back-up. Character 13: Vinny Wesco A single-job Botanist. Like most of my characters, he has all his Traitor options enabled, but he came up as a traitor the first and to date only time I've played as him. I may play as him again if I feel like playing around with Botany some more. Character 14: George Stolojan A single-job IAA. I haven't played as him yet, but I visualize him as being a more touchy-feely, personal kind of IAA. Definitely a biker (I mentioned it in his medical records), probably a smoker, definitely not a Panchi.

This discussion is currently on-going in the Vaurca feedback thread in General.

That was me. I found it quite funny. I'm sure I will ask you again next time I see you.

I have two unbounds - working as a roboticist and in security - and I have one bound, who's a miner. The one I relayed is an unbound.

Also, in case anyone cares, I've re-printed my records for one of my Vaurca characters. Medical Records: None. A note from the Integrity Board of Sedantis stating that BA-type body is 'correct' upon assumption by Akaix'Tlexa Zo'ra in 2456, and re-affirmed on January 1st, 2458. Employment Records: None. According to the Unbound Noyau of Sedantis, Akaix'Tlexa Zo'ra presently carries qualifications equivalent to, and sufficient for, a valid Security Warden or below. Prior to that, he was employed as something called, and admittedly ill-translated as, "First Speaker of the Temple for Praxis in Motion." This employment has an end-date - 31/12/2457 - but no start date. Security Records: None. A note from the Unbound Noyau of Sedantis stating that Akaix'Tlexa Zo'ra is 'without blandishment' as of 31/12/2456, countersigned by the Cleanliness Board of the same. What I am getting from this post is that Vaurca do not have 'work experience;' they're just qualified for the job by testing. So if a given Drone - let's say it's an Unbound drone - is certified to work in, say, Atmospheric Engineering, what would they write under their Employment Records? Yes, when a unbound is hired for a job, They are given a basic test, more than likely something NT designed holographically with a given worst case situation regarding the job and they are tasked to correct the situation effectivly and if they pass then they have proven, with a board of people judging them more than likely, that they are capable enough for their work

Well how I would treat it is a chain of obedience, its head of department (or captain if lacking) then department co-workers,Then those outside of department, station guests and then finally those outside of station personnel who can then fall into the prior catagory when authorized as a guest of the station Do other Vaurca have a "back door" into this situation? What happens if an unbound Vaurca gives an order to a bound one in a different department?

So if a given Drone - let's say it's an Unbound drone - is certified to work in, say, Atmospheric Engineering, what would they write under their Employment Records?

I asked this question in a dedicated Lore Question thread, but it got no replies, so I'll ask them here. First, how do the Vaurca reckon age? It seems like a Bound might be genuinely less than a year old; an Unbound, on the other hand, might well be (because of body-switching and the Virtual Realm) thousands of years old. Second, how do their occupation qualifications work? They've only been discovered for two years, meaning none of them could work their way up the ranks. Is there a board of a council in the Hives that could offer an equivalent qualification, such that NT would accept?

I feel like the curve is a little too flat, but that's just me - I feel like command staff should be making, like, 20 times as much as assistants and apprentices, rather than five times as much as we've seen here.

What are the carrots and sticks that NT can use to motivate the Syions to do a good job? I mean, money is meaningless to them - they already have so much of it - so they can't reward the Syions by offering more, and they can't punish them by offering less. So how does NT get a handle on them? Surely, you must concede that an employee who can afford to simply walk away at any time with no consequence to themselves is not a reliable employee.