[Accepted] Devildabeast's Aut'akh Application

[FearTheBlackout]

BYOND Key: Devildabeast
Character Names: 
Species you are applying to play: Aut'akh (Unathi)

What color do you plan on making your first alien character: Dark green.

Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes!

Why do you wish to play this specific race: I don't think that Aut'akh are honestly like any other species I've seen in my long time of playing SS13. Trying something new is always a great experience, and Unathi on Aurora, as well as Aut'akh, are more developed than anywhere else I've seen. Being very new to the galactic scene is also very interesting and I would like to see where it goes.

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: As stated above, they aren't like any other species, being about two-thirds synthetic, the epitome of transhumanism (transunathi-ism?). They have the unique position of technically belonging to the same species as every other Unathi, but belonging nowhere on their own planet but amongst themselves. Their connection to, or rather disconnection from Oss when on the Aurora, as well as their jovial personalities, seem like a great arc to play through and a good way to interact with others and form relationships (aside from most non-Aut'akh Unathi, obviously).

Character Name: Ansiba Lossha

Please provide a short backstory for this character: Originally Usha Vihnmes, she was the wife of an innkeeper, Akslos Vihnmes, and would provide room service to inngoers and talk to them as they ate, weary from their long travels. She was enjoyed as a kind ear in her community, and just recently married.

What she wasn't aware of was the extortions her husband was pulling on some of their customers, the details of which are still inexact to her. One night, a fight broke out between he and an angered customer, the former being killed and she herself being wounded. Grief-stricken, she ran away from the inn and her community, never coming back.

She wandered the wasteland for days until she was found by clan Dorviza, where she was healed and sat down, explaining her story but unable to go into the exact details of why it happened. All she knew was that her husband was dead, and she herself was crippled, making her mostly unsuitable for work and undesirable by others, a recluse. She remained this way for a while until a traveler arrived in town one day, identifying themself as a follower of the Aut'akh, offering to take her to the Polar Bunkers for conversion to her new life and body. Having been raised Th'akh, she was at first unconvinced and uncertain of the Aut'akh ideas of Unathi-kind, but in both realization and desperation, accepted, making the long, tenuous journey to the north pole.

When she arrived, she was welcomed by many fellow refugees from the Wasteland, as well as all over Moghes. She underwent the ritual of rebirth without issue, joining the recently branded Ansiba clan. Her studies into the goings-on of Tau Ceti led to her interest in becoming a journalist, where she could put forward the truth and increase people's knowledge of the world at large. She worked with several companies around the system before finding her way onto the Aurora, where she will work as a Freelance Journalist.

Lossha is about 6'5" and around 300 pounds. Her chassis is a dark, if slightly metallic green, and her eyes are black, with sizable horns. She is often kind and caring, though has trouble completely trusting people. She can be intelligent and methodical, especially when reporting the news. She has a fondness for Dionaea since she was acquainted with them back in the Wasteland, but is wary of other organic species.

What do you like about this character? She's definitely got a lot of baggage, but is learning to move past it. Her beginnings are nothing whelming but still brought her to where she is today. I think in her case, the character development has barely just begun, and I'd love to see where things go, especially given her job and clan.

How would you rate your role-playing ability? Somewhere above average! I can't comment much on it, besides that I try my best to be creative and interact with others, which is what roleplaying is all about at the end of the day.

Notes: I was told that Aut'akh is, in fact, the same whitelist as regular Unathi. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be playing a regular Unathi anytime soon, and my application is based around that, but I am absolutely happy to answer any questions relating to Unathi in general, especially if it relates in some way to the Aut'akh as well.

Edited January 31, 2020 by Marlon Phoenix

[WickedCybs]

Devil really underrates themself when it comes to roleplaying ability. Whatever job they play, they dedicate themselves to it rather impressively. I'd be keen to see how they do a journalist, only really seen them as a chaplain and roboticist so far on Aurora. I know they'll do well in it though.

As for the character, It's an interesting concept. As far as Aut'akh go it seems relatively in line with how one would come about. Hopefully I can get to see them in action.

+1

[Carver]

My recommendation left on his IPC whitelist is equally applicable here. +1

Quote

I can't personally testify for or against his synthetic play, but what I can say about DDB is that he puts a truly impressive amount of study and effort into some of the more RP-oriented roles he's played.

 

[DeadLantern]

Hi, cool app. However, I see some various things that'd I like questioning.

First, you say the husband and the customer get into a fight--now, if it was straight up murder, it is still a crime. The other Unathi could be punished, and as a Widow you could have gained sympathy from others, enough to stay with your clan and people. Possibly even remarry.

However, if it was an honorable duel, then there is probably not much one can do, and it is interesting to see how a significant other deals with a loss they had absolutely no answer to. That grief is ardous to overcome, and it makes sense that one would search for answrs anywhere, even to heretics.

Also, your character is part of the Ansiba tribe. But how? Ansiba only recruit the smartest people to become Ansiba. I was expecting someone who deals with food to become Kethresh. You don't really give an explanation on why they are Ansiba. An explanation would be nice.

Other than that, it is a character with a good backstory which makes sense. It does not deal with much Unathi politics or ideas, but that makes sense, as you are strictly applying for Autakh, so I can accept the lack of that part of the application.

Edited January 23, 2020 by DeadLantern

[FearTheBlackout]

An honor duel might make more sense at the cost of giving her a reason to be injured. In that event, I wonder if she would still have to undergo a Ritual of Shards or not? I’m not sure. I’m guessing yes, since it wasn’t constant hardship or not done by the books, but I don’t know. I thought that, because she was grief-stricken and may not have remembered the exact details, and the attacker wasn’t someone she recognized from the community, AND she ran away, that the other clan couldn’t really do much about it, and the attacker wouldn’t get put to justice, putting her in both emotional and physical grief.

 The thing about getting into the Ansiba clan is difficult, because female Unathi are discouraged from seeking positions of power or intellect or even learning to read and write, especially in the Wasteland. Even so, I don’t reasonably believe that Ansiba’s answer would be to just turn everyone away who can’t prove themselves by profession. The wiki does say they “recruit from the most intelligent Unathi”, not the most prestigious, so I’m thinking there might be some kind of test or something she performed well on, as she’s already been able to display emotional and social intelligence, which would already be perfect for a journalist, so I don’t think that learning intelligence is far from the realm of what she’s capable of, since she would need it to be “methodical” as described.

The thing about Unathi politics is that, being middle-aged and from the Wasteland, I’m not sure how much the goings-on of the Hegemony really affect her to begin with, and by the time she enters the commune, she’s already left with the fleet to New Gibson. I wanted her to be a more “recent” character if that makes sense, having just acquired her chassis a year or two ago, and just having been married when the events unfolded that led to her becoming Aut’akh, meaning that she has no kids currently.

[DeadLantern]

I get your reasoning for her choice to run away for her clan.

Yes, Ansiba clan only recruits the smartest of Unathi. I am sorry for implying that only Unathi in "smart professions" get into Ansiba. I concur that there must be some sort of aptitude test or trial Aut'akh put people through to test their various skills. I do not have a problem with Lossha being recruited into Ansiba while being an innkeeper's wife; I do have a problem when you don't mention her smartness in the application. Keeping in one's desires are hard, and female Unathi are not expected to do things relating to social-science or anything outside of caring for a family. Did she repress those desires to learn and teach? Or did she try anyway, and fail, and become jaded as a result of it? Sorry if I worded it incorrectly, but what I want is a statement on why she is smart enough to be in Ansiba as well as her dealings with this aptitude while she was married. Perhaps she did it in secret, or she wrote her fantasies in a diary, something to indicate possible smartness.

Your last paragraph is true. The Hegemon's influence only extends so far into the Wasteland, and it would make sense that many things are different.

Anyway, as I said earlier, this application is fine. If I were writing it though, I would add a little more in her conversion to Th'akh to Aut'akh. Not because it is needed or anything, but because I would the exact conversion (decentralized, relatively lax tenets to centralized, dominating tenets) to be interesting. How she grappled with doubts of her faith, how she eventually began to believe, etc. 

[FearTheBlackout]

Thank you for the input. I can make some adjustments to the character concept later tonight or tomorrow if the application hasn't been processed by then.

[Zer0Winds]

I've seen you around as Mozh, before. Mozh is an interesting character, that I enjoyed the little bit of interaction we had together, even with my extremely limited knowledge of the Vaurca. So, RP, I can say you're a good person.

For the story, I am sad to say I can not really comment on it, much, since I haven't looked too much into Unathi lore, having learned what I do know from interactions with them on the station, which is even less from Aut'akh. But it seems pretty good, from what I can tell, so I would support this.

[TealPinniped]

It's a good one, I'm in full support of it. 

+1

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

I will respond to this tomorrow; sorry for the delay

[Cnaym]

Very good RP. They have my full support and I would love to see them in the #Aut'akhGang

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Hello!

I found your character interesting and while I had some questions all of them were basically addressed by you and Deadlantern. It wasn't intended to come across that the Ansiba only recruit from smarty pants; being a very capable, driven person would be a better way to phrase that. It's why they are both in science, a field of smarty pants, as well as service.

While an honor duel would be interesting I do think that her being collateral damage and thus made physically handicapped leads naturally to being recruited by the Aut'akh. Women are considered assets to be used, and a physically handicapped woman is really undesirable so her fleeing out of fear and what have you seems entirely reasonable.

As a whole I find this a solid application and you have good  feedback so I'm going to happily accept it! It's a shame that you are not currently interested in vanilla Unathi but you get the whitelist anyway; I hope you come to enjoy them as well!