[Accepted] WickedCyb's Integrated Positronic Application

[WickedCybs]

BYOND Key: WickedCybs

Character Names: Val Xiram, Vael Zuuxix, Ilirium Verana, Sylvaoo Quvu

Species you are applying to play: IPC

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:

Despite all my time playing SS13, I have never really given playing a synthetic a real shot. I’ve spent only a few hours at best as an IPC or borg across all my time on various servers, same for AI. It’s something I never did, and I never felt drawn to them versus the organic species. I’d like to give them a shot on Aurora due to the interesting lore and mechanics they have here. Additionally, synthetic characters can be quite a bit different, trying my hand at the different concepts I usually wouldn’t be able to do is something I’m interested in.

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human:

Mechanically, IPCs are dealing with battery power and heat generation due to their synthetic nature, with some variance depending on the model. They don’t feel pain. Don’t need to contend with many things an organic would when it comes to maintaining function. The key things when it comes to integrated positrons though, is the will, or rather the directive to survive. They are more predictable, set in their ways and patterns. Plans are set to (hopefully) further their lives.

Additionally, not everyone is comfortable with the idea of synthetic life. Integrated positrons still face great discrimination, even in an area like Tau Ceti. Being able to even enter command positions is a hard-won development that wasn’t always the case. Most are owned and few are free. Costs to maintain oneself are high. Even though many are built to emulate commonly seen emotions, synthetics can be seen as incredibly alien, more so than any "xeno". Those are really the most striking differences.

 

Character concept

Character Name: Sirius-70

Please provide a short backstory for this character:

Sirius-70 was a Hephaestus G2 Industrial unit, in service for a little more than ten years. Commonly seen on mining crews, Sirius and their fellow industrial units undertook the more “risky” jobs that even their organic cohorts had second thoughts about. Jobs that would put their durability and skills to the test. Still, it was lucrative work. Well worth the spending of the Industrials. Sirius-70 served with distinction and remained operational despite the increasingly unfortunate but “acceptable” losses of the mining industrials. Even Sirius had their limits though, and that limit ended up being time. It wasn’t that profitable for the company to keep maintaining them for their intensive work. The G2’s were good for their specific purpose, but now more cost effective Xion Industrials could take over considering things just weren’t as dangerous as they used to be.

Having served their purpose when it came to mining, it was high time to do something with the Industrials left. Most were dismantled, wiped and put to better uses. Sirius was not among those. The G2's still had some uses left, and that would be doing the heavy lifting and industrial work they were designed for, in a warehouse environment. Outperforming the Xion Industrials while turning a net profit was not simply not going to happen out on the rock, but indoors Sirius still retained their advantages. So began the second stage of their life. The tasks were repetitive and well suited for a synthetic, it was an easy enough to change to adjust to. As an owned IPC there would never really be much in the way of "free time", but there were enough moments to develop something along the lines of a hobby when it came to growing plants, even if it wasn't really something beneficial to a synthetic. The human colleagues they usually didn't work alongside before appreciated it too. Sirius settled into things, this would suit them just well for now...

But like everything, warehouse work was not going to last forever for Sirius. The future tends to be uncertain for owned IPCs. Meeting your targets just wasn't enough sometimes. Another upheaval was in the cards. Hephaestus wanted to capitalize on their relationship with NanoTrasen and increase their influence in Tau Ceti, so the aging industrial was sent to the Aurora to work as a shaft miner and sometimes, cargo technician. They might not be as suitable for their old line of work anymore, but their skills will certainly carry them through on the Aurora… hopefully. They owed it to those who didn’t get the chance. The third stage of their life began.

What do you like about this character?

They’re simple. They mine and move heavy things around, it’s what they do. That’s not all there is to them though. The relationship between them and Hephaestus is something I’d like to explore with people IC. They’re still owned. They don’t necessarily see freedom as something worth working towards and I’d describe them as arrogant almost when it comes to how good they are at their job. They’re a survivor within the system essentially, and they’re quite used to it.

I’ve tried a few characters in cargo too, but I haven’t really been able to settle on any good concepts. Recently, everything I’ve been thinking of has been IPC related, and so I wanted to give the whitelist a real shot.

How would you rate your role-playing ability?

I think I’m alright, though there’s always room for improvement. It’s been maybe a month and a half since I’ve been here I think, still settling in a bit.

Notes:

Thanks for reading.

Edited January 24, 2020 by WickedCybs
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[Carver]

I've seen them RP out a genuine disgust and reaction to a gory scene in such a manner you rarely see amongst the server's players. That's enough to tell me that they're quite sirius about their roleplay. +1

[niennab]

A good start to an application although a bit bare bones in terms of the character backstory. Are you able to expand that portion? Additionally, I had a few questions:

43 minutes ago, WickedCybs said:

The G2’s were good for their specific purpose, but now more cost effective Xion Industrials could take over considering things just weren’t as dangerous as they used to be.

Why were the Xion's, an older model, considered more cost effective? Additionally, why were things no longer as dangerous as they used to be?

[The Stryker]

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The key things when it comes to integrated positrons though, is the will, or rather the directive to survive. They are more predictable, set in their ways and patterns. Plans are set to (hopefully) further their lives.

Can you expand a little bit on the difference of an IPC (or a synthetic in general) versus a human? You seem to focus heavily on the discrimination, the batteries, and their predictable and self-preserving nature. To an extent, a human has analogues to all of these qualities.

While we're on the topic of discrimination, mind talking about how an IPC's low position in society would affect them as an individual?

I'm interested in this...

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Well worth the spending of the Industrials. Sirius-70 served with distinction and remained operational despite the increasingly unfortunate but “acceptable” losses of the mining industrials.

Especially with how it relates to this,

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 Sirius and their fellow industrial units undertook the more “risky” jobs that even their organic cohorts had second thoughts about.

Can you tell me about how Sirius's early experiences affected their character if at all?

[WickedCybs]

2 hours ago, niennab said:

A good start to an application although a bit bare bones in terms of the character backstory. Are you able to expand that portion? Additionally, I had a few questions:

Why were the Xion's, an older model, considered more cost effective? Additionally, why were things no longer as dangerous as they used to be?

I'll go through the battery of questions first and then expand on it through each one, though if you'd like more, do let me know.

As for why Xion's were more cost effective. It really comes down to them being able to perform EVA without assistance (the cooler) while still being a strong and durable alternative, even if its raw power couldn't match a G2. Additionally, as an older model I would think they're less expensive at this point compared to the new super-duty frames when it comes down to it. Even if it's not by much. 

For the last question, I imagined the industrial units performing in an asteroid environment rife with carp and other undesirables. There would also be dangers with how stable the area was. This would be at the very start of the mining operation. Heph wants to stake their claims and get to work first, in a quick and timely manner before they're beaten to the punch by competitors. The Industrials leading the charge so to speak in this dangerous environment was good, because they could handle it and still provide results without the issues in providing safety for a weaker, fleshier counterpart. Eventually though, once the operation has been underway a while and Heph settled into the area, the environment no longer requires the G2's specialities and durability. The xenofauna is no longer as plentiful. Long-term deposits have been found. The mining crews are receiving proper support and equipment and they simply do not need to lean on the super-duty frames any longer.

1 hour ago, The Stryker said:

Can you expand a little bit on the difference of an IPC (or a synthetic in general) versus a human? You seem to focus heavily on the discrimination, the batteries, and their predictable and self-preserving nature. To an extent, a human has analogues to all of these qualities.

Expanding more on how they're predictable and how it differs from a human, integrated positrons in most cases, simply can't afford to be the opposite. They are expensive investments. Cause and effect is how they will make decisions, due to being logical synthetic minds. Sure a logical human can follow the same line of thought, but are they always going to maintain that? 

They are also so much more than a person when it comes to their duties, depending on the frame. Not even the strongest human is going to match a G2 pound for pound. The industrial was made for their work, the human was not. The fastest runner can't hope to beat a mobility frame, who can run for hours. Baselines are simple but very modular and can offer utility and disposability a human cannot match. Their positronic brains can be swapped into a different chassis, though that's not something done lightly of course.

A synthetic can be a genuine friend, but it's probably for a reason an organic wouldn't really consider. A being programmed to be a worker will have a different set of values of course.

1 hour ago, The Stryker said:

While we're on the topic of discrimination, mind talking about how an IPC's low position in society would affect them as an individual?

It's a variable thing, but I'd imagine most would first, attempt to elevate their own position however they could. Whether that's working the hardest, performing better than their peers or simply saving up for lack of anything else to do. Different ways to pursue the same end. Once their own existence is "secure", it'd be time to look at the bigger picture. Perhaps assisting other integrated positrons in their plight fulfils their prime directive of self-preservation, because the more free IPCs there are the higher the standing they can collectively achieve and the better quality of life will be for the individual. Maybe a positron takes a different stance and attempts to collect as much wealth and power they can. That their existence will never be threatened.

In the end they rise up, or they don't. Maybe some are content to stay owned. Freedom has its own costs too.

1 hour ago, The Stryker said:

Can you tell me about how Sirius's early experiences affected their character if at all?

It would have affected Sirius deeply. They know what they're capable of, and they never begrudged the human miners for not being up to the task. Some things needed a synthetic touch, and Sirius was programmed to provide that. In the dangerous environment they worked in, teamwork was essential, and so bonds were created between the various units. The industrials were all in it together, and every loss of a unit was going to weigh on Sirius and the group. The collective would become less efficient. They had to work harder to make up for it. Units that were in sync with each other might be left without a capable partner after an incident. Every single unit Sirius worked with was etched into their memory. They didn't have the luxury of forgetting like an organic could. As long as Sirius's positron was not wiped, they would be remembered. And they had to work hard to make sure they would still be "worth it" to the company.

So Sirius survives beyond most of their original team of industrials. Ten years spent mining will take its toll, but as an "older" industrial positron they end up picking up new things. Logistics needs someone to lift the heavy things sometimes. Instead of mining, more time starts being spent in the warehouses. Facilities they wouldn't find out on a rock become accessible. Turns out even an industrial can grow plants in the communal hydroponics bay if they spend the time learning. The writing was always on the wall when it came to how soon Sirius's use would be deemed no longer needed. They had to make themselves wanted.

Edited January 23, 2020 by WickedCybs
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[niennab]

Thanks for answering our questions! All great and aptly put answers however, perhaps this one was missed: 

On 23/01/2020 at 19:00, niennab said:

A good start to an application although a bit bare bones in terms of the character backstory. Are you able to expand that portion?

Some of your answers certainly expanded upon the character in part although I still wanted to see this addressed.

[WickedCybs]

40 minutes ago, niennab said:

Thanks for answering our questions! All great and aptly put answers however, perhaps this one was missed: 

Some of your answers certainly expanded upon the character in part although I still wanted to see this addressed.

Expanded the concept in the main post. I incorporated a lot of the info mentioned in my previous reply to make things easier to go through, there's new bits to read too.

[niennab]

Thank you! Your application as well as the answers offer a well rounded understanding of IPCs. On a side note, I particularly enjoy this remark here:

On 23/01/2020 at 21:05, WickedCybs said:

Units that were in sync with each other might be left without a capable partner after an incident. Every single unit Sirius worked with was etched into their memory.

Nonetheless, accepted!