Staff Complaint: ParadoxSpace

[Soultheif96]

BYOND Key: Soulthief96

Staff BYOND Key: ParadoxSpace

Game ID: b6q-av8k

Reason for complaint: Verbal Warning - Told to not use the word "Alkahestry '' as an Aut'akh Sinta'Unathi.

As you can see in the admin help view page (Evidence), it was seen as an anime reference and/or an old practice dating back to the 16th century. I will not lie here, I do know of these two different perspectives and it did contribute to my reference as alkahestry instead of pharmacy or even alchemy. Alkahestry is the medicinal practice of alchemy applied. Now, when we talk with Unathi characters who are from Moghes or Ourea, they may refer to it as alchemy due to how they understood it. I would, as a medicine manufacturer, call it alkahestry, the medical version. I choose to say it as I saw this may be how the Sinta would look at it. Now, yes, being an Aut'akh will be slightly different, but it doesn't make them not Sinta'Unathi and magically drop it. You don't just unlearn years of using a certain set of words because you are in Tau Ceti and using Basic, that would take time to adjust to. 

Now, I referenced it once. Once only and it gets an immediate action by ParadoxSpace, which I think he is targeting specific wording to use the rule of using references as a means to either apply a warning or much more severe action. I decided to call it a lore issue that can or would be cleared up by the current Unathi Loredev, Sleepy. After this incident, I asked fellow Unathi players, including Marlon/Jackboots, if they would call pharmacy/chemistry alchemy or even alkahestry, about all of them said yes, because it was accepted by the community. Either this is a misunderstanding on ParadoxSpace's behalf or he is looking past what is in the lore.

Now, to the actual science I was doing. I was actually doing what Franciscus Mercurius van Helmont, a real life alchemist at the time, did and that was making glycerol and acetone out of certain chemicals I wish to not disclose. Does my character, Siansi Jul'halz know this man, read up on him? No, he doesn't, what he does know is he is practicing what alchemists before him on Moghes did. Does Siansi Jul'halz know about "anime" and FML, again, no he doesn't for reasons already stated before. 

Now, I am not using the Human concept of alkahestry, I am using the Sinta'Unathi's concept of it, which is a space feudal aesthetic, so calling it the either alchemy or alkahestry is in character.

Evidence/logs/etc:

Additional remarks: 

This is similar to calling out a Tajara a cultist as another Tajara and getting bwoinked over it for referring to a round type - Cult, when Raskara exists and it is a cult as perceived by non-practitioners.  

[geeves]

Hello, Unathi Lore Deputy here. I didn't find a single reference for Sinta'Unathi calling it alchemy, but feel free to link where you found it.

Sinta'unathi pre-contact war were on the same level as we humans are now in 2020.

The best reference I could find was this, https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Skalamar_University_Of_Medicine , where it shows the Skalamar University of Medicine is pretty much galactically accredited up to PhD levels, which means they probably use the correct terms.

Considering that original Aut'akh are supposed to be lead scientists and engineers, I see no reason for them to bumblefuck around with archaic terms.

Anyhow, that's me as Deputy, if Sleepy says otherwise, they can override my judgement.

[Soultheif96]

I would like to quote from the Aut'akh page here:

Siansi Clan - "They're often seen as a more spiritual clan, as they tend to take rather minimalist bodies, or alternatively remain mostly organic. [...] and they tend to style themselves as wise sages, often using mystified terms and technical jargon unique to Siansi." "Siansi sages often preach against the growing revanchism, but their words are beginning to become less convincing to the clans who face nearly daily strikes and attacks from the outside world."

And for Aut'akh as a whole - "The Aut'akh tend to claim they are melding the ancient magic with modern science."

You may find it here. https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Aut'akh

Edited March 30, 2020 by Soultheif96

[Alberyk]

Dealing with this, but alkahest was never used in real life to refer to alchemy, and a quick google research seems to lead to one of the following things

-a clear reference to an anime: https://fma.fandom.com/wiki/Alkahestry

-The in real life concept that existed in alchemy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkahest

So, I do believe that paradox is right here.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

As the former loredev for six years i had people come to me about these issues so i can speak about precedent. Paradox himself created an alchemist unathi, if i remember the context of this convo right. It was either him and/or kaed.

I also cleared several times the usage of referring to it icly as alchemy if your unathi is very old fashioned, a romantic, a mystic, or all of the above. You just had to acknowledge that it was antiquated, which Unathi are... encouraged to be.

The specific clan Souls unathi is also one of mystics. Using obscure mystical terminology was always encouraged. I never watched the anime referenced and had discovered the term alkahest in my light researching alchemy, though i never used it myself because its specifically referring to a universal solvent and not the practice of alchemy, which is too specific to refer to if youre not a chemist.

That is the standing precedent I had. Its entirely sleepys domain now though. 

[Alberyk]

I would have no problem if anyone was saying alchemy instead of chemistry, but using Alkahestry in that context is pretty much an anime reference in character.

[Alberyk]

Anyway, paradox is right, don't use Alkahestry in that case. Feel free to use alchemy instead.

I will lock and move this in around one day or so.