[Accepted] Haydizzle's Unathi Lore Deputy Application

[Haydizzle]

Ckey/BYOND Username: Haydizzle
Discord Username Including #: Petrichor#0098
Position Being Applied For: Deputy Lore Developer
Past Experiences/Knowledge: I did all honors and collegiate literature and social studies classes in high school, fields of study which I'm still pursuing in college! I've also done a couple of articles for my college's press. Biggest experience though that I feel would be the most prevalent is my knowledge and skills I picked up as a Dungeon Master: creating stories, managing lore on a server, and collaborating with others for four or five years now. Teamwork and coordination are some of my biggest skills in addition to creative writing, which is why I believe I could fill a good spot on the unathi deputy team.
Examples of Past Work: To keep things simple, I'll only be referencing my unathi whitelist application, which can be found here. My laptop recently got wiped, so I don't exactly have many of my old files on it. If I can manage to get a copy of some of my newspaper articles, I'll edit them in here post-haste. I have some samples of creative writing done as a DM that I can send to people privately as well if desired!

Additional Comments: My unathi lore deputy application. This is just a sample of some of my creative thinking and thoughts, but perhaps to expand a little further in brief, I'd ideally like to see through or participate in a couple of key things: language and mannerisms (as seen above), reworking/updating Ouerea (mostly updating and giving new lore), and expanding on quieter aspects of lore (like unathi colonies, the Grim Compact, and the like). I would love to potentially work with the human and skrell teams to develop the culture of Ouerea as a bigger group project, or perhaps Gakalzaal with the tajara team.

Thanks for taking the time to read this all! Any more personal feedback/questions/etc. are always welcome to me on Discord (I'm there more often than here).

Edited June 25, 2020 by Haydizzle
Oh fuck oh god oh jeez I forgot a bracket

[geeves]

Dizzle is the man. very chill, lotsa good ideas, personally i have played in one of his campaigns and really enjoyed it. he can carry the vibe i want to see, and is someone i would gladly choose to be my successor and achieve even greater things.

admittedly, i skimmed your doc, but what i saw piqued my interest. the real bulk of what you'll do, you'll discover when you get in and start talking with the unathi team and the lore team at large.

i trust dizzle to manage the unathi community, to write the lore, and to be a wonderful member of the lore team. very based.

Edited June 25, 2020 by geeves
based

[Shenaanigans]

I'm a sucker for the use of slang and non-verbal communication to diversify a culture, so you've definitely caught my interest with the topic of your essay. I could see it being a lot of fun to explore and incorporate into Unathi as they now exist to further flesh out what separates them from other species. To get a better sense of what else draws you as far as Unathi lore goes, I'll also ask a few things!

1. Are there any Unathi factions that particularly pull your interest or stick out as being areas you'd want to make edits/additions? 
2. What do you like most about Unathi as a species? A big part of lore writing is creating content that helps entice players into making characters that actually use said content in RP (or apply for whitelists and join lizard gang), so is there any aspect of current lore that you think does this well? OR could be made to do it better?
3. If you could pick a species to further explore Unathi's relationship with, which would it be?

[Haydizzle]

Thank you for your time! I'm glad the essay interests you as much as me.

1. Factions wise, Grim Compact. I distinctly remember when you polled people in the unathi discord (before it got depreciated, may it rest with Th'akh) about the Grim Compact, and thinking about how I probably would've done something similar in your shoes. I think that is easiest one of the weaker areas of unathi lore, and I don't think I see many people that enjoy that aspect of the lore more than they have problems with it. Ideally, I'd aim to revise the lore to be more accessible and usable for players when they are designing a character. From experience, if a setting's lore doesn't pique interest, tell a story, or feel like it fits with the rest of the lore, it can be jarring for whoever is working with it, regardless of it being for a roleplay environment or book or show. Depending on your definition of a 'faction,' I also mentioned Ouerea as needing some love as well as Gakalzaal (though that latest article though... ?). Ouerea would probably be the one I'd gun for first after language and mannerisms though, as the idea of a bigger blended culture of humans, skrell, and unathi would be really cool.

2. Unathi as a species are very spiritual (and as another note, that's what I enjoy about Aurora lore from what I've found, that different species usually have different aspects that draw people in). Forgotten Realms lore usually does something similar where different species often have their own focus that draws in players or gives them a good starting point to work off and do their own take of. Character creation is probably one of my favorite parts of being a DM, and could be probably cited as a reason I want to be a lore deputy; I want to create content that inspires people to make characters.

Alright! Little tangent aside, to be more specific, I think the biggest draw of unathi to me is their different conflicts in relation to the setting. An almost post-apocalyptic vibe mixed with religious conflict and classist struggles is extremely appealing. I think, mixed with the NanoTrasen setting, some unathi have similar backstory themes of trying to 'rebuild' after the Contact War by seeking out better jobs among the stars. My application for unathi was a person who lost their lives due to the Contact War and worked hard to find a way out of the Wasteland, making a better life for themselves (which slots in with the above pretty well!). I think in the department where it could be made 'better,' that portion of the question ties back to my application in general. Unique language and mannerisms can make creatures feel varied and diverse without actually making them drastically different from ourselves. The mannerisms like chuffing and baring your neck are a good start, but I want to inspire people to perhaps come up with some of their own slang and phrases, and do their own spins to truly grow into it. Whenever I see Eridani for example on station, there are some people who I see extrapolate the slang and go above and beyond to do their own research to develop it for their character, like a dreg using South African influences. It's touches like these that can really make characters diverse and interesting that I just adore.

Anyway! Sorry, that one was a little long.

3. This is a tough question! I probably spent the most amount of time on this one actually. Most species have some kind of relationship with unathi in some way; skrells and humans are on Ouerea; the K'lax vaurca in the Wasteland; tajara and unathi on Gakalzaal; dionae trying to help heal the Wasteland. Honestly, this might seem like a weird pick based on what I put in my application, but I'd actually like to explore a possible relationship between IPCs and unathi, whether it's a symbiotic tale (perhaps with Aut'akh?) or one of conflict (like extremist groups of unathi terrorizing IPCs brazenly). There are avenues that can be taken for either, and that relationship would be one I would be keen to work on: have to work on something more original eventually, right?


Thanks for the questions! I kind of went overboard with the responses, but they were all too good to leave short ;-;

[FreshRefreshments]

I am going to bring up a topic that I feel I am distinctly biased towards, within reason. 

What is your opinion of the Queendom specifically? I understand that it is conflicting among some people. Unfunded? Or is it one of the aspects of lore you would want to see expanded upon? Since its addition, nothing has been done with it, and I am curious if you would wish to pursue something with them. 

[Haydizzle]

Thank you for the questions!

I think that it's personally a great piece of lore. I know I've heard some people gripe and harp on it, but I do think that it's an example of an extreme situation caused by conflict in which a social paradigm is really shaken up. Since it has been untouched for a while, I'd like to see some work done on it and give it some new life and aspects. One way I'd be doing that would be ideally with my essay topic; I would LOVE to give different regions/nations/cultures in unathi lore their own minor twists with language and mannerisms, which would include the Queendom in the long run.

Otherwise, I don't have much off the top of my head for them. As far as I'm concerned though, I wouldn't be opposed to think tanking lore on it and seeing what more can be done for it.

Thanks again for your time.

Edited June 26, 2020 by Haydizzle
I rudely forgot niceties

[Soultheif96]

I am glad you decided to apply for Unathi Deputy Lore Writer and your ideas based on mannerisms and language are stellar. Especially for your thoughts on the Grim Compact.

While we are on topic on factions, I am concerned for the Aut’akh. At this time, they are uncommon, if almost rare, since the removal of the subspecies and merge of augments. If you would do anything to help get it attention, no matter how small or large, what would you do?

[Haydizzle]

Thank you for your question.

Well! Aut'akh also seems like a hot topic from what I've seen from other people. There is a lot of room to see how they develop and overcome their current situation. I know some people call for their removal, but with the amount of investment put into them by people by now, it would feel rather clenched to take them out of the game. I would definitely be interested in perhaps pursuing some new lore on them as I mentioned before in some kind of storyline with IPCs, maybe finding common ground in both being largely outcasts and also stinky machines maybe they both benefit together in some way.

I'd ideally want to work on too the various meta stereotypes about them (like Optikams and Samariites being edgy), but I'm personally unsure about what could be done for that sort of thing. At any rate! I think their development would be interesting. I can't deliver any pertinent promises as to me getting something like this done quickly if promoted, but it is something I would definitely assist with.

Thanks for your time.

[BoryaTheSlayer]

Quote

I would love to potentially work with the human and skrell teams to develop the culture of Ouerea as a bigger group project,

Finally. Something me and Geeves wanted to do sometime ago but never got around to it. RIP Geeves. ?

How exactly do you envision the skrell, humans and unathi on Ouerea influence each other, culturally? I'm not looking for you to write out the whole thing right here but rather interested in what kind of ideas you have in mind for this. Do you see Hephaestus playing a large role in the additions to Ouerea?

 

Quote

Additionally, I was looking into giving unathi different associations in language. In English, there’s this idea ....

That is a concept I very much enjoy and wish explored myself in various human cultures of our setting. Linguistic intricacies are often very closely tied to the culture, geography and other such factors that influence the lives of various peoples, and it's the one way to actually tastefully explore linguistic differences between everyone-- because, let's be honest, most of the time the language mechanics in the game are used to just shittalk the ones who don't speak said language. So a big plus on this from me.

Anyways, +1 bro

[Haydizzle]

Thank you for your question and feedback.

For Ouerea, the first thing that immediately pops into my mind just goes back to my essay prompt. It would be interesting to see some slang/informal dialect of Azaziba that's evolved to be more compatible with skrell and humans for example. Skrell's headtails could simulate tail movements, and humans or even skrell could just simply use a leg to emulate a limb they don't have. Some preliminary thoughts on it at least. Alternatively, instead of Azaziba, sign language could have become a norm there for most as a means of interspecies communication instead of Tau Ceti Basic, which would give sign language an interesting use and see more usage outside of being used for deaf and mute people.

Culturally, there is a missed opportunity to see where some humans, skrell, and unathi all have common ground and bond (through avenues like music or entertainment; potentially looking at human and skrell counterculture affecting unathi perhaps?), and where they start to disagree or where conflict emerges as a result of cultural clashing (skrell being more casual towards relationships versus unathi taking them more seriously versus humans being a middle ground). I would also like to see about Ouerea having some corporate dystopian vibes to it as well; Hephaestus' presence on the planet could very easily be ruining its natural ecosystems, so perhaps there is pushback from some unathi who think that such operations have consequences spiritually.

Anyway! I hope that answers your question. If I was too vague on anything, let me know.

Thanks for your time.

Edited June 26, 2020 by Haydizzle
quick clarification oops

[BoryaTheSlayer]

Good points, and sounds about right. Would really love to see how their cultures clash especially. Would love to see you on the team so we can work on that

[furrycactus]

On 26/06/2020 at 07:39, Haydizzle said:

I would love to potentially work with the human and skrell teams to develop the culture of Ouerea

???

In all seriousness, Borya already beat me to the question that I had about this, and I'm in agreement with his approval of your responses. I've always wanted to see the Human/Skrellian influence on Ouerea expanded upon and see how it's affected their culture more in-depth, aside from a slightly more democratic clan assembly. Ouerea has also sat around far too long without any development or attention, and I am all for sprucing up and dusting off old things that haven't gotten the love that they deserve.

We've also been good friends for several years now, so I may be somewhat biased in my approval, but I'm also well aware of and can vouch for your incredible creative ability and your skill to write. I still have some additional questions however.

1) While I understand this particular thing might be a bit of a contentious topic, the Empire of Dominia has always had Unathi steadily interwoven into their society. I for one think that their representation and presence could stand to be a little more noteworthy, but ultimately they are Unathi and not Humans, so I don't think that's my place. What, if anything, might you consider doing with them? Do you think they're fine as-is, would you see more done with them, or do your interests lie elsewhere?

2) What do you feel might be your biggest weakness as a lore developer?

3) You mention wanting to work more with other lore teams to collaborate on areas of overlap. I think this is absolutely fantastic, and something that I also wish to see more of. How would you rate your ability to work as part of a much greater team, as you'd be conferring with not only your fellow Unathi developers, but all the other species teams as well? While I'm sure I have a good understanding of your ability myself already from past experience, I'm curious as to your own assessment of your ability too.

[Haydizzle]

Thank you for your questions and feedback!

1) Dominia will always have a nice little spot in my heart. Schwann did a good job reworking them from where they were before, and it really roped me in interest wise. However, while I will acknowledge that there are a couple of things in the lore that feel a little forced (like the introduction of unathi into Dominian society for one), I ultimately think that the marriage of unathi spiritualism and human culture is what makes Dominia stand out, so I would be for them staying as a part of the empire. Personally, seeing an arc with them in conflict perhaps with a revised Grim Compact or even the Hegemony would be extraordinary! I don't want to get ahead of myself with an arc though, I'd definitely need a little more experience leading into it, but I'm interested nonetheless in the future possibility near the end of the year or similar.

2) Well! I'm always a little spacey--I unfortunately had two parents with ADHD, so getting it was inevitable. As a result, it's easier for me to get too far ahead or lose focus; writing the essay for the prompt already had my mind leap towards what ideas I had for Ouerea for example. However, this has been something that I've always struggled with, and a point of my life that's always with me, so by now I have a lot better hold of it than lilttle 5th grader me. Even then, sometimes I'm still really productive because of it. There's a distinct memory I have where I put off a paper I had to do in 8th grade, and instead of doing the essay due literally the next day, I finished a slew of projects that weren't due for another three weeks or so. Anyway! Sorry for oversharing, I hope that answers the question.

3) Teamwork wise, I'm a natural leader. I don't want to toot my own horn, but generally speaking if there is a lack of direction and people are not working, I start to crack the whip and organize people actually. I think I fit the 'one gay of the group' meme pretty well. My only downfall for teamwork that I need to work on is staying organized. Organization is not my biggest foe, but in a group it's easy for me to not stay on top of it. If I can find someone that's good with it and I pair with them though, look out! I can be a real driving force when collaborating. I love team projects because it can be a chance to see other points of view, and with the lore team as it stands now, there are many people already on it that I adore and would love to get to work with on lore projects.

PHEW okay questions answered thank you next ?

Thanks for your time.

[Soultheif96]

I am satisfied with your answers on Furrycactus, BoryaTheSlayer, and my questions so you have my full support for Unathi Lore Deputy. I am eager to see your work between lore teams and your investment on Sinta'Unathi.

+1.

[SleepyWolf]

Hi!

After mulling it over for a while I've decided to accept you as deputy! I really think as a team the three of us in lizards plus the rest of the lore team could do a pretty good job writing good lore, and know from seeing you around that you have a passion for the community and it's fun writing stuff.

?