[Accepted] Indy wants to join another club

[Indiana Cooper]

BYOND Key: IndyCooper

Character Names: 

-Mackenzie Jenkins

-Patience Byrne

-Alaina Quinn

-Sabah Mrakiizar

-Rosaline Saxton-Briggs

-Edie

 

Species you are applying to play: Unathi

What color do you plan on making your first alien character: Sandy brown

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

 

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:

 

Like my bent towards philosophy about existence with the IPCs, there are neat themes to explore with the Unathi. In their case, however, it is religious practises and concepts of honour and standing. This app character is the one I am mainly aiming to play, but I will eventually stretch myself into trying Guwan and priests and such once I get more comfortable. (Maybe even play a male, who knows!?)

 

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

 

In a word, freedom. Humans are free to grow into whatever roles they choose for themselves, no matter what their family thinks, no matter what traditions exist in their homes. Unathi do not have that, not really. It's not only that they are bound to follow tradition and honour or be exiled, but I think it's so ingrained that even the choice to do otherwise is all but gone. It's unthinkable to do something other than honourable. A completely alien mindset from what humans grow up with. And should one actually do so, go against the grain in that way, they not only risk but almost guarantee they will be forever branded Guwan, which I don't think is a concept most human characters readily even understand.

 

Character Name: Skarahakh Ghur'rak

 

Please provide a short backstory for this character

Skarahakh grew up under Izweski rule, in the moderately well-to-do Khraaz'nar Clan. Born in 2411 to a warrior and his wife, she grew up living well. At 16 she left to join her new husband in a town near Teht. While she grew up a traditional Sinta, she had no problems with trying to improve things like the Izweski were doing, simply had a problem with the speed and aggressiveness of the changes. This made her a perfect fit to cement an alliance with the Ghur'rak, and her husband, Thurashz, actually pleased her as well. For years, everything seemed fine. In fact, Skar was well-occupied raising three hatchlings by the time the Contact War broke out. Caught between ideologies and honour, Clan Ghur'rak was torn in two as several leaders broke from the clan to join the traditionalists. Skar and Thurashz were among those who remained loyal to Izweski. 

 

As a warrior, Skar's husband was obviously in the fighting. He fought well throughout the war, bringing much honour to the clan through victories. Sadly, he would never see the end of the war, killed in 2448 in a skirmish where his unit was outnumbered but fought to the last man standing. He left Skar and now a fourth hatchling behind. His widow resolved that her children should want for nothing, and her clan approved of her two eldest boys, now twelve, to begin training for the levies. Thankfully, the war ended a year later, without her home being wiped out like so many others.

 

Skarahakh was not one to lay about and just raise her children off of their father's earnings, however. She attended university as soon as they re-opened, and by the time her youngest was sixteen, in 2456, had earned a masters in experimental physics. Her two eldest had joined the clan warriors, and one had been married and was expecting his first hatchlings himself. 

 

Now, in 2462, Skar's children are grown and serving the clan the way she raised them to, properly and with honour. She has also assisted with two papers on how to possibly safely terraform small sections of Moghes, though her name is not on them. Her heart is still full of sorrow at what has happened to her home planet, and, with the blessings of her Clan Elders, has left for the Republic of Biesel, semi-retired and wanting to see the some more of the universe before she dies. At fifty-one, she's looking to have her own Grand Adventure, and spirits willing it'll be a fun one.

 

What do you like about this character?

She is essentially a retired mother who has no fucks left to give except where her clan's standing and her children's well-being are concerned. She has done her duty already, and can now have fun as long as she doesn't embarrass herself.

 

How would you rate your role-playing ability? Ehhhh. Low 7/10?

 

Notes:

 

[DeadLantern]

Pretty great application! Not really much to change about the application, for what you do say, it's all fine, if a bit short. There are some minor things that don't really need addressing but I'll talk about them anyway.

You say that Skar's children were being raised as levies--I think you misunderstand what levies are. Levies are "civilians" drafted into a noble's army to be fodder, usually made up of whatever able men they could find around the realm. What I think you mean, is that they were being trained to be warriors, which is definitely true. This brings up the point of whether or not the Hegemon even uses levies (or had used levies during the Contact War), and that is a different question entirely.

Anyway, that's the end of my contentions. There are even smaller things, but they are of no impact. Usually, here, I would ask you questions about the lore. Not to test your knowledge, but to see if you are aware and incorporating certain aspects of the lore with your character. You have a lack Skar's opinions on things--not anything is said about her opinions of the contact war, of first contact, of the current state of the Hegemony, etc. It is important for a character to know these things, but I am not sure if it is needed to actually ask questions. In any case, I advise you read up on these things and make sure your character has formulated opinions about the world around her, so she isn't acting as if she was divorced to the lore.

As long as you keep the things I said in mind, there is no reason to deny this application.

 

[Shenaanigans]

To echo Dead, really the only things I can think to ask are some of the basic questions I toss toward all whitelistees who didn't already touch upon them in their application. Just to get a sense of where the character stands on some of the very important cultural issues inherent to Unathi lore. I really love the concept of this character, though! Aging female Unathi who has already been through her childbearing years and is looking for adventure in what time she has left is something I haven't run across before.

1. You mentioned that Skarahakh and her husband remained loyal to the Izweski; has this loyalty shifted at all over the years? Does she have any reservations about how they handled the Contact War and the damage it did to Moghes?
2. What is her religious affiliation/beliefs?
3. How does she feel toward all the different races she now has to coexist with? Is the shift to a multi-species workplace going well, or do you think she's going to have some difficulty?

[Indiana Cooper]

Oh, yeah! I did, in fact, mean warriors.

 

And I do have opinions for her, at least some, though for writing reasons I like to leave some smaller opinions to develop. I can answer some of these questions about her opinions right now, though.

She was excited by the prospect of first contact, but was wary of what the aliens might be like. She never actually met a human or Skrell, only heard about them, until after the war. The Contact War's beginnings she was sympathetic to the Traditionalist Coalition, with a similar way of thought, though she herself didn't feel the need to speak up in war, if it could be addressed later. But as she had her loyalties set to her husband and the Hegemony, that is what she stuck with. She was much more firmly entrenched on the Hegemon's side after the nuclear exchange.

 

The current state of the Hegemony, she is less than pleased with, privately, though of course if asked by anyone she isn't close with she will not say that at all for her Clan's sake. She also refuses to tell her children about her misgivings, in case she poisons their minds about their duties. She is very tired of the fighting at this point, with the Iron Crusade and the latest civil war. Those solidified her decision to leave and see what other species do in similar situations.

 

She is very firmly Th'akh, as she sees no sense in the existence of a custodian for the universe, it clearly gets on well by itself.

 

She was furious at Skrell and humans both, blaming their indelicate approach to first contact as a direct cause of the Contact War. She has mellowed out, especially after the war, though she still harbours a deep mistrust of both species as a whole. She is thus very much going to have a difficult time getting used to seeing them on a daily basis.

[Haydizzle]

Hello! This is a good read and sorry about the late reply. I really liked your answers to the above; I simply have one question.

What treatment from other unathi did your character receive for their chosen study of experimental physics?

[Indiana Cooper]

Hi! I am not worried about the lateness, please don't be sorry.

 

I would presume some level of scorn for being female, but given her reason for the pursuit, perhaps less so once she had a chance to explain to anyone. It is not a field with direct, tangibly helpful results, so it would seem probably somewhat obtuse to others Sinta who are not of a similar mindset. Given that she did not let it effect her raising of her children, most I presume would accept it, even if it was with reservation. I don't think it does much for her clan unless she accomplishes something notable, but I (personally and as Skar) think it is an honorable pursuit for her, given she has already had four hatchlings and did well by them.

 

Also I hadn't thought about this subject, so thank you for making me do so!

[Haydizzle]

Thank you for your answer. Shen and I both feel you have good remarks on the lore and know it to an acceptable standard for a whitelist. Feel free to approach either of us with any questions!

Application accepted.