HoChiMinh -- IPC Application

[HoChiMinh]

BYOND Key: HoChiMinh

Character Names:

Howard Rollins - Janitor

Diem Ngo - Atmsopheric Technician

Yehoshuah Fa'Ta-Bs - First Responder

Salikir Bektas - Idris Chef

Viridi - Service Android

 

Species you are applying to play: IPC

What color do you plan on making your first alien character: IPC exempt

Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Several times.

 

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:

I've always been interested in robotics and AI, and have played synthetics/IPCs on other servers, but I especially enjoy how they're done on Aurora and the lore surrounding them. Most of all, I'm fascinated in the nearly unlimited roleplaying potential IPCs have with all the varying factions and backgrounds available unqiuely to them, such as the power dynamics introduced by being lawed or owned, and the moral/ethical dilemmas of owning beings that are capable of intelligent thought.

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

At the end of the day, IPCs are machines. They are logical and efficient beings that aren't able to organically experience emotions, but instead are designed to simulate them with varying degrees of success. Also, unlike humans they lack many of the basic rights given to most species, and are outright discriminated against in some cases. For instance, damaging an owned IPC is considered vandalism in Biesel instead of assault or battery. They're also incapable of feeling pain, instead relying on a self-preservation directive to ensure their survival. How this directive is carried out varies from IPC to IPC, some, such as members of The Golden Deep, may pursue wealth and power, while others may pursue job fields they simply weren't designed for. Mechanically, they rely on charging bays instead of food or drink, cooling units when EVA instead of oxygen tanks, and suffer greater damage when exposed to lasers or ions.

 

Character Name: H.I. Soran-41

Please provide a short backstory for this character:

A G2 Industrial Model manufactured in 2440 at the Hephaestus Production Station Amóni orbiting Mercury, Soran was originally designated as Hephaestus Mining Automaton - 32.21.52.41 for the purpose of extracting the mineral wealth from areas deemed to dangerous for organics to attempt traditional mining operations, specifically in extremely high or low pressure environments. Being a mining unit designed for extreme environments, they were assigned to the Hephaestus ran planet of Burszia I to join the horde of Industrial Models already stripping away the planet's resources. Being assigned to Burszia I, Soran was subject to the incredibly strict means of mass IPC control, the Burszian Method, under which all IPCs have their programming and memory purged of any emergent behavior once the signs are seen by human workers or even their fellow IPCs, which are programmed specifically to report any peculiar behavior to their supervisors. Another consequence of working on Burszia I was being exposed to the incredibly harsh environment, resulting in Soran's chasis bares scrapes, dents, and scorch marks from various volcanic eruptions and mining incidents over several decades of work.

However, twenty two years after Soran's construction and assignment to Burszia I, their life as they knew it would change forever. In response to Solarian threats and the phoron crisis, the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate was formed, made up of NanoTrasen, Hepheastus, Idris, Zeng-Hu, and Zavokskoi. In a gesture of good faith, and to ensure closer ties to the growing NanoTrasen Corporation, Hepheastus Industries would lease out several dozen G2 Industrial and Xion Industrial models to aid in phoron extraction and refinement in the Romanovich Cloud, more specifically aboard the NSS Aurora and other mining installlations. Soran would be one of these IPCs assigned to the NSS Aurora and redesignated as H.I. Soran-41 for ease of use in everyday conversation, and to 'humanize' the machine more to their organic counterparts. 

 

What do you like about this character? What I like most about this character is that they offer a unique RP opportunity to myself and others who may interact with them. Unlike other IPCs, Soran has no real personality to speak of. When they're first introduced on the Aurora, they'll act exclusivly as a purpose built automaton with one goal in mind, mining. Since they'd be free from the Bruszian Method, their personality will be allowed to form and be formed by the individuals around them.

How would you rate your role-playing ability? That's a tough question. I'd personally rate myself around 6-7/10, decent enough, but not spectacular by any means. There are some subjects that I fall short on sometimes, such as properly roleplaying fear or loss. On character creation, I tend to flesh out characters as I play them while working off of a simple base concept, so that's why Soran's backstory may be a little lackluster when compared to others.

Edited February 15, 2021 by HoChiMinh

[niennab]

Hello, thank you for applying. Are you able to expand on the question here? Without a focus on mechanics.

47 minutes ago, HoChiMinh said:

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

Moreover, how does Soran perceive their identity, freedom, or their change in station? Are you able to expand on the backstory? Although, if I understand it right, you want the character to be a blank slate. However, more is required from a whitelist character in order to demonstrate an understanding of the lore. Were there any memories they were able to retain that stuck with them? Things either from their remaining days or while leased to Nanotrasen which has made an impact? So on and so forth.

[HoChiMinh]

6 hours ago, niennab said:

Are you able to expand on the question here? Without a focus on mechanics.

Of course, IPCs are a form of artificial intelligence. No matter how complex it may be, it is still a simulation. They can't grasp abstractions like humans can, making them incapable of emotions, empathy, and so on. Being incapable of emotion, they tend to be very unlikely to lash out in any way. They may be able to emulate humans in this sense, but this mimicry isn't perfect. IPCs operate purely on logic, everything has to have a cause and effect for them, unlike humans, who often do things just because they want to do it, without having any intrinsic motive for doing so. Also, unlike humans, IPCs are more, often than not, owned by a corporation. These owned IPCs are seen more so as extensions of their corporation rather than invidividuals, and this is shown by their rights when compared to humans. Owned IPCs are quite literally seen as corporate property when it comes to the legal code of most factions across the Orion Spur. When it comes to free IPCs, even they are subject to discrimination in the form of being treated as less than sentient and undervalued, along with being frequently targeted by vandals or merchants who simply resell them. 

6 hours ago, niennab said:

Moreover, how does Soran perceive their identity, freedom, or their change in station?

Due to being under the Buzsian Method for the all of their existence until very recently, they generally view themselves simply as a purpose built machine, just as much as their supervisors on Burzsia did. However, over the three months without any sort of memory or programming purges, they first hint of a personality forming can be seen from Soran, presenting itself in a handful of quirks, such as carrying around a deck of playing cards after observing other miners routinely meeting after their shift to gamble. When it comes to their freedom, for the time being they're content with being owned, since that's all they've ever known, although this may change through more exposure to the world as a whole through news, interacting with other IPCs and coworkers, and so on. When it comes to their new assignment, they're aware of why they were reassigned and want to represent Hepheastus as positively as they can, but beyond that they view it more as a change of scenery when it comes to their job rather than the completely life-changing event it is.

Edited February 15, 2021 by HoChiMinh

[niennab]

Thank you for the expansion. I wanted to see if my deputies had any questions for you but they don't. Nonetheless, your application demonstrates an understanding of IPCs. Accepted.