Desven's Bug Deputy Application

[Desven]

Ckey/BYOND Username: Desven

Position Being Applied For: Vaurca Lore Deputy

Have you read the Lore Team Rules and Regulations wiki page?: yea

Past Experiences/Knowledge: I've been writing my whole life, really. I have several short stories, have reworked plenty of novels and have imparted courses in creative writing. I also edit books, stories and study Literature myself.

Examples of Past Work: On Aurora, I have written this rewrite of Mictlan. It's not that good, however, and albeit it's really really rushed. I'll address the comments probably later today.

What is your favorite Hive and Brood, and why?: My favorite hive is C'thur, and my favorite brood would be... I'm really not sure. I play Xetl, but I think that despite I really like the idea of C'thur, I think the Zo'ra broods are more interesting, but that's probably because they've had more lore altogether. Athvur is one I like, mostly because of her VR realm. The whole concept of Xakt, from the colonization of Luthien, the use of Getmore by the hive, and the reclamation of the implants.

How willing are you to work with the other species teams on cool lore? (this one is especially important because almost all bug lore developments involve another team!): I really like it, and I'm a huge proponent of having bugs interact more with others. I've been thinking for a while about a C'thur expansion, but Rooster beat me to it; I would like to see a lot more K'lax love next, they're probably the least played hive and they are in a really cool setting (over all I think the Unathi lore scenario is really appealing).

What is the first idea for a bug-centric event that comes to your mind?: I've joked about C'thur dying before, but it could bring the hives together or even further apart. It's more likely the former would happen, and it would also be really interesting to see how the relationship with Skrell moves forward. Besides that, I think a K'lax event would make a lot more sense, given the current state of the hive. Perhaps they have found some piece of tech or it's unveiled that they always had something that they hid from the rest. A more far-fetched event could be some contact with Sedantis, or it could be revealed that some Vaurcae have settled in one of those planets that were nomadic before. I don't want to say a fourth hive, but a new brood would be interesting, again, for K'lax or C'thur. Over all, I have plenty of ideas.

Additional comments: Okay, so I have a lot of ideas regarding bugs. I would like a small event also, regarding a Ta and the TCFL. Be it a TCFL veteran reunion set on the Aurora or something. There's a big interest in the Foreign Legion by the player base and not many of them get to see or know even that Zo'ra is actually relevant regarding Biesel politics, which I would like to see expanded in something small as this, but also, I would like more bug news to come. Not a bug newspaper, because it wouldn't make much sense, but in the current newspapers we have.

I like what the synth team is doing, however, with a forum regarding synthetic talk. I would like to see something like that with bugs. People just wondering what the fuck bugs are on the extranet, or even some 'Ask a Vaurca' newsletter or something.

Besides the events and what can be added (personally, I would like to see a bit more about the mythology and of Sedantis, even extinct Hives that would remain on their memories), I think what's really needed is a wiki clean up. There are many inconsistencies, plenty of bad formatting and a lot of lore I wouldn't have known if I didn't ask the team on Discord directly. For this application I originally wanted to write a Hiveship article, but I think it would fit better as a sub-section on the main article. Over all, I would like to fix a lot of the wiki and just make it more friendly for new players, as well as, yes, increase bug presence and make them more appealing for new people.

To be honest, I think part of why Vaurcae are not as popular at the moment is because of the inactivity. I know many that were scared or even discouraged of applying because of the long response times and the little feedback given by the team. This is definitely something I would like to improve with activity and just being around whenever somebody wants to know more about bugs.

[Caelphon]

Hi there, just some questions.

Quote

1. Hypothetically, lets say you have total control of lore. What would you think about doing with Vaurcae? (Expand on things already mentioned, or conjure something new up!)

2. Can you expand on you the concepts and plans you have for C'thur? How will the Skrell be involved? 

3. As a member of Lore Staff, you are expected to interact and help with lore projects directed by the Loremasters. Do you think you think you can handle writing/editting for non-Vaurcae things? Think similar along the lines of KOTW. 

4. Is there any chance you can write a small extract of something you'd like to see added to Vaurcae? You mention Aztlan isn't your best work, so do you mind presenting us with something you think would be better? 

Goodluck. There isn't any wrong answers.

[Desven]

10 hours ago, Caelphon said:

Hi there, just some questions.

Goodluck. There isn't any wrong answers.

1. I would expand a lot, to be honest. First of all, there are still some QOL changes I want to push forward (as I did before with the night vision recolor), and I would also like to see more recipes and cocktails, among other things. But those are tangible items in station; lore wise, there is a lot I would like to see. I would like a page of important Vaurcae, as all other races have their own pages with their important members of their species. I would also like to see a bit more about the millitary structure of Zo'ra mostly, with nomenclature if possible regarding the warforms, etc. There's a big issue, however, in my opinion, and that's again that there's many unlisted lore. You and I spoke about bug articles already and I told you I was making the Hiveship one, but ultimately I abandoned it because in my diggings through VERY old forum posts I found some discrepancies. I also don't want to undo Jam's work. I agree with many of his points from his dev app, while I also disagree with some. But I do think that the Hiveship limitation was a good idea, and I would expand instead on previously colonized Vaurcae worlds like those mentioned in their nomadic 2000 year adventure, as well as expand on VR. Once Rooster mentioned about having a Srom-like VR for bugs. I like the idea, and ultimately it can even be ported from the VR pods from other servers, but while this means a lot of code work, it also requires a lot of lore work too- VR, at its current state, is too mysterious in my opinion, which makes it hard to relate and talk about it when playing Vaurcae, even with other Vaurcae players. I don't want to ruin the magic of how the great VR kingdoms look and whatnot, but I would like to come up with some more guidelines on how this works. Over all, I think this is best worked as a team, and I'm just spitballing. I value the thoughts of Xev and Rooster, as well as the previous Vaurcae staff and other lore staff greatly.

2. One of my greater issues was that there was little about the planets colonized in Jargon by the Federation. I like that Rooster expanded on this, but I would like to see more. The Skrell wiki mentions that there are some Vaurcae idols and I would like to see those. I would also like to see Mouv having a presence in Aliose, partly because it fits their lifestyle but also because I love the idea of Vaurcae scientists, and I think a science collaboration between Skrell and C'thur is probably the best way to represent their allliance lore-wise. Other than that, I was honestly pretty disappointed to see two of the three candidates in the Skrell elections to have never met a Ta, which in my opinion it doesn't make much sense given the C'thur Hive reputation as diplomats. I like to think that there are some parallels to be found between Skrell and Vaurcae, especially how VR can be thought as their own version of the Srom, which may mean it could somewhat 'dissipate' the cultural differences and become more accepting of them in short term. Then again, I would also like to see more bug racism, and by one of Jam's points on his dev app, if any group would actually opppose Viax the most would be Jargon, I believe.

3. Yes, it's honestly something I'm really looking forward to. I'm really happy about the lore and I like to contribute as I can, I don't think I really have any other talents besides my writing skills so this is my way to give back. I've become acquainted with most of the lore pages given that I have all the species whitelists, and honestly the reason I'm choosing to apply for bug is simply because they're my favorite one, I feel I could've applied for other lore positions that have opened recently, but this one is the one I feel most passionate about. In short, I think I wouldn't have any issues.

4. I've come up with something small, a proof of concept regarding ancient hives. One of the other things I want to add on about is Sedantis as a whole. As I said in my original post, mythology would fit really great. I understand the position of having Vaurcae see their older records and pre-augmentation or pre-agricultural societies as something primitive and even somewhat embarrassed to be about, but I think Sedantis would benefit from having this mythology that emphasizes just how harsh the life in the planet was, and that the rise of the hives meant the rise of civilization, a sort of safe haven from the perils. Here's something among those lines:
 

Spoiler

It is often believed by Vaurcae that what complicated the change to an agrcultural society was that the food, while abundant, was not suitable to be cultivated. In traditional Vaurcae mythology, the fungi would often 'die' once touched, as a preventive measure to ensure the Vaurcae wouldn't be able to domesticate it. Queen S'ilq, often referred as the first modern queen and the founder of the oldest hive known by name in records, was said to 'tame' the k'ois after a battle, in which her army defeated the mythological creature known as the Ta'kixi Sk'yau, or Queen of the White Worms, removing the barren curse and effectively converting the Vaurcae into the new caretakers of the substenance.

Curiously enough, however, Ta'Kixi Sk'yau is not believed to be a white worm herself, but something more akin to a demon in human mythology, which would have control over the environment, flora and fauna of Sedantis. She is said to have attempted to exterminate the Vaurcae with various methods, and even have poisoned entire supplies of k'ois before her defeat. The views of Ta'kixi Sky'au have changed since the introduction of augments and VR, now also believing to have powers akin to a computer virus, able to disrupt the hivenet if intentioned.

This process of domestication and the importance of Queen S'ilq in the early Vaurcae History has led many of the Hive Pantheon followers to consider her as one of the highest divinities. The Zo'ra hive, in particular, claims to trace High Queen Zo'ra to Queen S'ilq herself, who handed over the progress of civilization and the military prowess to the Zo'rane Hive. The other hives, however, share similar views regarding their connection to S'ilq.

The K'lax hive, in particular, believes many of their ancient technology to be traced to the S'ilq hive, with ideas of Zo'ra either hiding or using inferior designs from S'ilq surging after their independence. While it is undisputed that the VR surged after her time, those proponent of these ideals often believe S'ilq developed superior VR which would remove the need of physical functions during stasis, effectively cutting costs in phoron and k'ois. This is likely a hoax, however, but it has not stopped some K'lax scavengers to attempt acquire these designs.

Ultimately, the fate of the S'ilq hive is unknown. It is often said her great empire fell before the time of the Zo'ra, who were once marveled with the ruins of her megalopolis found in Sedantis. For those who don't believe in her divinity, as well as human and Skrell researchers, it is likely a millitary siege, which would have razed their k'ois plantations, led to her dismiss. It is speculated that the Queen S'ilq herself died while holding the city, after years of preventing the take over. The conquerors are unknown, even if some propose, out of ideological principles, that it was Lii'dra who caused her fall.

It's probably a bit too short, I could write more if needed. Let me know what you think.

[Caelphon]

Thank you for answering my questions. I really like the small extract you posted! 

[Butterrobber202]

I’ve had nothing but good experiences with Desven as a Roleplayer, and they have a strong grasp on Aurora Lore. Each character they’ve made has a strong concept, and are enjoyable to interact with.

 

i have little doubt that they could preform well as a lore writer and inject some life into Vaurca.

[Lmwevil]

Hi Desven! You're undoubtedly one of the most active bug players and a pretty chill person (I fucking hate you) 

So a few things. 

On the platform of fixing up the wiki: this is based and it's what I wanted to do when I applied for bug, please do this if you get accepted. 

What do you think on avowals? Do you believe any nature of them should be changed? 

What do you think about VR as it stands, and the life cycle (resleeving included) that Vaurcae endure? 

Would you like more Ta influence on station from other hives? 

Sometimes there are some really meme worthy shitty Viax that appear, but are within the lore. Is there anything you think needs to change there in how it is written to make this less common?

Could you write a short story about a Vaurca's first memories of being shoved into a body after VR? Just a little writing sample. 

What is currently the biggest flaw in Vaurca lore atm? 

Finally: 
What is your biggest weakness as a writer? 
What is your biggest strength as a writer?

[goolie]

Not sure if +1’s really go on developer applications but I’ll say that every single one of Desven’s Vaurca characters have been 100% different from each other. He’a able to RP as each of them so well that I actually wasn’t able to tell which one he played, and which one was another character. If there’s any doubt that Desven doesn’t have a clear understanding of Vaurca lore, (which I’m sure isn’t up for debate) I can say that from my experience the narratives he’s been able to provide so far have been nothing short of amazing. I love interacting with him in game and I’m sure that what he has planned for Vaurca lore will only solidify the uniqueness and interest in the species.

[Desven]

8 hours ago, Lmwevil said:

Hi Desven! You're undoubtedly one of the most active bug players and a pretty chill person (I fucking hate you) 

So a few things. 

On the platform of fixing up the wiki: this is based and it's what I wanted to do when I applied for bug, please do this if you get accepted. 

What do you think on avowals? Do you believe any nature of them should be changed? 

What do you think about VR as it stands, and the life cycle (resleeving included) that Vaurcae endure? 

Would you like more Ta influence on station from other hives? 

Sometimes there are some really meme worthy shitty Viax that appear, but are within the lore. Is there anything you think needs to change there in how it is written to make this less common?

Could you write a short story about a Vaurca's first memories of being shoved into a body after VR? Just a little writing sample. 

What is currently the biggest flaw in Vaurca lore atm? 

Finally: 
What is your biggest weakness as a writer? 
What is your biggest strength as a writer?

1. I think avowals could be made more fun and I like how some Captains (myself included) have actually made Vaurcae prove themselves worthy before signing it. Of course, this is up to the player, but a section of how the avowals work would be really nice on the wiki, with ideas of how to play them out- especially for non-Vaurcae players. For us that play bugs, it's somewhat of a (sometimes tedious, sometimes fun) struggle to play it. For those not familiar with Vaurcae and that ignore CentComm spam, they have little idea that there's this paper and don't really understand what goes on. That would probably be a coordinated effort with CCIA, however.

2. We talked about this last night, and basically, I'm not a huge fan and I would like to see some ethical and philosophical concerns brought on the wiki. Well, first of all- actually add this on the wiki. I'll get to that point later, but on a second point, have humans and Skrell, mainly, question how this actually works, or if it works at all. I play a cloned Captain, he suffers from disassociation and other fun stuff. I don't really get to bring it up when I play him because coordinating the station sometimes takes a big chunk of time, but it's there on the character concept. Likewise, I play a resleeved Za that, unlike my Captain, I think it has no question they're the same warrior from Sedantis. I think that would be the biggest difference, again, like how we spoke last night via Discord: the neural socket probably (and this is my personal take, I like it being ambiguous and would DEFINITELY leave it like that, because I would actually like to see more players come up with their own interpretations!) doesn't really transfer consciousness, but is more akin to copy it and make some kind of AI on the VR, and in the case of resleeving, inject somebody memories that they have no doubt are theirs. I'm totally for seeing this expanded, however and, in some ways, probably nerfed? I think it's a weak point, to be honest, that bugs get to cheat death so easily, and it's not in par with our current cloning lore and whatnot. I think this might even warrant its own article on the wiki, so that could probably happen too.

3. I don't think it makes much sense unless it happens on events or NBT. As of now, I see no reason for why players should play C'thur consular. At the end of the day, playing Zo'ra Ta is in part also to promote the TCFL and I really like that.

4. I like Jam's idea of cutting down Viax, and I think it makes sense lore wise too. Some underestimate just how expensive Viax are to keep alive, and that they're probably fancier and well-kept than their unbound counterparts. I would like, again, guides or tips on how to play both Bound and Unbound, and especially to remove the 'stupid bug' reputation the species has in general, even if I myself have been guilty of propagating it too. I like Sleepy's Viax, for example, that feels a bit more as a character than just a mindless drone. There are definitely Viax tiers on lore, such as those Viax that are just used as furniture to those used for war or other tasks. I think some Viax can have some sort of personality and do not oppose it. Ultimately, you also have to think what gets boring in game- being just a mindless drone isn't always fun, and can be easily abused to get fun on behalf of others for acting just dumb and clueless.

5. I take fiction writing very seriously, and it's something that requires a whole ritual for me. I think I'm great with coming up with ideas on the spot or prompts, but not so much if I actually just want to write a story instantaneously. I can, however, try to explain how it would be: if you mean a Vaurca that has been in VR for long, returning to real world their memories of real life would be quite fuzzy, and everything would look 'off' or uncanny for them, not to mention they would probably try to interact in real life as they do in VR, which would cause struggles. If you mean a Vaurca that's just out of VR after their formation and ready to join the workforce, I think this would probably be traumatic, but ultimately the switch would become somewhat blurry too- think of it as the moments humans acquire consciousness after being babies, we don't really remember that, but the thought sounds like a huge dread. I don't think it cripples them, however, but they would likely prefer the sheltered lives they had before leaving the VR for the first time, as it is within lore. If you're talking about a resleeved Vaurcae, I think it's similar to what I spoke of before. I don't think many bugs actually suffer from some sort of identity crisis after that, but their own take of the memories being shoved into the new body would probably cause some interesting views on what they 'experienced', or to some degree, this 'defectiveness' you spoke of- this is actually a really interesting point I really hope gets discussed more in the future.

6. There's just so many lore outside the Wiki! Not only it can make writing an app daunting, but it can also alienate some players that are already whitelisted but don't play the species as often. I think that the few of us that currently, actively, play Vaurcae take into consideration many things we've learned from participating on the Discord that returning players would have no idea of because it's not anywhere to be found. I really don't like this method of sharing lore and I would definitely like to see the Wiki expanded.

Weakness: I criticize myself really harshly. Again, I take writing, and mostly fiction writing, pretty seriously and it's a whole ritual that can take a very long time. I hope this doesn't get troublesome, however, as I see writing lore for Aurora more akin to coming up with prompts and sharing a world with others. It has definitely been a HUGE problem when I write my novels, however.

Strength: I truly believe writing is an art and I have a huge affinity for literature. I've been told my fiction pieces are really good and I have experience on the field, both studying and teaching.

[MccRrib]

I'm more than happy to place a seal of approval on this application. Desven is one of the most active, enthusiastic, and talented bug roleplayers we have on Aurora. Ideas and enthusiasm are all I really want from a lore developer, and they provide both in spades in and out of DMs. Definite +1 from me.

[Lmwevil]

Thanks so much for your thoughtful replies, good luck buddy and I hope you get it. 

[Roostercat]

Well, I said a decision would be made if no other apps were submitted over the weekend. And here we are at the end of the weekend. 

no


Just kidding. Even though you are the sole applicant, you are still a very strong contender, even if you had opposition. Your passion for the bug lore is obvious to those around you, and you play your characters very well. Not to mention you have good ideas. Thus I am happy to accept this application and induct you into the cult known as Vaurca Lore!  


you poor fuck

[Caelphon]

Locking and archiving. Applicant was accepted as Vaurcae Lore Deputy.