unathi [Accepted] Lorilili - Unathi Whitelist

[limette]

BYOND Key: Lorilili

 

Character Names: Simon Kistler, Violette Volvalaad, Dakota Schuyler, Anna King (RIP)

 

Species you are applying to play: Unathi

 

What color do you plan on making your first alien character: A red. I was using 7C2222 though due to the shading on the sprite it comes out differently.

 

Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes, except for Ouerea as of writing this; it seems there’s events going on there, though, so I’ll almost certainly read it after I post this.

 

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: Well; one has seen me play Dominians and Martians primarily. I often joked that in playing these I was riffing off of Unathi, both for their religious themes and those of the wasteland. So, I’ve finally decided to go ahead and head to the masters of these themes.

 

I’ve spent most of my time playing on Aurora working around, in particular, strong religious beliefs and how one might function in a foreign society whilst clinging to those beliefs. The variety of religions and the pervasiveness of religion in Unathi lore seems like it’d allow me to do this to a much stronger extent. Likewise, with Anna King having been built around the loss of much of Mars and aftermath of such, the Unathi have a similar event but with much more to work with.

 

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: In general, religion is the first thing I would point to, with the feudal structure second. These two features dominate much of any Unathi’s life, with many beliefs and behaviors being impacted by whatever religion they hold, and the position they hold in the feudal structure. The honor system naturally also plays into this, serving to further guide the behavior of any Unathi. Gender roles are a part of essentially all of the aforementioned structures, which is mostly unique to Unathi.

 

Character Name: Ra’ak Azerzku

 

Please provide a short (oops) backstory for this character

 

Ra’ak hatched in the year 2417, raised in a rural noble clan of Traditionalist leanings. From his first years, he was raised in the lifestyle of a warrior, and trained in the teachings of Th’akh. He took to these both very strongly, with a near-zealous belief in Th’akh against all else and a passion for this training. Much of his early life would be dominated by this, with Ra’ak openly challenging others to and never turning down a request to spar. One would describe him as hotheaded, perhaps, at this time. Indeed, by the time he hit 16, he seemed to be developing into quite a capable and dedicated warrior.

That year, something that would set forth events to change everything both on Moghes and within Ra’ak’s own life occurred; aliens made contact. Whilst initially shocking, then exciting, then hopeful, this was all dashed when one thing was made clear - Izweski were those to reap the benefits of this.

The following years were tumultuous times; things seemed to build up in tension with every passing moment, as the Izweski began to venture outside of their own lands to enact the deals they made with these foreigners. All-the-while continuing his training, he could not help but find his spirit stirred by the ‘Broken Oaths’ speech. Ultimately, he realized, it would be necessary for him and his clan to defend Moghes from Izweski conquest, and especially the grip of these aliens.

And so, as more outrage built and the Traditionalist Coalition came together, he was among those who fought in the initial invasion atop a warmount. These initial battles were a success for him, personally - he demonstrated his prowess as a warrior, and rose through the ranks with this ability and status as nobility behind him.

However, by the time mid-2439 came around he had suffered serious wounds in battle, the resulting infection claiming one of his arms. He spent much of the following month hospitalized, his hatred of the Izweski only boiling hotter during this time. To him, they had defeated him only through their ill-gotten gains and specifically, in his view, the dishonorable usage of the technology they’d obtained - what courage is there in going to battle with a nigh-invulnerable suit?

Whilst still in a poor state, he had largely recovered by the time the first of the nuclear bombs had fallen - an event that he cheered upon hearing the first word of it over radio. In his eyes, this was the event that would turn the war in their favor, and he had hardly taken a moment to consider the ramifications of such. Until more flew. And more. A growing horror built within him, in spite of his own survival each time; apparently in a position that, through some miracle, the hospital he stayed in stood by the end of the exchanges. However, word soon after came that others were not as lucky; his clan’s land was left desert.

And as no word came from his clan over the coming weeks, he eventually made up his mind and, having made some level of recovery by this point, he had set out to journey to his homeland. This journey would never lead him to his destination, as he was woefully unprepared and began to feel the effects of the radiation upon him. As illness wracked his body, he began to consider everything that had brought him here; much of his hatred and zeal melted away, as he began to think of the unfortunate fate those had brought so many, and seemingly soon himself. Once again, the spirits had seen fit to smile upon him in spite of all this, and he stumbled into a remote village before he would tire.

Here, he would find not only treatment from the healers, but spiritual guidance from the shaman. He was introduced to the particular beliefs this settlement held, in particular that of the role of the fisherman. By the time Ra’ak had healed, they held the belief that this was their role to now hold - the life of a warrior was a failed experiment, something to be left behind and forgotten. With this role and the wounds they held, they would abandon their initial goal for this journey, personally attributing their survival to the spirits’ offering a chance to change their ways in the wake of this destruction.

They spent many of the following years with this settlement, though still tinged with the accent of his noble upbringing and holding his clan name with pride as, seemingly, perhaps the only remnant of the name. Whilst the war continued to rage on, the isolation of this settlement allowed them to adapt to their new lifestyle in peace - in place of the ways of war, they learned to craft clothing for those around them, and eventually to be traded to settlements elsewhere.

They took, in this time, a particular interest in the items that might be obtained through trade that predated the war; simple things, especially. Pottery, plain jewelry, and other such trinkets. As more of these artifacts filtered in, they began to utilize much of their free time in reconstructing where they might have come from, and who from. A poorly made pot from a certain clay might indicate a child crafting with that they found in a river, whilst a work of art, glazed over and painted, may indicate the property, at one point, of a noble, shaped by a true artisan.

It was this pastime, and the new role they found themselves in, that lent to them the strongly-held belief that every story must be preserved, for so many had been lost forever in the fires that took much of the planet. They adopted the hobby of writing about those artifacts they’d obtained, as well as the stories they would hear from those around them - especially those only passing through. With time, hearing stories of those of the Hegemony filter through, and even stories of those who had set foot offworld, the hate that once burned only dulled more. In this they believed they would satisfy the spirits; not by violence, but by ensuring their actions whilst living would be recognized and recalled.

Eventually, having heard these stories of going offworld, Ra’ak made a bold decision to join them in such, seeking more to archive. In this, they hoped, they could pursue their new goals more effectively; there were many stories to be heard in the Spur, and even more stories of old to revive - this village only had so much to work with, in the end. They would add to their numbers in the year 2452, over a decade since they had settled in this village. Aboard a cargo ship, they had formed an agreement of labor for passage. They would land on Xanu, coming to work odd jobs here whilst continuing their hobby with any odd items that might come through. For three years they spent much of their days handling cargo in Kuenoi, saving their credits wisely for their ultimate goal.

Then, those years later, they had finally enrolled into university to pursue a program in xenoarchaeology; whilst they had saved for some time, they had only the credits to make it partially through the program, and relied on some sparse scholarships to continue. At least, until they were noticed by NanoTrasen; with ‘only’ the signature of a contract to work for the company for a couple of decades to come, they could continue their studies at NanoTrasen Academy.

And so, we are brought to the modern day, where Ra’ak finally has graduated and prepares to begin their works in Biesel.
 

What do you like about this character?: They play into the themes that I would like to lean into specifically of the loss and trauma of an event as disastrous as the Contact war, though in a way that’s near opposite to my past handling with Mars.

 

How would you rate your role-playing ability?: Pretty highly - I struggle with descriptive writing especially, but in terms of a character’s mindset and worldview I can adopt those very easily.

 

Notes: does anyone have tips for keeping anole substrate clean in a terrarium

Edited January 24, 2022 by Haydizzle
Accepted!

[MccRrib]

2 minutes ago, limette said:

does anyone have tips for keeping anole substrate clean in a terrarium

clean with a mix of hot water and dish soap, ratio isn't super important, and then sanitize with 10-15% bleach and then let it dry. Remove the animals before you do this. Remove and then discard the bedding, wipe out any leftover substrate, and then go over it once more with soap and warm water. Scrub every single interior of the enclosure and then rinse with just water. Let dry, replace the bedding with fresh ones, and you should be fine.

I didn't read the rest but it was probably fine big +1 love the formatting 

[ClemTheDuck]

Love the amount of care and detail she puts into her characters, always fun and interesting to interact with, definitely give her a +1. Unathi are right up her alley

[ImmortalRedshirt]

+1. I don't doubt for a second her ability to RP effectively, and in addition, there is a clear desire to do something interesting and unique with this and any future characters.

[Marlon P.]

What a great application. +1 all the way.

[KesterShadowHair]

I've interacted with violette the most as one of my Zavodskoi IPC's. I can definitely say that they understand our lore and would do well moving forward as a Unathi player +1

[Captain Gecko]

Right so, first off:

- As far as your roleplay skills go, no problems. In fact, I'm actually hyped to see you play a lizard now! I really enjoy having your characters on the same manifests as mines (especially Simon! Simon is so funny!)

- The current events unfolding in Ourea do not make anything about it on the wiki invalid as far as I know, don't worry.

- GOD DAMN IT, not a Dominian lizard! (I'm mostly joking, don't worry about that)

- HELL YEAHYEHEYAHEYAH IT'S A XENOARCH LIZARD! (don't mind this either)

- I don't actually own any reptiles and have no experience in handling them, so I'll refrain from answering the terranium question.

 

 

Now, with that out of the way, let's get to the real deal! The lore questions! Now keep in mind that, so far, your app looks pretty good...

- So one of Azerzku's arms was "claimed" by the infection... What does this mean, exactly? Was the arm actually lost? Is there nothing but a stump?

15 hours ago, limette said:

However, by the time mid-2439 came around he had suffered serious wounds in battle, the resulting infection claiming one of his arms

Now if the arm is actually gone... Did Azerzku get a replacement of some kind? Sintas get both Synthetic and Diona limb replacement options, although whatever you choose, this would impact the character in some way... Note that I can hardly see a one-armed Xenoarcheologist in game. This is not a lore-related thing, however, so this won't be a problem for this app, but gameplay-wise... Playing with a single arm will be horrendous. Xenoarcheology can be hard if not unfair sometimes, and I can hardly imagine the poor lizard lasting long out there, if he even somehow managed to do his course (that may have included simulations and training) with a single arm.

- The inevitable question... Unathi tend to be very faithful, whatever faith they are following, and obviously, working in science may risk having the lizard's professional reality clashing with some of these beliefs. How would Azerzku cope with that? Or does the Xenoarch simply doesn't think too much about it?

[limette]

First off, thank you for the praise! My ego grows ever stronger.

1 hour ago, Captain Gecko said:

So one of Azerzku's arms was "claimed" by the infection... What does this mean, exactly? Was the arm actually lost? Is there nothing but a stump?

Now if the arm is actually gone... Did Azerzku get a replacement of some kind? Sintas get both Synthetic and Diona limb replacement options, although whatever you choose, this would impact the character in some way... Note that I can hardly see a one-armed Xenoarcheologist in game. This is not a lore-related thing, however, so this won't be a problem for this app, but gameplay-wise... Playing with a single arm will be horrendous. Xenoarcheology can be hard if not unfair sometimes, and I can hardly imagine the poor lizard lasting long out there, if he even somehow managed to do his course (that may have included simulations and training) with a single arm.

So; fun fact, xenoarch isn't allowed to have a missing limb at all! Anyway, the gist was supposed to be that it was amputated, and later on during the time in the wasteland they'd received a Dionae replacement - I thought I included this but apparently didn't. I'd intended for it to be a very meaningful experience for them to receive this, in a form of peaceful cooperation with aliens whilst they'd once hated the very concept of aliens setting foot on Moghes. This, of course, being further magnified by the spiritual aspect to it as an individual who already holds his beliefs in such highly.

1 hour ago, Captain Gecko said:

- The inevitable question... Unathi tend to be very faithful, whatever faith they are following, and obviously, working in science may risk having the lizard's professional reality clashing with some of these beliefs. How would Azerzku cope with that? Or does the Xenoarch simply doesn't think too much about it?

This is a particularly interesting question because their work is actually informed by their faith in the first place; the entire idea being the need to catalogue the creations and deeds by those who once lived in order to satisfy their spirits in a way. So, whilst they would obviously be able to as a professional separate their beliefs and findings in order to find a proper material explanation for everything, they would also find a personal spiritual 'context' to add to most things. With Th'akh being such a flexible religion, I feel they would be able to reconcile a lot of their beliefs with the work in science - though I am struggling to think of a hard example where this would conflict in a way that's difficult to work with.

[Captain Gecko]

6 hours ago, limette said:

The answers ^

That's all good, I approve of the app. 😛

[Haydizzle]

I cannot believe she actually applied.

 

Besides what Gecko asked, I only have a few questions.

1. What baggage does Azerzku carry from the Contact War?

2. How do they view honor if they are no longer a warrior?

[limette]

1 minute ago, Haydizzle said:

1. What baggage does Azerzku carry from the Contact War?

I didn't go into this in the application because, naturally, being Anna King's player one can assume quite a bit.

Actually though - yeah, quite a bit. Between the battles they'd faced (which was a number of them) and the loss afterwards, I'd intended to play them with this as their central theme. To start with; I'd intended them to hold a pretty severe case of PTSD, with all that entails. I won't be going into detail, because you know what PTSD is. On a deeper level, they also would hold a lot of emotional issues from the loss of their family and the subsequent relative isolation. They'd likely struggle to make connections with others on a deep level (at first at least) having felt the pangs of those connections being ripped from them in the past, and having spent the time afterwards in an isolated society, then working quietly in the background. Overall, it's going to be a very large part of the character though I am struggling to quantify it well.

20 minutes ago, Haydizzle said:

2. How do they view honor if they are no longer a warrior?

They have a very strong sense of honor, especially the idea of respect to the ancestors first and foremost. They would also draw from their life once as a warrior much of the code they followed then, having adopted it at such a young age - old habits die hard, and none of the code is strictly defined by a requirement of combat. It would be melded together with other definitions of honor; the ideas of grace and knowledge drawn from the healer's code - the latter of which of which would be adopted due to, in part, their ideas around spirit veneration and the archiving of stories. The idea of being knowledgeable, obviously, lending itself to their works both professionally and in regular archiving, whilst the idea of grace does not lean directly into such but would be adopted due to the strength of respect they hold for their passed clan and their role as seemingly (as far as they can tell, at least) the final representative thereof.

[Haydizzle]

I like your answers, and your characters all have distinct impressions on me. Given your discussions on the lore outside of this, your capacity of RP, and the quality of the application, I will be accepting this application. Feel free to send any questions you have to my deputies and I.