unathi [Denied] Sputnik5927 - Unathi Whitelist Application 2

[Sputnik5927]

My last application was denied over powergaming concerns due to Security gameplay notes. A waiting period of one month was decided to see if things would improve - I have not had any issues since then, so I am posting my updated application.

BYOND Key: Sputnik5927

Character Names:

Wolf Arges, Security Officer
Yangtze Xiaojian, Bridge Crew
Zhang Xiaodan, Psychiatrist
Mikhail Voroshilov, Shaft Miner
Shepherd Malric, Chaplain
TAKMAN, Security Officer
Harald Brytforda, Security Officer
Daniel Griffin, Surgeon
Vladimir Khoromov, Merchant

Species you are applying to play: Unathi
What color do you plan on making your first alien character: Green (Most similar to Sen Emerald)
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:
Because I like the warrior culture of the Unathi species. I also find the planet of Moghes interesting, being a hostile environment. The unique bodily attributes (scales, being cold-blooded, etc.) are a big draw for me from a roleplaying perspective - just think of all the emotes. Gator people are cool and I want to be one of them.

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human:
In comparison to the contemporary humans of the setting, the Unathi species follows strict cultural values, instilled almost into the blood of every member, save for the outcasts (Guwan). Those values are reminiscent of those of ancient Human tribes - there being an emphasis on honor, tradition, the strictly defined role of the man and the woman in society and the reverence for one's ancestors.

Unathi can originate from many places and circumstances. Of note besides the immediate Unathi-sphere are Dominia, Mictlan and other circumstances.

Unathi in Dominia not only fit in very well due to their Clan structure (which adapts to the 'Houses' of Dominia very well), but they have already settled in the present lore with the Great House Kazhkz, offering a noble origin for Unathi which come from Dominia. Many Unathi also find themselves as secondary citizens if they cannot make it into House Kazhkz.

As for Mictlan - Unathi, once again relying on their Clan structure, fit in with the values of the Mictlani - family and community. Most of these Unathi would either work in Agriculture or as Soldiers, because their adaptation to warm, humid environments lends itself well to Mictlan's wilderness.

By other circumstances, I mean for example, being a pirate. Having no ties to anyone but your marauding Clan and being despised by most other Sinta. An example for this would be the Gawgaryn.

Unathi religions are as diverse as Human ones, though they are almost totally different. In order of popularity: 
Th'akh, the worship of ancestors and the belief in the spirit realm.
Sk'akh, the worship of ancestors as one spirit.
Aut'akh, the extreme belief in cybernetics being the supreme way of living.
Si'akh, the extreme belief that the survivors of the Contact War are doomed and left behind and must find salvation.

On a physical level, Unathi are cold-blooded and therefore feel right at home at temperatures that Humans would flee for fresh air - where as in places that Humans feel content, a Unathi might feel like he's freezing. This also depends on the region that the Unathi is from, as the quick adaptation between generations can influence the sensitivity to heat or cold. Ethanol is dangerously toxic to Unathi and anything that isn't meat provides little to no nutrition for them. Having a tail, frills or horns means that a Unathi can express himself in different ways or speak a language that requires the use of a tail for gesturing.

Unathi do not have a long space-faring history like Humans do in 2464, only recently having even made contact with other species - that contact having lead to a nuclear exchange that devastated Moghes terribly.

Character Name: Kalug Reshkat
Please provide a short backstory for this character

The young Kalug hatched in 2418 in a small village near Janvir, experiencing life on Moghes as it had always been for a rural peasant family. He became the eldest of three brothers and two sisters. The Reshkat clan lived near the shore of Lake Z'aith, their craft of hunting and foraging providing them a respectable existence. Kalug learned to hunt, track, trap and catch from his father and was expected to teach it to his future sons too. Growing up, Kalug's brothers often played a competitive game in which they would hide and track each other in the wilderness. One day, one of his brothers, Leshuk, came running in a panic - being chased by a Shrieker in full pursuit. Kalug reeled back the spear they took with them and threw it, striking the animal, killing it and saving his brother. He was praised endlessly at home and by his village, gifting him with steeled pride and confidence - the brave Kalug.

Although Kalug rarely played with or even talked to his sisters, he jumped at every opportunity to protect them, as was taught to him was the right thing to do.

On the matter of Humans and Skrell, Kalug and his clan were skeptical. He was always very proud of not only himself, but his village and the independence they had achieved through hard work. He saw the introduction of Humans and Skrell as a cold invasion and appropriation of what the Sinta'unathi had built for so long, listening intently to the stories of pre-contact Moghes told by the village elders. When tensions with the Hegemony came to a boiling point in 2438 and the war broke out, the 20-year-old Kalug was the very first of his village to march to battle, seeking the same glory and praise he had been hunting for his entire life.

The Contact War took Kalug and his brothers to the battlefield against the Hegemony. He lost two of his brothers, including Leshuk. Being with the Janvir forces, their campaign was not especially impactful, but still no less brutal. Although he was steeled and ready to kill and die, as any respectable warrior should be, he saw Leshuk in every Sinta by his side or opposing him - and every arrow, bullet, bomb or thrust of a spear being that Shrieker. These visions still plague Kalug.

Having been a member of the Th'akh religion since his birth, Kalug often calls upon his recently departed family, especially Leshuk to try and find closure. He anchored himself to the faith that Leshuk and his ancestors always listen to him when he seeks their attention, laying bare every regret and mistake to soothe his soul. Nearly every day, he visited the Shaman of his village, to the point he was always expected at a certain time of day. The Reshkat clan believed that the Clan's ancestors could be sought out individually and contacted for guidance and lament, this often being in the form of a son seeking a late father's advice or a mother comforting her hatchling who died young.

Kalug felt the defeat of the Coalition as almost personal to himself. Not only did the Hegemony win, but the very thing that the Coalition wanted to preserve was nearly completely burnt away in nuclear fire - which he is very aware might be the fault of the megacorporations that came with the Humans.

Although his village was spared a nuclear bombing and it suffered only from mild fallout, Kalug never felt at home again - not without all his family and not with the way things were now. Attempting to rebuild, Kalug stayed for a long while on Moghes. Nothing went his way anymore - the people went hollow and callous, turning to wandering the wastes and banditry and where he once saw ambitions and prospects, he saw nothing anymore. The Hegemony now being in charge, the megacorporations were readily in reach and recruiting the new and interesting Unathi species - the choice of employment for Kalug, the brave, was clear. The burden of working for a megacorporation that might be responsible for what happened is to Kalug just another burden to bear. Feeling that there was no good future for him on Moghes, he left the planet at the next opportunity, lest he would change his mind...

What do you like about this character?
I am excited to play a Unathi because, as I mentioned before, I find the look and species itself very cool. But beyond that, the ability to speak a language like Sinta'Azaziba and the amount of new emotes and behaviours that would be open to me are a huge reason I am applying. Specifically for my character, I wanted to make a character who values his honor and dignity, always wanting to be the best and stand out - and still get along with people. To be someone who his co-workers can trust and rely on, who they admire and respect. To be the one that everyone looks to to save the day. Always chasing his finest hour. Being a relatively old Unathi, he would also have an interesting perspective to share on the contact war and Moghes before its destruction. This would work well with the younger Unathi that I know of on the ship.

How would you rate your role-playing ability?
I'm a very experienced, considerate roleplayer and I think that I am easy to work with.

Notes:

Edited November 15, 2022 by Haydizzle
Application processed.

[omegaTracing]

I play Andrew Mower, an officer, and i've spent a lot of time interacting with Sputnik's various characters! I wish to vouch for his roleplaying abilities, and that he'd make for a good unathi.

Hope he gets accepted!

[ClemTheDuck]

couple of questions regarding Kalug.

-What job is he taking aboard the Horizon? How did he get from Moghes to the SCCs flagship exploration vessel?

-What coporation did he ultimately decide on and for what reasons? What comprimises did he have to make/what were the deciding factors?

-How big was Kalugs clan? Is it still around after the war or was it fully wiped out? Being off Moghes, what are Kalug's feelings regarding leaving his clan?

[Sputnik5927]

1 hour ago, ClemTheDuck said:

couple of questions regarding Kalug.

-What job is he taking aboard the Horizon? How did he get from Moghes to the SCCs flagship exploration vessel?

-What coporation did he ultimately decide on and for what reasons? What comprimises did he have to make/what were the deciding factors?

-How big was Kalugs clan? Is it still around after the war or was it fully wiped out? Being off Moghes, what are Kalug's feelings regarding leaving his clan?

- He will be a Security Officer, because of his upbringing, being a warrior and his employment with Zavod. He reached the Horizon by being deployed there by Zavodskoi, citing his lack of dependants and remaining family as a suitable situation for a vessel that will be constantly on the move in the far reaches of the spur.

- He chose Zavodskoi Interstellar because of their corporate culture. Idris was too clean and tidy and the PMCG felt too small for any hope of making something of himself, while he felt most welcomed by Zavodskoi's professionalism and militant aesthetic. His clan having been skeptical of Humans and Skrell, there was a suspicion that they were responsible in one way or another for what happened on Moghes - this meaning that Kalug would have to work for the very people who may have signed off on the arms deal that doomed his home. He is aware of this and it gets on his nerves.

- The Reshkat clan numbered 15 individuals before the war. Combat took all but one of his brothers. The post-war consequences of the nuclear bombs, over the time that Kalug had spent trying to rebuild, proved still too much to bear and took his mother, father and the rest of the elders. His sisters and further extended family abandoned the clan and village in favor of piracy or flight to other worlds - the number dropped to just two. No more than Kalug and his youngest brother, Akmur. After a long discussion about their situation - and with neither brother wanting to abandon the clan, they promised to stay loyal to the Reshkat clan, even if they part ways to seek greener pastures. Being off Moghes, Kalug's clan is often on his mind. He reminds himself that it is his duty to rebuild it and protect it, not to let it die out like so many other clans did because of the war - it is the last battle he can still fight against the Hegemony in that way.

Edited November 8, 2022 by Sputnik5927

[Captain Gecko]

Right, so, so far my main issue is... That I'm not picking any traces about what faith Kalug might be following. Spirituality is extremely important to Unathi, whatever their fate or their origin... In fact I'm tempted to say that they are the most spiritual species in the whole setting. The fact that there's not even a single mention of that in his whole story isn't a great sign. Luckily we have questions to make up for such things (maybe?) So... Faith and Kalug, tell us about it.

[Sputnik5927]

On 09/11/2022 at 20:30, Captain Gecko said:

Right, so, so far my main issue is... That I'm not picking any traces about what faith Kalug might be following. Spirituality is extremely important to Unathi, whatever their fate or their origin... In fact I'm tempted to say that they are the most spiritual species in the whole setting. The fact that there's not even a single mention of that in his whole story isn't a great sign. Luckily we have questions to make up for such things (maybe?) So... Faith and Kalug, tell us about it.

The backstory is relatively long, so you may have missed this:

Having been a member of the Th'akh religion since his birth, Kalug often calls upon his recently departed family, especially Leshuk to try and find closure. He anchored himself to the faith that Leshuk and his ancestors always listen to him when he seeks their attention, laying bare every regret and mistake to soothe his soul. Nearly every day, he visited the Shaman of his village, to the point he was always expected at a certain time of day.

Looking at other accepted Unathi whitelist applications, I felt like this was an appropriate mention. Am I missing something in particular? Also consider his experience in battle against the Hegemony, in which the loss of his brothers (most importantly Leshuk) deeply impacted the way he thought about the lives of other Sinta.

I could add that he feels indebted to his ancestors to keep the clan alive. The promise was not just made with his remaining brother, but also with them. Additionally, the Shaman he used to consult almost daily had died during the years after the contact war. The loss of this spiritual grounding factor was a big part of his decision to leave.

As for religions in general:

Kalug feels that Th'Akh is the right conviction. Sk'Akh, to him, is a slightly misguided misinterpretation of the spirits, not subscribing to the idea of all spirits, good and bad, being joined as one - he believes that each spirit stands in its own right.

Aut'Akh is something he sees as an affront against nature, replacing the sacred flesh that you were gifted with crude imitations.

Si'Akh is a topic he would rather avoid entirely. It dwells on his and his brother's conflicted decision to leave Moghes after having survived such an ordeal. If pressed, he would certainly refute the idea and shun those who would preach it.

Edited November 13, 2022 by Sputnik5927
Expansion

[Haydizzle]

I'm processing this application and should have a reply by tomorrow night. Apologies for the delays.

[Happy_Fox]

Sputnik plays characters with a lot of care for their motivations and behaviour, I think if they had that same approach for unathi and their specific behaviours they would be a good addition to the lizard horde.

[Haydizzle]

While there has been improvement regarding your administrative history, I'm still worried about this application. I don't feel the themes are completely understood still, but I'm also concerned about your roleplaying and how this character might end up being portrayed as a stereotypical unathi.

I'm denying this application. You can reapply in one month's time, on December 14th.