vaurca According to all known laws of aviation - Stev's Vaurca Application

[stevIII]

BYOND Key: steviii

Character Names:

Mains: Xorie Jixktu, Fox-Hound, SUPP-ER.1

Secondaries: Stuart Walsh, Reynhelde Volvalaad, Fadiil Yuusif

Retired/Rarely Played: M.ART-YR, Sakina Impukane, Ingrid Makeda, Milanko Romanuv, Akanne Oluwamisimi, Antahn Sander.

Species you are applying to play: Bug Hyezzz (Vaurca.)

What colour do you plan on making your first alien character: 71, 0, 31, an Akaix of Scay's brood.

Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Hyezzz. I have read all pages that I was required to read. This equalled Vaurca, Vaurca Biology (Outdated?), Virtual Reality, Vaurca Hives, Scay, Zo'ra in the Republic, Vaurca History, Vaurca Culture and Society and Vaurca Religion.

Please provide well articulated answers to the following questions in a paragraph format. One paragraph minimum per question. hyezzz

Why do you wish to play this specific race:

Full transparency, I mostly am just collecting the whitelists, but also Ra specifically really appeal to me, since I love the absurdly tall gentle giant trope. (Also I like Tyranids)

Now, for a more useful answer:

I'm a big sucker for more alien style species and races in games and media. I love things that break from the norm, since it allows me to challenge myself and play something different, when most of my characters are pretty similar. Oh, one character speaks with an Eridanian accent, but they're still quite human. Even Diona don't quite scratch that itch for me because of how kinda irritating they can be to play, though I do love me a good Diona. I feel like Vaurca is going to be a lovely middleground between the really fun alien mindset, and not being considered psychological warfare to play. (Just kidding Diona Devs I love you guys <3)

Also, trophallaxis being a taboo is absolutely hilarious. This is a solid 50% of my reasoning behind applying.

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

I reckon it would be easier to describe the things that are similar between Humans and Vaurca than it would be to describe the differences. I think chief amongst them (Without just vomiting out the biotechnicianal differences) is the sheer differences in mindset and culture.

To a human, your childhood is spent adventuring, learning and growing as a person. To a Vaurca, your childhood is planned out via quotas long before you're even born, everything about you carefully decided with pheromones, left to ripen for a bit, then you're shoved in VR till you seem well adjusted enough to go give your life for the Queen hyezzz.

A human may be highly specialised, say they're a scientist specialised in theoretical physics. But two theoretical physicists would have completely different skills, maybe one has done a first aid course, or one cooks in their spare time. Two people that seem functionally identical, same culture and occupation, would be completely different if you looked deeper than the surface.

Whereas, Vaurca are much more likely to be somewhat “consistent.” An Akaix specialised deeply in to theoretical physics will know an extensive amount about whatever field of study they're interested in, but it's considerably less likely that they'll have any interdepartmental knowledge, beyond maybe what they've been told by co-workers. Now this isn't to say that Akaix don't have personalities of course, but it can be more expected for some Akaix to have far less developed hobbies, while still being extremely competent at what they're trained for. Viax of course are just toasters hyezzz

Of course, there is plenty not touched on here. I think a big part is Hivenet as well, providing a perfect way to transmit not just your words, but your every thought, emotion and feeling. Unlike a radio where you may transmit “Good morning” a Vaurca would transmit “Good morning”, along with the pheromones that inspire a feeling of warmth and greeting to the recipients.

Character Name: Ka'Akaix'Akyn Zo'ra

Please provide a short backstory for this character

Born as a member of Scay's brood on New Gibson, Akyn was destined to be an Akaix. The first few months of Akyn's life was quite standard, spending around six months in Scay's brood chambers to be left to develop. Akyn then spent about three month in the Aether, learning how to be a brood chamber bio-technician, while also developing their firm commitment and belief in the Hive Pantheon. Akyn was chosen as a bio-technician to further Scay's aims in augmentation and experimentation, by running experiments on the larvae. However, Akyn's life would take quite a turn when Ozdemir invaded Biesel, prompting the Zo'ra to bolster their defences, and amplifying the need for qualified augment mechanics. Akyn was dragged out of the Aether quite early, due to showing promise as a qualified and competent bio-technician.

Serving for around a month as a bio-technician, Akyn mostly helped to create more Za's for the meat grinder, as the TCFL's supply was slowly damaged via fighting against the 35th. Once this became less of a pressing issue following the defeat of Sol, Scay opted to send out a batch of Vaurca to the TCFL, under the mission objective to simply maintain and integrate the Za population. In this position, the naive Akyn got approached by a TCFL recruiter, who offered them a more permanent position in the Legion. Akyn appraised this as a fine way to keep an eye on the Za's, along with allowing them un-monitored access to the genetic material of any vanquished pirates and foes.

Serving as a hangar mechanic and adviser to the Za population in the Legion, Akyn was a curious yet very single track Legionnaire. Never one to stray near a fight, Akyn spent their year stay in the Legion largely tinkering with vehicles, exosuits and warriors, learning all they could as fast as possible. During their stay there, their co-workers were never warm, nor particularly aggressive towards them. They spent very little time socialising, instead opting to spend their time in a shared barrack with twenty three other Akaix.

Once their contract with the Legion ended, they were given the proper discharge ceremony, then dumped in a street in Mendell. With little understanding of the world beyond the Legion, they quickly fell in with a group of fellow Zo'ra in district 9. Continuing to learn very little about the world, they did at least manage to evade the criminal gangs of the underworld, just long enough for an Orion Express recruiter to come knocking around, looking for a bunch of cheap labour. Akyn's small hive-cell pressured them to join, prompting Akyn to sign up as a Machinist.

From a personality standpoint (Since that's a little harder to represent in this montage style thing), they're highly naive, curious and un-travelled. They may have physically gone distances with their Legion vessel, but they spent their entire time holed up deep within the hangar, repairing and maintaining the equipment, and not socialising. Their religion is Modern Pantheon, holding a firm belief that every Queen is a deity, sent to further Vaurca, in and outside the Aether.

What do you like about this character?

What I like about Akyn is that due to their somewhat underdeveloped personality, and severe lack of exposure to the spur, they feel like a sort of middle-ground between an Akaix and a Viax. Incorporating that wonderful sense of contentment and naivety that a Viax may have, in to the otherwise more complicated opportunity for a personality with an Akaix seems like a fun character concept to me. While Akyn may not have much in the way of cultural knowledge or hobbies, I quite like the idea of a fairly impressionable but highly competent character. Also, TCFL bug mechanic is funny to me. Sue me. I'm just imagining a Warform getting hit with a tank shell, so Akyn smacks them with a wrench and says “Good azz new hyezzz”

How would you rate your role-playing ability?

Asked a few people so this isn't just me, got 8/10. I obviously would say 10/10, since I am a paragon of virtue who never makes mistakes.

Notes:

I have applied for Vaurca before and was denied, but I believe I've put far more time and effort in to this application than I did prior. Also please ask me all the questions in the world, my writing style generally works best when I can bounce it, and I don't have many friends who know Vaurca lore to get confirmation on stuff.

Edited July 13, 2023 by stevIII
clarified stuff

[RustingWithYou]

Cool title, unfortunately I did the same joke with my app like 5 months ago.

Stev is a good RPer and I think they could Bug well

[hazelmouse]

Stev as Xorie is very enjoyable to roleplay with, bug hours. +1

[Caelphon]

Hi there, some questions.

You make reference to their time in the TCFL. How did the Peacekeeper Mandate impact your Vaurcae?

How did they react to the increase of unrest in District 9 a few months ago regarding the Queenless? 

How do they feel about Queenless Vaurcae?

You mention an undeveloped personality. Would they be similar to a drone when playing them initially? 

[stevIII]

8 hours ago, Caelphon said:

Hi there, some questions.

You make reference to their time in the TCFL. How did the Peacekeeper Mandate impact your Vaurcae?

How did they react to the increase of unrest in District 9 a few months ago regarding the Queenless? 

How do they feel about Queenless Vaurcae?

You mention an undeveloped personality. Would they be similar to a drone when playing them initially? 

Hey, thank you for the questions. I'm not completely read-up on the Peacekeeper Mandate, so if I missed something that was in a news post, feel free to correct me.

1: Due to Akyn's stance as mostly a support legionnaire, they saw very little if any of the severe impacts of the Mandate, even though they served in the CRZ. All that filtered down to them was more hurt Za's and damaged vehicles in need of repairs. Their personal stance on it, largely manipulated and filtered by the Legion's propaganda machine, was that the unstable Zone needed someone to civilize it, and the Legion was just the force to do as such. They managed to get out of the Legion just before the real rioting broke out, as their contract ended in very early 2464. Their stance on the Legion now is likely quite a bit more critical, due to seeing how they basically mistreat and misuse their Zo'ran forces. (I assume, I'm not certain if that's canon anywhere, but let's be honest lol)

2: With my original timeline, Akyn likely would have been out of Flagsdale months before the increase of unrest and thus it didn't impact them. But that's less fun. Their general stance on it is what they have been told by their 'cell' in Flagsdale, which was partly made up of Vaurca highly antagonistic towards the police and other districts. Akyn has somewhat of a neutral stance on it, but their general abhorrence for violence makes them not a fan of the Terroristic acts. They do believe that Queenless should still be entitled to larvae however, perhaps just in a lowered quantity.

3: They're generally friendly towards Zo'ra queenless, thinking of them as just misguided or lost siblings. They would if guidance was needed, happily go to a Queenless Ta for advice, viewing even Queenless Ta as highly competent and experienced leaders. They firmly disagree with the Zo'ra hive's choice to cease Larvae shipments to the Queenless, thinking that the survival of the Vaurca race relies entirely on co-operation between hives and cells. They do however have no love for the Ak'riix, thinking them to be extremely misguided in their way to campaign for further rights for Vaurca.
(They have no exposure to K'lax Queenless and thus don't have a stance yet)

4: This ones the big one, and the bit that I really don't want to misconstrue. Akyn is an Akaix, thus meaning their personality is and can be fully developed, their low time in VR just caused them to have a very low knowledge of culture, and their personality had to be slowly and insularly developed later in life. Their personality very likely would also expand slowly over time on ship, acting as sort of a cultural sponge for whoever they spent the most time with.

They have likes, loves, hates and indifferences. They enjoy tinkering with old shuttles in their spare time, and collect TCFL momentos and surplus with some of their money. They even have an extensive collection of miniature shuttles and ships in their room. However, due to their very sheltered and stunted upbringing, and spending the majority of their time holed up inside of a Hangar bay, their general stances on the Spur itself is one of naivety, awe and confusion. They firmly believe that everyone has some good in them (Except the filthy Lii'dra hyezzz), and that violence is only the answer in the most extreme cases of mistreatment or abuse. They firmly believe that even Vaurca those corrupted by misguidance, those with no contact with their Queens or the Ak'riix for example, have something good within their two hearts, and could be taught to understand.

I'm always very happy to answer more questions, and would love to have some more follow-ups. If I missed any details with the Queenless or Peacekeeper Mandate part, that's because I had read neither of those pages very recently lol.

Edited July 14, 2023 by stevIII
clarified that Za's are still ya know, organisms

[Herpetophilia2]

They seem to have a very good understanding of Vaurca lore, as well as great skill on roleplay. Their characters, especially Fox-Hound, are very fun to interact with. Definite +1 from me. 

[dessysalta]

Love Fox-Hound to death, after playing with them for a bit I can say they're almost certainly good enough to play a Vaurca. +1!

[Duthco]

I've enjoyed the handful of times I've interacted with Stev's characters, including and not limited to being jettisoned out the back of the Spark by Fox-Hound to careen through space and eventually find rescue for the third time that shift. (In Fox-Hound's defense, the first two times were unrelated.)

Akyn's synopsis reads like the bones of an engaging character with a well thought out set of experiences to inform values, ethics, personality, etc., and despite the character's described ignorance of various things, it is fairly evident, to me at least, that Stev has a good grasp of the relevant Vaurca history, sociology, biology, bits, and bobs. 

I hope to see them in the machine shop soon! +1

[NM_]

Stev is a more than capable roleplayer in their own right, across the variety of characters I've met so far. They'll slot right into their new Vaurca in a way that upholds the expectations set out for them from the lore team and present an interesting addition to the roster that the crew can interact with. Looking forward to meeting them! +1

[Caelphon]

Accepted.