[Accepted] Dessysalta - "Holy vhuck! Izz that John Zzol?" (vaurca app)

[dessysalta]

BYOND Key: Dessysalta

Character Names: too fuckin' many!! (see image below)

Species you are applying to play: Vaurca 

What color do you plan on making your first alien character: RGB 130, 150, 20

Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yup!

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:
Short answer: I like the dichotomy between playing characters or races that belong to a community of complex social hierarchies, expectations, and personal wishes that have a place in all of that (like political decisions resulting in backstabs or alliances).

Longer answer: Vaurca strike me as interesting because they're an inherently disconnected race compared to humans, Unathi, or really any other "natural" race with a defined social structure and free-thinking for everyone. I like how charming (or the complete opposite) some Vaurca can be, how some are quite literally designed through their DNA whether or not to be capable of complex social interaction, critical thinking, to have a preference between violence or pacifism, or even how they feel about certain subjects in the first place. Zohd and Dez are great examples of Vaurca, in my opinion, retaining their inherently disconnected nature while still putting a unique spin on them. I like how clueless or knowledgeable the bugs can be about things, like how Zohd assumed someone who says they fight evil has fought the Lii'dra, or how Dez acts like it knows everything there is to know about relationships and how to maintain a good friendship (and probably does, realistically) or how interesting and kind a giant 10-foot-tall Ta can be to the comparatively tiny meat bags humans are.

I just like the diverse complexities that go into what would otherwise be a normal humanoid race. They simultaneously expand upon and completely redefine certain genres or schools of thought and thinking, with some Vaurca having hugely expanded definitions or concepts of certain things while others don't, or do but in some other field that the first one has no idea about. I also really want to make a bound because I think bound characters are both extremely interesting and hilarious after watching a drooling one bump into a wall ICly.

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human:
The biggest disconnect between Vaurca and humans in my opinion lies in how they're made in the first place, with being specifically hatched or bred to serve a specific purpose, regardless of whether or not they're bound or unbound. A K'laxan Warrior in the Hegemony will almost always have an analytical eye in combat, a C'thur doctor will have an understanding of how to patch patients up, and above all else, almost complete subservience to the queen they were birthed to obey. I think it was Ta'Akaix'Nangeren that told my character ICly that "revolutions" aren't much of a thing if at all within Vaurca hives, owed to how queens (lesser and not) take to the creation of their brood and how incredibly unlikely it is for a Vaurca to be faced with such inane circumstances that it would choose to abandon its hive or queen entirely, considering they're indoctrinated and taught through pheromones and their very being not to do so (and they'd likely be culled before it was a problem).

When it comes to being raised, doing so in virtual reality rather than the "real world" is interesting, partially because being free from mortal wounding or bodily needs is just a plus, and mostly because its quite literally a way to be known after death, to train a Vaurca all hyperbolic-time-chamber-like (with how their perception of time can be many magnitudes slower than real time), or to communicate ones life story in a matter of days. Each queen having their own realm within VR is super neat, too, with queens like Vedhra basing their realm wholly on weapon development and study of techniques (alongside medicine, tools, etc.) and appointing weavemakers to create specialized entertainment or training parts of the realm.

Lastly, their biological and theological differences have a place, too. Most Vaurca beliefs are rooted in their respective queens, which means they're only more likely to continue serving them, and things like being a closed system able to go EVA with ease or rely on the otherwise-toxic phoron and k'ois compared to how every other species can't/doesn't makes them this sort of double-edged sword when it comes to performing a task, capable of feats most other species aren't but with the tradeoff of requiring an otherwise rare and/or lethal substance in order to continue existing. Being more accustomed to working in tunnels as their biology implies means they can suffer from migraines or headaches and dizziness from being around bright lights for long periods of time, and an enhanced olfactory sense means they can take in nuances of words or character just by smelling.

Character Name: Za'Akaix'Tonz K'lax

Please provide a short backstory for this character:
An Unbound Warrior of Queen Vedhra's brood, Tonz was bred to be a soldier who understood the intricacies of combat, weaponsmithing, and comradery. Having spent a good deal of time in VR, Tonz was somewhat revered among his immediate colleagues for being a fast and precise marksman within the Incursion, or Retek wargame with one of the highest kills-to-deaths ratio regarding (simulated) Lii'dra scum. It would go on to employ its quick tactics within the Izweski Hegemony, firing off from the planet of Tret and aiding Kataphracts and their hopefuls in the war as old as time that is to quell rebellion and deal with pirates. Unfortunately, Tonz would be slain in battle following the raiding by a ship of Salak Kazhkz, having failed (or, more correctly, refused) to provide the Grudgebearer a feast.

However, fortunately, Tonz's death would not last forever. The surviving Sinta of its ship dug out its neural socket for return, an ally he had respected now dead, and sent it back to Tret with full honors. Queen Vedhra, or perhaps one of her more trusted elites or unbounds, decided that the potential of Tonz was not to be wasted, and instead chose to resleeve the warrior, raising it in VR for what it perceived as years before finally being allowed to roam the galaxy again. Now, Tonz seeks to use its experience in battle to mentor others, to warn them of Lii'draic threats, and above all else, to ensure none of its colleagues fall in battle again, no matter the cost. It seeks to apply its knowledge in a new field: the Horizon and its quest for phoron.

What do you like about this character?
I love battle-hardened characters, bug or otherwise, and I like the idea of using Tonz not as another security character (well, not for a bit anyways) but instead as an assistant that takes it upon itself to post near doorways or departments and be a pseudo-security officer that will almost certainly be told off in place of real security--but that doesn't matter to it, only that it's the first line of defense against an attack of some kind. Being "reincarnated" after watching those around you die and making it your life goal to ensure that never happens again sounds so cool, and opens up the way for in-depth talks about life and death and mortality in general, and how Tonz perceives such a thing given its experiences.

How would you rate your role-playing ability?
Pretty decent. Good, maybe. 8/10?

Notes: I'm going to make a bound immediately after this, probably LMAO. I asked the player of Nangeren if I could make a bound or unbound assistant whose purpose is to be their little buddy, but I dunno. Also curious to see what I can do as far as Lii'dra gimmicks go.

Some questions I think the lore team might have are here:

Spoiler

How old is Tonz?
Two years old, right now. It was eight when it was slain originally. In total, I think it has 12 years of VR experience between both "lives".

Why was Tonz chosen to be resleeved/reincarnated? How does this affect it?
Tonz had eight years of experience under its belt when it was killed in battle, and probably an equal amount in VR experience. It had learned to form connections with those it was around, to mentor not only Hopefuls but the Kataphracts themselves; it had taken in so much knowledge related to keeping not only itself but others alive that it would be a waste to have let it die then and there, especially with promising results within the Incursion wargame and powerful servitude to the Hegemony's fleets resulting in more than one gang of pirates going down. Vedhra, and by extent the rest of her brood, are vehemently against losing combat prowess and wasted potential, and so I think it's within the realm of possibility that Tonz could and would be resleeved and given another chance at life, this time with its mistakes already learned from.

Why didn't Tonz choose to return to battle/aid Kataphracts again after being reborn?
Because I have to play an on-ship character for my application This is an interesting one. I think in the world of free-thinking, unbound Vaurca, where serving one particular use isn't always the best or preferred option, you could just as easily say that a Warrior would choose to relegate itself back to servitude under (or as) a Kataphract as you could it choosing to relay its knowledge to the many around it to better improve their chances of survival, and further still justify that not because it dislikes warfare or thinks it would be better suited elsewhere, but instead see it as opportunity cost or, the more likely, having it assume that it will see warfare or usage in proper battle again, just not now, and following the teaching of its experiences and warnings to those it values in the meantime.

Another possible explanation or justification could be to say it doesn't wish to grow complacent in a field of battle, and to properly understand how to protect and guide those around it, it has to have experience with civilians, research staff, non-military doctors, etc. rather than being part of a fleet that hunts down pirates for a living.

Ultimately I think its choice is a mixture of the aforementioned prediction and opportunity cost (how it believes that this is a one-time opportunity to teach and learn around others, and that it won't always be on the Horizon and will once again either see its place as a warrior for the Hegemony or perhaps Vedhra herself) alongside the similar notion that it needs to have a better understanding of what its fighting for even if it knows why it fights.

 

Edited September 5, 2023 by Desven
UH OH forgot the character list

[Sparky_hotdog]

Going to drop my +1 here right off the bat; I've played with 4 of Dessy's characters now (Some significantly more than others) and all of them have felt well-thought out, distinct and enjoyable to RP with. I definitely think she would do some really cool things as a bug player.

[Ublicto]

+1, I have had nothing but positive experiences with Dessysalta, both as a normal player and as an antagonist. It could not hurt to have them bugmaxx.

[Lent23]

Dessy is someone that puts so much thought into all of their characters - absolutely none of their characters have felt anything less than fully fleshed out. I absolutely believe they will do nothing but their best with a Vaurca character. +1

[Desven]

Hello. First of all, this is an amazing app. I really love how in-depth you've gone and you seem to have a very solid understanding of Vaurca lore.

However, you seem to have a (minor) misunderstanding of how resleeving works. It's basically a personal decision; each Vaurca decides whether or not they want to return to the corporeal world. The only exception are the Warriors that Queen Tupii basically forced to resleeve them.

Because your character is young, it might be a better idea to focus on the more traumatic aspects of the resleeving.

Anyways, this app is acepted.