Lavillastrangiato Diona Application

[La Villa Strangiato]

thanos with the infinity stones except it's me with species whitelists

BYOND Ckey: Lavillastrangiato

Discord username: lavillastrangiato

Character names: Meret Aikio, Gulay Uzun, Jiaxing Volvalaad, etc

Species you are applying to play: Dionae

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General Whitelist Requirements

What colour do you plan on making your first alien character?: Medium brown with green tinge

Have you read the lore pages for the species you wish to be whitelisted for?: Yes.

Why do you wish to play this species?: I think with the new lore and life breathed into the species by Caelphon, I'd be really interested in having the opportunity to explore more about Dionae and play one of my own. Wasteland Dionae are one of my favourite parts of wasteland lore, and it's where I think the connection between Unathi and Dionae really shines.

What makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a human?: Dionae are space-dwelling superorganisms that consist of a few to a few thousand dionae "nymphs", cat-sized creatures that feed off most anything they can consume, but require the absorption of radiation to live. At a certain stage in their growth, nymphs can asexually reproduce by budding "seed pods", which may result in other nymphs. Out of interest in self-preservation, nymphs will strongly gravitate to forming a "gestalt"; this is a hivemind of nymphs that act in conjunction, though what form their hivemind takes, or even if it coheres strongly, depends on a diona's "mindtype".

A mindtype refers to the power structure and dynamic that the nymphs within a gestalt follow. A mindtype is not only established through nymph development, but also through the circumstances and personal developments that a dionae may go through as they mature, mimicking the sophonts around them. Nymphs can act as a well-oiled machine of a collective, such as in the case of a Singular Sound gestalt, or have a lead nymph that controls most of their thoughts, expressions, and anatomy, such as a Tyrannical Tune gestalt. Due to the constant communique between nymphs in the gestalt, dionae may speak somewhat slowly, or have long pauses between spaces of speech.

Dionae are highly intelligent, curious, and prone to pacifism. They often develop their bases of knowledge through the consumption of the blood of other sophonts, and young nymphs will often do this on instinct, without much concern for pain or appropriate conduct. Through sucking blood, dionae absorb the memories of their recipient, allowing them to understand other languages and have a stronger understanding of social concepts from the species in question. Sometimes, in rare cases, dionae will absorb a much-loved deceased companion of the gestalt, taking on all their memories and becoming a Mourning Mass.

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Character Application

Character Name: Preserver of the Memories of the Ruzuil and Those Long-Departed (Preserver of the Memories of the Long-Departed, "Preserver" or "Ruzuil")

Write a backstory for your character.

In the aftermath of the Contact War of Moghes, a shower of meteors crashed into the newly-formed Wasteland. Of one of these meteors, a Colossus had fallen from the firmament, spreading its seeds that would eventually grow into nymphs in the radiation-rich environment.

Three such nymphs blossomed in the Wastes; they lived a simple, animal life as they followed the radiation hotspots across the vast, empty landscape. When they settled at a pond, rich with radiation, the three nymphs settled for a time to feed.

But one day, the nymphs were met with the reality that they were not alone. A caravan, consisting of several struggling Sinta, had trekked across the land and stumbled upon the newly-flourishing pond. They were all that remained of the clan of Ruzuil, who had been wrenched from their homeland as the bombs fell. Dehydrated and worrying at their exposure to radiation, the last remnants of the clan settled for now at the little oasis. To their surprise, the worm-like creatures that had also made a home around the pond seemed more curious than aggressive. After Okuzi of the Ruzuil suffered a nip from a nymph, the travellers discovered something even more fascinating; these creatures could speak Sinta'Azaziba.

After weeks of trial-and-error, observation, and coexistence with their new companions, the remainders of Ruzuil gradually taught the three nymphs their names, the world they had left behind, and the uncertain future they faced. When the nymphs gently drained blood from the Ruzuil to absorb more of their their experience and their knowledge, they grew and merged into a gestalt of the Singular Sound type; Listener of the Tales of the Ruzuil, or "Listener". Though initially surprised, the Ruzuil were pleased to add a new member to their group, one that could purge the radiation from the Wasteland. Though water was no longer scarce at the oasis pond, food was still short, and the Ruzuil had many miles to trek before they might reach civilization. Listener eagerly joined them.

The decimated clan had to avoid raiders, ration what little of their food remained, and even kill their last elder, Rokzuo, as he sickened and became too weak to follow. Listener was able to absorb Rokzuo's memories through his blood, but the comfort it offered to the rest was bittersweet.

One day, Listener realized after long periods of subsisting on the harsh daylight of the Wasteland, they were beginning to glow. To Listener's horror, they were feasting on a massive pocket of radiation, which could easily injure their compatriots. Listener was able to guide the group on a path away from the irradiated dunes, but the damage had been done.

One by one, Listener watched the last of clan Ruzuil sicken and die. Uneducated in the matter of healing such grievous illness, Listener could only comfort the dying, singing prayers of the Court of Stars that would guide the clan to their final rest. As each died, Listener supped on their blood, strengthening themselves and securing their memories, forever.

And then, they walked. For a year Listener wandered the wastes, singing in hollow tones prayers to the gods, and the long and tragic tale of a lost clan. To their surprise, however, Listener was found again; this time by a wandering section of Kataphracts who were astonished to find one of the "radiation-eaters" they'd heard tales of. Listener decided that they had a new role to play, and their name should reflect that; they introduced themselves as Preserver of the Memories of the Long-Departed Ruzuil, or "Preserver".

So Preserver was brought to the city of Baandr, where they eked out a new life; scribing the tale of the Ruzuil clan, and singing prayer for all who would hear. Over time they garnered a reputation as their namesake; a "preserver" of knowledge that had been long-lost in the War. Many came to Preserver to have the memories of their families scribed, written, and kept in Preserver's mind through a quick nip of blood.

As influences of humanity and other species became more and more evident on Moghes, Preserver's wanderlust and curiosity got the better of them, and they decided to become employed with Orion Express as a bookkeeper and eventual librarian, in the hopes of seeing more of the galaxy and putting to paper more of knowledge that could be forgotten.

How has the recent events of the Orion Spur impacted your character?

The Titan Rises arc left Preserver with a cautious appreciation for Hephaestus Industries; while the work the corporation has done for Moghes is undeniable, the sentiment of disgruntled Traditionalist-adherents has left Preserver with something of a suspicion of greed, profit-motive, and the changes that have wracked the Hegemony. Despite this private concern, it isn't going to stop Preserver from doing their job; if there's anything that they've absorbed after coming aboard with Orion, it's that this is a corporate galaxy.

How does your character view the megacorporation they work for?

Preserver is appreciative of their acceptance within Orion's ragtag group of hires, and is intrigued by the opportunity to further chart the success and rise of the corporation beyond an SCC shell company. Other than that they are fairly neutral, though approach other Orion employees with familiarity and friendliness.

[Caelphon]

Hi there, thank you for your application!

1. What religion would you say your Dionae follows? One of the Unathi ones, or the Eternal?

2. How did they encounter Orion Express?Especially considering Hephaestus’ hegemony over the… well, Hegemony. 

Thanks! There are no wrong answers.

[La Villa Strangiato]

On 17/01/2024 at 04:29, Caelphon said:

1. What religion would you say your Dionae follows? One of the Unathi ones, or the Eternal?

I half-mentioned it in the backstory but I didn't really expand on it; Preserver is a Th'akhist, mostly after absorbing the experiences with Ruzuil. They mostly venerate Aosr, but naturally pay tribute to all of the Court of Stars.

On 17/01/2024 at 04:29, Caelphon said:

2. How did they encounter Orion Express?Especially considering Hephaestus’ hegemony over the… well, Hegemony. 

Preserver was employed with Orion Express prior to The Titan Rises, mostly because they were in need of a bookkeeper on Moghes within the Hegemony at the time and Hephaestus was not. In the aftermath of Hephaestus' takeover, Preserver continues to hold a contract with the company as they're shipped all across space, though they have contemplated employment with Hephaestus instead in order to stay on Moghes more often.

(from a doylist perspective it's because preserver is a librarian and hephies can't be service)

[Caelphon]

This is accepted.