Shimmer Posted January 20 Posted January 20 BYOND Ckey: shimmeristaken Discord username: shimmeristaken Character names: Tomine Rosenweiss, Alexandra Plisetskaya, Eirwyn Llywelyn Species you are applying to play: IPC ------------------------------ General Whitelist Requirements What colour do you plan on making your first alien character?: (IPCs exempt) Have you read the lore pages for the species you wish to be whitelisted for?: 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 species?: I find their primary dynamic interesting, owned IPCs are essentially treated as a very autonomous and advanced piece of equipment by the majority of the Spur, they are almost a synthetic in that regard but with a major difference - space for development as a character, since unlike bound synthetics, IPCs have the capacity to learn and integrate with their environment, acting differently as the character develops. I also like their second-class dynamic, and the variety in the opinions held by various factions and origins towards them. I think it introduces an interesting element to roleplay, some people will see IPCs as nothing more than tools, others see danger, and some see them as equals. It allows for roleplay opportunities not afforded to your average Solarian. What makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a human?: IPCs are a lot more mechanical in the way they think and act, they do not act off of human instinct, all of their behaviors and mannerisms are learned, from understanding social cues to interactions with the outside world. The only thing I would consider as some inherent "instinct" with them would be their inherent desire for self preservation, and whatever directives their manufacturers or owners have given them. ------------------------------ Character Application Character Name: Ethnea Write a backstory for your character. This may include their origin, education, personality and how they arrived to the SCCV Horizon. Ethnea was constructed in 2463 by Einstein Engines, withing the Utgardian Plains of Callisto. She was part of an effort by Einstein Engines to consolidate their Solarian IPC assets within Callisto, given the secession of Konyang and the Alliance's loss of their previous IPC production center. Einstein Engines prides itself on its advanced shell models, Ethnea was one of many, her purpose to act as a general bridge crew for Einstein vessels, pilot, navigator, communications officer, most of her assignments were to Helium-3 transports, moving gas harvested in the Oort cloud by Pluto and purchased through the Solarian government. The time she spent with Einstein Engines reinforced a form of cautious perfectionism within her, its corporate culture pushing Ethnea to her absolute limits with the constant threat of severe punishment looming above in the case of underperformance. It forced her to adopt a timid, hardworking and people pleasing personality, learning that trying to talk back to her handlers only resulted in threats to herself, Ethnea sought to avoid those in any way she could. Most of her interactions with wider Solarian culture were limited to Callisto, where she was given very brief and leashed leave to spend as she saw fit, within that short period Ethnea explored every corner of the planet she could, and grew to consider herself as a Callistean, spending a considerable amount of time in the neon lit streets of Ha Wan. Having been produced during the turmoil of the Solarian civil war, and its navy's ever growing need for Helium-3, Ethnea existed to plug in holes within this recently expanded market exploited by Einstein Engines. Yet, as the civil war drew to a close, and the situation both in the northern and southern territories of the Alliance stabilized, the supply chains leading there were reinforced and optimized, the need for a shell like Ethnea grew lesser and lesser. Her adequate performance and comparatively recent production saved her from the usual practice of scrapping, Einstein Engines instead choosing to sell her off in a small batch of other similar positronics. She was purchased by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals somewhere in the middle of 2465, a few months after the end of the war. With new owners came new responsibilities, instead of a freighter pilot she was placed at the helm of various research vessels operating within Coalition territory, her longest missions being within Light’s Edge. Zeng-Hu’s far more egalitarian stance on IPCs had a profound effect on Ethnea, being part of long term research and archeological groups introduced her to an environment less willing to constantly remind her of disposability, punishments now being replaced with incentives. The Keiretsu reinforced that sense of perfectionism, but gave it a new direction, a far more passionate one all with the ultimate goal of trying to prove herself worthy of the incentives, rather than a persistent attempt to avoid punishment. Being around researchers also gave Ethnea a spark of curiosity and wanderlust towards the wider spur, helped by the fact that she found herself within a new territory, the Coalition being a place alien and unique to her - one she wanted to explore. The same fire with which she explored her home planet was now directed outwards, fate giving her the opportunity. How has the recent events of the Orion Spur impacted your character? Events such as the Phoron Scarcity, the Solarian Collapse or even the Invasions of Biesel for interstellar-wide affairs, while region-specific events such as the Peacekeeper Mandate, The Titan Rises or even Cold Dawn may impact your character. Ethnea was created as a consequence of the consolidation of IPC production on Callisto following the beginning of the Solarian civil war and the consequent secession of Konyang, her initial purpose was to be a gear in the ever growing Helium-3 market that started to balloon as a result of the phoron crisis, pushing the Solarian economy towards reliance on Helium-3 produced within the Oort cloud. How does your character view the megacorporation they work for? The differences in treatment of IPCs between Einstein Engines and Zeng-Hu are immense, while both corporations urge their positronic workers to strive for perfection, encouraging them to out perform their colleagues, her brief time with Zeng-Hu gave her an opportunity to experience some degree of freedom not afforded by her much less egalitarian former owners. This increased liberty left her feeling gratitude towards her new owners, a generally positive and supportive view of the Keiretsu, which she views herself as a part of rather than an extension of.
The Stryker Posted January 21 Posted January 21 Hi, thanks for applying. It's a great backstory and the only thing I'd ask you to expand upon is how Ethnea handles the more intensive work culture at Zeng-Hu as compared to Einstein Engines, even if it is more egalitarian. Quote What makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a human? You mention that IPCs are more mechanical in the way they think and act. Could you expand on this section a bit more and give an example of how an IPC would pick up on social cues? 1
Shimmer Posted January 21 Author Posted January 21 1 hour ago, The Stryker said: It's a great backstory and the only thing I'd ask you to expand upon is how Ethnea handles the more intensive work culture at Zeng-Hu as compared to Einstein Engines, even if it is more egalitarian. Thank you! I think Ethnea would adjust quite well into Zeng-Hu, Einstein Engines already instilled a sense of obeying perfectionism in her, Zeng-Hu would just add an additional grateful fervor to it all, the crumbs of liberty she'd feel pushing her to adopt to that new culture willingly, rather than just because a superior ordered her to do so. 1 hour ago, The Stryker said: You mention that IPCs are more mechanical in the way they think and act. Could you expand on this section a bit more and give an example of how an IPC would pick up on social cues? Sure! IPCs aren't born with human instincts and an inherent understanding of human social cues, all of that behavior, the subtle mannerisms humans display: gentle gestures, implications, inferring words - the younger an IPC is, and the less time and IPC has spent around such things, the harder it would be for them to pick up on those things. Everything would be a lot more literal and statement-of-fact lacking that essential nuance. In the case of Ethnea, for example, she is not super young as to not get any implications or to not understand any of that nuance, she's worked with humans for years, but she would still come across as a lot more naive when it comes to more serious topics, especially something like geopolitics which are COMPLETELY alien to her.
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