FlamingLily Shrooms it Up [Diona Application]

[FlamingLily]

BYOND Ckey: FlamingLily 

Discord username: FlamingLily

Character names: 

• Lillian Nyström
• Mira Tilton
• Hazel #S-H14.47 (Optic)
• Aieszk Kukssal

Species you are applying to play: Diona

------------------------------ General Whitelist Requirements 

What colour do you plan on making your first alien character?: 

Green, but like, a slightly darker, sicklier green than usual, on account of the pollution present in the Underhive settlements

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

Yes, primarily the main page, the forms/biology/mindtypes pages, the culture page, and the underhive collective page.

Why do you wish to play this species?: 

To put a massive tl;dr on it. They're alien as hell. I have long maintained that Diona are one of the setting's most alien of aliens, and I love playing characters with unique psychologies. The psychology and mind-state of my characters has always been a large point of focus in my roleplay, and Diona give a fantastic opportunity to do something unique with it. To take this a step further, when you consider specific facets and factions of the lore, such as Nralakk, the Narrows, and the Underhive, to name a few, and when you apply the unique traits of Diona to those archetypes, the potential stories you can tell are endless. Of particular fascination to me is the Underhive, as you might've guessed, as Diona have this inherent wisdom about them and their belief systems via the Eternal, and when contrasting that with your average Eridani Dreg, this makes for a fascinating story that I want to tell.

What makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a human?:

What doesn't? There's almost nothing about Diona that really sticks out humanlike. Their whole biological structure is completely alien; A mycelium network of tiny little creatures that merge bodies and minds to make one whole? The impact this has on their psyche both normally, via mindtypes, and when things become tragic, and they lose whole parts of their body and mind as a Nymph dies. Their faith is unlike anything in the human pantheon, and the way it ties into their search for knowledge is such a tangible and useable belief system that you can springboard so much from that, in a roleplay sense. The way they learn things by absorbing directly from others, but also how they mimic those around them, it provides a fantastic way to explore other locales and cultures through the unique lens of the Diona.

----------------------------- Character Application 

Character Name: 

Constant toil tooling Borgos for the band. The labour binds us together. The band keeps us safe.

Write a backstory for your character. This may include their origin, education, personality and how they arrived to the SCCV Horizon. (2 paragraphs minimum) 

Grown as a series of third generation Diona nymphs within the Glowcaps settlement in New Kivu, Constant Toil has not known life outside the cramped, grimy Eridani syndicate. Inheriting the genetic memories of their progenitor, Constant Toil has an in depth knowledge of the electrical and mechanical workings of mobile machines, namely, the IPC scrappers that the Glowcaps commonly work with. Maturing into a life of labour, tending to these IPC when they're in need of repairs, replacements, and the like. Constant Toil has learned to appreciate the often physically demanding work - reflected in the name the gestalt has taken for itself.

Now, however, the Glowcaps, guided by their faith in the Eternal, begin to believe that Constant Toil is being stifled by the unchanging circumstance of the young Coeus' existence thus far. So, with a few favours, back alley deals, a risk-taking Hephaestus scouter, and a hell of a lot of luck, Constant Toil has secured a machinist contract with Hephaestus Industries (Thanks in part to the company's ownership of Eridani I), as well as citizenship* and a series of Heph postings, leading ultimately to a cushy job on the Horizon. Constant Toil is certainly not unwilling, either. The opportunity is prime for developing new experiences, new memories. It's prime for enlightenment, and promises to bring them closer to the Eternal- and to help others along the way. However, Constant Toil is also not a being of pure excitement. The nymphs- a little disjointed and argumentative, but not quite to the extent of cacophony, instead settling in as just a somewhat impassioned Harmonious Hymn- have grown accustomed to the relative safety and protection of their brethren in the Glowcaps. Now, venturing out into the unknown, the excitement is met in equal parts with trepidation. You would be forgiven for not knowing it from speaking with them. Inherited slang from a series of Dregs has expanded Constant Toil's vocabulary curiously- a mix of Dreg slang often finding use- as well as given it a bit of an attitude,

 

*It's currently unclear what the situation is with Dionae citizenship and the ECF. If they can get Eridani citizenship in the usual way (getting a job and paying it off), then Constant Toil will have Eridani Citizenship before being shipped off to the Horizon. If not, Constant Toil will be shipped to Biesel, work with Heph for a little on the Sidirourgeío, before earning citizenship after a couple of years and making their way to the Horizon. Yonnimer has said it's something to be discussed and so I'm leaving both options on the table.

 

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. (1 paragraph minimum) 

While Constant Toil has been fairly isolated from the rest of the spur during recent events, as a new onboarding to Hephaestus, they have been given a range of training on events in the corporate politics sphere. Training- naturally- biased towards Hephaestus' interests. Perhaps a desire to expand, populate Hephaestus' robotics personnel has in fact been the key motivator that's set everything off. One must ask, of course... why was a Hephaestus scouter poking around in New Kivu?

Of particular note to Toil was the recent Burszia attack. As a Hephaestus robotics worker, the similarities struck a chord with the gestalt. Sure, they had seen violence before- New Kivu is not a nice place to live- but an attack of this magnitude, this far out from the safety of the whole Glowcaps community? It certainly didn't give Constant Toil any reassurances. It came out of this discovery with a faint aversion to Zavodskois, generally. Just a small one- and one that manifests (in the Dreg way) through sarcasm and snark.

How does your character view the megacorporation they work for? (1 paragraph minimum)

To Constant Toil, Hephaestus is a means to an end. They are not a family, they are not deserving of utmost loyalty. They aren't the Glowcaps. However- this doesn't mean Toil dislikes Hephaestus. They are a means to an end. A way to explore this new horizon presented to them. A way to grow, mature, learn, and become ever closer to the Eternal, and a way to collect money to send back home. Out here on the Horizon, a lot of Toil's needs are met, and it has not a huge use for spare change. Back home? The Glowcaps are always in need of more, and Toil is more than willing to repay their patronage. If it came to it, Toil would decry it all to save the Glowcaps. But, Hephaestus is good with its training materials, after all- and if the Glowcaps weren't at issue, Toil's loyalty would likely lean gently towards the anvil. The gestalt is also young, impressionable. There is space for it to learn, even something as foundational as Hephaestus' family values- should it be treated to such.

Edited yesterday at 12:59 by FlamingLily
expansions

[Sniblet]

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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. (1 paragraph minimum) 

While Constant Toil has been fairly isolated from the rest of the spur during recent events, as a new onboarding to Hephaestus, they have been given a range of training on events in the corporate politics sphere. Training- naturally- biased towards Hephaestus' interests. Perhaps a desire to expand, populate Hephaestus' robotics personnel has in fact been the key motivator that's set everything off.

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and a series of Heph postings

For whatever it's worth to you, if you want to extend the recent events section and possibly add a new dimension to the character, while reading this I noticed that having been bounced around a lot of Heph postings recently could have given Toil a near-miss with (almost?) being posted at Burzsia during the insurrection, forcing them to reflect on their own mortality/the political contention behind their work/how exactly they view IPCs/etc.