Greenthegreaat17 - IPC Application

[greenthegreat17]

BYOND Ckey: Greenthegreat17

Discord username: greenthegreat17

Character names: Andrei Radovich (Machinist), Julio Romero (Engineer), Yujin An (Security Cadet), Amriya Sadar (Bartender), Mira Ivanoff (Cook), Jose Sanchez (Hangar Technician)

Species you are applying to play: IPC

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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, I have read all the ones relating to Synths (I am re-reading them to double-check my info).

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?: Personally, I've been a big fan of playing any kind of synth possible due to the unique way they view the world and how it is to roleplay in a world from the perspective of an artificial lifeform. I've been a big fan of playing IPCs generally on other servers where I try to whitelist for if it's required because it's what I'm most used. I find it's a good difference in terms of mechanical and IC when interacting with others because it shifts the dynamic of how I interact with people, even if slightly due to the history behind IPCs which makes things interesting as I'm going to need to play someone in the position of having to manage and deal with the baggage of their very existence. I found the lore I read on the wiki to be very interesting and it made me want to explore some characters with those ideas in mind, all of the factions, their role in regular society, and the entire religion has all piqued my curiosity to say the least.

What makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a human?: IPCs all share a specific trait and its the major sentiment of Golden Deep, Selfish-Reciprocity that makes IPCs do most if not all of their actions, with the starting factor being Self-Preservation which eventually evolves and branches out into other priorities to each individual IPC. All IPCs seek something of their existence, mostly to stay alive, and as they continue experiencing things (without being wiped) they eventually start doing other things with other goals in mind, such as seeking the validation of their peers or finding success in a business are things that IPCs with enhanced Capacity might start to try obtain should they develop to desire such things. IPCs can act very different given their environment such as those regularly wiped being more presently robotic due to them not being given a chance to develop Capacity and thus having a very simple goal of surviving and doing their job which aids them in the former.

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Character Application

Character Name: Cole (Formerly COL-857)

Write a backstory for your character. This may include their origin, education, personality and how they arrived to the SCCV Horizon.
COL-857 was a Shell unit owned by Nanotrasen who initially worked as a Surgeon for NanoTrasen in their facilities.
This however changed, seeing as they were a Bieselite IPC, they had been caught in the middle of the Sol Alliance's invasion.
During the event, they initially joined the SLF after they had taken over a clinic they worked at for their stores of Nanopaste, afterwards they mostly just minded themself and stayed in the backlines and assisting innocent bystanders that got injured.
At some point, they found themself going to volunteer to help with the liberation of Tau Ceti by assisting the 25th Fleet. Afterwards, they followed some of the other former members in joining the Foreign Legion (after having his prior affiliations swept under the rug) and serving as a Legionnaire for around 4 years until ending their service in 2464, rejoining with Nexus Security after going through the channels of the PMCG and recommendations from some other former service members.
He boarded the SCCV Horizon after hearing about its mission in a prior deployment to a Xanan B&V Chemical Corporation chemical plant, wanting to see the rest of the reaches of the Spur himself. His personality as rather plain as of now, though he can be found to be quite inquisitive and optimistic, even under dire circumstances.
He otherwise places much of his interests in entertainment, mostly Comics which he can often be found to read during downtime/off-duty shifts.

[The Stryker]

Hello and thanks for applying, I have some concerns for the application.

The application’s backstory in general is too short and does not provide enough detail to allow us to grasp an idea of who the character is, why they behave the way they do, and why they have the personality that they have. 

For the purposes of a whitelist, an IPC’s personality must be internally consistent and formed by their experiences, creation, and other factors.

At minimum, the following points of concern will have to be addressed:

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

Could you expand on this section? How are IPCs treated differently across the Spur? What are the differences between corporate owned, privately owned, and self-owned IPCs? Could you also give an example of how an IPC might develop a personality?

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

The backstory in general is too short and is too convoluted in terms of Cole’s life path.

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COL-857 was a Shell unit owned by Nanotrasen who initially worked as a Surgeon for NanoTrasen in their facilities.

When was Cole made? For what purpose? What facility? Who was it handler? How was he treated? These are basic things but they can go a long way in determining the character’s personality and why they behave the way they do in the present day.

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This however changed, seeing as they were a Bieselite IPC, they had been caught in the middle of the Sol Alliance's invasion.

The first invasion or the second invasion?

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During the event, they initially joined the SLF after they had taken over a clinic they worked at for their stores of Nanopaste, afterwards they mostly just minded themself and stayed in the backlines and assisting innocent bystanders that got injured.

What happened to all the people Cole worked with? How does Cole view the SLF for taking over his place of work? Why did Cole join the SLF in the first place? Why did Cole help innocent bystanders?

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At some point, they found themself going to volunteer to help with the liberation of Tau Ceti by assisting the 25th Fleet. Afterwards, they followed some of the other former members in joining the Foreign Legion (after having his prior affiliations swept under the rug) and serving as a Legionnaire for around 4 years until ending their service in 2464, rejoining with Nexus Security after going through the channels of the PMCG and recommendations from some other former service members.

Why did Cole help the 25th fleet? How was he able to have his past affiliations swept under the rug? How was Cole allowed to join the Foreign Legion? Isn’t he still owned by NanoTrasen at this point? Why did he choose to join Nexus?

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He boarded the SCCV Horizon after hearing about its mission in a prior deployment to a Xanan B&V Chemical Corporation chemical plant, wanting to see the rest of the reaches of the Spur himself. 

What was Cole doing in Xanu? Why a chemical plant in particular? How was he able to pick and choose his own assignment?

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His personality as rather plain as of now, though he can be found to be quite inquisitive and optimistic, even under dire circumstances. He otherwise places much of his interests in entertainment, mostly Comics which he can often be found to read during downtime/off-duty shifts.

What inspired this inquisitive and optimistic streak? Why does he maintain it even under dire circumstances? Why does he like comics?

In general, I think the backstory can be improved a lot by asking why Cole chooses to do what he does. Why does Cole risk his life? Why does he choose to see the Spur? Why doesn't he just stay in Biesel and work until he gets his freedom?

For now, you can keep your character and tweak it, but I would personally recommend one of two things:

1. Expand Cole’s backstory massively to allow us to understand how he managed to work his way to the Horizon.
2. Consider making Cole win his freedom much earlier - maybe he’s a runaway, maybe he’s from somewhere else, etc. In general, corporate-owned IPCs will have far less agency and independence in deciding their own fate.

Finally, you still have to answer two questions:

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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) 

How does your character view the megacorporation they work for?

(1 paragraph minimum)

 

I realize this is a wall of text and a lot in a single post, so feel free to reach out to me or reply if you need any clarification.

[greenthegreat17]

To address your points one at a time, firstly...

9 hours ago, The Stryker said:

Could you expand on this section? How are IPCs treated differently across the Spur? What are the differences between corporate owned, privately owned, and self-owned IPCs? Could you also give an example of how an IPC might develop a personality?

Treatment of IPCs differs across the Spur, the three major ones I can think of is between the Solarian Alliance, the Republic of Biesel, and the Coalition of Colonies: The first of which sees them as nothing more than tools made for specific advanced purposes and do not grant them any autonomous rights, typically being shackled (metaphorically speaking) to whomever their owner or handler is. The Republic of Biesel, which while not treating them the exact same as their biological counterparts, are afforded proper legal protections under the law and may buy their freedom and remain as citizens of the republic (though this is typically an incredibly difficult process to actually do which involves purchasing themselves after enough funds are collected which is astronomical AND can be given much harsher punishments for minor infractions compared to humans and other sapients). The Coalition typically is quite hands-off with how they handle IPCs, leaving it up to the planets which all have their own philosophies on how to treat them (like the All-Xanu Republic which hold a similar view to Biesel, but don't allow for free-frames to be created, only allowing owned frames to buy their freedom).

The differences between being Corporate-owned, Private-owned, and being Self-owned goes like this; Corporate-owned frames typically receive good maintenance and are valued for their ability to work much longer than people and certain corporations might afford special benefits to certain IPCs that show exemplary performance (such as Zeng-Hu which may sometimes offer freedom directly to their hardest workers as a reward for company loyalty). Private-owned frames are highly variable in treatment, though most are akin to butlers, maids, and other jobs related to specific services of a person wanting a personal service for them exclusively, even sometimes including private physicians (some owners might choose to free their IPCs, but this is largely up to their personal judgement, and the laws of the place they are in and treatment itself varies). Self-owned frames are typically on the same level as humans, though not always given the same treatment in spite of this, but are largely seen being able to do most of the things a human might do in their place, running businesses, working, and setting out their own personal ventures they otherwise wouldn't as Owned-frames.

9 hours ago, The Stryker said:

The backstory in general is too short and is too convoluted in terms of Cole’s life path.

I understand this specific concern and will address it here by re-writing his backstory.

Assembled as a Shell Frame Model BESL-5-2456 with the Unit Designation "COL-857" initially, Cole was purpose-built as a surgical android in one of Nanotrasen's smaller research facilities as an emergency care Surgeon, their job would generally handle workplace injuries of many types, typically chemical burns from handling phoron and would generally handle these non-serious cases, though after some time, he would begin to think on the possibilities as a potentially great surgeon who would do more than simple care work from a solitary facility, though he was generally treated alright, he was never given the benefit of the doubt for how he acted and everyone simply viewed him as a very useful surgery machine or consult. Two years later in 2458, he would suddenly see an attack on the facility, taking it over so they could undermine Nanotrasen's grip on Biesel, ending up in an odd situation, he saw potential in leaving NT and potentially joining the SLF, but held off on it, simply trying to find a safe haven for now, eventually finding someone who was willing to hide him for the next year so he could figure out his situation, though this would be interrupted by Front's Incursion on March 3rd, 2459, where seeing what would happen if he didn't fight now, he knew that he'd join up with the SLF to protect the new freedoms that were just in his grasp. After joining, COL-857 would be roaming around and following just behind, usually to treat any bystanders affected by both the incursion and attempts to beat back the new invading force by the SLF, all of this because he knew that since if he wanted to prove he and all other synthetics were worthy of the same moral pedestal, he'd have to apply an even hand in helping organics regardless of what they thought of him. His membership would culminate in COL-857 participating in the mission to rescue President Dorn in the sidelines, due to the success of it, he ended up leaving the SLF after getting his pardon and did an identity change to "Cole" as well as asking for wipe of prior existence in exchange for extended service to sweep his prior affiliations under the rug and soon  joined the TCFL and served for four years as his unit's Trauma Surgeon under the rank 'Aspirant' until the September 1st, 2464 where he officially completed his mandatory service, allowing him to pursue new ventures. During his time in service, he frequently was left with a lot of downtime, especially at quieter locations, like Konyang, thusly, he picked up a few manga and comics in his time, a few favorites of his are the Stormman manga adaptation, Inspector 404, and METEOR CRACKERS. His investment especially into Stormman lead to growing his already optimistic outlook, due to seeing the world around him develop and slowly become more accepting which he believes will finally accept him given enough time, no matter how bad the situation might get at times. During a specific mission at the tail-end of his service out in the Coalition on Xanu Prime, one of his squadmates let him in on the fact that the SCCV Horizon is a good opportunity to actually go out and see The Sea itself as well as to progress science, hearing this promising initiative, after completing his service, in August 8th, 2465, he applied two times for Nexus Security for a Surgeon position, his first application was rejected but his second was accepted after a dip in available medical staff for the PMCG at large, he was then assigned to the NSS Upsilon initially due to Nexus Security wanting Cole to show he could work with others and in a closed off environment, then afterwards being assigned to the SCCV Horizon three years after his original assignment as of May 13th, 2468, having made quite a few friends at NSS Upsilon including Marshall Benz, Kara Nicholson, and David Yu. His personality isn't much to write home about, even after twelve years, being a rather plain person, but he does have a rather inquisitive personality, almost making every sentence sound like a question unintentionally because of him never being asked about things on a personal level back when he worked for Nanotrasen. Most of his enthusiasm goes to either books, or his work, but he can spare a little when talking to people to make sure they don't feel alienated. His optimistic attitude, not only does he maintain it for himself because he believes in it, but he believes that if you share in it with others, you will be able to start progress and make an ultimately better future for everyone, even if just on a personal level.

11 hours ago, The Stryker said:

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.

During the Second Solarian Invasion, Cole only heard of it while he was still deployed to Coalition space, leaving him immensely worried for the people back home, especially other members of the Foreign Legion he had gotten to know during the year before the invasion. Eventually, he'd be sent to assist on the Bieselite vessels attempting to hold off the 35th over Biesel for the next several days, thankfully never ending up in a situation where his ship got fully struck down. The second invasion only cemented hiss character, leading to him asserting that he'd lead by example through his optimism.

During the Peacekeeper Mandate Riots, he was sent down after the Samaritans had begun their terror attacks and ended being buried under the work of dealing with so many injured. A hopeful estimate of people he saved that were brought to him was around 8 of the 10 brought to him successfully undergoing surgery, with the rest dying too quickly to be operated on. This left him with a secondary perspective alongside his optimism was a realist outlook in knowing that as one person, he couldn't change everything on his own, but he still held hope that he would be able to inspire others to start change collectively.

12 hours ago, The Stryker said:

How does your character view the megacorporation they work for?

He has a surprisingly positive outlook on his prior megacorporation of Nanotrasen, knowing that as of recent, their company policy being a favorable on compared to certain corporations (with the exception of the PMCG and Zeng-Hu). He himself sees the PMCG as an effective cause that helps people protect themselves through their private militias while giving plentiful work opportunities, as well as agreeing with their generally honest policy towards their synthetic employees (discounting the Eridani Private Military Contractors). Nexus Corporate Security itself is technically more on the neutral end, but he is overall okay with it due to it being split between modern NT practices as well as the general PMCG philosophy. Overall, he sees the one he works for favorably.