[Accepted] Doxxmedearly's Unathi Whitelist Application

[Doxxmedearly]

Edit One: Name changed. Pipish -> Kizikh

BYOND Key: Doxxmedearly

Character Names:

• Wynter Steele, Librarian
• HARPI, pAI
  
• Rafia Lakhani, Engineering Apprentice

Species you are applying to play: Unathi

What color do you plan on making your first alien character (Dionaea & IPCs exempt): Sand

Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Several times over

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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: Unathi have always been the race that interested me the most. Initially, when I was brand new to SS13, it was an aesthetic attraction; I’ve always gravitated towards reptilian races. But it didn’t take long before my interest went beyond that; I love that the alien races aren’t just humans in different skins, Unathi especially. They’re individuals with distinct personalities and beliefs, but they come from a different culture with a different set of core values.

Interacting with the Unathi crewmembers has always been an interesting and enjoyable experience, which had me diving into the lore after my first few shifts; there I fell in love with them. The clan system, the importance of honor, the technological gap, the religions, the ongoing news, the Guwan (NT’s exploitation of Guwan is such an excellent theme)… I find myself rereading the lore and watching for updates constantly.

Beyond the lore, I enjoy how they interact with people, from the hissing accent to the different body language, to trying to understand things about humans and adjust to a multi-species crew. I’m pretty excited to create Unathi characters and explore their personalities and beliefs, especially with regards to how their race’s culture impacted their past and affects their present. There’s a lot to them to work with.

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human:Unathi culture is much different from human culture; this affects their every interaction, perception of their coworkers (and how their coworkers perceive them), and how they carry themselves aboard the Aurora. They place higher value on honor, which affects them both in and out of combat engagements. They are a spiritual people, as well, which is tied to their culture and views (Especially regarding cyborgs and prosthetics). There are also a number of subtle, but important differences, such as their body language and emotional displays, accent, aversion to cold temperatures, etc. Then, of course, there’s the tremendous gap in how men and women are seen and valued in Unathi culture, and how vastly different their opportunities are.

They also come from a different technological era from humans and other species, which should be kept in mind when roleplaying and having conversations. The Aurora is a very different place from their home system. There's a lot that clash with their typically more conservative views.

 

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Character Name: Kizikh Guwan

Please provide a short backstory for this character, approximately 2 paragraphs Kizikh was born during the Contact War, one of a clutch of two daughters under Clan Vikrin. Her father, Karakmor, was a scientist, who was working with his colleagues to research the effects of the war on the Moghes ecosystem, and attempt to curb its predicted devastation, often using his home as a place for meetings and discussion. Kizikh developed a curiosity because of this, and secretly listened in on their discussions. While she was a meek and shy girl, her curiosity slowly began to overcome this.

Clan Vikrin expressly banned women from reading and writing, but after spending months working up the courage, Kizikh started sneaking books from her father’s extensive library, and began to teach herself. It became easier to do when the war ended, as her father spent more and more time away from home, doing work and experiments in the field that kept him away for days at a time. She knew that if she was caught, she would be in tremendous trouble. But she wanted to help her father and her planet; she was willing to take the risk and educate herself so that she might help one day, naively believing that she might be forgiven if she could help her father’s work.

Her self-education was helped along by a nearby temple of the Akhanzi Order, located in the mountains not far from the community. Every meal or gift she received was split and saved to later offer to the shamans in exchange for literary education. They inspired her, kindling her curiosity and love for learning, and she slowly took on their beliefs.

She was motivated to not only learn, but to teach; her free time was spent with a small group of girls from other clans, helping them learn to read and write. She eventually found herself falling romantically for one of them, a young woman named Iskri. Confused by this, she asked the Akhanzi for guidance, and learned about how love was the most important way to enhance the soul, and that while it may initially displease her ancestors, it could be overcome if the relationship was stable and loving one.

It was not long after Kizikh came to terms with this that her father arranged for her to marry the son of a powerful, influential clan that he had long sought an alliance with. She felt nothing but sadness from this; she did not love him, nor did she think she ever could. How could she please her ancestors without love? At the same time, what of her duties, and her clan? After struggling with her conflicted feelings for several weeks, she summoned her courage and did what she felt she had to do.

She ran.

On the night before the marriage was set to be finalized, Kizikh gathered what books and supplies she could and ran. She thought she might find shelter with Iskri; she went to her and confessed her feelings, urging them to flee and have a life together. But Iskri did not return Kizikh’s feelings, and moreover thought they were strange, and that Kizikh was insulting her ancestors. Heartbroken, she continued to run, taking shelter with the Akhanzi. She stayed with them for three days; when her father learned she might be with them, he started arguing with them and making threats. While he might not have been able to force them to turn her over, Kizikh immediately gave herself up, rather than cause trouble for the order that had taught her so much. Iskri’s rejection forced Kizikh to think about her actions, and she believed she was dishonoring herself and her clan by fleeing. She would return, and do her duty.

But the damage was done. Her father barely salvaged the alliance and Clan Vikrin’s honor, agreeing to two terms after days of negotiation and apology. The first was that Kizikh’s more “Well-behaved” sister would take her place in the marriage. The second was the exile of Kizikh, both from her clan and off-planet. This devastated her, but her pleas and promises to her father fell on deaf ears. The court accepted the petition, and Kizikh was henceforth marked “Guwan.”

NanoTrasen approached her as she was being shuttled off-world, and offered her a work contract. She did not know how disadvantageous the terms were; she was grateful to them for the opportunity and for extending such a kind off to a Guwan. She managed to pass the Horticulture Aptitude Test; given that she educated herself using books about flora and ecosystems, and spent years tending her home’s extensive garden, she was determined to be an excellent fit for a role in maintaining and growing plants aboard the NSS Aurora in a service role. She was happy to take this opportunity, if also frightened of such a large change. While it seems like a far dream, she hopes that one day her work with plants can help keep Moghes habitable.

What do you like about this character? There’s a lot I enjoy about Kizikh. Her motivations for learning weren’t due to an act of rebellion against her culture or family, but rather because she wanted to help her father, her people, and her planet. This was what she felt her duty was. Even though she is meek and shy, she still manages to summon the courage to take a few risks that are important to her and what she believes. And now, even after losing everything about her old life, she isn’t doom-and-gloom about it; her story is a hopeful one (with a rough start), where she has an opportunity to grow and make her way despite such huge setbacks. Now that she’s going to be exposed to cultures outside of Moghes, it will be interesting to see how she grows, what she learns, and how she comes to terms with who she is and where she fits in.

She still has emotional ties to Moghes, and still wants to help the planet. She cares about being Guwan; she didn’t intend to ruin her family’s honor, and understands that she has none of her own. This bothers her, haunts her, and will affect how she interacts with others, especially Unathi (Which will be very stressful for her). Right now, there’s a part of her that hopes she can return to her family, or at least make some sort of amends for the trouble she caused. She wants to restore her honor, even if she, right now, doesn’t believe she’s worthy of it.

She’s a shy young woman, full of questions, whose curiosity is constantly at odds with her anxiety, which is a combination I enjoy and that I feel makes for interesting RP. There’s a lot of culture shock for her to deal with here, which is a great setting for that combination. I want to see her grow and realize that the Aurora is a better fit for who she is than Moghes was, even if it’s a scary and difficult adjustment to make at first.

How would you rate your role-playing ability? 8/10. I am a very experienced RPer (15+ years) but newish to SS13 controls and RP format. I’m getting the hang of it though. I’m a bit shaky for the first few shifts on a new personality/character, but I adapt quickly.

 

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Notes: Her background here is set before the 4/1/60 events in the Wasteland Window, and after the 8/29/59 edict that the court has to finalize Guwan declarations.

I know seeing “Guwan” is probably a big red flag for characters, especially a first whitelist app. I hope this doesn’t come across as an attempt to subvert Unathi culture and get around the lore. Kizikh doesn’t have a sense of cultures outside her own. I want for her to learn about others IC, confront values different than the ones she was surrounded by on Moghes, and grow.

I understand applying as a whitelist with a Guwan makes it more difficult, but I want to make sure I understand how to play one; if I earned an Unathi whitelist, I would play her most frequently, and want to make sure I do so correctly. It seems… disingenuous to try to circumvent a whitelist in this situation; I have a lot of respect for the work put into the lore, and I want to make sure I can do the Unathi justice in my RP.

If I am rejected, I am rejected, and I will use that opportunity to grow, but I would like the chance to receive feedback and make changes before that happens.

Thoughts on justifying her exile:

If I understand the lore correctly, I believe there’s sufficient cause for her to be exiled, as many of her actions ruined her honor and damaged honor of her clan. The marriage was the biggest issue; I imagine that the clan she was set to marry into would have viewed it as an insult, and a sign that Clan Vikrin was too weak to even demand the respect of its young females. This would endanger the alliance her clan was seeking, and perhaps would have created animosity leading to a blood feud were it not for her father’s negotiations.

Since she was exiled after the 8/29/59 edict, the petition went to the court. Considering the evidence and how arbitrary their decisions can be, it doesn’t seem to be a stretch that they would agree to mark her as a Guwan.

Criminal charges would include theft (Father's books), sparking a manhunt, and either failure to execute an order (with serious consequences) or neglect of duty (whichever is more fitting for disobeying an arranged marriage. Maybe both). Given the actual circumstances of these, I don’t think it would stop NT from hiring her, if they even knew about it (Unsure if they access these records or care to).

 

Edited May 5, 2018 by Guest

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Hello,

Normally Guwan applications are very difficult to pass because there are multiple levels I have to take into account because on one layer you are proving you understand the lore, then the second layer is proving you understand the lore enough to subvert it properly. You show very strong understanding of the cultural lense that Unathi view concepts such as marriage, Clan honor, relationships, and even the different perspectives on these things that the different factions and groups hold. It's also very compelling - her actions are very relatable and understandable, and you even embrace the consequences of her actions by having her realize she is way in over her head and try to make amends. If she had ran off with her lover and they lived happily ever after, or her father forgiven her with a slap on the wrist, or the other clan was not mentioned to be hella pissed, this application would have been in jeopardy. As it stands now it seems very strong to me.

I will let it sit to gather more feedback, but you have a very strong opening for a Guwan character as it stands.

[Worthy]

Ohoho, a gay female guwan, how daring.

Right, starting with the ''+1 because I like this person'' as is tradition.

 

Character Names:

Wynter Steele, Librarian

HARPI, pAI

Rafia Lakhani, Engineering Apprentice

 

I'm a fan. Wynter Steele has to be the first trap I unironically enjoy. You're relatively new to Aurora yet have taken the initiative to organize some interesting role-play opportunities via your Aurora poetry slam jam. The numerous poems Steele has written were always enjoyable to read, and I've never once caught you breaking character. All of this shows you're a capable role-player and most likely more than capable of handling an Unathi character.

Now onto the application itself.

 

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human:Unathi culture is much different from human culture; this affects their every interaction, perception of their coworkers (and how their coworkers perceive them), and how they carry themselves aboard the Aurora. They place higher value on honor, which affects them both in and out of combat engagements. They are a spiritual people, as well, which is tied to their culture and views (Especially regarding cyborgs and prosthetics). There are also a number of subtle, but important differences, such as their body language and emotional displays, accent, aversion to cold temperatures, etc. Then, of course, there’s the tremendous gap in how men and women are seen and valued in Unathi culture, and how vastly different their opportunities are.

 

 

Solid enough answer. Shows you can properly tell an Unathi and a human apart.

 

They also come from a different technological era from humans and other species, which should be kept in mind when roleplaying and having conversations. The Aurora is a very different place from their home system. There's a lot that clash with their typically more conservative views.

 

Could you perhaps elaborate on what exactly would clash? Some examples don't hurt.

 

Character Name: Pipish Guwan

Please provide a short backstory for this character, approximately 2 paragraphs Pipish was born during the Contact War, one of a clutch of two daughters under Clan Vikrin. Her father, Karakmor, was a scientist, who was working with his colleagues to research the effects of the war on the Moghes ecosystem, and attempt to curb its predicted devastation, often using his home as a place for meetings and discussion. Pipish developed a curiosity because of this, and secretly listened in on their discussions. While she was a meek and shy girl, her curiosity slowly began to overcome this.

Clan Vikrin expressly banned women from reading and writing, but after spending months working up the courage, Pipish started sneaking books from her father’s extensive library, and began to teach herself. It became easier to do when the war ended, as her father spent more and more time away from home, doing work and experiments in the field that kept him away for days at a time. She knew that if she was caught, she would be in tremendous trouble. But she wanted to help her father and her planet; she was willing to take the risk and educate herself so that she might help one day, naively believing that she might be forgiven if she could help her father’s work.

Her self-education was helped along by a nearby temple of the Akhanzi Order, located in the mountains not far from the community. Every meal or gift she received was split and saved to later offer to the shamans in exchange for literary education. They inspired her, kindling her curiosity and love for learning, and she slowly took on their beliefs.

She was motivated to not only learn, but to teach; her free time was spent with a small group of girls from other clans, helping them learn to read and write. She eventually found herself falling romantically for one of them, a young woman named Iskri. Confused by this, she asked the Akhanzi for guidance, and learned about how love was the most important way to enhance the soul, and that while it may initially displease her ancestors, it could be overcome if the relationship was stable and loving one.

It was not long after Pipish came to terms with this that her father arranged for her to marry the son of a powerful, influential clan that he had long sought an alliance with. She felt nothing but sadness from this; she did not love him, nor did she think she ever could. How could she please her ancestors without love? At the same time, what of her duties, and her clan? After struggling with her conflicted feelings for several weeks, she summoned her courage and did what she felt she had to do.

She ran.

On the night before the marriage was set to be finalized, Pipish gathered what books and supplies she could and ran. She thought she might find shelter with Iskri; she went to her and confessed her feelings, urging them to flee and have a life together. But Iskri did not return Pipish’s feelings, and moreover thought they were strange, and that Pipish was insulting her ancestors. Heartbroken, she continued to run, taking shelter with the Akhanzi. She stayed with them for three days; when her father learned she might be with them, he started arguing with them and making threats. While he might not have been able to force them to turn her over, Pipish immediately gave herself up, rather than cause trouble for the order that had taught her so much. Iskri’s rejection forced Pipish to think about her actions, and she believed she was dishonoring herself and her clan by fleeing. She would return, and do her duty.

But the damage was done. Her father barely salvaged the alliance and Clan Vikrin’s honor, agreeing to two terms after days of negotiation and apology. The first was that Pipish’s more “Well-behaved” sister would take her place in the marriage. The second was the exile of Pipish, both from her clan and off-planet. This devastated her, but her pleas and promises to her father fell on deaf ears. The court accepted the petition, and Pipish was henceforth marked “Guwan.”

NanoTrasen approached her as she was being shuttled off-world, and offered her a work contract. She did not know how disadvantageous the terms were; she was grateful to them for the opportunity and for extending such a kind off to a Guwan. She managed to pass the Horticulture Aptitude Test; given that she educated herself using books about flora and ecosystems, and spent years tending her home’s extensive garden, she was determined to be an excellent fit for a role in maintaining and growing plants aboard the NSS Aurora in a service role. She was happy to take this opportunity, if also frightened of such a large change. While it seems like a far dream, she hopes that one day her work with plants can help keep Moghes habitable.

 

I like it, It touches upon heartbreak quite well, and as Jackboot has already said her actions are relatable and understandable. It's honestly quite a solid story in my opinion. One question though, and this is possibly due to my limited knowledge of unathi lore but, the shamans that educated Pipish in this story seem quite liberal? So to say. If Pipish asked the shamans for advise regarding her love for another woman I'd half expect the shamans to go ''miss me with that gay shit.'' How come they instead seemingly accepted it?

 

How would you rate your role-playing ability? 8/10. I am a very experienced RPer (15+ years) but newish to SS13 controls and RP format. I’m getting the hang of it though. I’m a bit shaky for the first few shifts on a new personality/character, but I adapt quickly.

8/10 is being modest in your case.

Overall I think it's a strong application, and it has my support.

[Butterrobber202]

Its a good application, a very good one. But man does it just scream snowflake to me. A... gay female guwan is honestly gonna catch a beating atleast once while on the station. Playing a Guwan is extremely difficult, more so now since Guwan regulations shot up due to the massive amount of Guwans. But if you're okay with the the flak In-game Unathi are gonna give you then go for it.

Overall its a good app, like I said before, but I haven't had much interaction with this player though.

+1

[Coalf]

Alright on backstory:

It's not my slice of pie but there is genuine care put into it, I like that you used the species to make a character instead of hamfisting the character to fit into the species. There is clear cut smell of consequences, the whole clan is shown to be affected by this choice and not only her which I think a lot of Guwan players like to skirt on as they usually have their character turn into this "Noble Violated Hero" while your character could be potentially marked as selfish under the right line of thought, I like that.

I wouldn't call the guwan lesbian as "snowflakey" since the wiki itself doesn't shy away from gender nor are homosexual xenos as rare as people would think, what does not sit well with me however is that she just returns???

Yes I understand that she perhaps thought she could repair the damage she had caused but frankly it seems a bit weird for a character that hyped themselves up THIS hard to escape to just come back, I think a few days in the desert could have been better as it would have played a bit more on the "muh moghes preservation" theme you have going for them, but that's my own nitpick regarding the story structure not the lore itself.

On OOC:

You are very fun to play with, although I think you lean into the "Too friendly after a single interaction" category which I hold dislike for but it's slight it's nothing extreme and the nature of this game DOES kinda force you into speeding up interactions as you never knew when you'll meet the player ever again.

I see you dip a LOT into in-game which I like VERY much, you have made some of the funniest poem books in the library which I actually unironically enjoy, you organized the whole poetry Jam even by yourself! And you didn't even use a discord as a crutch just forums and by hanging posters in game! That is awesome.

Overall I'd 100% trust you with this whitelist although I hope you don't stop playing your librarian because of this because I'd miss those stacked bookshelves.

[Kaed]

I have several things to say about this app, and not all of them are negative, but let me get the first thing off of my chest that is bugging me the most about this app:

Pipish.

This does not feel like an organic unathi name. I look at it, and it makes me think of a Mark Twain protagonist. I really don't like it, it lacks a certain xeno-pronunciation sibilant awkwardness that characterizes most unathi names. Unathi speak their language strongly with their tongues because they are reptilian, and 'P' is a sound that focuses on the use of lips. I strongly encourage you to create a new name.

A lot of my other qualms here mostly deal with things already said. I'm not a fan of your first unathi character being a subversion of unathi character archetypes. There's an essence of snowflakery here that goes beyond just being a lesbian, and derives from a general desire to make your character 'much more unique than the other guys'. Usually it's considered more appropriate to play a little more standard xeno character before dipping into subversion of expectation.

That being said, I guess it's well written. I was a little annoyed at your casual use of my Akhanzi Order as a backstory plot element, but after thinking about it for a while, I think that mostly stems from me feeling sort of put out you didn't consult me about them before writing them in when I only introduced them a few weeks ago. But I guess there isn't really a requirement that you consult the loremaster (or deputy) of a xeno race before making a character application, so I might just be a bit irrational in feeling this way.

As long as you fix the thing that is bugging me about this character, I suppose it won't be too bad. But I'll be keeping an eye on you. Your character has not been written as lesbian lizardbait who was booted for being weird and creepy, but rather the victim of circumstance and bad decisions. I expect them to still behave like a normal unathi, generally speaking, rather than being, for instance, a slutty trap or Social Justice Lizard, or some nonsense. You've used exile as a backstory element rather than an excuse to be a behaviorally non-typical unathi.

[Doxxmedearly]

Whoa! Thank you for that commentary, JackBoot!

 

Could you perhaps elaborate on what exactly would clash? Some examples don't hurt.

Certainly. I think the biggest thing is the difference between the roles of women on Moghes vs the Aurora. There's no doubt some traditional Unathi males may find it difficult to deal with women in higher roles especially as their captain/department head. Then of course there's same-sex relationships on board, and synthetics like IPCs walking around as an organic would. Even for Unathi who aren't super traditional, this would be an uncomfortable adjustment given the environment in which they were raised and their religious beliefs.

 

If Pipish asked the shamans for advise regarding her love for another woman I'd half expect the shamans to go ''miss me with that gay shit.'' How come they instead seemingly accepted it?

I went off the Unathi wiki page for the Order. Specifically:

Non-traditional relationships are framed in the same concepts of Love, Lust, and Duty as the other primary faiths. Love only enhances the soul, and your ancestors don't care about who you love. With that said the ancestors can be displeased in you if you don't have any children and grow your family line. That can be overlooked if the relationship in question is a stable, loving affair for all involved. Akhandi preach that Love, as in the connection between two people, is the most important attribute of a relationship.

So while not "Yeah be gay that rules!" they're more like "It will be much tougher to please your ancestors in this way, but it is possible."

 

A... gay female guwan is honestly gonna catch a beating atleast once while on the station. Playing a Guwan is extremely difficult, more so now since Guwan regulations shot up due to the massive amount of Guwans. But if you're okay with the the flak In-game Unathi are gonna give you then go for it.

I'm well aware of the realities and troubles she'll have to face from other Unathi on the station. It's not sunshine and rainbows for her just because she's off Moghes.

 

Yes I understand that she perhaps thought she could repair the damage she had caused but frankly it seems a bit weird for a character that hyped themselves up THIS hard to escape to just come back, I think a few days in the desert could have been better as it would have played a bit more on the "muh moghes preservation" theme you have going for them, but that's my own nitpick regarding the story structure not the lore itself.

I understand this. I was actually flipping back and forth between having her stay with the Akhanzi or being out in the wilderness, and ultimately decided on the former. My justification is that even when she ran, she already wasn't 100% certain about it, and then when someone she cared for told her she was acting dishonorably, it fueled her inner conflict even more. Add in that she wasn't sure if her father's threats were empty or not, she didn't want to cause harm to the order she respected, so she turned herself in. Ultimately, if that ends up being an issue many people have, I would not mind adjusting that.

 

...although I think you lean into the "Too friendly after a single interaction" category

This is a fair criticism. I think it's partly in Wynter's character to be friendly to everyone, but I agree it could be slowed down a tick or two. Thanks for pointing that out!

 

Overall I'd 100% trust you with this whitelist although I hope you don't stop playing your librarian because of this because I'd miss those stacked bookshelves.

I could never abandon my boy or my library

 

This does not feel like an organic unathi name. I look at it, and it makes me think of a Mark Twain protagonist. I really don't like it, it lacks a certain xeno-pronunciation sibilant awkwardness that characterizes most unathi names. Unathi speak their language strongly with their tongues because they are reptilian, and 'P' is a sound that focuses on the use of lips. I strongly encourage you to create a new name.

I'm not married to the name. I would not mind thinking of another. That's a good point, and I feel silly for overlooking it now.

 

A lot of my other qualms here mostly deal with things already said. I'm not a fan of your first unathi character being a subversion of unathi character archetypes. There's an essence of snowflakery here that goes beyond just being a lesbian, and derives from a general desire to make your character 'much more unique than the other guys'. Usually it's considered more appropriate to play a little more standard xeno character before dipping into subversion of expectation.

Understood. I don't feel that it's terribly snowflakey but then again I have a hard time telling what this server considers crossing the line from interesting to snowflake. I don't think having unique characters is bad but I'm certainly not trying to make some sort of "I'm the most unique and special look at me!" arms-race here. I figured this would be a concern, and it's a fair one.

 

That being said, I guess it's well written. I was a little annoyed at your casual use of my Akhanzi Order as a backstory plot element, but after thinking about it for a while, I think that mostly stems from me feeling sort of put out you didn't consult me about them before writing them in when I only introduced them a few weeks ago. But I guess there isn't really a requirement that you consult the loremaster (or deputy) of a xeno race before making a character application, so I might just be a bit irrational in feeling this way.

Oh! I didn't realize it was such a new part of the lore, or that it was your order. I apologize for that. I was concerned if it made sense or not, or if I was overstepping any bounds.

 

As long as you fix the thing that is bugging me about this character, I suppose it won't be too bad. But I'll be keeping an eye on you. Your character has not been written as lesbian lizardbait who was booted for being weird and creepy, but rather the victim of circumstance and bad decisions. I expect them to still behave like a normal unathi, generally speaking, rather than being, for instance, a slutty trap or Social Justice Lizard, or some nonsense. You've used exile as a backstory element rather than an excuse to be a behaviorally non-typical unathi.

Understood. I fully intend for her to still behave like a normal Unathi, absolutely. There's no intention of her just jumping to liberal views because she's off world and I've got no intention of treating her as some sort of erp bait. My intention was not to try to subvert how normal Unathi behave, and I definitely understand wanting to keep an eye on me to make sure that stays the case. The last thing I want to do is go off and play some wholly unrealistic character given how much I respect the Unathi lore.

Edit: Name updated. Pipish is now Kizikh.

Thank you EVERYONE for your feedback so far.

[Maereo]

I am not just saying this but I do honestly believe this might just be the greatest app I have ever seen written and everytime I have roleplayed with them it has been just wonderful. A hard +1 from me.

[zyymurgy]

Major +1 here from me. This user is a delight to RP with and I have enjoyed seeing them as both HARPI and Wynter. The ability to organize and put together a book of poetry from the crew shows dedication to a role as well; that requires effort above and beyond the regular level of care put into RP aboard the Aurora.

This app in specific is a very interesting one, and it is clear to me that it was written with the wiki open in another window right next to it. The actions and consequences are pretty close to what I'd expect from an Unathi who discovers she is repulsed by the idea of marrying a man.

I just want to chime in here that I've had discussions with Jackboot that have given me a bit of perspective on how Unathi see same sex relationships. They don't. They don't SEE the same-sex element. They see the "impossible to produce children" element. If a woman loves another woman, or has lustful feelings for another woman, this isn't considered abnormal. The only considerations Unathi put into relationships are Love, Lust, and Duty, and the Duty is to reproduce. And some religions feel that it is possible to still live a life that pleases the ancestors while loving someone the same sex as you are -- as long as you are not under any obligation to fulfill your Duty to your clan. So this would include barren women, second children of a clan who already has heirs, and the like.

This means that since she is Guwan, she is now free to love as she likes, because she no longer has a Duty to be wed and continue her clan's line, as long as her partner will accept her as a Guwan. That will be her major hurdle in life; she should not have to expect homophobia from her kin, because homophobia is something the Unathi do not know. They know only the rigid adherence to Duty. So it makes sense that OP's character would be exiled and made Guwan by her clan -- she actively bucked her duty and attempted to get another woman to do the same. Women are expected to submit to their men, and so being disobedient and running from Duty would be a great dishonor on her whole clan, and so she was also attempting to dishonor her love interest as well. This all adds up to a realistic exile as Guwan.

Unathi who shun her should be shunning her based on her disrespect for her Clan and her duty, not because she did it all for a woman. For Unathi it would be the exact same thing if she was trying to run away with another man.

I want [mention]Senpai Jackboot[/mention] to weigh in here, but this is what I understood from our conversations about it. I too play Unathi women who are not attracted to men in the Love or Lust spheres, so I've interrogated him aggressively about how this character would navigate her feelings, and I felt this information would be useful to OP as well, relevant to some posts earlier in the thread RE: homophobia, and shed light on my hearty +1 for a lesbian guwan. It is absolutely not out of the ordinary or snowflakey, simply a new and unique character we have not seen on station before, that complies with lore and shows an understanding thereof.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Zyymurgy and the OP have it right. Unathi do not conceptualize homo or hetero sexuality. Relationships are framed as described. The problem is she was selfish in wanting to put romance ahead of her Clan, putting them all at risk.

[AmoryBlaine]

Usually I hate characters that have pink hair and are traps and look like snowflakes. But you're quite good, +1 from me.

[Tomiix]

A really lovely application, lots of thought and effort was clearly put into this.

It is hard to apply as a Guwan, but those who do so and succeed are mainstay Unathi players, and I like that. (Not to stroke my own ego while saying this.)

I am very excited to see this character around station. This is a +1 from me. We need more Lizbians to join the party.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Application accepted!