Player Application Post: Round 3
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hexarchate_rpgPlease post character applications as comments here. You can find the application form in the comm profile.
I will make a note when we close to new applications on December 7. We are currently looking for six to eight new players. We are now closed to applications.
I will not make final decisions on accepted players until after applications have closed.
[For reference: round 1 of applications, round 2.]
I will not make final decisions on accepted players until after applications have closed.
[For reference: round 1 of applications, round 2.]
application for Hana
Date: 2019-11-17 07:20 pm (UTC)RPG DW account (if separate): will make one if accepted!
How can we get in touch with you?: flashing DOT spirit AT gmail DOT com ; Discord is #Sage6463. Alternatively, message Asher, my spouse :)
Character name: Tziri Hana
One-paragraph (100 words) summary of your character.
Hana was a teacher at a hexarchate-run Mwennin orphanage who, on the eve of the Mwennin massacre, agreed to be conscripted into the Vidona in exchange for her safety and that of the children under her care. She stayed long enough to gain some trust and power before betraying the Vidona and fleeing with as many children as she could take. She was recaptured by the Vidona and sentenced to death. The children made it safely to Ersala with help of a Shuos agent, but Hana doesn’t know this.
How did your character first learn of the hexarchate?
Hana was born into the hexarchate.
Why did your character join this rebellion?
Because fuck the Vidona, really. Because she was a pawn trying to keep her people safe by making a devil’s bargain, but realized in the end the hexarchate was just going to use her anyway. When a rift conveniently opened just before her execution date, she didn’t think twice about joining the rebellion. She also sees it as redemptive for the torture she did participate in as a Vidona agent, even though she was only active for a few months.
What type of role would your character play in a mission?
Hana is unexpectedly tough given how soft she looks, so she’s good at hitting people who think she’s weak. She has a strong stomach for violence so long as kids aren’t involved. She can also facilitate remembrances as an ex-Vidona and ‘play the part’ if they needed a scary Vidona to bluff their way into/out of danger.
What kinds of missions would your character like to see?
Hana wants to hit some baddies to get out her aggression. Beyond that, she’d be good for a honeypot or legitimate if accidental romance. She’d also love to sabotage any Vidona and/or remembrances she comes across, whether through stealth/infiltration or just outright hitting things with the hexarchate equivalent of a baseball bat.
What is your character's secret dream or desire, the one they've never told anyone?
Hana was an orphan herself and knows very little of her Mwennin heritage, though she kept safe a heron luckstone that supposedly came from her real family. She’s always wanted to learn more about where she came from but never felt it was safe to say that out loud or even share it with others.
How will your character die?
Hana would 100% do something stupid if she thought it would save a child. She absolutely would use herself as a shield if it came down to that. She can also be weighed down with indecision, trying to figure out the morally right thing to do when confronted with shades of gray.
Does your character have any powers that the hexarchate would consider "exotic" (magical)?
Hana has the Vidona deathtouch, though is extremely loathe to use it.
What do you (the player) enjoy most in an RPG?
I love seeing tension between a character’s needs (character growth) versus their wants (protecting themselves from change). So at some point, having Hana have to go undercover as Vidona and be confronted with the terrible things she’s done but will also further the goal of taking down the hexarchate would be deliciously angsty and hopefully compelling. In general I love character development and characters bouncing off each other to grow and change.
You have 100 words to tell me anything else you want me and the other players to know about your character. Do it here.
She’s big and soft with wide hips and kind eyes. Hana wants to do the right thing but doesn’t trust her own moral compass. She would (and has) used every bit of herself to help children and left nothing for herself. She cries easily. She’s never had a serious romantic partner.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-03 02:56 am (UTC)RPG DW account (if separate): N/A
How can we get in touch with you? (email, DW messaging, other): DW message or by email at flowersforgravesfics @ gmail
Character name: Deyna Caro
One-paragraph (100 words) summary of your character.
Deyna is a public services worker on a quiet planet with moderate industrialization. She grew up in an era of integration between her planet and the rest of the hexarchate. She primarily works as a refuse collector, but also does other adjacent public works / infrastructure things as needed. Her skill sets are primarily physical, due to her experience in her job. She has never been off her home planet (until now, presumably).
NOTE: In the following section, limit your answers to up to 100 words per question.
===
How did your character first learn of the hexarchate?
Deyna's people were annexed by the hexarchate approximately two generations ago; her grandparents were children when the hexarchate arrived.
Why did your character join this rebellion?
She has convinced herself it has something to do with altruistic belief that self-determination is a basic right, and that conformity is not to be praised. However, she stays because she believes herself to be incapable of functioning under hexarchate society and would rather turn her anger outward than inward.
What type of role would your character play in a mission?
She is very much a boots-on-the-ground type of person rather than a theoretician -- she would be useful if a low-level worker was needed to infiltrate an organization or compound, and she is willing and able to hold her own in a fistfight.
What kinds of missions would your character like to see? (e.g. spying, opportunities for romance, intrigue, diplomacy, etc.)
Deyna likes to see an immediate payoff -- knowing whether or not the mission was a success, being able to directly and immediately help people, getting a few good punches in to see blood. She would definitely love to be part of a heist team or spy/intrigue missions.
What is your character's secret dream or desire, the one they've never told anyone?
Deyna wishes she felt like she had a choice -- that she could integrate smoothly into the hexarchate if she wanted to, rather than fitting like a round peg in a square hole.
How will your character die?
(NOTE: I will not kill your character unless you pre-arrange it with me, but I may put you in a dangerous situation based on this.)
She dies because she failed to take a safety precaution. She is very confident in her own skills, but does not always make sure she has followed all the necessary or prescribed steps.
Does your character have any powers that the hexarchate would consider "exotic" (magical)?
Not to her knowledge.
What do you (the player) enjoy most in an RPG?
Having a living world that seems to move beyond just the player characters' sphere of understanding. I'm also a big fan of non-linear character arcs, characters actively trying to make the hard choice, and options for noromo in any setting.
You have 100 words to tell me anything else you want me and the other players to know about your character. Do it here.
She hates having her hands touched. She prefers percussive maintenance to actually getting to the root of the problem. If you set her a task, she'll get it done through sheer tenacity. She's more of a follower than a leader (and knows it).
Application - Xiulan
Date: 2019-12-03 06:58 am (UTC)*
Player name or handle: blackswanseer
RPG DW account (if separate): stormglass
How can we get in touch with you? (email, DW messaging, other): DW messaging, Discord (Amphithere on there), and I am happy to message my email address to folks
Character name: Idraiv Xiulan (Born Xiulan Storm, but she adopted a name that blended in better upon arriving in this universe)
One-paragraph (100 words) summary of your character.
From a future where humanity spread far beyond Earth, Xiulan was a Captain in Federation Navy’s Intelligence Bureau, an organization that exceled in weaponizing the obsessions and traumas of agents. Tangled family history drove her particular involvement in operations to thwart the goals of a people called the Sangaree. Luna Command, possessed of information about an existential threat that outweighed everything else that humans and their allies faced, determined decisive action was needed against the Sangaree to free up all possible resources.
In the aftermath, Xiulan was redeployed, in the vicinity of military science experiments about to suffer a mishap.
NOTE: In the following section, limit your answers to up to 100 words per question.
===
How did your character first learn of the hexarchate?
Mix a hyperdrive blip, a presumed-military installation of a long-vanished alien civilization and the trans-dimensional beings known colloquially as ‘starfish’ and well. . .she assumes that’s what resulted in her tearing through what she later learned is known as a rift. That’s how Xiulan found herself in the borders of the hexarchate some years back and has been leveraging every scrap of training and obsessive focus she could bring to bear to get her footing in a foreign universe where some things seem strangely familiar and many others extremely...not.
Why did your character join this rebellion?
The rebellion currently seems the viable route for her to learn more about the rifts, which Xiulan sees as instrumental for ever possibly making it back to her own universe. And leaping about time throughout the he*archate and interacting with other people doing likewise is a way to learn about the technology within this universe and see if any of it is transferable against a massive threat at home. (That is a tidbit she has kept to herself.)
Also, it’s something to do. Better to have a mission to focus on than give in to hopelessness.
What type of role would your character play in a mission?
Her background is as an operative of the Intelligence Bureau’s department of ‘dirty tricks’ and most dangerous operations. A physical combat specialist (blades/guns/hand to hand) and trained chameleon, she’s been an assassin when it was called for, but the main focus of she and her partners was on information extraction and/or disruption. With a partner programmed for the ‘soft’ side of the work, she would use them as a stalking horse to achieve objectives. She has some infantry experience from years back and small spacecraft piloting skills (though not on the types of spacecraft found here).
What kinds of missions would your character like to see? (e.g. spying, opportunities for romance, intrigue, diplomacy, etc.)
Spying and intrigue are right in her wheelhouse. She can be diplomatic when the occasion calls for it though a sustained effort would get on her nerves (player finds diplomacy missions fun though!). While I as a player find that romance can be fun in games with the right situation and characters, Xiulan herself would in no way be expecting that sort of thing to crop up under the circumstances!
What is your character's secret dream or desire, the one they've never told anyone?
Xiulan was instrumental in obtaining the data that allowed Luna Command to drop a nova bomb in the sun of the Sangaree Homeworld’s system. If more than a small number of people knew about her involvement, quite a few might assume revenge was behind it.
She’d like to know that it instead allowed humanity (and allied alien species) to save themselves from a coming horror. Deep down, she’s terrified that’s not what it was about at all.
Even deeper down, she wants to believe her father would not have been proud. (And is afraid that he would be.)
How will your character die?
(NOTE: I will not kill your character unless you pre-arrange it with me, but I may put you in a dangerous situation based on this.)
Not in her own universe and never knowing if it will survive against the ‘centerward threat’.
Bitter irony would be if she died at the hand of someone wanting vengeance against her, because it would mean she’d made what she sees as one of her father’s grand mistakes after all: making someone truly despise you and yet leaving them able to come after you and what you love.
Does your character have any powers that the hexarchate would consider "exotic" (magical)?
She has undergone rejuvenation treatments and appears younger (including physical condition) than she is. At home, this is a medical treatment and not uncommon amongst those with the means. Want to climb very far in military/government hierarchy and it’s practically required if you hope to live long enough for your superiors to finally retire. (It is also far from immortality - ages somewhat past 200 years are currently achievable if treatments are maintained.)
She is also strangely excellent at Go and has taken up pattern stones in the hexarchate universe, but has no reason to believe that’s anything ‘magical’.
What do you (the player) enjoy most in an RPG?
Character interactions with others and exploring character personalities. I love the moments of being left to wonder what your PC is up to, because it seems they didn’t actually consult you before acting, just borrowed your fingers to type. I also enjoy figuring things out - not necessarily puzzles outright, but plot mysteries or solutions to problems, and so forth.
You have 100 words to tell me anything else you want me and the other players to know about your character. Do it here.
Xiulan has a complicated relationship with loyalty. Winning it from her is hard, but do so and she’ll risk a lot.
Add in the concept of promises and it all goes murky. As a child, she hero worshipped her father Gneaus Storm, without really understanding him as a person. A promise he’d made to his mother about a half-brother that proved half-Sangaree lead to nightmarish actions on both brothers’ parts over years. Academy-aged Xiulan saw horrors and lost many family members in the culmination of their feud, leaving her a poisonous mix of grieving and furious at her dead father.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-03 01:13 pm (UTC)Application - Shuos Neihan
Date: 2019-12-03 01:53 pm (UTC)RPG DW account (if separate): I'm happy using this one. I mostly fic on FFN and AO3 these days anyway.
How can we get in touch with you? (email, DW messaging, other): DM me via this account please :)
Character name: Shuos Neihan (formerly Sajhe Neihan, which he prefers not to use.)
One-paragraph (100 words) summary of your character.
Shuos Neihan wanted a quiet, moderately fulfilling life.
He took one look at most of his siblings entering Kel Academy and power-walked as fast as he could in the other direction.
For a while, it seemed he would get his wish. The quiet, mundane life of a Shuos analyst seconded to the Liozh administration agreed with him.
And then the Liozh were declared heretics and suddenly there was a hexarchate, and Neihan, surprisingly, is exceptionally displeased with the status quo.
He’ll help the rebels, if only to spite the hexarchate. Nobody does spite quite like Shuos Neihan.
NOTE: In the following section, limit your answers to up to 100 words per question.
===
How did your character first learn of the hexarchate?
Neihan was born into the hexarchate. The faction recruiters offered him a life of opportunity. He took it. (The truth is a little more complicated: he was born into a family of Kel and rebelled at the first available opportunity. Their reaction (or rather, lack thereof) at his admission to – and subsequent graduation from Shuos Academy was, if he’ll be honest, a little disappointing.)
Why did your character join this rebellion?
Neihan doesn’t do rebellions. They’re messy, they inevitably involve shooting or stabbing people – which he objects to out of general principle, since he’d really rather not, and somehow people start looking at the nearest Shuos when they need someone iced – and also, lots of torture and fire and general unpleasantness.
But.
Neihan was seconded to the Liozh. And some of the Liozh have truly dangerous ideas indeed…
Still, you can’t particularly accuse Neihan of having principles, other than the religious avoidance of anything especially exciting. Hence, it surprises Neihan that he objects strenuously to the hexarchate. (Rather than the heptarchate.)
What type of role would your character play in a mission?
Yes, Neihan is a Shuos, no, that does not mean he does assassinations or infiltrations, thank you very much! He barely got passing marks for field classes at the academy, and he’s much happier behind a desk, taking home a regular paycheck, and playing mission support.
What kinds of missions would your character like to see? (e.g. spying, opportunities for romance, intrigue, diplomacy, etc.)
Anything that allows him to farm off as much of the dirty work, the blood, and the explosions to someone else. Anything that lets him clock off on time and – well, crash in his bunk, he supposes. He’ll scream bloody murder if you ask him to go into the field and end up sulking for the next few weeks.
Romance? What is romance?
What is your character's secret dream or desire, the one they've never told anyone?
It’s not especially secret, but Neihan really just wants to live a comfortable life and he was perfectly content working as a Shuos analyst seconded to the Liozh. It upsets him to absurd extents to know that the Liozh have been branded traitors and heretics by the Rahal.
If it’s secret, it’s only because getting information out of Neihan is worse than having to extract a compromised Andan infiltrator out of a seven-way firefight in Hafn space. (Don’t ask.) After all, he’s a Shuos – he collects information, he doesn’t dispense it. (Try an Andan for that.)
How will your character die?
(NOTE: I will not kill your character unless you pre-arrange it with me, but I may put you in a dangerous situation based on this.)
Ideally, of old age, in bed, or in a hot tub.
At the moment though, it looks upsettingly like he’s going to die because he despises incompetence, and keeps getting caught in situations that turn bad on him in an eyeblink. Which yes – is standard mission SNAFU territory, but he doesn’t do fieldwork why is he being put anywhere except in a comfortable command centre.
Does your character have any powers that the hexarchate would consider "exotic" (magical)?
His ability to dodge serious responsibilities and especially anything that involves assassination is pretty exotic-
Wait. No. Nevermind.
What do you (the player) enjoy most in an RPG?
I most enjoy a welcoming community, with the chance to interact with other players, and to develop characters and to watch them grow. Also to take part in interesting and engaging plots/arcs!
You have 100 words to tell me anything else you want me and the other players to know about your character. Do it here.
Neihan could have done a lot better at fieldwork classes, thanks to his Kel upbringing, but he deliberately kept his grades at the passing minimum and declared analysis track. A few instructors figured him out, but thought it was ‘cute’ and let him live. Neihan’s biggest issue is he doesn’t care: he wants to live his comfortable life, and his beef with the hexarchate is the knowledge his cushy job with the Liozh isn’t sustainable. Change has to happen. A significant shift in his character will be learning to care and think about more than just getting by in life.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-03 03:14 pm (UTC)EDIT: Not the correct place, but I made the mistake of fumbling and deleting my original post! I merely wanted to indicate that I wish to withdraw my application. Sorry for the troubles! Thanks, everyone, for your time (and sorry about the mixup.)
Re: Application - Shuos Neihan
Date: 2019-12-03 03:17 pm (UTC)Re: Application - Shuos Neihan
Date: 2019-12-04 02:53 pm (UTC)In terms of properly employing his skills, I'd say tactical support, rather. You want to raid a warehouse? He'll tell you what's in the warehouse, when the supply windows are, and list five different ways you could make an entrance. You want to locate a hidden supply depot? Give him a listing of moth movements in the area - or don't, he'll get his own listing and then look for patterns anyway. You need to take down a Kel general? As long as he isn't required to do stabby-stabby, he'll dig up as much as possible about the person and organise it for you.
He probably has some 1337haxx0rz skills but that's not really his skillset - he's trained at turning raw information into intelligence, not necessarily the art of infiltrating someone's tech systems to glean info. That being said, sure, he's primarily spent the time just examining responses to Liozh policies, but the raw skillset is the same, and Shuos Academy was probably more focused on operational analysis anyway.
P.S. I doubt he'd be angsty - more pouty/quiet internal screaming tantrum with whining. But also realistically - you can't have spent the past x years riding a desk and suddenly perform at the level of an actual professional Shuos assassin, I don't think.
Liozh Zillya
Date: 2019-12-06 03:56 pm (UTC)RPG DW account (if separate):
How can we get in touch with you? (email, DW messaging, other): DW messaging
Character name: Liozh Zillya
One-paragraph (100 words) summary of your character.
Zillya was raised by three Liozh of different genders with a brother (Liozh Pyotr, believed dead) and an alt-sib (Inaiga Rye, minor). She escaped the Liozh massacre when the Vidona leader slipped down some stairs (Zillya suspects the intervention of a kindly Shuos) and the second flinched and stared, having spotted a childhood friend.
NOTE: In the following section, limit your answers to up to 100 words per question.
===
How did your character first learn of the hexarchate? Born in the heptarchate, Zillya was taken by surprise by the declaration of the hexarchate
Why did your character join this rebellion? Zillya wants to rescue/resuscitate her family and friends
What type of role would your character play in a mission?
Negotiations, Interviews, exploration
What kinds of missions would your character like to see? (e.g. spying, opportunities for romance, intrigue, diplomacy, etc.)
Intrigue and diplomacy
What is your character's secret dream or desire, the one they've never told anyone?
Zillya would love an assignment where her most important decision is what to have for her meals.
How will your character die?
(NOTE: I will not kill your character unless you pre-arrange it with me, but I may put you in a dangerous situation based on this.)
Overthinking while exhausted
Does your character have any powers that the hexarchate would consider "exotic" (magical)?
Zillya can use the mirrorweight
What do you (the player) enjoy most in an RPG?
Interpersonal stuff
You have 100 words to tell me anything else you want me and the other players to know about your character. Do it here.
Zillya cannot help seeing her family and friends as alive and in danger. She knows that temporal philosophy is a fairly vain endeavor anyhow.
Applcation: Zayit Dar
Date: 2019-12-07 04:15 am (UTC)Player name or handle: chomiji
RPG DW account (if separate): n/a - do you recommend one?
How can we get in touch with you? (email, DW messaging, other): DW messaging is good; Yoon has my direct email.
Character name: Dar b'Safna Zayit - in Hexarchate format, Zayit Dar
One-paragraph (100 words) summary of your character. A cynic with a soft center, Dar is a competent fighter by non-Kel standards. She's been a competitive amateur martial artist, manager for her family's restaurant, member of an anti-Heptarchate militia (where she learned basic firearms), a prisoner/laborer, and a bouncer (bar, brothel, whatever) until she ended up as cook and buyer. A some point during her years as a forced laborer on some gods-forsaken rock, she fell through a time rift. She's a good cook and a sharp dealer in the marketplace. I'm not exactly sure how she encountered the current characters - maybe we role-play it?
How did your character first learn of the hexarchate? To her knowledge, she's the last survivor of a family that once included 5 spouses and 7 children. Their planet, Hartsh, was strategically positioned for Heptarchate action against the Eels. During her lifetime, the Heptarchate went from seemingly genial allies to demanding patrons to conquerors. Dar fought the conquerors as part of a militia until the Great Bleed, when Hartsh ceased to exist as an independent entity. As far as she knows, her family is dead. (Look, a plot hook!)
Why did your character join this rebellion? See the above. She thought she'd put it all behind her, until she stumbled into an opportunity to work against her people's enemies.
What type of role would your character play in a mission? She's the cook! But in a space RPG in my past, we took out an enemy ship by switching some of their food supply crates for time-driven explosives while they were being supplied. Dar looks very ordinary and can do the Officer Columbo bumbling bear thing: minor deception is part of her skillset and why she's such a sharp buyer of supplies. Also a decent basic mechanic (including servitors, for parts that they have trouble handling themselves) and knows first aid.
What kinds of missions would your character like to see? Anything that sticks it to what is now the Hexarchate. Her crewmembers will soon become her substitute family (although she would deny it), and she'd help where she could.
What is your character's secret dream or desire, the one they've never told anyone? She's beginning to dream that somehow, someday, she might find a life partner or partners again, and have a little restaurant somewhere peaceful. Then she tells herself she's too old for that stuff and anyway, they'd just die on her.
How will your character die? She thinks that at this point she's all too likely to die of a miscalculation in an attempt at subterfuge, cursing in Hartshei and refusing to spill the beans.
Does your character have any powers that the hexarchate would consider "exotic" (magical)? She's really good at reading people, including detecting lying, but whether it's supernatural or just very amped-up observation is unknown. Might give her a bonus vs. Andan glamour?
What do you (the player) enjoy most in an RPG? Unplanned humorous events, Batman Gambit planning, and the moment when the plan comes together (see the Nukes in the Frozen Peas episode mentioned above, which included a damsel in distress on the roadside to distract the delivery driver). Games that give each character a chance at "their" adventure, where they are the star of the moment, can be very enjoyable. I enjoy being the useful support person, but everyone likes a moment in the spotlight once in a while. And even the support staff can play important and poignant parts in a story: see Sam Gamgee.
You have 100 words to tell me anything else you want me and the other players to know about your character. Do it here. Dar is a medium height, compact bear of a women, with cropped greying dark hair (wavy if allowed to grow), dark eyes, medium brown skin, aquiline nose. Around comrades, she has a cynical half-smile; out and about, a benignly befuddled expression to disarm. She's flexibly useful around the ship, often singing badly to herself. She's a decent if somewhat impulsive card player. The only time she's likely to wax genuinely enthusiastic is when she discovers unusual or high-quality ingredients in the market. Probably only a couple of people know the details of her past.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-07 05:02 am (UTC)RPG DW account (if separate): n/a
How can we get in touch with you? (email, DW messaging, other): DW messaging, willing to share email & Discord with players if selected
Character name: Kandoir Shess
One-paragraph (100 words) summary of your character.
Shess is and aspires to be the proverbial jack of [not quite] all trades, with wide ranging interests (mostly inclining to the Nirai and Liozh side of things). They have a troubled relationship with ambition and publicity, having failed in a few personal ventures and being naturally somewhat fearful, but they also dream big about the galaxies of possibility out there, and like entertaining people despite the fear.
NOTE: In the following section, limit your answers to up to 100 words per question.
===
How did your character first learn of the hexarchate?
Their home planet (as yet unnamed by me), a quiet hive of agriculture and some minor industry, used to be in the heptarchate until, people say, a nearby conflict drove the border back. (Neither side was terribly concerned about the planet at the time.) In their home time, the hexarchate is in the process of reclaiming the stellar neighborhood, and there were frightful rumours of the Vidona...
Why did your character join this rebellion?
Having failed fairly disastrously (0% chicken survival rate, less than 5% yield of usable vegetables...) in an attempt to operate the family farm, Shess used part of their modest savings to leave the planet, realized the hexarchate was just as terrible as the rumours, and decided reluctantly they'd have to be one of the someones to do something about that.
What type of role would your character play in a mission?
Shess has done some amateur/school theatrics and would love to make a spectacle and distraction of themself by randomly taking on a part. But more realistically, doing small necessary errands and repairs, eavesdropping in public places, observing details of places/vehicles, and like, re/doing the math. Willing to help cook, even for most enemies. So: support.
What kinds of missions would your character like to see? (e.g. spying, opportunities for romance, intrigue, diplomacy, etc.)
Distraction, up to medium risk reconnaissance/spying, detective sidekick type amassing of information, or just. helping people. Usually willing to entertain/feed/etc. enemies, short of seduction. They respect the interests of Andan and Shuos factions, but find them difficult to tolerate en masse. Mostly could pass as a generic person, or one making a spectacle of themselves, rather than impersonate someone specific, but might actually manage to convincingly fake being a random Nirai for an hour.
What is your character's secret dream or desire, the one they've never told anyone?
Their dream life is basically exploring academic interests, occasionally getting into nonsense or frivolities, in a pastoral setting with some queerplatonic partners. However, they also read just enough of the right kind of sci-fantasy to make from that quest for knowledge and the potential for darkness in their own heart, a possible and distant specter [not totally unlike Kujen, but they don't know any details about him, if anything].
How will your character die?
(NOTE: I will not kill your character unless you pre-arrange it with me, but I may put you in a dangerous situation based on this.)
They thought growing up it would be from disease or the end of the world (thanks to a parent subscribing to a borderline heretical school of thought that claimed the calender was spiraling towards a deadline.) Now they joke that it would be some silly accident, like accidentally impaling oneself due to an animal underfoot or a banana peel. But Shess hopes they'd have the grace if cornered to give up their own life to protect other innocent or more helpful people.
Does your character have any powers that the hexarchate would consider "exotic" (magical)?
They have an idea, or two--maybe three or five if pressed, about how it might be possible to use exotic effects for certain math problems. (Like Cheris does in RG, which I haven't finished.) Too, Shess has a little intuition, but very limited, about functioning within some heretical calendars. (e.g. "don't think that formation is quite right for this calendrical terrain", less "yes, that's how you'd)
What do you (the player) enjoy most in an RPG?
I don't really know, having minimal experience. The last time I roleplayed much was in someone's side forum off Dibbuns Against Bedtime, like... 16-17 years ago? My guess is that it's not playing combat or romance, though.
You have 100 words to tell me anything else you want me and the other players to know about your character. Do it here.
Likely to tend to a Liozh signifier, when it's possible for that to come up.
Has a bit of talent for written languages; might know a few words of basic vocabulary or be able to guess what something in a related language says.
Candoir (family name) comes from a local word meaning "fool", "jester".
They futzed up the application process for higher ed and didn't go, but were inclined to study mathematics.
Shess has some pacifist sympathies, up until the point when you're attacked, but that doesn't rule out reformist escapades.
Re: Application - Shuos Neihan
Date: 2019-12-07 09:27 am (UTC)Application for Eddox
Date: 2019-12-07 06:21 pm (UTC)RPG DW account (if separate): N/A
How can we get in touch with you? (email, DW messaging, other): morgan.t.swim@gmail.com or Discord: Mawgs#2931
Character name: Umul Eddox
One-paragraph (100 words) summary of your character.
Eddox is a thirty year old alt from a low ranking Andan family of little importance with dreams of rebellion. They managed to graduate from Andan Academy through a series of bribes, false promises, sexual favors, and debts they hope to escape paying back. Charismatic and brash, they are as likely to appear the model Andan at one social event as they are likely to seem uncultured and crude at another. They care deeply about their large extended social circle, a group of talented misfits who society tends to shun due to their personal disabilities, lack of connections, or political beliefs.
NOTE: In the following section, limit your answers to up to 100 words per question.
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How did your character first learn of the hexarchate?
They were born a citizen of the Hexarchate and have always lived within it.
Why did your character join this rebellion?
Discontent with the social order due to growing up poor and was radicalized as a teenager after seeing friends murdered as collateral damage from faction fighting and politics.
What type of role would your character play in a mission?
Eddox is flexible, more of a jack of all trades than a master of any specific skill. Like any good Andan, they can be charming and excel at diplomacy and have a particular skill with languages and relations with aliens. I can see them being a wheel greaser, honey pot, or just general distraction while the rest of the team carries out other aspects of a mission.
What kinds of missions would your character like to see? (e.g. spying, opportunities for romance, intrigue, diplomacy, etc.)
Diplomatic and romantic focused missions would suit them best. They are decent with spying, but usually revert to it only when pressed.
What is your character's secret dream or desire, the one they've never told anyone?
A trio of spouses, preferably all of different genders. They play off that they are not romantically inclined and that marriage is abhorrent because they are afraid they can never achieve one based on love, but it is very much their true desire.
How will your character die?
(NOTE: I will not kill your character unless you pre-arrange it with me, but I may put you in a dangerous situation based on this.)
If Eddox is to die, it would be while saving a friend, close ally, or a spouse. They can fall into the martyr role easily, less from desire for glory or for principle, but because they often see themself as the least valuable member of any given group. They would not throw themself into a dangerous situation without calculation, but they would sacrifice themself if it was reasonably likely their death would save others.
Does your character have any powers that the hexarchate would consider "exotic" (magical)?
An ability to generate visual color fields either projected on their torso or a flat surface near to them. They developed it both for fashion and as a short hand for emotions and short phrases in tandem with their native sign language. They often use it as a party trick, but it can also be used for coded speech and can be useful with dealing with certain alien species.
What do you (the player) enjoy most in an RPG?
Fancy parties with beautiful clothes, people, and venues and where someone will likely get shot. Opportunities for witty dialogue and to get to know other players characters more intimately. I am fine with action scenes and high tension, but my favorite scenes are more intimate and focus on information gathering and social puzzles.
You have 100 words to tell me anything else you want me and the other players to know about your character. Do it here.
Eddox is deaf, their left ear completely so and their right partially. They wear a gold and diamond studded hearing aid as jewelry and as an assistive device. They are proud of their body in its natural state, refusing surgery and modifications both to restore their hearing and for cosmetic or gender related work. They are reasonably attractive, but their demeanor and confidence is what truly wins them allies and lovers. They love designer clothing, gambling, visual arts, and music. They have ruddy brown skin, rust colored hair and brown eyes, in absolute contradiction to traditional Andan beauty standards.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-08 04:24 pm (UTC)Hey, how would you feel about making Shess's calendrical math background more obviously impressive? Maybe they got really into it from a hobbyist standpoint and know tons of trivia, or something?
I ask because there's a particular game issue that comes up sometimes when you make a character who is too close to a realistic normal human, which is that they react to plot developments like a normal human would, for instance by hiding in their room and mentally screaming. This makes it harder to engage with other players. Being improbably good at something helps, because then we can set up situations demanding that specific skill!
no subject
Date: 2019-12-08 09:16 pm (UTC)Proceeding from the assumption that the original submission might be Shess's self-effacing self-description directed at someone they think is really an expert:
Picking up a lot of trivia would very much be a Shess sort of move. The idea count could be, I think, less an absolute count and more a per problem (type) sort of thing, but maybe it's coupled with a catalog of known common problems and some proficiency in manipulating problems into more tractable forms? So like "yes, you do this to solve [common problem A]!" but also "huh well [rare problem B] could also be seen as a variation of [other problem], I think one of these things ought to do it" and the latter works most of the time, but takes some time to do...(
ahhh my brain is stuck in the concerns of resource allocation games at the moment, thanks to a playthrough series I was watching)I think they probably aren't a whiz at practically implementing the calendar, either, because I'd say that's a different skill set, and not one they've practiced too much yet--like, 30% of here useful ones they understand and could do pretty competently; 50% (= adds another 20%) they at minimum could usually muddle through getting them working; and on 85% (= adds another 35%) they can provide at least some help.
I'm also tempted to suppose that what has hampered their formation intuition is mostly that there's one important concept they haven't yet quite grasped, which maybe currently means they can take a long while solving by inspection. But it's something they could pick up by research or meeting a teacher in the wider galaxy*. Maybe there's just some random insight they're missing that even could be commonly quoted [xkcd: "Ten Thousand"], but most people may not see the implications/understand why. And then there is always practice...
To recondense/revise this into (tentative) more application appropriate length:
They are pretty good at figuring out how to apply exotic effects to math problems and know techniques to do most/some** common problems this way. However, they aren't especially adept at implementing many of the calendars involved, plus unusual problems may occupy them for some length of time (typical estimate: 5 hours to 3 days). They have good intuition about functioning of formations or tech in heretical terrain, but as yet are also a little slow to find solutions rather than issues, due to poor understanding of a pivotal (haha) concept (hint hint).
*For lack of a more specific term, given the vagueness of the hexarchate, for spatial intermediate between stellar system and the whole universe. And well, in the case that the physics of the hexarchate universe is ...somehow wildly exotic to the point that usual astronomical divisions are questionable, it may be metaphorical.
**some common, for the set of all instances of math problems, but "most [of the] common problems", for the set of problems for which exotic effects are known to be useful.
This is already pushing the word count but: (Naturally, if the problem is easiest/as easy to do in high calendrical space, you'd rarely bother in practice about exotic calculations.)no subject
Date: 2019-12-08 09:18 pm (UTC)Re: Application for Eddox
Date: 2019-12-13 03:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-12-13 03:55 am (UTC)Re: Applcation: Zayit Dar
Date: 2019-12-13 03:56 am (UTC)NOTE: The current batch of new players will have been recruited either by the NPC leader Ashari (who
Re: Liozh Zillya
Date: 2019-12-13 03:57 am (UTC)Re: Application - Shuos Neihan
Date: 2019-12-13 03:58 am (UTC)Re: Application - Xiulan
Date: 2019-12-13 03:59 am (UTC)(Heh, it's been over a decade since I read the Starfisher books so I can't say I recall anything useful about them!)
no subject
Date: 2019-12-13 03:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-12-13 04:00 am (UTC)Re: application for Hana
Date: 2019-12-13 04:00 am (UTC)