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Mishhuvurthyar Workgroup Scope (Feedback Requested!)

Hollander

Hollander

Well-Known Member
Your feedback requested!

These are some heavy questions about the Mishhu, so please brace yourself before digging in! You don’t need to give feedback on each question unless you would like to.

What's This?
At the recent Delsaurian Discussion, it was proposed that the Mishhuvurthyar be the subject of the next update and revitalization effort. We felt it would be prudent to agree on the scope of the update in concrete terms, and to get community feedback on what should and shouldn’t be done. In that spirit, I’d appreciate yalls thoughts and recommendations on some of the following questions:

Should this project include the creation of an NPC page for Dr. Nobumoto Shinichiro? This character seems to be pretty important to the origins of the Mishhu, and he continues to be a plot-relevant character. Such an article might try to write out the highlights of his history and achievements, and we’d wikify mentions of him in other articles.

How much of the origins of the species should be explained in the Mishhu History section? It could mention Dr. Shinichiro’s involvement, and explain the Umbral link. Yea, nay?

How secret are the Mishhu origins, as far as the general galactic public is concerned? Is it known that they are the result of laboratory experiments on captured Umbrals? I feel that the species history should clarify whether this origin is commonly known by regular folks. If it did become known eventually, when?

The page for their SMN government (still current?) is very limited. Acknowledging that this may be deliberate, so that GM’s and writers aren’t restricted in how the Mishhu are used, do we want to keep this page as empty as it is? What kinds of updates does it need, if any?
https://wiki.stararmy.com/doku.php?id=faction:mishhuvurthyar:sfrarabla_nougpift

The SMX was the original military organization of the Mishhu, and to my understanding is now defunct. The NMX was the NEXT system of organization. Is the NMX still current? Or is the ‘Mishhuvurthyar Military’ the current organization? The Mishhuvurthyar Military article claims: “This page is the new hub for development of the nightmarish third generation of Mishhuvurthyar.” Is this accurate?
https://wiki.stararmy.com/doku.php?id=faction:mishhuvurthyar:military

Depending on the above, shall this workgroup update the SMX article (and potentially the NMX Article) to reflect their status as defunct organization systems? The information would remain, but text would be updated to indicate that it’s historical information, rather than current. Thoughts?
https://wiki.stararmy.com/doku.php?id=faction:mishhuvurthyar:smx

Which (if any) Mishhu NPCs should have their pages updated as part of this project? Not all pages are arranged according to the character template.
https://wiki.stararmy.com/doku.php?id=faction:mishhuvurthyar:characters

Should we update any of the articles related to the 2012 XSS Tiavareth plot? Writers may come along and look to this content for inspiration and ideas. Referring to these articles:
https://wiki.stararmy.com/doku.php?do=search&id=start&q=xss+tiavareth

Is XSS the ship prefix for all Mishhu vessels?

Sprufnikkamazzar’s character page states that he “was a member of the Mishhuvurthyar assimilation sub-faction”. I can’t seem to find anything else about this sub-faction. Is there more information out there about Mishhu politics and factions?
https://wiki.stararmy.com/doku.php?id=characters:mishhuvurthyar:sprufnikkamazzar

Should this workgroup update the three Wars articles as well? We could at least conform them to the Events template, and wikify them further if they aren’t well linked. Get some dates in there, make sure major events that were part of those wars are listed, etc.

And that’s it! We are not yet recruiting for the workgroup yet, but we will once we’ve got the Scope of the project figured out. Cheers, and thanks for your feedback!
 
There’s a lot to go through here but wanted to get this one cleared up quick:

Hollander said:
The SMX was the original military organization of the Mishhu, and to my understanding is now defunct.
Click to expand...

The SMX and NMX are different military organizations run by different Mishhu warlords. Both still exist last I checked, and can be utilized together or individually in RP. Basically the SMX fought the First Mishhu War and failed, so the Umbrals/SNM government/powers that be allowed a different overlord to go in with their NMX military.

There are doctrinal and equipment differences between the two. But at this point they’re all kind of “the Mishhu” when presented in RP.
 
As far as I know, the SMX were still using the original (NH-19) Mishhuvurthyar, with the NMX employing the advanced, parasite, crab, and the other variants we've recently seen. Would coming up with an progression path for them be worthwhile, one that reflects their separate way of doing things?

My own spider mishhu was based on the MHV weapon, so it would be from the NMX side. I really haven't been able to find an RP entry point or immediately subsequent future for them yet, so they're just an idea with a finished article waiting for a real reason to exist, which maybe will eventually happen.
 
I already asked Wes for permission to tackle the Mishhuvurthyar tentacle rework and would appreciate being able to take that on. My plot focuses heavily on the history of the Mishhu, umbral, and where they currently stand in that regard. I am working on updating the GM forum with a place Mishhuvurthyar are coming from now, something I worked extensively with @Fred on. I had questions for him about the government I was going to field soon but I do believe the page will need updating. Things got tossed up in the last war and they're in a different place with less of their original members.

But because that place is only being hinted at in my plot, I'm going to not go into it much on public-facing posts to keep the mystery alive. You can count on me for tentacles, politics, and writing a lot about the Mishhuvurthyar as they are now so having a huge dog in this race. Please update with scheduled VC meeting times and I'll be there to help lead the discussion into what they are and can be.
 
I definitely want Ame's tentacles updates and preferably the others too to be codified and hard canon before I even think about introducing my variant, at a minimum, plus anything else that comes out of this working session, especially when both ame and raz took the time to really go over that article and ask questions make suggestions and generally critique it.
 
Yuuki said:
I definitely want Ame's tentacles updates and preferably the others too to be codified and hard canon before I even think about introducing my variant, at a minimum, plus anything else that comes out of this working session
Click to expand...
Out of curiosity, what do the tentacle updates entail? I personally am quite fond of how they currently are.
 
At the time that the Mishu were proposed as the next species to be reviewed, during the last call, I wasn’t aware of the fact that tentacles and history and more were already being worked on. I should have put out a public ask first to see if anyone already had this in their sights! I apologize.

Given the fact that there’s already a plan in place to update some or more of the Mishu-relevant pages, I withdraw from this update effort, and from what I proposed to do in the first post of this thread.

The questions I asked in the first post might still help identify items to shore up in the Mishu pages, perhaps!

Again, sorry!
 
There's a lot you proposed that isn't being worked on. Actually, I said I want to work on something you didn't talk about at all. What's more, the things I mentioned doing are RP-specific. The wiki side of things could use an update. From what I've heard, Wes asked for this update and wants it and I back him on believing the Mishhu need history updating as well as community discussion on what people want from them in the coming war. You're not going to get that by me RPing a single plot, letting GMs know a direction for the politics of the new Mishhu threat, and updating one article.
 
Yes, I think Wes proposed working on this with full knowledge of what Ame is doing. There is a lot more than that and it will have to be carefully coordinated to all come together seamlessly with her effort and the efforts of any others. This one is just a Big Deal and the more we do to get it right the better the setting is for it.
 
It's a Really Big Deal, yeah. I think it will require a lot of cooperation and nothing too hard set while people think and discuss possibilities. It's something that will affect all of our RP as we're all in a war with them and all have been very excited to be. We're just extra passionate about these guys, Hollander.
 
You should definitely still do your thing, @Hollander. All that was noted is that the tentacle article was already being worked on, which I said in the VC text chat when this whole thing was planned.

Still lookin’ forward to a Mishhu discussion by you.
 
yeah Raz would've objected in the meeting if it was like that
 
I'm punctual as ever. x_x

Can't get over "Ame, I want to know more about your tentacles" xD

As a subject matter expert, I'll chirp in on the things I know, or established on my end.
However, take it with a grain of salt; I'm not sure of the canonicity of my plot.


Nobumoto Shinichiro
Shinichiro's involvement with the details of the Mishhu creation were alluded to in one of SARP's flagship plots, the YSS Sakura. So, even if not all of the details are for public consumption, I would perceive these points would be salient to his own bio and the Mishhuvurthyar backstory (pertaining to the NH-19 bodies).

I've seen two-or-three takes on Shinichiro's activities ever since the Sakura plot's PNUgen raid, but they did not always appear consistent/in best portrayal. I intended to use Shinichiro, so, I pondered it for awhile, and I came to the decision to make everyone right.

One consistent take on Shinichiro was that since making the nekovalkyrja and studying the Umbral to make the NH-19, something drew him toward studies beyond the scope of humankind. I think possibilities opened for him and that he moved to something beyond common comprehension. Or, at least, that's the vibe I got from him from the few allusions Wes made. I had no way of confirming Wes' plans with Shinichiro since he was always vague about it to me (I chose to believe there was nothing firm or enthusing for Wes to do with Shinichiro at the time), but what I wanted - if I took a stab at him, was to not ruin Wes' involvement in the character if he wished to use him.

My take on Shinichiro, Adam, is part of a "think tank" comprised of many different version of Shinichiro with different fields of study. Pushing a bit on the Nietzchean concept of the OverMan, I kind of painted him as the mastermind behind the activities of some of the characters I've previously taken control of as antagonist - such as Kikyo and Eve. So far as my antagonists are concerned, he's the manager of experiments in the Kikyo sector where humankind is concerned.


Public knowledge on Mishhuvurthyar origins
I don't think the true story is very widespread; and likely limited to the crew of specific ships/squadrons and members of the admiralty. I doubt even anyone amongst the outer echelons of SAINT have much on the complete picture (or can get pretty far investigating before getting to 'classified' documentation).

Objectively, it's just not a good slogan to give to most officers, soldiers and crew members of an army. There's nothing bombastic to use there where the recruitment process is involved. In the Star Army's open drive to eradicate the Mishhuvurthyar - there's little in the way of shades of grey. You do it to protect your nation, to eradicate disgusting creatures that might kill you and your own... and it doesn't suit much purpose to know that you have more in common with the monsters than you would have normally thought.

There's some rumors and allusions here and there, but that's the work of lies coming from the enemy's mouth or conspiracy theories from those wanting to take Yamatai down a peg. Right? :)


The Sfrarabla Mishhuvurthyar Nougpift
Last they were used, they were under Melisson's command, and they were pulled out.

The War Council Melisson was part of was in a 8-year long term of a conflict which regulated by a political agreement called "The Doctrine of Retribution". Blaming the whole of Yamatai for the actions of PNUgen (an easy mistake to make at the time), The SMX military was meant to wage war and bring Yamati to its knees in order to make them feel 'sorry'. Visit upon them the 'atrocities' they visited on others. There was pain, death, injury, torture and more because that's what the Mishhu had learned from humankind and it was visited upon the latter in spades.

But the goal, once the Mishhuvurthyar were mollified by victory - was always integration into humankind. The Mishhuvurthyar were single minded beings like humans, and belonged more in human society than amongst the Umbral. However, a problem in communication during Melisson's wished-for 'magnum opus', the first International Relations Conference, lead to her phony demand for surrender being rejected by Prince Tio. Rather than in doing her backstage dealings with Prince Tio, she did it with a Yamataian Senator, and when she aired her demand... rather than answering with complicity he answered with outrage.

That pretty much killed her efforts there. So, when she left, she resolved to act quickly and pulled the SMX out of the fighting. It was in the last year of the Doctrine of Retribution, so, she didn't see herself making the finish line anymore, o her objective was to preserve as much of Mishhuvurthyar as she could before her political rival would turn them into tools for his agenda.

The New Mishhuvurthyar Military

Starting a coupe of years later, the NMX surfaced. My segway to them was that once the Doctrine of Retribution exhausted its 8 years that a Umbral warlord or much more warlike inclination - Reiaz'ralph -would come and take over, with a Doctrine of Annihilation - humankind were proven vermin and they were to be squashed rather than humored as follow sentient creatures.

I don't think Wes was quite on the same degree of understanding as I was for the purposes of the Doctrines, and he ended up making his own, the Doctrine of Assimilation. which was kind of Yo-yo'ing around the point. My headcanon was that the Umbral civilian government wasn't yet ready to make this proxy war something so dire as the more warlike amongst them pushed for, and went for something more moderate that would repurpose and adapt enemy assets - hence, Wes' Doctrine of Assimilation. Therefore, Sprufnikkamazzar would have been meant to take over for another 8 years (I don't recall Sprufnikkamazzar'S fate, but the Doctrine of Assimilation itself should have concluded in the couple of months after the Battle of Yamatai through defeat/retreat).

Reiaz'ralph and his Doctrine of Annihilation was the last antagonist I was gunning for. He's probably the one in the Umbral government that is pushing for our destruction and Sprufnikkamazzar was probably one of his partisans. For me, it makes sense that - with what I've seen of the stuff you guys are gearing up towards, that he's the one that pushed for it.

Okay, so what about the SMX?
My perception is that the standard Mishhu as depicted on the initial flags of the SMN are the NH-19. As in, living sentient neko-tanks with tentacles. PNUgen grew them in a restricted and exacting environment, which was why the first batch had little reason to see humankind with anything other than fear or anger. But beyond that they've got everything they need to be a sentient creature like a neko. NH-19 raised in settings with more clemency could be just as carefree as Tachikomas from Ghost in the Shell.

My perception is that whomever made the new NMX bodies did the Mishhu a bad turn by offering more power to the still fearful/still hateful, and giving them bodies purely disposed towards combat with no needs for a life beyond conflict. Previously, they were driven by vengeance to claim their lives in soceity, and then as NMX they just turned into demonic war engines with no scope beyond destruction.

I think, for the original breed of SMX, that the NMX are abominations of a kind. The NH-19 themselves are the result of nekovalkyrja being purposed more for combat... and their new Umbral master - unlike Mom (Melisson) - was not out to further their agency, and instead did even worse than PNUgen. The establishment of the NMX is where I could have seen the SMX lose faith in most Umbral and recluse themselves from conflict.

It doesn't change that they dislike human society for what's been done to them, but it's mostly a matter of survival now, where they probably turn to the Gray Mishhuvurthyar (those that could phase) for leadership and cultural guidance as they try to become 'a people'.

Of course, if Yamatai doesn't distinguish between the NMX and the SMX... the SMX are in outdated ships and in lesser numbers. If it becomes a matter of survival once again, it might occur to some that - even though the Neo Mishhu are abominations... they are powerful abominations that can stand up to Yamatai. That's a lot of food for thought.

SMX Battlegroups
Back when Melisson was leading her fleet, these are the battlegroups I made to represent her efforts:

Mishhu Battle Fleet Content (1100 vessels total)

~ 1 Fleet Core Battlegroup (140)
~ 3 Command Battlegroups (150)
~ 12 Assault Battlegroups (360)
~ 9 Balanced Battlegroups (270)
~ 6 Skirmish Battlegroups (180)

===

Melisson's forward taskforce (1 command, 1 assault, 1 skirmish)

Originally Remaining (post-Taiie)
Battleships 12 9
Carriers 15 12
Gunships 36 26
Destroyers 23 18
Scoutships 24 19
110 84

Total assets: 1 Command, 4 Assault, 3 Balanced, 2 Skirmish (320 vessels)
===

Mishhuvurthyar Fleet Core Battlegroup (140)

13 Battleships
19 Carriers
45 Gunships
33 Destroyers
30 Scoutships

Mishhuvurthyar Command Battlegroup (50)

2 Battleships
6 Carriers
14 Gunships
16 Destroyers
12 Scoutships

Mishhuvurthyar Assault Battlegroup (30)

9 Battleships
9 Carriers
6 Gunships
4 Destroyers
2 Scoutships

Mishhuvurthyar Balanced Battlegroup (30)

1 Battleships
4 Carriers
9 Gunships
10 Destroyers
6 Scoutships

Mishhuvurthyar Skirmish Battlegroup (30)

1 Battleship
3 Destroyers
10 Scoutships
16 Gunships



Probably no longer relevant, but here they are if you want them.
 
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