Azorean Discussion

[Fay]

https://wiki.stararmy.com/doku.php?id=azoreans

Yeah, I am pretty much finished with them, I think. I need to work on their history many, but I just come to a total blank... Any help with that would be appreciated. Mr. Green

For first contact, I was thinking that either a ship of a certain faction crash landed on their homeworld. Either that, or a common enemy (the Reds or Myshuu, for example) tried to attack their homeworld for plunder, raping, or whatever they do to their prey worlds. However, I haven't talked to either Wes or Uso about this yet, so I will have to discuss that with them. ^_^ I would like this to be a discussion for now, so I can perfect them from all of your input! Smile Thanks for your time! Cool

Btw, I could also use... maybe an assistant or something. I won't say co-GM, because they probably won't have their own playable faction. They'll integrate into another faction.

Does anyone have an opinion on this?

It looks kinda.... sparse... for something that's finished.

Aside from that, let's see... Ah, yes. How can a species be a viable star traveler, and still believe in creation? What happened in their society to make this such a norm? in such a blunt spoken species how can a complex religion exist?

Why do they have 'hair' in the first place? Why not be hairless? They're water dwellers, not amphibians right? Why do they look remotely hominid? They're water dwellers. Human figures are *not* as suited to water as they are to land.

How come they're so light? How long/tall are they? Why do they have lungs?

Yamatians and neko come from the same place, sire.

Why do they even NEED clothing? what enviromental conditions caused that set of cultural expectations?

Art: please come up with a better description then 'like anime'.

If they swim so well, and live underwater, why do they have boats?

With such.... primitive... industry, how did they launch satalights?

Religion: Religion and science aren't mutually exclusive. For example, the Christian Fundamentalists are fanatical about their religion, but they have no problem using M1 Abrams tanks in Iraq.

Hair: He mentioned the fact the hair actually plasters around the head as a "swimming cap". If it spread out and grasped the shoulders, it could reduce a lot of the swimming drag. As for "why", it seems he does need a viable reason, so history needs some work. Possible solutions: maybe it's an archaic evolutionary tendency if they have some ancestry from traditional mammals, jellyfish like stingers as a defense mechanism, maybe it carries a sort of plankton that produces oxygen...yeah, you need to make some viable reason for it to be there.

Lungs: Again, needs some sort of justification from an evolutionary standpoint. Like the hair thing, you may need to say they evolved (or currently are) an amphibious species as opposed to a purely aquatic one to justify these mammal-like traits.

Clothes: I imagine wetsuits might be useful in colder environments, or to better blend in with surroundings in certain parts of the ocean, or so on. I'm uncertain if he needs to explain "why" they have clothes, since all other species get away with not justifying it.

Boats: Why did every other species leave their realms and venture into space? Just 'cause they could.

Spacefight: Well, if they're mining durandium, I'm sure orbital spaceflight isn't beyond them. Though it does still need fleshing out in that regard, and technology as a whole.

My largest concern, however, is that SoldierSide has been known to disappear for days, if not weeks, at a time. His "recent post" search indicates he often has gaps of days, if not a week+ at a time in his activity. Unless he has a co-GM, or can prove to be a bit more active, I'm not sure this race should be approved.

Religion: I still want to know the cultural why...

Names: What do the names sound like, in general?

Lifecycle: Explain why it evolved like this, in your mind, please. What environmental factors do you think caused this. was there deliberate self modification?

Alright, I will look all of this over and answer all of these questions... hopefully soon. I will be active much more after the 24th, and I apologize for my recent absences.

It is after the 24th....You still here?

Zakalwe
Apparently he's going to be having trouble with his internet for the next month or so, explaining his lack of activity on the Phoenix.

I don't mean this as a personal insult again him, but if I recall correctly this is the second time Soldier Side said he'd return from inactivity and hasn't. Unless he can start showing a reliable record of activity so he can GM these guys (or finds someone else active to GM for him), I would recommend this submission be not approved.

I'm sorry. My brother smashed our modem with a bat in a fit of rage... However, we have a new one now, so I will be here more. I'm terribly sorry about the disappearances of late. *sigh* I'll need to work back all of your trust.. So, I'll put this aside until that date arrives.

Although - YAY YOU'RE BACK FOR THE FLAMING BIRD. Just as I'm possible leaving! Sort of!

I decided to bring this up because I have some answers for some questions.

 

[Fay]

1) I had an idea about their appearance to make them look similar to Warcraft's Murlocks, but I feared a copyright lawsuit from Blizzard and a banning from you guys. What do you guys think?
2) I'm working on a solution for the hair. Algae-based that has a purpose for both under and above the water.
3) Their bones are cartilaginous. That reduces their weight significantly. I believe their height us already in the wiki.
4) Maybe they evolved from a shark-whale hybrid? That would explain the lungs. I will probably eliminate the gills because of the new algae hair.
5) What is that about the Yamataians and Nekos? >.>;;
6) Clothing is not necessarily a need, even though it would keep them warm in and out of the water. Many cultures wear clothing because it is just part of their culture.
7)I will change the art. I believe that I have some ideas.

Hopefully, this will help. ^_^

This species is still under discussion. It is not ready for approval at this time.

 

[Fay]

Ok, I think that this can be picked apart again. I'd rather have the rest of it done before I even start on the history. I did fill out the Evolution a bit, though. :mrgreen:

 

[Kim]

I will take a look at this once I get back from shooting tonight. Because... SARPG is more entertaining than my CSI homework.

 

[Fay]

Ok, Kim. ^_^ I'll start working on the history a little to get a good idea of what I would like to happen.

Edit: Ok, brainstormed on the IRC and got a few good ideas. So, I've done changes! Let me know when you get back, Kim! ^_^

 

[Kim]

Okay, my main concerns:


BOATS
They are mostly an aquatic race but there's talk about fishing boats- is there a surface subspecies of this planet? I'd like to hear more about what they do on the surface of the planet. I would also like to know a little about what these boats look like, and how they watch windsurfing if they live under the surface of the water.

You also mention that they couldn't travel between the citystates before the invention of the windsurfing boats. Again, do they live on the water or under it? If they do both, that'd explain why they are slightly amphibious bipedal creatures. How come they don't have anything that functions for transportation under the water since I thought it was their primary environment?

ART
I also think that being underwater wouldn't prevent them from creating art, as art is in the eye of the beholder. Since they are an aquatic species, I don't see traditional paper and paint as a viable medium for their creativity. I do see using what resources they have available like mud, kelp, shells, etc to create something they define as beautiful. I'm not really digging the "anime" thing as a description for their style of portrait art, I can see using the terminology of "caricatures" or "exaggerated facial features" but not specifically the word "anime".

SPORT
They think the windy surface is awesome, great, but since they primarily live in the water, how come they don't do anything cool in their regular environment?

NAMES
I like the idea of a vision quest, but how do these names tend to sound? The names of their Goddesses sound a little bit too... Final Fantasy. I recognize Ursula as classic mythical name but Aeris? Could you make 'em sound less... human?

I would think that living underwater would mean that they form words and sounds a little differently, so it'd be safe to start using non-standard sounding names. Remember, whales and dolphins make a different set of sounds than we do. You can spell out the name using sounds and then cook up something that it could be translated to into Nepleslian.

BIOLOGY
Aside from the points I have brought up, their actual biology has me puzzled because they look more like humans with a flat nose and gills that lay eggs. Odd but I can live with it. I would like to see some more traits from what they evolved from since right now the eggs sacks and the cartilage as opposed to bones seem to be the only fishy traits they have.
I think, part of what you want them to be like can kinda be found in current odd species: look up the snakehead fish. That thing is a predatory fish that can WALK on its fins across land to other bodies of water and can survive out of the water for weeks. It might help you figure out how to balance the lungs/gills thing a little better.

But the actual biology of it... it's not my field. ^^;

WAR
You mention something about massive battles but nothing about that facet of their culture. Any more information you can give me on it? How has their tendency towards war effected their technology? How do the citystates interact with each other? That sort of thing.

They seem like they could be a good encounter race, maybe someone comes across their satellites? As they are exploring other portions of space. It's not a bad idea, still a little rough around the edges but we can keep improving on the idea. =)

 

[Fay]

I now will answer your concerns:

BOATS

Boats might be hard to explain. They might be used more after their initial discovery.

They could watch the windsurfing by simply popping their heads out of the water. However, the strong wind would bring strong waves, too. So, I wouldn't know if that could work or not.

If I wanted to use submersible vehicles, I would probably have to describe them and eventually get pictures of them. That would be a little of a hassal for now. Maybe primary transportation between citystates could be by training a certain type of sea creature? That would explain why not many Azoreans travel. The breeding and training of these creatures would be difficult.

I might have a few citystates above the surface. This would aid in communicating with other species a bit. Plus, those surface-dwelling Azoreans could be considered... 'odd' by the rest of Azorean society.

ART

Sorry about that. I had a little writer's block on this subject. I'll probably go with your kelp and shells idea and add some scales and fish bones as well.

SPORT

Hm... I probably will put swimming contests, water ballet (for the ladies), and a fish hunt (for the men).

NAMES

'kay, I understand you concern here. Most of the goddess names I used were either from certain mythologies or slightly modified from video games. Though, I do not remember if I got any of them from Final Fantasy or not. ^_^

Yeah, underwater, they make vibrations using their 'voices'. I might have to go swimming and talk underwater for a while. Haha!

BIOLOGY

Biology isn't really my thing either. I am having a hard time getting their evolution to work because I don't really see the truth in it. I took out their gills and replace it with the algae hair. Wait... snakehead exist? o.o I thought that was just a movie! xD

WAR

The history is yet to be completed, but I hope to add a massive war that eventually united all of the citystates under an unstable monarchy, severally maimed one citystate, and completely annihilated another one.

Well, tech-wise, they the only projectile weapons they have are crude harpoon guns. Slugs wouldn't go very far and lasers would be too hot for underwater use. Are there any other kinds of projectile weapons?

The citystates are 'icy' towards each other, but they will still send aid if one is in peril. I am thinking that a division will occur between the Azoreans loyal of Yamatai and the loyalists of Nepleslia. The royal family could be split as well, lol. For a first encounter, maybe the Reds colonize the planet as a supply outpost and try to suppress the Azoreans. Then, the Greens rescue them. Or change the roles with the Myshuu and the SAoY. Whichever would work better for the roleplay.

Yes, let the improving commense! =)

 

[Fay]

Ok, Kim. I think that the Azoreans are ready to be looked at again. Once you think the rest of the article is okay, I'll plug in their history for analysis.

 

[Kim]

I know we've discussed a few more things as ideas. =) Keep working on this, it's shaping up nicely. I know you're trying to think of other methods for power but don't forget, if you into deep enough water- you'll find naturally glowy stuff that can be used for light sourcing or power (underwater steam vents). Don't be afraid to think outside of the box to use naturally occurring phenomenon for your race. The goal isn't to create an underwater version of what we have right now (though some of those concepts in a different way would be neat). =)

 

[Fay]

Heh, I'll do that. I forgot that about the steam vents. I'll need to do some research on those 'glowy things' to actually figure out what they are. Thinking of an alien environment is hard. You always want to think about it in a human perspective. This is a good chance to improve on my creativity.

 

[Fay]

Ok, I tried to work some outside the box magic! I managed to figure out that those glowy things could be either organic creatures that glow, or crystals of sorts. I will probably go with the crystals. ^^ I have also managed to create the Azorean version of the Internet! Lol... a little more primitive than what we have, but still workable. ^_^ What do you think?

 

[Nevaraon]

I was wondering, what do they use for their weapons? I doubt using most guns underwater would work. Lasers just might work but I'd be iffy on that.

 

[Fay]

They mostly use melee weapons. As you said, most projectile weapons would be ineffective underwater. Also, the high winds above the surface would cause great inaccuracy. Lasers would be too hot to me. They'd just evaporate the water really fast! o.o I wouldn't know of any other projectile weapons to use, other then harpoon guns.

 

[Wes]

Sonic guns?

 

[Fay]

Sonic guns? Hm... that would probably be extremely deadly underwater. It would deafen the enemy at least. How do sonic guns work?

 

[Wes]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_weap ... underwater

 

[Fay]

Now, that is quite interesting. I don't think any other species uses sonic weapons, do they? That would be an interesting weapon. One question, though, would it be effective in space, too? Or would they have to start using different weapons once they venture into space?

 

[Exhack]

Not in space. Remember, "In space, no one can hear you scream..."

 

[Fay]

Sound still passes through space, I think. (Example: Radio waves can be sent through space). You just can't hear it because of the void, or something like that.

 

[Strangelove]

Sounds are vibrations. Radio is a type electromagnetic wave (like light, ultraviolet light, infrared, microwaves, xrays, gamma...etc). Hence light can pass through void, but sound cannot; absolute nothingness cannot "vibrate" as is needed to carry sounds.