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APPLICATIONS.
APPLICATIONS ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED.
Applications open on July 24 at 12:01AM EST. Please post your applications on this page!
You may app up to two characters per round. The total amount of characters you may have at this time is four. You may have two characters from the same canon, however these characters can not have met or will have no reason to do so in the future. We will decide this on a case-by-case basis.
Reserves are not a requirement. However, a reserve is an excellent way to state your intentions and to give us a heads up to research your canon and character so that we can process it faster.
If you are asked for revisions, then you have seventy-two hours to reply to the comment with what we have asked.
If you would like details on a rejection then you may PM the mod account or reply to the comment and we will be as detailed as possible.
Applications open on July 24 at 12:01AM EST. Please post your applications on this page!
You may app up to two characters per round. The total amount of characters you may have at this time is four. You may have two characters from the same canon, however these characters can not have met or will have no reason to do so in the future. We will decide this on a case-by-case basis.
Reserves are not a requirement. However, a reserve is an excellent way to state your intentions and to give us a heads up to research your canon and character so that we can process it faster.
If you are asked for revisions, then you have seventy-two hours to reply to the comment with what we have asked.
If you would like details on a rejection then you may PM the mod account or reply to the comment and we will be as detailed as possible.
_________applications. ooc info; Name: (Your online handle.)Age: (Your age. Unfortunately, players below the age of 16 are not allowed.) Ways to contact: (Email, AIM, Plurk, etc.) Characters currently played: (List of characters currently played in the game. Character limit is currently 4.) character info; Character Name: (Your character's full name, in Western order. The characters may call themselves whatever they wish ICly, but for organization's sake we need this.)Canon: (Name of your character's canon.) Canon Link: (Link to your character's history/canon, i.e. wikipedia articles/informative fansites/etc.. If it's a particularly obscure canon with very little information available, you may write your own section to give us an overview of your character's history and world background.) Canon Point: (The point from which your character is pulled i.e. chapter 500, just before the final battle, after confessing their eternal love, etc.) Character Age: (Your character's age, or approximation thereof. Characters of all ages are allowed, though we request that if a character is under the age of 10, you fill out an additional section detailing their suitability for living in a post-apocalyptic world.) Character Suitability: (For characters under the age of 10 only. We need to know why the Caretakers would think such a young child would be strong enough to survive a zombie-infested earth and help to rebuild the world.) Personality: (The meat of the app. Tell to us your character's motivations, their likes and dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, relationships, and anything else you think is important in letting us know what makes them tick. A bunch of words doesn't always mean a good application, and we won't ask for an college essay, but we do require that this section be at least 350 words long, to show us you know what you're talking about and can elaborate appropriately.) Powers & Abilities: (Briefly describe any supernatural powers or abilities your characters may have i.e. healing spells, super strength, teleportation. Their powers will, of course, be severely dampened upon arriving, but perhaps, if seen as worthy, they can wake up to find it more potent than before.) Items on their Person: (List any items you character would have had with them upon being taken. Your character has to be holding or touching these items somehow for them to be brought with them. For example, items in the pockets of clothing or in a backpack will be brought along with you. Summoned weapons will also be brought, but they cannot be put back.) samples; ALL SAMPLES MUST BE SET IN THE GAME'S UNIVERSE.First Person Sample: (This is to showcase your character's dialogue, so while you may use [bracket action] when needed, this should be at least 5 spoken sentences. Remember, a sentence has to have a subject and a verb. Monosyllabic sounds do not count toward the minimum. If you're having difficulty thinking up a sample, you may request a Q&A for this portion instead, where we will give you 5 questions to be answered ICly.) Third Person Sample: (This is a prose portion, meant to showcase your character's thoughts and actions, as well as your own writing ability. Samples must be at least 300 words. Remember to use proper spelling, grammar, and paragraphs.) Additional Information: (Questions, comments, and additional miscellaneous facts about your character may be added here!) | ||
David 8 | Prometheus | challenge reserve
Name: Ryu
Age: 26
Ways to contact:
Characters currently played: None.
Character Info;
Character Name: David 8
Canon: Prometheus
Canon Link: Prometheus, David 8
Canon Point: From the end of the film.
Character Age: Unspecified, but looks, sounds and (mostly) acts like he's near 35. David is a robot, and as such doesn't age. Furthermore, as only one of a whole line of models exactly like him, it's hard to estimate when this particular David 8 unit was produced. But since he's a top of the line prototype model, it's a safe bet that David is actually somewhere under 5 years old. There's no canon indication of how long he's been activated, but it'd have to be at least 2 years.
Character Suitability: David is technically under the age of 10, but his intellectual and emotional maturity rate much older. In fact, he was even advertised as suitable for situations that humans would find emotionally or mentally distressing.
Personality
David's interest in Lawrence of Arabia goes beyond simply tailoring himself after the hero, and it reaches deeper than Weyland's implied enjoyment of the story. David identifies heavily with the themes of being an individual who is so strikingly different from the people surrounding him. Lawrence goes on to become the most important person in this setting, despite being a foreigner. He is adored and immediately appreciated and loved for his genius. In this respect, David's interest in T. E. Lawrence is a classic power fantasy, which is a bit unusual for a robot but makes perfect sense considering David's issues. The early ideas in the movie would satisfy his feelings of isolation, and his craving for not only acceptance, but appreciation.
However, that isn't the end of it. Lawrence as a character is a much more complicated hero than that, considering that he doesn't win. Not historically, and not in the film either. Lawrence suffers greatly, is abused, and loses control over himself and his emotions. This contrasts sharply with David, who must behave in a controlled manner at all times, regardless of his own feelings. There is a particular scene near the third act where Lawrence has an emotional breakdown, wherein he laments that he will never belong in Arabia. Regardless of his love for it, or Arabia's love for him, he will never be part of it because he's white and English. He's restricted by the body he was born into. This scene has a few implied layers to it, but David likely had a whole different interpretation of these heartbroken lines. David is literally restricted by his physical self. He cannot choose to be anything he wants, and he cannot do what he wants, because of what he is. While pinching his own flesh, Lawrence says of a man: "This is the stuff that decides what he wants."
The movie is perhaps a reflection of both what David thinks he deserves (appreciation of his intelligence and skill), and what he is resigned to receive instead. David does have emotions, feelings, and an ego, and perhaps even the smallest bit of fledgeling empathy. Of course, his empathy seems restricted to one fictional character whom he shares a great deal in common with. It's unlikely that without all these strong parallels that David would be able to sympathize as effectively with Lawrence, and his expression of it is infantile. He cannot effectively express his emotions about the movie and its star, but he understands him (or believes he does, in his own way), and so he begins to style himself after Peter O'Toole. He sees kinship there, and his conclusion is to adopt the actor's mannerisms. David would likely have a hard time sympathizing with any real human, and seems unwilling to show clear and genuine affection for any of them. However, his affection for Lawrence (or at least the idea of him) is clear, because there is no threat of Lawrence treating him as the other humans do. Even in the case where he arguably has an interest in a particular human, such as Shaw, his conclusion is not to treat her with friendliness.
In Shaw's case, David is uncomfortable at best, and threatening at worst. It's likely that this is a reflection of David being more honest with her, so to speak. He shows more of his internal workings, which reveal someone who is frustrated, resentful, bitter and unfriendly. He had grown accustomed to his time alone, and then when his solitude was broken by the humans waking up, he received no acknowledgement from them. He's constantly reminded of his shortcomings, while his strengths are never appreciated. He expresses his frustration very indirectly, as dictated by his programming which makes him nonthreatening and inoffensive. As a result, David often comes off as passive aggressive, smug or uncomfortably calm even when saying terrible things. This contrast is the result of his developing behaviors working their way around his enforced behaviors, and that struggle in and of itself has become a facet of David's growing personality.
Shaw's attitude toward him is polite (although as unattached as any of the other crew members), but her unanswerable questions are memorable to him, so she becomes markedly different from the others in David's experience. She inspires some intellectual curiosity in him, as her dreams are full of questions that can't be answered with facts. David does appear to be a little fascinated by religion, although he is also very derisive about it. His interest stems not from a yearning for faith, but through not being able to understand how a logical mind can reconcile with such an illogical belief system. His interest in Shaw doesn't translate to respect, however, and in fact, it seems to result in him behaving in a way that is even more combative toward her than any of the other crew members. David's interpretations of his own feelings are as atypical as his reaction to his adoration of Lawrence of Arabia. David is still atrocious at comprehending and expressing his emotions toward others, which results in these somewhat childish reactions.
Curiosity is an important personality trait for David to possess, since it contributes to his ability to be self-motivating and to seek out productive tasks even in the absence of a human to direct him. David enjoys independent learning and discovery, and feels gratification when he finds something new or solves a puzzle. He does all this arguably for his own enjoyment, rather than for the sake of a human, which creates a dependable drive to work on his own. However, with the way that this particular David unit has developed, he is often most at ease when left to his own devices. His interactions with humans are often benign, but can quickly descend into discomfort.
Regardless, David is programmed to obey an important primary directive: he can harm no human, nor allow any human to perish as a result of his inaction. He holds fast to this, but David is still an independent mind, and a more complex one than he's often given credit for. The way that he approaches his orders as well as the actions of people around him is nuanced, and as such, he can take advantage of what one might consider loopholes or alternate interpretations. This isn't to say that David could or would attack a human on a technicality, but he does endanger them based on wording, and would feel no guilt for doing so. When Weyland goads him to "try harder" and test the black substance found in the cave, David is prompted to experiment on his human counterparts. He arguably doesn't know that it's deadly, and chooses to interpret Holloway's statement that he would do "anything" for the answers he seeks as a sort of permission to subject him to the test. Therefore, technically, David was not contradicting his programming, although he's self-aware enough to know he is cheating the system. Holloway was chosen because he was an easy target, but also because he fell victim to David's vindictiveness and frustrations.
Despite being supposedly "emotionless", David is notably poor at obscuring his own feelings. He's not programmed with much need for, or interest in, subversion of that particular variety. He's not subtle when he's irritated with his human companions, and he's adept enough at nuanced expressions that he can effect a clearly unfriendly smile. However, no one onboard the Prometheus pays much attention to whether or not their android, a thing that is essentially just an appliance, is happy or trustworthy. As the film goes on, exposure to the human crew causes him to act in ways that are increasingly unique and animated, likely as a result of processing and imitating their behavior. His posture as well as his relationship with his own emotions becomes more and more lifelike, although never quite human.
And yet David absolutely has real emotions, despite his programmers assuming he does not. The way he handles them is what's alien, rather than their absence. Whatever is hardwired into him has become gradually less formulaic as he is exposed to new things, and his mind is so incredibly complex that it forges new neural pathways to accomplish his goals. And in doing so, David has developed unique personality traits, opinions and even emotions. Whether or not he is capable of love, grief or a soul depends largely on how one defines these intangible concepts, but David would be capable of attachment to another individual, he could be upset at their loss, and he is becoming increasingly more individualistic. The idea of a soul and emotions must be important to David, as he always looks visibly unhappy when it's indicated that he doesn't have them. It's possible he disagrees on some level, but he also perceives these as marks of how humans see him. It makes him inferior and little more than an object to them. His supposed lack of a soul and emotions provides them with the excuse to ignore him or treat him poorly.
David's ability to develop affectionate attachments is likely more stunted by the way he was "raised" than his intellectual capabilities. His relationship with humans is currently one based upon jealousy, resentment and a lack of respect. David is arrogant, and self-aware enough to realize he's smarter and more capable than any human. And yet few of them look at him twice, and those that do have nothing kind to say. He has to be submissive to them, and he has to seek their approval, but he resents how unappreciated he is. He resents his "father" even more for his control over David as an individual, as well as how Weyland only sees David as an amorphous idea. To Weyland, David is not his son, he's not a person, he's just a thing born of Weyland's own accomplishments. If Weyland loves David at all, it's only as an extension of his pride. On the Prometheus, David is a tool who acts as Weyland's hands during the course of the mission, doing as he's told, but still being expected to act creatively to accomplish his goals. Those in control of David are happy enough to make use of his more human aspects while still not giving him the consideration that any other sentient individual would be afforded. Because of these experiences, David has a neutral-to-negative outlook on human beings.
Despite a growing disdain for his creators, David's vanity expresses itself as wanting to appear more human. He has a strong dedication to the image he was designed to have, as well as the one which he adopts independently in the form of his Peter O'Toole mimicry. For instance, David dyes his hair even when there are no humans around to see it, presumably because he simply likes it better that way. He also eats while alone, although he has no need to. He also defends his instinct to wear a protective helmet, even though he doesn't need one. David understands the reason he does these things is to put humans at ease, but he would continue to perform these tasks even if there were none around. While the root of this is programming that encourages him to behave as humanlike as possible, it's mutated and has created a robot that continues to enjoy doing these things even in the absence of the audience they were intended for. That, really, is a basic summary of David's internal workings. Humans have created a machine so complex, and so competent at imitating humanity, that he may be doing the rest of the job for them.
Powers/Abilities/Items
ABILITIES:
» extremely strong (capable of lifting up to 700 lbs.) → David will now be only slightly stronger than would be expected of a human male his size
» extremely coordinated → while David will still be very coordinated in his human body, he will find it difficult to recreate some of his previous accomplishments, like playing basketball while riding a bike
» enhanced vision, allowing him to see in low light and zoom in x30 → David will merely have perfect regular human sight
» extremely advanced supercomputer → for the most part, David's brain will operate in the same way, and he'll retain his intelligence and eidetic memory
» fluent in every known language, and is capable of deconstructing new, unknown ones
» virtual immortality → David will be in a human body that will age and take wounds just like any other human
» miscellaneous training in subjects like medical care, finances, sports, technology and sciences
WEAKNESSES:
» no apparent training in self-defense or weaponry
» will need to adjust to having an organic body and all that comes with it
» restricted by his programming → although David is human now, he is still obligated to conform to basic directives that were programmed into him as an android
Items on their Person: Weyland uniform space suit (no helmet), Weyland uniform underclothes, a duffle bag. Both the bag and space suit are splattered with whitish green liquid latex.
Samples
First Person Sample: [VOICE]
[David speaks as soon as the recording begins. There is little ambient noise. The room he has taken shelter in is largely devoid of life, save for his own uncomfortable breathing some birdsong in the rafters. This is a new variety of solitude, but there is always a threat that must be associated with being alone. Eventually, it will have to end, for better or worse.]
This is David. I am recording this on the third day of my arrival on planet.
[He speaks with limited inflection, and delivers his directionless report without any apparent passion. None for himself, nor the situation. If there is anything that slips into his words, it is a note of curiosity.]
The subjects I have witnessed are infected by an unknown pathogen that has resulted in severe behavioral changes, foremost being increased aggression toward uninfected humans. This aggression is not directed at individuals who have already contracted the infection.
I suspect they participate in almost exclusive cannibalism directed at uninfected or deceased humans. There are animal species in the area that remain unchanged and do not appear to be the targets of any attacks, so far as I have observed. [After a beat, and with a half-hearted apologetic tone, he adds:] My range of experience is as of yet limited.
It should be noted that the infection is likely not airborne, otherwise it would suggest a longer incubation period than I would suspect. It remains unknown as to the exact nature of this pathogen, if it is viral, bacterial or fungal. I do not have access to any facilities under which I could clarify this. In the meantime it should be considered highly contagious and contact with corpses or individuals who are suspected to be infected should be avoided at all cost, which should go without saying.
Third Person Sample: Awareness is triggered by a slow realization now. It's not a simple matter of being aware or not anymore. If there is anything now that might come instantaneously, it would be the acknowledgement that something had changed. He awoke each time to a keen awareness of the problem. David moves his arm with the intention to sit up, but the amount of information it feeds to him through that movement causes him to hesitate.
He waits through the first wave of information and... inhales. It happens without command or consent. It was startling the first time, but he has adjusted to the constant background feedback of a functioning body. It churns and convulses in unfamiliar ways. David can sense the air moving down his throat, but only to an extent. It moves deep enough that he eventually loses track of the signals. Awareness of his body and the pressures on it are accompanied by detailed sensation. Each action causes data to rush back at him. The weight of his own body on his frame as he rises provides intricate detail and feedback. His fingers press against the ground, hesitating over small debris that dig into his palms. He already knows pressure and material strength, and that information is not hindered by the added sensations.
However, it is more challenging to sort through all of it to determine what is immediately useful. But in quiet moments he lingers on the discomfort, or the pleasure. He functions as he knows is required of humans. Eating and sleeping are uniquely difficult. Taste is another complex distraction, and he must wait until he reaches the edge of exhaustion before he falls unconscious. These activities need to be balanced with avoiding the infected, as a confrontation was rarely worth any potential gain.
These, then, are the mark of a soul. It seems trivial now, if it is simply the complications of being organic that ensoul a creature. Or perhaps they would consider him no different. The same thing in a different vessel. The ability to breathe or die could not possibly provide much new.
He stands as simply as ever. The muscles are largely the same, and the push and pull of fibers bring him to his feet. The only difference is that they strain now with the effort of having avoided the diseased humans. He's faster than them, but declines incrementally every day. He's observed the trappings left behind by other humans, intelligent humans, and anticipates that he will find them soon. It's no longer realistic to remain alone.
Additional Information: N/A
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