Byond ID:
Sneakyranger
Marine Name (so we know who you are; if you play alien mostly, state that here):
Frankie Day
Name of the character you want whitelisted (The name your predator will use. This must match your in-game predator name):
Ratar Vensch (Soft Strength)
Are you familiar with the
Predator Code Of Honor?
Of course.
Character background (An ADEQUATE description and story of your predators background):
Introduction
► Show Spoiler
They say that Yautja are hunters. This isn't wholly true.
For the Yautja, the hunt is not so much an integral role in their society so much as an integral part of their being. Regardless of their role or status, from a technician to the mighty Adjudicator, all Yautja are hunters and all Yautja are warriors. Thus, honor and strength are the prime virtues extolled by a society deficient in many that humans would deem critical to a normal existence.
The main vice of many Yautja, however?
Pride.
Act 1 & Prologue
► Show Spoiler
For Pyode's father, Setg'in, honor and glory came easily and in abundance. With innumerable successful hunts, trials, and hive purges, it was no question that he would be remembered in the annals of his clan's history. However, many Yautja make history for valiant deeds. Setg'in, on the other hand, wanted to become legend.
The course left for Setg'in was clear, and he set off for a hive purge with only one clan brother. A long fight in which he would be beset upon by all sides was guaranteed, and yet he and his brother succeeded, but at cost – Setg'in lost his hand in battle, and thus decided to retire at his current position and manage his clan's affairs. However, his clan still needed glory, and as such he still needed sons.
The first litter sired by Setg'in was a litter of three – Kwei, the fast learner and future tactician, Kainde, the thick-skinned and most like his father, as well as Pyode, the soft and small – later, the egotist and vain. As a runt, Pyode was taunted relentlessly from his nursing age through his training rituals. Despite the fact that time had granted him a relatively average stature and strength, his name and the dishonor of his birth was something he would never be able to shake unless he garnered more glory than his brethren, and eventually, his father.
Act 2
► Show Spoiler
The old barge cluttered to a halt on the jungle floor a little after nightfall, barely louder than the din produced by the indigenous wildlife. The sickly blue glow from the ship's engines illuminated the clearing, but deeper in the jungle not even the pale light from the planet's moons could reach past the canopy. The back ramp swung open with a hiss and a clank as the sealed interior mingled with the planet. Four sets of slow, heavy footfalls shook the ground as the young bloods departed the shuttle for their initiation trial.
First off the ship was Pyode, chest puffed and clan sword rattling in scabbard. He put on a show of confidence, one that was not appreciated or even acknowledged by his self-absorbed brethren. All of the other young bloods were focused on themselves and their rite, and none of them had any desire to harass Pyode during such a sacred ritual. Regardless, Pyode strutted confidently and quickly into the jungle for an audience that didn't care.
Act 3
► Show Spoiler
The four young bloods finally reached the ancient doors of the temple after an arduous trek through the thick foliage of the jungle. The huge, engraved metal doors loomed in front of them and began to swing open in recognition of their bracers. Inside the antechamber, the torches lining the wall swished to life and illuminated several pathways, down which each Young Blood would find a xenomorph bred specifically for their hunt. Pyode walked through the chamber, uttering a prayer to Paya out of a respect for his ancestors that not even his overwhelming vanity could subdue. He pushed on one of the stone doors opposite him and walked through. Pyode never even considered the idea of failure – not because it wasn't a possibility, but because he stubbornly refused to believe that even something like a xenomorph could ever do him harm.
The door opened to a long maze of hallways that connected with each other, looped around and curved back. These halls weren't built for the purpose of movement, but for the purpose of hunting – a maze with no dead ends, an excellent habitat for a xenomorph. Pyode drew his clan blade slowly from its scabbard and began scratching it along the floor as he moved through the corridors, issuing a challenge that even the survival-oriented serpent could not ignore. Long, spindly fingers and sharp talons gouged the stone ceiling as the lizard crawled above its prey.
With a hiss, it dropped from the ceiling and was almost upon him – but Pyode span in place, putting on a show out of instinct rather than intent, and stuck his sword into the air for the serpent to fall on to. It attempted to alter course, but it was too late – it sank onto the acid-resistant blade, alive but crippled. Pyode withdrew his sword and swatted at the acid that had leaked onto his skin, then gloated over his victory with a satisfied smile. However, instead of finishing it off while it was at a disadvantage, the prime piece of advice almost all of his instructors had given, he dragged the creature with him back into the antechamber where he awaited his fellow blooded.
Minutes passed, and the other Yautja returned in various states of injury but all victorious. Pyode stood up quickly and motioned them over to look at his kill. Unfortunately, the sudden movement had triggered the serpent, and it lashed out one final time with its inner jaw, piercing his leg and causing him to roar in pain. A fury descended over him as he mutilated the creature in retaliation, the other Yautja feeling a strong sense of disdain over the disrespectful display. It came as a surprise to none of them that Pyode's arrogance got the better of any skill he might have had, but at this point they thought him more pathetic than amusing. Pyode rose, and they all limped back to the clearing to await the transit shuttle.
Epilogue
► Show Spoiler
Pyode bowed before his father and the other Clan Leader present. Regardless of what they thought of him or he of they, respect for one's elders ran deep enough in Yautja society to subdue any sense of pride or personal disdain.
“Congratulations, Pyode Thar'n-dha. You have earned the right to adulthood and all the privileges that entails.” said Setg'in, surprised at seeing his weakest son pass his trial.
“Thank you, Clan Leader.”
“Go with Paya and bring eternal glory to yourself and your clan. You will be issued a hunting ship for your travels. Speak to one of the technicians for your personal equipment.”
“Is that all, Clan Leader?” said Pyode, bitter at the lack of pride or even recognition his father displayed.
“Yes. You may go.”
Pyode left the room sulkily, leaving only Setg'in and his fellow leader in the room.
“Your son is an impudent creature, Setg'in. What do you make of him?”
“He has the skills to succeed. He proved that in his trial, but I suppose that's to be expected from one of my sons, runt or not. I reviewed his mask's footage, however, and I'm surprised that his hubris didn't cause him total defeat. Regardless, the blessing of hallowed Cetanu only goes so far, and that burning pride is bound to be what kills him in the end. I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to take on multiple R'ka simultaneously on his next hunt and got himself killed. The whelp is foolish, still, and his newfound adulthood will only make it worse.”
How do you intend to play your predator (as in, describe HOW you will act/play your predator)?
Pyode's most pronounced trait is his pride, vanity, narcissism, etc. which will be how I get into the majority of my interesting situations. Before I get too far into how I plan for that to affect gameplay, I'd like to take the time to mention how I plan to deal with xenomorphs.
Mostly, for xenos, it'll be standard pred behavior. They'll be a critical part of my interaction with other predators and humans, but if I ever end up only interacting with xenos for a round I doubt I'll be able to work the nuances of Pyode's personality into the tacklespam that I'm sure to experience.
Moving on, here's an example scenario so you get an idea of how I plan Pyode's pride to influence his actions.
Let's say, for starters, that I'm hunting with another pred. That pred makes a particularly worthy kill or has an interesting fight and shares it with me. Depending on how the round's going, I'll either try to one up that kill with a more worthy one (not going after queens or anything like that, obviously), make an equally worthy kill, or most often I'll end up blustering on about one of my prior fights and spew a bit of bravado about how much better I am. I may even challenge them to a non-lethal sparring match or a hunting contest.
As far as humans go, most of my interactions with them are going to be making spooky noises and watching for any special individuals who seem willing to RP a bit. If I get someone who'll play along and won't just go for a cheeky UGL on me, I'll start showing off with some roars and weapon flourishes then go from there. If there are some particularly robust marines, I'll see about dueling them (I've watched enough preds to see how that goes, so I don't expect to be doing it too often) or trying to intimidate them, specifically.
I understand that having a personality where you one-up everybody can be a bit dangerous for round balance, but I know how to keep it fun for everyone involved who's willing to go a bit farther than “let's all chase the pred as it makes the self destruct noise/minds its own business” and how to make sure not to tilt the round unfairly.
Besides the pride, I'll do little things like make a little shrine in the lodge to Paya (I can't imagine even the most vain and self-absorbed Yautja try to compare themselves to their gods) and swap stories with my fellows. If I have any particularly interesting encounters, hostile or otherwise, I plan on adding relevant little minor character traits to further flesh him out as a sentient being rather than just a single-minded glory hunter.
I'm also willing to die in combat as long as it makes a good story, and I fully expect that to come about as a result of my personality. As long as the story's good, dying isn't much of a dealbreaker for me.
As I end this section, I'd like to make a little note about my fight scene. I didn't really put much effort into making it an interesting fight so much as I put that effort into representing that Pyode's main enemy is himself and his vanity.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I already have permission from Spartanbobby to use his clan name.
Why should we whitelist you?
I've behaved myself well for the time I've been here. I've been around since New Eden hosted (admittedly off and on until now) and apparently only have two notes, even since I started playing regularly back in December of last year. I get that simply following the rules isn't grounds for a privilege, but it can't hurt.
Besides that, I feel like I can make a few interesting stories happen. Even if the majority of pred encounters can't always have a happy ending for everyone, maybe I can make a few rounds special for myself and others.
I've also watched a few of the preds whenever they've been around and I get the chance (somehow, usually Reno) so I have a small idea of how the pred rounds go.
Outside of in-game stuff, I understand my forum posts are low, but that's just because I only post on the forums when I feel I have something to contribute, even though I'm almost always lurking. I'm more than willing to help out by commenting on any predator applicants should I be accepted. I'm also fairly active on discord, typically. Not so much recently as I've been a bit busy and a bit ill, but I'm finally getting back into the swing of things.
Have you been banned from CM in the last month for any reason (we will check, and lies may result in immediate denial)?:
No, nor have I ever been banned from CM.
Are you currently banned from any other servers and if so, why?
I am not currently banned from any other server.
Do you understand that any player - donor or otherwise - can have their whitelist status revoked should they break our rules or disobey the Predator Code of Honor?
Of course.
Joakim 'Mook Sundberg some meme aka BIG DOG.
Bakuub R'ka some pred.
