Byond ID:
SailorDave
Marine Name (so we know who you are, if you play alien mostly, state that here):
Eden Somme is my main marine name, with Herville Langstrom as a very recent addition, though most of the time I've played as a xeno.
Name of the character you want whitelisted (The name your predator will use. This must match your in-game predator name):
Aija Sigara [Aye-zhuh Sig-arr-ah]
Are you familiar with the Predator Code Of Honor?
Yes, I'm very familiar with it. Lord knows it comes up often enough in deadchat.
Character background (An ADEQUATE description and story of your predators background):
I'll point out right off the bat that there aren't many details of Aija's hunts except for a few bits. I'm not ashamed to say that I'm pretty terrible at writing fight scenes, and I don't think I could do it justice without downplaying it terribly (or coming across as 'glistening muscle mary sue', not to mention it likely would have made this much longer.)
This story is more about Aija herself, and the influences and inspirations that built her up into the warrior she is today. I know it doesn't quite cover the relation to the playstyle as much as I'd like, but I hope to use that to convey her fighting capability and methods, and that this will hopefully still be a decent read for Aija's behavior and personality.
[A summary of the story:]
► Show Spoiler
Aija was raised aboard a Jag'd'ta atoll mothership, a titanic space-faring city for Yautja returning from their hunts to rest, refuel, and repair their ships, among other things. She was born to a respectable middling clan, though she feared her poor performance against her peers would lead to her banishment to the lower decks. The clanless Yautja below were either discarded as useless or forced to serve as slaves, scrabbling and fighting for survival, never to see the light of day or participate in the Hunt.
She was spared the potential disgrace by an Elite warrior, Zanza, who took on the less impressive pups of her clan like herself as pupils, boasting about "reforming" the mediocre unblooded into true warriors — much to the chagrin of the older leaders. Still, in the back of her mind, the fear remained.
She and her fellow young, unblooded peers were given demonstrations and training by the Elites of the clan, showing off their considerable years of experience and history with their own decorated weapon. Aija sought out her mentor Zanza within the training chamber, where she questioned him about his strange choice of weapon that she had seen with him always, an ornate and bony segmented whip.
Zanza barked out a quick laugh, explaining that the whip was something he had crafted himself. He had bonded closely with it over his many, many hunts, a tool that he suggested would do more damage to their own wielder than it would to their opponent in inexperienced hands. He offered to train her in its usage, and Aija easily humiliated herself, doing more damage to herself than anything.
She persisted determinedly, and over the years, her mentor slowly 'whipped' her into shape, pushing past her struggles in combat. Zanza often gave her advice in her downtime, and he spoke with her about his philosophy in his hunts, about respecting his prey and their power.
Aija was confused, frustrated. She had been told of prey only as trophies, for glory. Zanza insisted on the connection between hunter and prey, how the greatest hunts were always more than mere boasts from an arrogant Elite. He spoke of the strength inside every creature, in whatever form they expressed it — whether it be with physical strength, a sharp mind, or an indomitable spirit.
With the insight gained from knowing everything about her opponent, the wisdom to use it correctly, and the respect for that strength within them, she would forge that bond between herself and her prey, and for that time, her prey would be fighting themselves.
...
Countless years later, Aija held her own whip in her hands as she mused on her past.
Long since blooded, she had participated in many hunts with her once unblooded peers, and his advice and training over the years had stuck with her, given her the strength and wisdom to not only succeed, but to thrive as a respected warrior.
After her first Hunt, in which she had claimed a respectable trophy from a serpent warrior, Master Zanza had offered to craft another whip like his, for use in her journey. Indeed, it was very similar, though decorated to her own preference as she had bonded with it over time, various trinkets and small trophies from her hunts attached to the handle. "It is yours, Aija. Treat it well, and it will be with you for many years to come, I am sure," he had told her, pride clear in his voice. "May it serve you to ever greater honor in your hunts."
Though her mentor had since become Elder, attending to the clan's affairs, he had made time to listen to the stories of she and her prey as she returned from each of her hunts.
She strove to bring honor to their names as his pupil always, and she hoped that she could mentor pupils of her own one day, as her teacher had done for her.
[The full story is below, for those interested in a bit more detail and personality.]
► Show Spoiler
Young Aija Sigara was raised aboard a Jag'd'ta Atoll mothership. The titanic space-faring city, which offered a place for roaming Yautja to refuel, repair and restock their ships, was also a place for drinking, dining, fighting, and mating of all castes and classes.
The mid levels of the mothership provided the Yautja with their temples, fighting arenas, cantinas, and even steamy hot pools for a wide variety of activities. The chambers for the higher ranked Yautja were on the upper levels, and the lower castes found their bunks in the belly of the ship. All castes would share the amenities of the vessel, which more often than not caused the atoll to be an extremely violent place.
Aija and several of her fellow unblooded clanmates were gathered before the Elders and Elites of her clan in a vast training chamber on the middling decks. Several racks containing an array of blades, staves, and other assorted weapons were set off to the side.
Today, and for the foreseeable future, she and her peers would be given demonstrations for each by the Elites of the clan, showing off their considerable years of experience and history with their own decorated weapon — though they would be provided with at least adequate training in most blades and staves.
Aija spotted her mentor, the Elite hunter Zanza, among the gathered Elders and Elites. The Elite often took interest in those they considered "worthy warriors", taking them on as pupils to increase their own standing and honor through the successes of their students.
Zanza, however, insisted on taking on the.. less impressive examples, much to the chagrin of the older leaders, boasting about "reforming" the mediocre pups into true warriors. He had shown an interest in her and a few of her peers, observing them during their rather uninspiring sparring sessions and taking them on as his own pupils. He oversaw their training personally, advising them and shaping them up in spars against each other — and himself.
Zanza had been hounded constantly by the other Elites and Elders for 'sullying' his reputation with weak warriors rather than strong, capable ones, but he endured their rebukes with merciless ferocity, proving himself time and time again in challenge against any who dared question his strength.
Aija couldn't imagine what the Elite saw in her, but she was determined not to disappoint him, lest he decide she wasn't worth the effort. To be discarded as useless, forced to scrabble and fight for everything in the bottom decks, never getting the opportunity to Hunt.. She shuddered, snarling and shaking her head to steady herself.
She approached Zanta from across the chamber, and he spotted her as she neared. She bowed deeply to the Elite. "Greetings, honored Zanza."
She noticed the whip at his side. Her head tilted to the side slightly, her mandibles dipping in a curious frown. She had always seen him carrying it, but it occurred to her that he wasn't carrying anything else besides his wristblades.
Zanza strode forward, firmly gripping Aija's shoulders in greeting as she rose. "Young Aija, welcome! Have you come to practice with a true weapon today?" he barked out a quick laugh, his mandibles rapidly clicking together.
Aija smiled a bit at his usual enthusiasm. "Actually, I would like to ask you about that. Why do you use that whip? Surely it is much too unwieldy to use as a weapon. There were not even any to choose from on the racks."
Zanza smiled widely, pulling Aija in close as he unclasped his whip, holding it up for her to see. Looking at it closer, she could see that it was mostly made of a segmented bony material beyond the ornate handle, spikes protruding down the length.
"Ah, it is true this is an uncommon weapon. There are a few others with whips like this one, though none so skilled as myself! Difficult to use most effectively, most warriors would do more damage to themselves than they would to their opponent!" Zanza chuckled ruefully. "Yes, I've had this whip for many, many years. Many Hunts, it has served me well. Would you like to see?" Aija nodded eagerly. She stepped far back, as the Elite snapped the whip out to its full length, longer than she was tall.
Aija watched with building wonder as her mentor twirled the whip with a flourish, spiraling around his sides in fluid motions. She startled violently as, with several flicks of his wrist, the whip cracked the air, the sound echoing across the training chamber, attracting a few startled looks from the other sparring unblooded.
Zanza cackled, drawing the whip back and clasping it to his side. "Simple tricks, for the most part. A very entertaining weapon, to be sure." He reached behind himself, drawing out a pair of much less impressive whips, with a simple interwoven material. He held one out, offering it to Aija. "I made these, as well. Simple practice whips, though in many ways, no less deadly. Would you like to begin?"
*****
Aija stood confidently across from Zanza, her whip extended at her side. Zanza mirrored the motion, albeit with a more lax shift in stance she had seen him take during his tricks. He raised his whip into the air, and just like before, snapped the whip with a crack, initiating the spar.
A large stone soared through the air from the audience, thumping against the back of Aija's head. Zanza had permitted the use of 'distractions' for this spar, much to her distaste. The observing crowd of bored or resting youngbloods would throw stones, make loud noises, do just about anything they could think of -within reason- to keep the sparring Yautja on their toes.
Aija roared, twisting in the direction of the offender. A sharp crack split the air, a sudden lance of pain burning across her backside.
"Pay attention!" Zanza admonished her, his whip spiraling back to himself in a fluid motion. "Do not lose sight of your opponent!" Aija whirled on her mentor, talons flexing, her mandibles flaring. She lunged forward, her own training whip held high.
*****
Aija grumbled low in her throat, tending to the deep, bloody lashes strewn about her body. Master Zanza may have been more tolerant than most, but he was a merciless teacher. It didn't help that almost every gash on her body was her own fault.
What few strikes she could land were easily shrugged off by the Elite, and nearly every lash recoiled painfully against her own limbs. Zanza had harshly chided her about being too impatient and reckless, that the whip demanded more careful and deliberate handling, else it would lash out against its own user.
She hissed, a particularly deep gash flowing blood down her backside. She continued to dress her wounds, silently fuming.
After a few moments, a low, eager rumble filled her chest, and she sat up straighter. She could feel a spark of Zanza's own enthusiasm build up inside her, a determined snarl spreading across her face. She would endure. It had only been her first spar with the weapon, after all.
► Show Spoiler
"Young Aija. Come, walk with me."
Aija looked up, regarding her mentor Zanza as he walked past with a curious look. She had been lying on a bench near her clan's resting chamber, after a bout of sparring against her fellow unblooded. She drew herself up, falling in alongside him as they strode through the halls. Passing Yautja young and old regarded them with scrutiny, not all from her clan. She could feel their judgmental gaze on her, and she bared her tusks at them defiantly.
The atoll was an enchanting place to be for any Yautja. The massive internal architecture provided the senses with a feeling of home. The vast rooms, cathedral ceilings, and maze-like corridors were all meticulously adorned with ceremonious inscriptions, shells of serpents, skulls, weapons and other trophies of past hunts dating back centuries.
Bony thresholds with chants, prayers, and stories graced every doorway. A thick, heavy air flowed through the entire vessel, filled with the scents of food, blood, and hormones.
"Do you know why we hunt, Aija?" Zanza queried suddenly. Aija blinked. Another one of her mentor's enigmatic questions. She'd grown used to them, but she was confident she knew the answer to such a simple one. It had been drilled into her since she was born, and the evidence was all around them. She stood straighter, prouder.
"For honor and glory, of course, honored Zanza," she said, as though the answer were obvious. "To become greater for our clan, to be Elite.. and for sport," she added, her mandibles curled up in a feral grin. She could only hope that she would earn the opportunity to hunt with her brothers and sisters, though she left this unsaid, the words unnecessary. They both knew where she stood.
Zanza offered a considering nod. "Always. The purpose of every Yautja. You hear the blooded warriors in the cantinas tell tales of their own great battles. Our hunts and our stories are who we are, the Path every warrior takes. But there are always two sides, Aija: The hunters, and the prey. You must have respect for every foe you encounter in your journeys."
Aija's face twisted in confusion, her mandibles drooping as she let out a short huff. "Respect? Are they not just prey, teacher? They are trophies, glory for our strongest, nothing more."
Zanza shook his head, placing a hand on her shoulder as they walked, leaning in closely. "In the hunt, Aija, there is connection between hunter and prey. The significance of each encounter, the essence of the greatest hunts is always more than mere boasts from an arrogant Elite.
The prey is just as important. For prey to be prey, they must be worthy. Their power, their mind, and their spirit. Consider the serpents, the greatest opponents one can face in their Hunt. Their strength is immense, and they will easily rend any careless warrior. Their mind is as sharp as any blade, never forget. And their spirit.. Is relentless. A serpent has no fear, will never surrender until you or it are dead."
Aija furrowed her brow. "I can understand respecting the strength of serpents.. But what prey can compare to such a thing?"
"Every opponent has their own inner strength, expressed in ways only they truly understand. Not all can compare to a serpent, it is true. But you will not always encounter serpents on your Path, young Aija. Knowledge, and respect. These are the most important things you must carry with you always, greater than any weapon. To know your opponent inside and out, to forge that connection between you and them, and when the time comes, they are fighting themselves.
But just as well, always remember, Aija: Never be that careless warrior. A fatal defeat can never be learned from. Always keep your wits about you. Do not get so consumed in the dance between you and your prey that you lose yourself."
They halted on the path. Aija's eyes darted, taking in her mentor's words. She slowly nodded, fixing Zanta with a building resolute expression. "I.. think I understand, honored Zanza. I won't forget."
► Show Spoiler
Many, many years later..
Aija sat perched atop a massive tree branch alongside her clanmate, Mai'ket. The foggy green sky above was dim, the sun dipping below the horizon — partially obscured by the commanding presence of the dark moon overhead, taking up a full fifth of her view of the sky.
She held her whip in her hands, musing on the past. She had struggled during her first Hunt upon her arrival, but her mentor's advice and relentless training over the years had emboldened her, giving her the strength and wisdom to persist until the end. Over several agonizing and stressful hours, long after her fellow hunters had completed their hunts, she had trapped and outmaneuvered a serpent warrior, claiming it as her first respectable trophy.
Afterwards, Master Zanza had offered to craft whip another like his, for use in her journey. Indeed, it was very similar, though decorated to her own preference, various trinkets and small trophies from her hunts attached to the handle. "It is yours, Aija. Treat it well, and it will be with you for many years to come, I am sure," he had said, pride clear in his voice. "May it serve you to ever greater honor in your hunts."
It had been a very long time since then, and she felt a warm, proud glow burn within her at the memories. Long since blooded, she had participated in many hunts with her fellow pupils, and together they had thrived as respected warriors.. Though not all had survived the journey, and they mourned and honored their deaths as one.
Though her mentor had since become Elder, attending to the clan's affairs, he had made time to listen to the stories of she and her prey as she returned from each of her hunts.
She strove to bring honor to their names as his pupil always, and she hoped that she could mentor pupils of her own one day, as her teacher had done for her.
"Distracted are we, Aija?" Mai'ket chided her, his head tilted slightly. Aija snorted, thumping him against the shoulder as she shook her head to clear her thoughts, casting a considering look across the dark, hazy jungle brush below. Her eyes darted around rapidly, taking in the scene.
Several hours they had worked — stringing up tripwires between the trees and brush, digging spiked pits in the ground, and setting up various other minor traps — in preparation for the prey they had been observing for several weeks, a large pack of massive, knuckle-walking horned beasts with terrible ferocity.
Her mandibles twitched in idle consideration, before finally she nodded with a satisfied grunt. She thumped her chest, motioning to Mai'ket with an eager grin. "Come, brother. Our prey awaits."
Mai'ket regarded her with a dip of his head, both of them leaning forward before bounding up and away, deep into the dark jungle to seek out their quarry.
Aija primarily likes to toy with her targets, teasing up the encounter to a critical point before she confronts them, and even during the fight itself. She strives to bring out the fighting spirit in each and every one of her targets, taunting and antagonizing them as the fight goes on. She generally refuses to strike downed opponents, and naturally would never do so in a duel, but will do so against those she considers obstacles if pressed repeatedly.
She desires her hunts to be a mutual experience, discovery between her and her prey, and will often leave hints of her presence behind her kills. Decorating the hunting grounds with blood, mutilated corpses, and viscera, with the locations of her most worthwhile kills receiving considerate detail, almost totemic in nature.. though they may not know where she is, they'll most certainly know where she's been.
Aija seeks to create conflict among her prey — drawing the opposing sides together and flowing around them while they're distracted fighting each other, then returning after a moment to suddenly strike their lines from behind, allowing her to scout out the most capable prey in action and track them down later when they're more exposed.
When forced to fight directly in a less prepared environment, or against far greater numbers, she would be very deceptive and slippery, wary of committing to such an impersonal, and suicidal, battle. She uses her speed and agility to her advantage, sending lightning-fast strikes at foes approaching her while circling and flowing around them, aiming to put as much cover between her and them as possible.
Nearing the end of her hunt, Aija seeks to capture those who appear to have the most eager and strongest spirit of any remaining on the hunting grounds, overseeing their preparation for the arena on board the predator vessel. She takes a personal interest in her captured prey, and is quick to harshly reprimand anything she perceives as a mistake in their battles, but is also equally quick to praise. To her most worthy or victorious 'pupils', they are geared with the strongest equipment she has available, challenging them personally.
Aija is somewhat abrasive when it comes to other predators outside her clan, and while her initial impressions give the idea of a energetic and spirited bantering Yautja, she internally regards other hunters with mild distrust, judging them with a disdainful eye and often remarking on their performance. Hypocritically, she is sensitive to the judgement of her own ways, and her temper flares easily if questioned; though she would not dare to attack and risk mortally wounding them outside of a duel, she may challenge them if frequently pushed.
Didn't want to make the above playstyle section too long, a piece from my own perspective as a player, covering some aspects I may have missed above, in case anyone has more questions:
► Show Spoiler
My predator is intended to be played as something of a schemer, a manipulator. I want to tug on people's strings and influence them into doing what I want. I know predators are very deceptively fragile these days, and most encounters with predators tend to result in huge swarms of marines or xenos which quickly spiral out of control. Trying to get proper 'one on one' fights is a pipe dream most of the time, so rather than avoid that or face the swarm directly, as I've seen some do, I want to take advantage of it, using the way the flow of the battlefield shifts with my presence in more interesting ways.
When it comes to things like "alliances" or targeting a particular side, I don't have a particular focus there beyond what suits my plans at the time. Xenos tend to provide the more interesting and difficult fights (which admittedly is slightly biased due to playing xeno mostly, so I'm pretty familiar with all the usual xeno tricks and behaviors, though I'm still quite familiar with the marine gameplay) and I enjoy those considerably.
On the other hand, marines usually offer more engaging and subtle roleplaying experiences, especially with the predship redesign, and the stories I've read and seen between predators and marines were always a treat and a big inspiration. Xenos tend to get dismissed a bit by most preds because of that, but I want to provide fun rounds for both sides, including xenos.
I don't want to limit my actions only to those who are the most "robust" or show the most roleplay, as fun as they are. Sometimes you have to dig deep for that nugget of creativity in people, and I want to bring that to the surface in the people I deal with. I want my predator to be very expressive during her encounters, and in the Hunt in general (not to suggest that I wouldn't be stealthy, but in the sense of interacting with her environment and others around her.)
My playstyle mentions my abrasiveness with other preds, drawing from her experiences aboard her home atoll, which would take effect during play. My intention here isn't to be a jerk or ruin anyone's Hunt, but to create more involved interactions between myself and other predators, which I've seen have been pretty limited. I know predators usually don't interact much on Hunts, but I think it would be a fun angle to tackle, and I'm wanting to be fairly dynamic with it. If this is inappropriate, please let me know. I've heard suggestion that predators could belong more or less to the same clan on these Hunts, and I'll work with that if needed.
I've watched and played during countless predator rounds almost since they first existed, and poured over each and every app, approved and denied. I've become very familiar with the way they work, their tools, and most importantly, how the various predators behave. I've had many examples to consider, to see what works and what doesn't. (I hope that doesn't come across as obsessed, forgive my wording. I've just been around for a while.)
My main goal as predator is to make the round interesting for others; whether that be for the living, or for the watching dead. I know this can be a very difficult thing to do sometimes, plans don't always work out, and predators get a lot of flak because of their nature. Hunting is an essential part of any predator, and I certainly don't want to be passive. At the same time, mindlessly hunting down the strongest players for trophies is far from appealing.
That being said, hunting is usually more than just seeking out juicy targets and killing them. Dying is just a natural part of the game for anyone, even predators, but if they're going to die, I'd prefer it be something they could have avoided if they chose to. If that's not feasible, I want their deaths to feel like the events leading up to it were worthwhile, to make entertaining experiences that don't leave them feeling like I've just snuffed them out for no reason.
I know that's something of a pipe dream. Some people will get upset no matter what, but that's okay. Most people expect to get a lot of criticism - constructive or not - as a predator. I'm not expecting to change anyone's perspective, and predators often take the sidelines to the main gameplay, but hopefully I can still give people a good time, and maybe give them some inspiration for their own roleplay.
As an aside, I have a predator story I worked on previously, based on an event hosted by Forwardslashn. I'd like to think I've improved a bit since then, but If you'd like to take a look at that and get a better idea of how I roleplay, I have it posted in the Art & Stories subforum here:
http://cm-ss13.com/viewtop ... 34&t=12607
Have you been banned from CM in the last month for any reason (we will check, and lies may result in immediate denial)?
I haven't, no.
Are you currently banned from any other servers and if so, why?
I'm not currently banned from any servers.
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?
Yes, I understand. It's in everyone's best interests to keep an eye out for violations regardless of rank, and I expect the same for myself.
Joakim 'Mook Sundberg some meme aka BIG DOG.
Bakuub R'ka some pred.
