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Hylotl characters and lore.

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Wreth, Apr 3, 2015.

  1. Wreth

    Wreth New Member

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    One thing I have noticed on this server is the distinct lack of anyone really playing hylotl characters as they are portrayed in the lore. You might argue that there is no lore work with, and whilst that is a valid arguement and it is very much lacking, I would argue that there is certainly enough lore to make the race more interesting, unique and give more variety to Antares.

    I've seen Apex rebels, and Miniknog agents and scientists.
    Grounded and flightless avians both sides passionate to their cause.
    Tribal florans and those trying to fit in
    Glitch escaped from the hivemind and adjusting to self aware life, all sorts of cool medieval roles.
    Humans... well humans are humans.
    Novakid has bandits and cowboys all fitting in the them of their race.
    Hylotls just seem to be... peaceful people, and that's ignoring a massive part of hylotl lore.

    To further give evidence of how hylotl should behave, and towards other races

    A good way of looking at inter-species attitudes is to check the race spawner examine text.

    First let's see what the other races think of the hylotl
    [​IMG]

    Huh, they seem pretty unpopular, why would that be?

    Apex
    [​IMG]

    Avian
    [​IMG]

    Floran (Though this is more reasonable and to be expected)
    [​IMG]

    Glitch
    [​IMG]

    Human
    [​IMG]

    Hylotl. Let's see what they have to say about themselves
    [​IMG]

    Wow, notice they say surround themselves with culture, not even saying specifically their culture, just culture at all, as if none of the other races have culture.


    The other races have some interesting reactions to a statue of a hylotl.
    [​IMG]
    Why would they say such things?

    Now let's see what hylotl say about statues of famous individuals from the other races

    Human
    [​IMG]

    Glitch
    [​IMG]

    Floran
    [​IMG]

    Apex
    [​IMG]

    Avian
    [​IMG]



    Yeah... they are kind of jerks...

    Let's see what the races think about a the giant and mysterious ancient gateway that leads to the outpost, clearly build by some highly advanced ancient race.
    [​IMG]

    Wow, full of themselves much? Now let's look at their codex.

    [​IMG]

    They are also vain enough to build furniture and their ship to look like themselves.

    [​IMG]

    Basically, the hylotl are indeed as a race are very sympathetic and peaceful, yes but they are also highly pretentious. They see the hylotl's natural physical form, their fashion, their architecture, their art, etc as objectively superior to the other races and they aren't afraid of openly stating this. Since they are ''kind and helpful'' they believe in enlightening the poor uncultured races to their clearly in their eyes superior culture, and have no problem stating how ugly and silly the things the other races have, are in their opinion.

    I just think Antares would be a bit more interesting if more people actually played hylotls as... hylotls.
     
  2. Twitch

    Twitch Wayward Star

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    I once had a hylotl like hylotl. It took me about an hour before nobody would listen to my warnings and the sage advise of the wisest of our culture. Then Tetanus Fields got infested by crazed florans and exploded because nobody listened to me. Looking down my lack of nose at all of you, with all three eyes.
     
  3. Toadkid1234

    Toadkid1234 New Member

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    I played a hylotl that matched this pretty well, I think. Ray was pretty arrogant, believing his knowledge and ability was far superior than others due to his upbringing.

    Aruana, however, is not exactly a "true hylotl" by your definition, sure, in the fact that she is not an outspokenly arrogant jerk. But she does believe that the culture the hylotl came up with was superior to others, and I would almost sympathize, apart from their ethnocentricity/xenophobia/whateveryoudcallit and their inability to protect themselves from the floran. Their society was however, successful in the fact that there was peace within its bounds (at least from my understanding) and they were prosperous and did pretty well economically.

    Just because their stereotype is to be arrogant jerks does not mean they all are by any means. As with politics, the loudest and most obnoxious ones tend to define their group. There is certain to be variation, and I believe my current character is an acceptable variation. She wants to help people, like hylotl missionaries do, but with practical science and medicine rather than socio-political order or whatever hylotl missionaries try to do. She despises violence, as hylotl are traditionally brought up to be, and thus carries little more than a stun gun with her. She appreciates minimalist architecture and design over complex things - her laboratory, ship and house reflect that - so you could say she appreciates hylotl architecture, just a more modernized version of it due to her upbringing in a scientific technical environment.

    There, I'm done defending myself.

    However, I agree that it is important that we try and make some hylotl like this. This would be a good thing to see happen, however I don't see it as a huge problem as of now. As much as I love hylotl, they do have their faults, the focus of that being their pride. I'm glad this issue was brought to light. At the same time, we should not be limited to the stereotypes of our species'. Surely humans are not the only species that would be so incredibly versatile and variable as we make ourselves out to be.
     
  4. Wreth

    Wreth New Member

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    I agree that not all Hylotl should be this way, it's that I see a lot of hylotl characters and every few as I described
     
  5. Yotan

    Yotan New Member

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    Tanji for the most part act like a normal lore base hylotl. However he has little issue watching people fight, he might worn them not to fight it just may not be loud. :p I don't know I think he is still rather upitty.
     
  6. Khaltor

    Khaltor Lore Master

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    Exception to most Hylotls: Hiraki Corale (kinda like Greenfinger of the Florans); a Hylotl adventurer that looks with awe to the amazing things she comes across during her travels, without the pretentious attitude we've learned to expect from the Hylotl.

    Aside from their pretentious attitude, we must also remember that they're an amphibious species. The eggs of their young are burried under the sand on beaches, and once they hatch the Hylotl guide them into the depths of the ocean. This leads me to believe that their frailty and clumsiness some NPC interactions tend to imply, comes from them having to deal with living above water, while they're used to living under water.

    Glitch Guard Comments to Hylotl
    • Greetings
      • "Bored. I would absolutely love to hear more about your culture."
      • "Condemning. I'm sure you're here just to be awkward."
      • "Contemptuous. I can see you're about to cause trouble."
      • "Disinterest. Just pipe down, fish."
      • "Dismissive. Try not to get yourself killed, Hylotl."
      • "Insincerity. Have an absolutely wonderful day, Hylotl friend!"
    • Warnings (First)
      • (While holding sword) - "Derision. There are no lily pads to carve around here. Put that weapon away."
      • (While holding sword) - "Scorn. What are you going to do with that weapon, exactly? Put it away."
      • (While holding gun) - "Amused. That's a gun, not a toy. Put it away."
      • (While holding gun) - "Suspicious. A Hylotl with a gun is like a Glitch sunscreen. Useless. Holster it."
    • Warnings (Second)
      • (While holding sword) - "Enraged. I said put that weapon away before we start suspecting you know how to use it."
      • (While holding sword) - "Gleeful. That's it, keep the weapon out, give us an excuse..."
      • (While holding gun) - "Furious. We say again, holster the gun Hylotl, or you'll be sleeping with the fishes."
      • (While holding gun) - "Mirthful. Holster it now before you shoot your scales off."

    · to Hylotl (same race)
    • Villager:
      • "A starship captain! I am so jealous."
      • "Blessed be, friend."
      • "Come, tell me of all the uncultured species you've met."
      • "Did you hear, the Apex rebellion has been crushed!"
      • "Hi there! I've been a big fan of yours ever since you arrived."
      • "How is space treating you, dear?"
      • "I don't envy you, having to rub shoulders with other species."
      • "If only the Florans would give peace a chance."
      • "If you ever feel like settling down and starting a family, let me know."
      • "I hear Hiraki is up to her old mischief again."
      • "Let's have a jam session one day."
      • "Ooh, aren't you a dear?"
      • "Peace and love!"
      • "So nice to meet you!"
      • "We should become best friends."
      • "You can relax around me. I know about the directive."
      • "You are doing glorious work, friend."
      • "Your starship is truly wonderful, I hear."
    • Merchant:
      • (Approaching) - "The design of my goods surpasses that of any other race!"
      • (Leaving) - "Great to see you!"
      • (Leaving) - "Let's do business again."
      • (Leaving) - "Thanks for visiting my store."
      • (Leaving) - "Your pixels are always good here."
    · to Glitch
    • Villager
      • "I suppose you're pleased with yourself, robot."
      • "When the Glitch arive, the Florans are never far behind."
      • "Your clanking is giving me a headache."

    (http://starbounder.org/Standard_Issue_Fridge: Hylotl: We have no need for such devices under the ocean. I must adapt to surface life.
    http://starbounder.org/Pond_Set ; they ride fish into underwater battle...
    http://starbounder.org/Euphotic_Set ; their eggs hatch on the beach, like turtles, and the young are then led down into the ocean, which leads me to believe that Hylotl, in universe (but not in the game mechanics) are able to breathe underwater
    http://starbounder.org/Reef_Set)

    The Hylotl are basically the smart-ass / refined asshole nobody takes seriously because he doesn't respect others and as a result, gets a lot of hate for it. This would also explain the lack of sympathy that other races show when the topic on how they lost their homeworld to the Florans is discussed.
     
  7. Khaltor

    Khaltor Lore Master

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    There's also this weird "directive" thing that's going on in the background...
    What is directive 0451?
     
  8. Yotan

    Yotan New Member

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    Not sure Never could figure that out myself.
     
  9. Yotan

    Yotan New Member

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    See I think Hylotl aren't actually fish as they are more amphibians. As their Calligraphy have words like, ribbit, croak, pond, etc. I think fish is more like a racial slur then actually being what they came from.
     
  10. John_McFakename

    John_McFakename New Member

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    I demand a short-story about it.
    It should be titled "The Hylotl who cried 'Floran!' ".
     
  11. Toadkid1234

    Toadkid1234 New Member

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    Yeah, it's kinda obvious they're amphibians. Sure they have gills, but they have nostrils too, and its proven that they breathe air. You do play much of the beginning of the game in some atmosphere of some sort. "Fish" is just a misnomer used mostly by the floran because the hylotl are fishlike with all their fins and such.

    I think it would be kind of important to know what the hell the directive is. It would reveal a lot about the hylotl "below the surface". Pun not intended. It sounds like it might be something analogous to some clandestine black ops shit. All we know is that your character starts off as a missionary and knows about it, and that obviously its not a well known thing, and is probably sensitive in nature.
     
  12. Solour

    Solour a dad

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    maybe you're looking into it too deep.
    They're most likely set goals they gotta do. Although we don't know what they are, they're just authoritative instructions.
     
  13. Toadkid1234

    Toadkid1234 New Member

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    You're probably right. Feel free to ignore my incoherent rambling.

    Point is, sure hylotl can be dicks, but they dont have to be. Just like with republicans and democrats, its usually the most obnoxious ones that stand for the group.
     
  14. Khaltor

    Khaltor Lore Master

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    I'm not saying that directive 0451 is spying for the Hylotl faction and to check out their mind control defences for the giant mind control weapon they're constructing, but i'm not saying it isn't...
     
  15. Malachar

    Malachar Heir to Madness

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    Tetanus fields exploded cause Hawke set off a firebomb in the sewers, igniting a metric F-Load of methane[and other] gas[ses].

    Killing all the savage florans that were being used as food for an eldrith monstrosity left abandoned under the ages of wreckage under the surface of the planet.

    Without food, and jarred loose, it broke out, taking the colony with it.

    It's probably in space somewhere, looking for stuff to eat, or dead and starved to death.

    Even mindless savage florans have a purpose.

    [rainbow] The more you know [rainbow]

    [[Nobody much is around to remember the true stories and mysteries of Tetanus Fields anymore :( ]]
     
  16. Wingfighter

    Wingfighter New Member

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  17. Khaltor

    Khaltor Lore Master

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    There's nothing wrong with being weird :p
     
  18. Thewaltham

    Thewaltham New Member

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    But Hylotl don't have noses...
     
  19. Twitch

    Twitch Wayward Star

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    That would be why I said lack of nose, yes.
     
  20. Thewaltham

    Thewaltham New Member

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    Ah, I misread. Derp.