𝙎𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙚 𝙇𝙚𝙤𝙧𝙖

days gone by;

Tell us about a moment in your muse’s life where they either detested or appreciated their species. This memory can be recent (like when the Collective first landed on Leora) or from childhood but should contain specific feelings in relation to their species. This task can be completed by drabble during the memory or in the form of a story told to an npc.

sotiris de leora: newsletter;

A typical December day in Sotiris sees temperatures sitting in the low 80s. The evenings can get a little chilly, and it is not uncommon to see the temperatures dip into the upper 60s. Although it might seem a little cold for the latitude, it is nothing a light jacket or sweater won’t take care of quickly. December is also the rainiest month in Sotiris. Showers tend to come in short bursts, lasting no more than about 10 minutes, but citizens may want to carry an umbrella or lightweight rain jacket with them — just in case. However, in most cases, rain tends to fall at night in Sotiris.

You will also find the ocean warm and inviting this time of year. December is ideal for water sports lovers and those who want to feel the Leoran Ocean underfoot when strolling along the beach. Traveling any time of the year in the mountains or climbing to the summit of the highest volcanoes can get quite chilly. If your excursions include higher elevations in the wilds, bring a jacket and long pants, as snow will be common.

Expatriate settlers are expected to increase over the winter months, especially those enlisted in Starfleet. Over the next month, the military power will be shipping more fleet members into deep space using Leora as an interim. The space station orbiting the planet will be quite a bit busier, but as this station still isn’t open to civilian travel, this influx shouldn’t have an impact on day-to-day life here on Sotiris. 

The Sotiris Council would like to remind Sotiris citizens that none of the council members are ‘party leaders’. With your insight, the Council works together to discover ways to improve the City we all call home. Keep your feedback coming! But beware false speakers - only posts made by Leoran Council Members on the net via. implant are valid depictions of our words.

As the Collective calendar rolls over into the year 2023, Sotiris citizens can enjoy a multiweek festival leading up to and kicking off the new year! More information about this event will be released in a few weeks, as will information about holidays celebrated throughout the Collective.

Thank you, and have a wonderful December here on Sotiris.

Copy and paste this into your own post. Bold what applies to your muse and cross out things they never do. This task is optional.

DEFENSIVENESS.    arms  crossed  on  chest  /   crossing  legs  /  fist-like  gestures   /  pointing  index  finger  /   karate  chops   /   stiffening  of  shoulders /   tense  posture  /  curling  of  lip    /  baring  of  teeth

REFLECTIVE.    hand  to  face  gestures   /   head  tilted   /   stroking chin   /  peering  over   glasses   /   taking  glasses  off —  cleaning   /   putting  earpiece  of  glasses  in  mouth   /   pipe smoker  gestures   /   putting  hand  to  the  bridge  of  nose   /   pursed  lips /   knitted  brows  .

SUSPICION.     arms  crossed   /   sideways  glance   /   touching  or  rubbing  nose   /  rubbing  eyes   /   hands  resting  on  weapon   /  brows  rising  /   lips  pressing  into  a  thin  line   /   strict  unwavering  eye  contact   /   wrinkling  of  nose

OPENNESS  +  COOPERATION.    open  hands   /   upper  body  in  sprinters  position  /   sitting  on  the  edge  of  a  chair  /   hand-to-face gestures   /   unbuttoned  coat   /   tilted  head   /   slacked  shoulders  /   droopy  posture   /   feet  pointed  outward /   palms  flat  and  facing  outward

CONFIDENCE.    hands  behind  back   /   hands  on  lapels  of  coat   /   steepled  hands   /   barring  teeth  in  a  grin  /   rolling  shoulders   /   tipping  head  back  but  maintaining  eye   contact   /   chest  puffed  up   /   shoulders  back /   arms  folded   just  above  navel

INSECURITY  +  ANXIETY.    chewing  pen  or  pencil  /   rubbing  thumb  over  opposite  thumb   /   biting  fingernails   /   hands  in  pockets   /   elbow  bent   /   closed  gestures   /   clearing  throat   /   pacing    /    “ whew ”  sound   /  picking  or  pinching  flesh   /   fidgeting  in  chair  /   hand  covering  mouth  whilst  speaking   /   poor  eye  contact   /   tugging  at  pants  whilst  seated   /   jingling  money  in  pockets   /   tugging  at  ear  /   perspiring  hands /   playing  with  hair    /  swaying   /   playing  with  pointer   /   smacking  lips   /   sighing   /   rocking  on  balls  of  feet  /   flexing  fingers  sporadically

allies gala; 24 november 2022

Sotiris Council Leaders, in partnership with the Collective, invite you to join us for the Allies Gala, celebrating the achievement of our joined communities while raising support for further cooperation and the spirit of unity. This event will be hosted from 18:00 to Midnight on the night of Thursday, November 24th at the Collective Embassy. The large waiting area will be reimagined as a dining area which is where guests are encouraged to start out the night. Meals will begin at 18:00 and will stop being served at 20:00. Snacks will be served throughout the entire night.

In the joining room, traditionally used for summits, there will be a dance hall where guests are encouraged to dance, mingle, and listen to live music provided by Chaebon, a Collective group specializing in dance music in various languages from throughout the alliance. 

All citizens are encouraged to join us for a night of networking, live music, dancing, and a delicious meal catered by Facilia Drumont, a Venpalan chef well-known throughout the Collective for her superb dishes. Registration is required for this event and citizens must be able to provide a Collective-issue identification card. Thank you, we hope to see you there.

additional information;

Dress code is Creative Black Tie. A creative black tie is best described as attire with a black-tie foundation with room for some creativity and flair. It maintains black tie formality but allows for the use of textures, colors, and accessories to personalize your look.

Femme.

Sequins and patterns. Instead of a formal dress or evening gown, femmes can mix it up by wearing a long dress with patterns and sparkly sequins.

Cocktail dress. The flexibility of creative black tie also allows for a shorter cocktail dress with a blazer and bold accessories.

Dressy separates. For creative black tie, femmes can wear dressy separates, like tuxedo pants and a white blouse accented with statement jewelry, or a modern pantsuit.

Basic black dress. Femmes can wear a plain black dress and accessorize it with an eye-catching purse. Creative black tie for femmes should feel red carpet-trendy, with subtle flairs and enhancements to bring a little excitement to their formalwear.

Masc.

Texture and color. Creative black tie encourages mascs to add pops of texture and color to their formal wear. Mascs can wear attire from velvet suits to paisley cummerbunds.

Vests. Vests are a staple in formal attire, and creative black tie provides the best opportunity for mascs to think outside of the box with their vest choices. Add a textured or colorful vest to a suit or tuxedo to infuse a layer of fun into a creative black tie outfit.

Hello, thank you for your interest in Sotiris! The city robots and most personal models made by Leoran Engineers do not operate on anything that could be considered more than machine learning. While creating sophisticated AI has been discussed on Leora in the past (and has been researched), they fundamentally disagree with giving robots sentience when most of what they do is menial labor.

The Collective has sophisticated, sentient AI available, but as of right now, those systems are not compatible with Sotiran robots. Even if they were, installing a sentient AI in a robot is against Collective law.

Due to personal reasons please unfollow:

@nelliebieti

@soleilight​

The following faceclaims have been released:

Jessie Mei Li

sotiris de leora: newsletter;

November heralds Sotiris’ winter season, but temperatures are still warm enough to enjoy the island’s black sand beaches, lush rainforests, and big waves. Day temperatures will reach the low 80s, and you’ll see cold weather at night when temperatures can drop into the high 60s. The Sotiris council suggests taking advantage of the balmy daytime temperatures with waterfall hikes and rain forest walks, though warmth can always be found in the meditation coves or the natural hotsprings just outside the Hunter’s Warren. 

During November, the average rainfall in Sotiris is around four to five inches —the third rainiest month after December and January. Since temperatures fall as you venture above sea level, you may even need to take a jacket with you if you plan to venture deep into the forest. Hunters are advised to ready their winter gear and Starfleet soldiers who do not tolerate the chill well should prepare their cold-weather uniforms. 

The volume of Collective vacationers is expected to dip, but the Council believes expatriate settlers will continue to increase over the winter months as transport ships are still scheduled on a regular basis. Due to the incident at the food and wine festival, the festival scheduled for November has been cancelled until the subject or subjects responsible are found. The Sotiris Council apologizes for the inconvenience, but they must put the safety of citizens above all else. To make up for the lack of festivities, they have scheduled an Allies Gala for the night of the 24th, to be hosted by at the Collective Embassy. More information about this event will be released by our journalists on Friday the 11th.

Lastly, the Sotiris Council would like remind all citizens that recreational substances legal on Collective planets have not yet been approved by the council for use on Leora! We can confirm University Lecturer Marli Woodglade successfully awakened as an Archlord cultivator, but rumors this advancement was due to her being dosed with Dorian at the food and wine festival are completely unfounded. The Sotiris Council will be sending additional samples of Dorian to the hospital for testing, but reminds the general public that in the meantime, using this unknown drug for the possibility of advancement to Underlord and Archlord respectively, is highly dangerous.

Thank you, and have a wonderful November here on Sotiris.

monthly reminder;

Halcyon Ortiz (she/her) is a 57-year-old Leoran who works as a Physician and looks a lot like Adria Arjona. She is a lowgold with a pentacle goldsign.

BIOGRAPHY

Always in motion, always restless, Halcyon was a woman built for the eye of the storm. Her mother, admittedly lovingly at her limit with a child who’d never learned to sit still, expected her to turn towards the hunters. Instead, Halcyon found her way to medicine. It was a different challenge than hunting beasts, but a challenge nonetheless—even with her hunger for knowledge, her steady determination in the face of chaos, and both mana and Leoran technology at her fingertips, she couldn’t save everyone.

She still loved it. She was good at it. Everyone had their role on Leora, and all were important, but this was hers. It helped that medicine provided her with a never-ending problem to solve, and Halcyon was prepared to dedicate all she could to it.

As it turned out, it was her all and then some. She burned her mana veins when she was fifty years old, after years of prioritizing her work above herself. The worsening pain could’ve been a warning to slow down, but instead, it was a frustration. Better at giving advice than taking it, Halcyon grit her teeth and bore it until she couldn’t anymore, until she became a liability.

Although she begrudgingly took the two years required to rest and heal, she was on edge. Adrift without purpose, Halcyon fell back into her role as soon as she was able. Her mana veins were never the same afterwards. It left her prone to flare-ups of pain and weakness even once she took up her post again, but she managed. When she returned to the hospital as a clinician rather than a patient, the true lesson Halcyon learned was how to push herself just to the brink of exhaustion and no further. She helped her people this way, and she wouldn’t lose that.

Life settled into a familiar rhythm after that. Despite it all, Halcyon was happy.

Then the outworlders came. They came with new stipulations and rules, asking the Leorans to change their way of life simply because they didn’t understand. What gave them the right? Halcyon didn’t trust them—and truly, she didn’t even like them. From their hierarchical roles to their eyesore of a spaceport without natural life around it, they continually proved themselves at odds with Leoran values. She wasn’t alone in that sentiment, and Halcyon found herself ready to believe the worst of these outworlders.

PERSONALITY

Vibrant, compassionate, and short-tempered, Halcyon may seem contradictory at first glance. She defends Leoran values at every turn, but she works long hours, neglects her mana channels no matter what she preaches to her patients, and falls to suspicion easier than most. She’ll fight to heal an outworlder the same as a Leoran while at work, but within her personal life she’s stubbornly selective with her trust. Either way, she’s unafraid to let the world know her feelings, and the more things change, the more Halcyon digs her heels in.

Her scarred mana veins are a mark of pride—this is what she’s willing to give for her community. This is love. Since the outworlders arrived, that love has edges. Sotiris is home, and she isn’t willing to share that home with those who might harm it. The outworlders can’t—shouldn’t—be trusted. Leora’s ecosystem is delicate, and it doesn’t take an untreated infection long to spread. No one knows that more than the healers.

Celia Madison Gallo (she/her) is a 76-year-old Leoran who works as a Weapons Manufacturer and looks a lot like Golshifteh Farahani. She is a Highgold with a scales goldsign.

BIOGRAPHY

celia first witnessed how fake people were during her parents funeral. the 15-year-old could count the number of leorans that had truly meant their condolences on one hand, or rather the number of them that actually had a reason to kneel down in front of her crying, telling her how sorry they were. she felt like the kneeling was a bit exaggerated - she was 5'2'', at least - and the tears simply made her feel bad for not crying herself. her mother had taught her two important lessons before she passed, the first one being how to keep herself together in public, because once they know your weaknesses, it's over for you. that's what she reminded herself of, but the bitter truth was that no tears would come out - the realization didn't hit her until her mother's chauffeur didn't take her home, but to her aunt's (and then the poor man had to deal with a young girl sobbing so hard that she threw up in his backseat).

in celia's eyes, the dna of her parents was merely what she was made of and would never determine who she had to be - her tanned skin and dark deer-like eyes were a gift she could use for success and seduction, but when other leorans complimented her as beautiful or stunning and told her she looked just like her parents, she did nothing more than disregard the words and tried to forget them until the end of the day. she came from a family of influence, and all the sweet-talk and words would never lure her into bad deals and tricky contracts - she wasn't only her parents daughter, but a person on her own (and if she could get rid of all the people reminding her that she had to face her mother's face whenever she looked into the mirror, she would without a second thought).

while she struggled to get along well with her aunt at first, she often went to visit marina - it was the fisherpeople that brought her the most comfort in her time of grief. the girl never cared if it was healthy to mourn for a long time, she only cared about touching the waves and water whenever she was on a boat that made her feel like touching her parents and being close to them again. her mother's second lesson was something along the lines of always stay loyal to yourself and don't mind the nonsense other's have to say about you, and that lesson she followed even more passionately than the first one.

after overcoming her grief, looking in a mirror started to feel easier (especially since her face changed a lot in her teenage years) and the now barely noticeable similarities were never pointed out again. though she never lacked acknowledgement or safe spaces, she grew up to be a hardworking and determined woman, finding her place within all the leoran engineers and manufacturers. it's weapons that she specialized on, after following her aunt's footsteps and spending most of her years as a hunter, training her mana the best she could. she dreams of re-joining the hunters someday, after a severe injury has left her left leg scarred and slightly limping ever since an incident some time ago. the now taller and older woman knows that healing and re-training takes it's time, so she does her best to provide her former colleagues with the weapons and gear they need, as she does exactly that, taking her time.

the arrival of the collective takes her by surprise, but the recently turned scales highgold is largely amazed by the new weapons they brought with them and has for now welcomed the expatriates with open arms - for now.

PERSONALITY

the leoran has always used every opportunity for success she was offered and turned out to be more than just cunning and intelligent. she's mostly extroverted, well spoken and raised, barely ever lets her guard down. though she would never admit it, her aunt helped her build who she is now, and if she wouldn't have been so positive about the hunters, she would have never considered becoming one herself.

beware of her combat skills, daggers and arrows - little impulsive, her actions are always thought through. celia is competitive, judges everyone she meets and used to be a little power-hungry here and there, but she's mostly thoughtful, kind, passionate and observant.

in addition to that one can say that she breathes nature, research and science and trusts robots and technology more than living creatures. when her aunt has time for her, she visits with tea for meditation sessions. celia sleeps with her curtains half closed so she can still see the city at night, and she can be bribed with gold jewelry, special chocolate desserts and a little gossip here and there. unable to express her emotions correctly most of the time, she's the big gestures kind of woman and will kindly accept a handshake, but never a hug.

Copy and paste the following list into your own post to participate in this week’s ask meme task. Please cross out asks you have received to avoid doubles and keep the small text.

Abandonment » How would your muse win back someone who left them?

Blood » What’s the worst injury your muse has ever had?

Boogeyman » What was your muse’s greatest fear as a child?

Change » What was a turning point in your muse’s life?

Closet Monsters » Does your muse hide aspects of their life from others?

Clowns » Does your muse prefer comedy? Or horror?

Crowds » What does your muse think of industrial cities?

Curses » Does your muse believe in luck? How about karma?

Death » Name one thing your muse has lost that they wish they could get back.

Disease » What does your muse do on a sick day?

Dolls » Has your muse ever collected something?

Failure » Has your muse ever given up on an important dream?

Falling » What does your muse think about falling in love or commitment?

Fire » Would your muse rather be very cold, or very hot?

Getting Old » Would your muse rather live 50 years loved, or 200 years alone?

Ghosts » Has your muse ever seen something they couldn’t explain?

Heights » Is your muse a risk-taker?

Insects » Name something your muse finds gross or annoying.

Mirrors » What is your muse’s least favorite thing about their appearance?

Needles » Does your muse have a strong stomach?

Noise » Name one sound your muse finds absolutely unbearable.

Number 13 » Does your muse believe any superstitions?

Snakes » Would your muse ever keep an unusual/exotic pet?

Social Phobia » Does your muse enjoy family gatherings?

Solitude » Name 3 things your muse couldn’t live without.

Spiders » Does your muse squish bugs or put them outside?

The Dark » Did your muse sleep with a nightlight as a child?

The Unknown » Is your muse a philosophical person?

Hello anon, thanks for your interest in Sotiris! Please let me know if the following fully answers your question.

Cultivation advancement is a survival skill used by those who live on Leora. Leorans need mana because mana helps strengthen their bodies enough to withstand the leoran wilds. It is suggested that the minimum advancement necessary to survive on Leora for any extended period of time is Iron, hence why that ranking is seen as ‘spiritual puberty’.

All leorans who are not unsouled develop manacores and typically begin cultivation naturally, at least at Foundational or Copper levels. Leoran bodies have a manacore in their center, usually placed just beneath their navel, and mana channels that loop from their core through their body and back. There are three ways to replenish and expand a Leoran’s manacore. 

Cycling Techniques. Meditating and moving mana through ones body in a specific pattern while breathing in a particular way. Some cultivation techniques are communal while others are kept as family secrets.

Draining manabeast cores. Cores from manabeasts are usually dense and are the preferred method of cultivation for hunters.

Using elixirs and pills. These are rare and usually have side-effects.

Mana is used to power martial techniques, of which, there are three basic types. Often, a martial technique will be a combination of multiple technique styles. As one uses a technique, it will get engraved into their soul over time, which makes a technique stronger and more versatile.

Striker Techniques — Strikes an opponent with mana from a distance

Forger Techniques — Creates stable, physical manifestations or objects of mana

Enforcer Techniques — Empowers a cultivator’s body or something they’re holding. Depending on cycling technique, the benefits will vary

A Path is a pre-established set of techniques designed so that the techniques synergize with each other and cover all the different scenarios one might need in their life.

Leorans that overuse or abuse their mana channels without proper rest and recovery in-between uses risk burning their mana veins. More on burnt mana veins can be found on our species page.

current reservations +1

leoran implants and other translators;

Marli Woodglade strides into her lecture on ‘leoran implants and other translators’ just as the clock rolls over to start a new Collective hour. Her hair is red, her outfit is loud, and as she taps away on her tablet the mana lights in the room dim so the projection of her slides on the back wall become visible. As the room grows quiet she begins her lesson, her clear voice amplified to reach every corner of the hall.

Good morning all, my name is Marli Woodglade. I am a Leoran, a Sotiris native, and an Underlord cultivator. Today’s lecture will be on implants, she leans against her desk with an exasperated expression. Leoran implants, as the Collective has so cleverly decided to call them. And other translation devices. The slides behind Woodglade change from her name and cultivation ranking to several drawings of a Leoran eye alongside small pieces of what looks to be engraved gemstones mounted in pieces of technology.

First up, implants. As the name suggests, there are several devices that are implanted in Leorans after they reach iron rank. These implants include two small shards from a mana core which are added to the eyes, and an engraved shard which is normally implanted below the left ear. The placement of the last shard doesn’t really matter, it just needs to be added at the same time as the other two shards after iron rank so the mana in the Leoran’s body can become acclimated to the changes.

Practically speaking, I am told the visual aspects our implants provide us are similar to your augmented reality glasses or bionic implants. We have access to maps, text and audio communications, forums, etcetera. Every Leoran is different, and the base software engraved in the standard implant allows for a great deal of freedom. User interfaces are customizable, and there are a variety of applications available to further personalization. The slide changes to showcase several different UI’s. Some overlays are intensely colorful, but all are translucent and appear seamless. A few of the options showcase applications that supply plant names, estimate arrow trajectory, list beast weaknesses, etc.

With the introduction of the Collective, our implants are now also our translators. Starfleet’s Xenolinguistic Specialists helped us understand one another and then we took those translations and created a program that successfully translates Collective Common into Leoran - providing us with live subtitles. Depending on the Leoran, the translation software can be set to only translate the words of someone we’re looking at, or it can be set to translate everything picked up within a certain radius.

To level the playing field, as Leoran implants cannot be implanted in anyone other than Leorans thanks to their reliance on mana, translation pins have been supplied to incoming Starfleet members until they either learn our native language or we’re able to design an implant that runs off something other than mana. These pins are wirelessly connected with an earpiece I’m told is quite comfortable, if it’s sensitivity leaves a little to be desired.

Translation pins are also available for purchase to non-starfleet collective citizens for a moderate price, but the translation app on all Collective cellular phones is free. The cell phone application offers a slower and occasionally less accurate translation than the pins do, but it will still work in a jam.

Assuming none of you walked in here without a way to translate this lecture, everything I’ve gone over today should be fairly straight-forward. If you have any questions, you can send me a message through the implant, by kiosk, or by using the Leoran-issued tablets you all should have at least one of. Do not ask about office hours. Class is over and I no longer want to see your faces. With that, she exits the room with as little fanfare as when she arrived, neon handbag swinging as her silhouette shrinks.​

Marli Woodglade Leoran Underlord Cultivator University Lecturer