Silvaeatum

They definitely have what it takes to be RD, I've really enjoyed rping with them as Lyu +1

On the moon Qerr’Malic, there are many clusters of cities, and within one such place a young skrell opened their eyes for the first time in the soft light of a warm pool, gills taking in air from the water as the doctor looked them over for any defects, noting down the information on a waterproofed data pad. Ry-Set Duk’Vesi watched on as a nurse carried away the eggshell fragments, the Qrri’Myaq sending tentative psionic waves into the water. There was at least, some chance the child would respond now, that they were finally out in the world. The echo that floated back was clear, but resonated with questioning and curiosity, rather than the intuitive understanding they had hoped for. They sighed, headtails curling apprehensively. Lyu Vek, young skrell and avid enjoyer of watching ships land in the distant entertainment district, tried to pay attention to the meaning of the lesson. They itched at the small tuux growth on the back of their head and tried to let her understanding connect them to the rest of the class, but nothing was connecting. It was moments later that they understood, but the counselor was already moved on to another section. Minutes later they attempted to explain a fact about vaurica they had recently learned, but their classmate didn’t seem to grasp it. Perhaps they hadn’t understood it well enough to explain. 30 years later, the explanation seemed to repeat over and over. Lyu sat at their desk, looking over a lab report for their xenobotany class, headtails hanging tiredly at the prospect of staring at another fruit bearing plant when they could be feeding Xenobiology class’s buurgis. The research paper sat on the table, printed lettering holding the culmination of decades of research. Lyu loaded the file into the submission and leans back in her desk chair, looking out her window at the city beyond, skyline changing constantly but somehow always familiar. She stood up and walked past her roomates, sleeping in a huddle of casual wear and flashcards, heading into the bathroom and looking in the mirror. Her tuux blended in well now with her headtails after recovering from the dye procedure, and a small chirp of satisfaction escaped before she quieted down again, glancing back at the sleeping pile. Aboard the small SCC Margo, there was very little research to be actually done, and so most days were spent waiting for scans to compile so she could sort through them. She looked out the window, almost falling asleep several times before the chime of new data stirred her. Only a few more months of this and she would have fulfilled her experience requirements to pursue a real position. It would all be worth it. It had to be. Her apartment was much smaller than she would have liked, there was no bath for soaking, but at least she had windows to the space beyond, portholes in the side of the ship’s passenger section. Lyu carefully tucked her passport into her purse, taking only a moment to glance at the Ix symbol on the front cover. She made her way out of her door and down the hall to the elevator, taking care to fix her jacket before stepping into the capsule. The chamber slowly rose as the skrell inside takes a deep breath. She was honored. She was absolutely terrified.

Exactly what it says on the tin, I love playing Lyu but what do other people think of her? What's good about her character and what could be done better?

Gotcha, I'll make sure not to have corps be a huge part of Lyu's backstory before graduating depth college then, thanks for the heads up.

Ok for the first question: It's not so much literal rank, older skrell have longer headtails and skrell value experience and wisdom so highly that mental maturity is what decides when a skrell is an adult rather than just physical age. Besides that they will adorn the headtails of skrell with various awards for scientific achievement in the depth colleges, longer adornments usually mean greater achievements. Additionally the arrangement of the headtails could be used to take a guess at the level of fashion the skrell occupies. (Lyu herself is at the Ix level, pretty much average, wearing some simple patterns that she enjoys, though what patterns I can find in game for her will determine what those are) In terms of their society? The corporate use for social media and its connection to their social credits system means that any behavior that is favorable to the Federation or businesses that may be entangled with it will likely be rewarded with increased standing, even if that behavior might be frowned upon in a less monetarily influenced system. Researchers may have refused to psychically torture human subjects, but they still were encouraged to begin that test in the first place, which begs the question to if that type of experimentation would be allowed at all in a less monetarily motivated society that might perhaps be looking into keeping its employees thoughts in line as it does to its machines. So the usual idea of doing good work to earn a reward is twisted slightly, in that the judge of what is good work may not have the greater good in mind over monetary gain. I'm not sure exactly how much corporations influence the federation, but I'm not sure Lyu does either, so I suppose it pans out. Second question stuff: In rp, everything from how my character dresses to how she speaks is a product of her social standing and upbringing, skrell are largely more receptive to group consensus owing to their usual psychic compulsion to conform to it, and old habits die hard. Additionally they may struggle with forming connections with others, without a link to their minds it can be hard for a less facially expressive species to pick up on things like a subtle nod or a frown. There may be an urge to interact primarily with other skrell if they can be found, especially if the character is more of a receiver. I interpret this as playing a polite but slightly distant character who works diligently to increases their social credit score and attain a fraction of what their cultural idols achieve. She was born on Qerr'Malic, the moon of their homeworld Qerrbalak (and her accent reflects that) Her social ranking is a 5.72, as I said she's in the Ix fashion level, and that's for good reason (see irreverence) She leans towards the listener side of the scale, which is mostly the cause of her weaker grasp of social cues As a Qro'vesi she has two degrees, one for xenobiology, and the other in xenoarcheology. she has interned on various vessels since then to build her experience, but her main love has always been studying other species. She's had a good life under the federation, and while she does fluctuate between being frustrated at it (while caught up in an experiment and feeling confident) and justifying their actions while wishing she was slightly less chaotic (while not experimenting/while doing what everyone does late at night, staring up at the ceiling and regretting your life choices). Overall her relationship with the Federation is positive. She's delighted by the appearance of the Vaurcae and Dionae in the Federation, though her enthusiasm largely comes from wanting to pick apart their culture and ask about their biology, though to her the Dionae are slighty less interesting, as her encounters with Xenobotany earlier in life weren't as engaging. She's employed by the Horizon on her own merit, though she may bow out for a time in the future to get her third degree if something really catches her interest, I'd like to avoid that and would probably have her earn that through a work study and off session courses on the subject. Hope that clears up anything I left vague

BYOND Key: Silvaeatum (Current)Character Name: Silvia Finch Species you are applying to play: Skrell Axiori What color do you plan on making your first alien character: Cyan Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes Please provide well articulated answers to the following questions in a paragraph format. One paragraph minimum per question. Why do you wish to play this specific race: Firstly, I really just like the skrell's design, their appearance is interesting and I really think the cultural importance of their "headtails" as a way of emotions and even rank is a fun detail. Their use of psionics is also something I found fun, as it seems enjoyable to play a race that experiences life in an interconnected way alongside their species, even if some resist that communal pull. The variations on their society were also something I enjoyed, the concept of a meritocracy turned into what was ideal for corporations rather than what would more typically considered "idol behavior" in a less controlling world. I read into this race first for the appearance and psionics alone but that unique culture centered in a mix of government celebrities and literal groupthink got me really interested in playing a character that was part of this heavily interconnected species. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: Physically, there's the importance of staying hydrated, the clothing constraints, the copper supplements, and lower run speed, without worrying about the burn damage. Roleplay wise though, it's a more methodical race, they have longer to live so they have longer to get things done, there can still be a rush of competition or in an emergency, but work life balance is key. While there are probably plenty of exceptions to this that's how I read into the effect of lifespan on their culture. The psionics make for a more understanding, if not highly empathetic character, if some of their best scientists couldn't bear to test psionics on human subjects then I'd bet the average skrell would feel similarly about inflicting harm. There may also have to be a light frustration with communication lacking the zona bovaine, though I don't think I'll explore that too much as I want to play someone with a little bit of experience talking to other races. Character Name: Lyu Vek Please provide a short backstory for this character: A young skrell growing up on their homeworld is surrounded by the psionically layered togetherness that world brings, and yet as with many of their kind, Lyu was drawn to the stars for a potentially exciting learning experience. Selecting a more feminine presentation after a favorite film character, she began to plan for her future amongst the corporate world beyond her own. A somewhat jumpy adolescent, Lyu showed an early enjoyment of xenobiological studies, and throughout her education in her Uyi'vesi she demonstrated an enthusiastic, if slightly irreverent approach, and managed to graduate a Qro'vesi at respectable age of 70, after which she took two years for personal reflection before entering her work at the Horizon for the foreseeable future. While her mental adulthood is at least slightly up for debate, her determination to her work is undeniable. What do you like about this character? I really like the idea of playing a cheerful, slightly out of touch science nerd with a love for weird creatures, and factoring in the increased empathy and her own alien appearance compared to the largely human crews, I hope for her to gel nicely with most of the rp going on already and grow both in knowledge of other species and knowledge of herself as well. How would you rate your role-playing ability? 7/10, I would say I roleplay well, I can't type as fast as some and I do make spelling mistakes, but I have experience playing dnd and in other rp forums, so I feel comfortable saying I can hold my own in an interaction, despite my recent arrival to this particular server. Notes: I'm willing to alter or shift character details as needed to better fit with the current lore of horizon or any future events that come up, so if you ever need me to do that, you know where to find me.

Is there a way to change the interface to darkmode or at least darker? the bright white is killing my eyes