Valentine

Hey Butterrobber! Glad to apply and happy to answer: 1. Well, during Xeqo's time in Reefgardens and when they were at AUMS, they ate Jyalra pretty often: a junky quick snack, but no way is it their favorite food. The perfect meal for Xeqo would have to be some authentic Aliose shredded Masaraaq with a bed of Fjylozyn and a Neaera eye or two to round it off. They still have a soft spot for Jyalra though. 2. They think Diona are great, they knew a few Quya who adopted nymphs and raised them, although Xeqo's quya never did. If the Federation trusts them enough to give them SCS, they must be upstanding citizens too. Plus, they helped reconstruct the Federation. They knew a few at AUMS. 3. For sure. They are a follower of Qeblak, and their background in mathematics and material sciences has led Xeqo to state outright that mathematics is the language of the universe, which naturally means the Zareq’Eaq must be right and logical. They visited a local Observatory Dome pretty often, not that they are a learned Qe'Naho or anything, or especially devout, but they believe that celestial bodies and phenomena can predict events. They liked to observe the Starkeepers perform their calculations, which baffled Xeqo to this day. 4. With the whole reorganization of the Grand Council, Xeqo wonders if the long-held post-Glorsh stability of the Federation is entering shaky territory. They most definitely agree with Grand Councillor Jrugl and the United Federation Party. Xeqo supports more xenophilic legislature owing to how great the Vaurca and Diona have been and heartily supports monitoring Megacorporations to prevent Federation-based corporations from being outcompeted. When Lori passed away back in July, Xeqo was heartbroken such a passionate and intelligent person was gone, and they were amidst the throngs of Aliose when they carried her remains to Orq'wesi. Xeqo, in the throes of emotion, wrote a poem about Lori, although they do not pretend to be a skilled poet.

BYOND Key: ValentineUnderscore Character Names: Tajrrhraz Sha'relrr, Ashoke Dhalam, Titus Soranzo, Oleg Sokolov, Giovanni Mancini, to name a few. Species you are applying to play: Skrell What color do you plan on making your first alien character: Whitish-grey (Axiori from Aliose who got a Spa treatment) Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes, I did. 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: Of all the non-human races in Aurora, the Skrell have always fascinated me due to their alienness. They remind me of what humans traditionally consider aliens to be: large dark eyes, extremely advanced compared to humans, and focus on sciences. I also find the lore they have on psionics, Nlom, Srom, listeners, etc. to be just inspiring for roleplay. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: Skrell are almost everything humans are not: long-lived, patient, psychic, extremely communal. Beyond the clear physiological differences (Skrell are cold-blooded), the way Skrell view each other as a collective united by a singular language, psionic comorbidity, and no gender or ethnic bias, really separates them from humans. They even have this groupthink-esque thing thanks to their inherent psionics, where widely accepted thoughts and beliefs disseminate through the society they are in and quite literally become a zeitgeist. They even have multiple words to describe complicated relationships, and things humans may find unsavory, like polyamory or more fluid relationships, are commonplace. Skrell have been around for a long time, and they've developed such an interesting and alien culture that sets them apart from everyone else. I also find it quite funny that pre-Glorsh, the Skrell could pursue whatever art or science they wanted, and post-Glorsh, some of them are forced to participate in menial labor, which they find distasteful. This almost seems prideful, and I think it speaks volumes to who they are as a people. They're very advanced, they know it, but they aren't supremacists: they've been tempered by literal genocide and interaction with other races in the Spur. Because they're so long-lived, they view life in a way that is radically different from other races. And that's not even touching on their authoritarian meritocratic Federation, complete with social credit ratings (SCS) that determine living conditions and full-scale stratification or the aforementioned literal genocide that nearly sterilized their entire race. Character Name: Xeqo'naq Oonq-Resh Please provide a short backstory for this character: Xeqo Oonq is an Axiori Skrell who was born on Aliose in Orq’wesi to a Quya of four on 7-viq, 5-viqi, slaq-qog, 2355-oqq. Their F'ex'Qa, Qevloq'Drapb, was a professor at the Aliose University of Medical Sciences, and their F'ex'Tra, Jooliresh Onrep, an archivist at the Orq’wesi archive, both undyingly loyal to the Federation. Xeqo was quite loved by the Quya and had one Qrra'Myaqq, Naql, who was quite headstrong, leading to Xeqo oftentimes being the model child. Despite this, Xeqo later added naq to the end of their name to symbolize their deep love for Naql. Growing up, Xeqo found a dislike for Viax, finding their lack of personhood unnerving, although they believe the Vaurcae are valuable fellow citizens, almost equal in Xeqo's eyes to the Dionae. As a youngster, Xeqo was always groomed to be as erudite as possible by their Qrri'Myaq, who was also their F'ex'Qa, Qevloq'Drabp. During their Scuttle Schooling Xeqo took additional supplementary courses. At age 30, they underwent their Odurserr and received four gifts from their Quya, the most prized among them being a poem about legacy. When Xeqo attended Reefgardens, they excelled at mathematics and physical sciences such as chemistry and physics. Around the age of 40, they began specializing in medical science courses, such as biochemistry and anatomy. During this time, Xeqo explored the astronomical facet of Qeblak and professed their faith in it. They also attended Lodge lectures, and their love of the Federation grew. At the age of 52, Xeqo felt ready to advance to Uyi’vesi, and their Quya enthusiastically encouraged them to attend the obvious: Aloise University of Medical Sciences, the same place their F'ex'Tra worked, and where they had been groomed to study their entire life. Xeqo readily accepted. During their tenure at AUMS, Xeqo forged a working relationship with Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, participating as a laboratory intern and studying to acquire degrees in medicine, biomechanics, and chemistry over three and a half decades: longer than normal, as Xeqo admits they took an average of 12 years to fulfill each degree as they "work more methodically than most." While at AUMS, Xeqo also met and spent time with the few non-Skrells at the university while writing a paper on alien biological processes. Fascinated by alien culture, Xeqo would adopt traditionally masculine he/him pronouns when amongst them, as they found it "fun." It was during this focus that Xeqo engrossed themselves in studying the newly-contacted Tajara, who they found especially fascinating. They cite a lecture they attended hosted by Lori'Eldap Joolro'Loveq as one of the most inspirational courses of their life, and the Dean's vastness of wit and sharpness of mind, despite being extremely old, pushed Xeqo to be the best they could be. They also cite the courses they took under their F'ex'Tra as being ultimately important in motivating Xeqo to strive, and so they added -resh to their name to honor Jooliresh. Xeqo graduated Qro'vesi at the age of 87 and returned home to their Quya in the year 2452, sought employment with Ziip’Ta Medicinal, and worked with them for 22 years as a genetic researcher. During this time, Xeqo formed a Quya with two other Skrell but parted from it amicably. When the Work Initiative Programme launched in 2464, Xeqo was offered a contract with Zeng-Hu aboard the SCCV Horizon. They were overjoyed at the program's opportunities and accepted. They desired work beyond the Federation to meet more non-Skrell and learn from them aboard a prestigious ship, believing they were all as fascinating as the ones met at AUMS decades prior, and to further their applied knowledge of biology. Despite knowing about the near-omnicide committed by Glorsh-Omega, Xeqo is willing to work alongside SCC-bound AI, synthetics, and IPCs, although they have a healthy mistrust of their ulterior motives, they care more about professionalism than inserting personal opinions into the workplace. In the year 2465, Xeqo is a Secondary Numerical with a SCS of 6.53. What do you like about this character? I love how scientifically geared this character is, and I'd love to roleplay them being very rigidly pro-Federation, young, but always striving to be as sharp and knowledgeable as they can be. Xeqo has been afforded a LOT of opportunities in their life and to reflect that is educated, erudite, and curious. Skrell are united, and something is exciting about roleplaying a character who is part of a unified (or as unified as there is in the Spur) species. How would you rate your role-playing ability? I always try my best to roleplay in a way that suits the situation and the people around me, and I'm eager to get better. I find I roleplay best with people who are skilled roleplayers, and more skilled than myself above all. Notes: N/A

BYOND Key: ValentineUnderscore Character Names: Vicente De Raya, Rayan Riphea, Ashoke Dhalam, Levi Akers, Ryker Rand, Oleg Sokolov, I have a few more but they're really just to try out a few roles and never went anywhere. Species you are applying to play: Tajara What color do you plan on making your first alien character: bluish-black tabby stripes (Zhan-Khazan) Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes, I did. 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: I've always been interested in the theatrical and complicated lore surrounding the Tajara following their first contact and both Revolutions. I see some of them around the ship and find them interesting, but I also think the roleplaying potential between the three factions, and their ingrained ideology concerning the old caste system and colorism in their society is really high. Tajara offers a rich lore to grow stories off of. I'd love to make a character who is part of that story. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: A lot. Unlike humans, who had their supermassive society-shaking conflict almost 200 years ago, the First and Second Revolutions are still fresh wounds on Adhomai and for every Tajara. They have this interesting linguistic situation going on between Siik'maas and Siik'tajr, with the latter being a recent creation for the purpose of rebel communication, it shows the geopolitical strife on Adhomai runs so deep for Tajara that it has completely influenced the way they speak. The inflection they have and how they refer to themselves and others in the Third Person is really interesting. The implication of using Second Person and First Person pronouns is something none of the other species have like the Tajara, because it denotes a more personal relationship. What I've really noticed is that Tajara, in general, seem stubbornly conservative overall. Even the DPRA, who claims to be radical inheritors of the First Revolution, still have laws against non-heteronormative individuals because of traditionalism. The Tajara as a race are sitting on a very interesting precipice: their global education is going up, reforms loom on the horizon, and there is this constant back-and-forth between traditionalists and progressives, all fighting for the ideals of the First Revolution, in some form or another. It's the source of the Cold War, and it may be the source of the future salvation—or annihilation—of Adhomai. Character Name: Tajrrhraz Sha'relrr Please provide a short backstory for this character: Tajrrhraz Sha'relrr, a Zhan-Khazan, was born when the People's Republic of Adhomai was still in its infancy: the year 2437 CE. Tajrrhraz's father, a veteran of the First Revolution and humble farmer in the Ras'nrr Heartlands, raised his son to follow his trade. Tajrrhraz found he had a knack for working on the farming machines that aided him and his family, aunts, uncles, and numerous cousins in working the land. When Sha'relrr was at the age of fourteen, in the year 2451 CE, President Al'mari Hadii was assassinated. This drastically changed his life: the medieval laws passed by President Malik Hadii led to the execution of a number of Sha'relrr's cousins, who fancied their own revenge against the PRA for the discrimination levied against Zhan-Khazan, and the impending seizure of his family farm amidst lurid talk his father, too, was a reactionary. To this end, the young Tajrrhraz was taken away by his mother and father to Shastar City, effectively defecting to the newly-fomented Adhomai Liberation Army sphere of control, and abandoning their home. Later, the young Sha'relrr's father died of sickness between 2453 and 2454, when the boy was 17. By 2457, Tajrrhraz was a Kazarrhaldiye Tajara combat engineer in the ALA and served between 2457 to 2460. During his tenure, Sha'relrr was involved in the capture of Tampiska on the 3rd of March and the Winter Offensive to recapture Ron'Tul on the 16th of August, 2458 CE. Two years later, in 2460, the battle-hardened Sha'relrr was wounded during an offensive on Das'nrra when an errant grenade detonated 3 meters away from him, killing two members of his sword unit and peppering him with molten shrapnel, which nearly killed him, effectively ending his military career. He retired as a veteran in Shastar City with his mother, his only surviving family member, and waited, like millions of others, for the thundering of artillery and the constant death to finally end. After the Armistice of Shastar came a year later in 2461, Tajrrhraz settled into life in the newly officiated Democratic People's Republic of Adhomai and began working to support his mother and himself. He studied at the Shastar Technical University to become a civilian engineer, and after graduating with his Bachelor's degree in 2465, he, following President Harrlala's support of DPRA outsourcing, managed to land a contract with Hephaestus Industries, ostensibly because of his skill (and because he liked the idea of their Hephaestus Family) and pursued a job aboard the SCCV Horizon. What do you like about this character? I like how he's fresh out of the meat grinder that was Adhomai less than 10 years ago. He's a Zhan, he loves his people, he loves his home, and he had to fight for all of it against his brothers. All he has is his mother left, and she's the only reason he still has the drive to go on after the terrible things he's lived through. He can't let his mother down. Although he is still young, Sha'relrr, like so many young Tajara, has been subjected to the horrors of the Second Revolution. It permeates who he has turned into: a scarred war veteran who cannot stomach Tajaran self-destruction anymore. A man who can barely stomach violence anymore. He was young and a firebrand once, but now he feels only guilt and fear when he recalls his former service in the ALA, having taken lives, seeing lives taken, and almost having his life taken. It's not something he's proud of. He wants to leave it behind him. He wants a better life, and he believes in the Al’mariist rhetoric of self-determination as the best way to get a better life and considers himself a Moderate Al'mariist. However, he isn't a fanatic xenophobe, otherwise, why would he be on the Horizon? He has a mistrust of Nanotrasen, given their history with the PRA, but it is not zealous enough to disqualify him from employment. And he came to truly believe in individualism: how can he blame the soldier for fighting for their home, the same as him? He doesn't care for the militant junta aspect of the DPRA, he believes in the ideals of the civilian governments. Adhomai should have self-determination. Every Tajara should have self-determination. Above all, he dislikes the PRA and the NKA because he believes any return to the old ways of the Nobility is undoing the last 40ish years of mass death and destruction, and he cannot find it in his heart to forgive President Malik Hadii and the PRA for their continuous discrimination against the Zhan, for killing his cousins, and for forcing him to abandon his home as a child. There's this internal struggle for him: he doesn't want to be servile to a human megacorporation, but he needs to support himself and his mother, so he signed on with Hephaestus, maybe anxiously, hoping he can keep his identity intact while away from home. He chose financial security over certain ideals, and it plays into who he is. As far as religious views go, he is a follower of Mata'ke. He prayed for the strength to live another day during the Second Revolution, he prayed for the strength to farm the fields as a boy, and he prayed for the strength to go on after the dust settled. How would you rate your role-playing ability? I'm always looking for opportunities to grow as a roleplayer. I find my ability is above average, and I really thrive when I am given the chance to roleplay with other individuals who have equal or greater roleplaying skills than me. Notes: N/A