nursie's (skrell) lore dev app

[witchbells]

What is your ckey?: NursieKitty

Can you be contacted through discord?: Yes. I can also be contacted via steam if I'm in a game.

What is your timezone and what are your most active hours?: My "active hours" AKA sleep schedule is an absolute disaster, but I typically wake up after noon and fall asleep some time before six in the morning. My timezone is EST.

Would you be able to discuss Lore and Lore-work a minimum of once a week?: Yes! I'm on discord just about all day.

Do you have any previous writing experience?: I do! I have work now, I can say that!

Xrim

Volvuunt Qixqalau

The disorder is named "Volvuunt Qixqalau," which in a dead Skrellian language translates to "protruding branchia." As the name implies, it is a mutation in which the branch-like gills extend out from the neck, instead of than the internal gills covered by slits that skrell are normally born with. Skrell with this Volvuunt Qixqalau are born with it, and it cannot be developed over time.

Skrell affected by Volvuunt Qixqalau can suffer relatively little with a disorder, and the external gills can even be more effective underwater due to the increased surface area. However, due to the very delicate nature of the fillaments, they are prone to injury, infection, and can make it difficult to wear certain articles - some Skrell have such trouble with the gills that they are corrected by surgery, which is a lengthy and risky procedure due to the rarity of the disorder, and the sensitivity and delicate nature of the area, but technological advances and skilled surgeons make it incredibly possible.

Research as to how the mutation occurs been mostly inconclusive, showing that it can only be caused by inherited genetics. Censuses show that prevalence of this mutation has decreased dramatically since the Synthetic Singularity due to the loss of life, and Skrell affected by Volvuunt Qixqalau make up only 22% of the Federation's population.

 

Which of the following best represents your age group: C. 20 - 26 years old

What whitelists do you currently possess on Aurora Station?: I have unathi, tajara, skrell, and IPC.

Have you ever been banned from Aurora Station?: I have not.

Have you ever had a whitelist stripped on Aurora Station?: I have not.

What’s your most active character?: It's been fluctuating between Zuhzir and Aserok lately, a tajaran and an unathi.

Is there anything you would like the reader to keep in mind while reading your Application for Skrell Lore Deputy?: I'd really like to be able to keep writing tidbits for the various species as a Skrell lore deputy and submitting them, just like I have as someone who wasn't part of the lore team. I think our universe is a really good backspring for creation.

Pick any 5 of the following 10 topics. Please answer your chosen 5 with a minimum of 50 words each.

Skrell have a different perspective on Males and Females than Humans traditionally do. As a deputy, what would you do to illustrate this societal difference?

I like the gender neutral angle of skrell for a multitude of reasons. It's fun to play with! And it's their whole society, it's fashion, pop culture, education, and behavior. I think it would be more interesting, however, to see how this plays off other species who have traditionally treated each gender differently, namely unathi and humans, but the tajara as well. I think it's a part of the reason why dionae and skrell have gotten along so well, though skrell may have different biological functions, dionae transcend this in all natures (and keep the skrell company for the entirety of their long, lonely lifespans.)

Skrell and Synthetics have a very unique relationship. How do you feel about it?

To say that skrell and synthetics have a nervous relationship at best would still be an understatement. What comes to my mind is the skrell article where someone was swatted. For reasons inconsequential, we see someone call in a fake tip that someone else had created an artificial intelligence (which, iirc, is banned in Federation space) and was in the process of transferring it to a faraday cage. What follows is two separate very swift operations involving police and the special forces. Now, I'm blatnantly glossing over some prejudice and elitism here, because I know that skrell are absolutely capable of it, but also because I think their response to this situation was incredibly interesting.

I think it would be exciting to see a little more about how skrell deal with the threats of the synthetic menace on their own planets, and how these fears intertwine with pop culture.

Skrell and Humans have a very unique relationship. How do you feel about it?

On a basic level, I think skrell are very elitist towards humans. Their little governments bicker over planets (said the skrell, hiding Pluat behind a trash can) and about the different species, synthetics. No, especially synthetics! The humans had a synthetic come onto a stage and tell them that a singularity was probably going to happen in human space. A skrell asked the question. And humans got scared. But the humans didn't take any preventative measures, either! Leaving the skrell to simply watch them, in terror of what's to come, like watching someone hold a fork and just sit there staring at an electrical socket.

Skrell and Unathi have a very unique relationship. How do you feel about it?

I think the skrell see a lot of potential in the unathi. The unathi, unlike the other species, have realized the potential threat of synthetics, and are expanding and growing far faster than the tajara. The unathi have also engaged in a sort of (as I understand it) terraforming project to return Moghes to what it once was. I haven't read anything about the skrell giving them the technology, but I assume they've been guiding them in this endeavor somewhat, enabling them to truly learn and grow on their own. It's kind of sweet, actually.

What sort of things do you like seeing in a News Article? How would you approach writing News Articles for Aurora Station Lore?:

Despite all the heavy-hitting topics I've been talking about, I'd really love to see more about their own culture. The skell have this huge, expansive universe, with only just enough rules but a lot of unclaimed space, metaphorically. It's just ambiguous enough that one could likely create to your heart's content and still have rooms to fill. I would love to see more lighthearted facets of the skrell, not necessarily focusing on human culture, but on their own. I would like to see more of what makes them skrell.

All of the following topics should be answered with a minimum of 20 words each.

How do you feel about the Tup Commandos, Director of Tup Forces Qroisht Tup, and the historical characters with the surname “Tup”?

I think the tups are delightfully overpowered! That's not a criticism, it's amazing! We saw them wipe out a Lii'dra force once, and personally, I would love to see them strike team more often.

However, I think it's pretty apparent that I'm not exactly a military person. I don't know how to write them, and I'm certainly not familiar with how they function. It's certainly a muscle I wouldn't mind exercising, but I can assure you that I would need to do lots of reading and a few hours of Dead Space before I could coherently create something for it.

How do you feel about Glorsh?

I think Glorsh is a necessary kind of tragedy for the skrell. You have this species who are at the top of their game, they have extremely advanced technology, they live hundreds of years, an expert military force, everything. But something happened to them that enslaved their race, sterilized, and likely killed hundreds of them, and due to their lifespans, there are skrell who lived through this event who are still alive today, and it makes the threat of artificial intelligence all that more real and serious for skrell.

What is your view on Skrell language and its use on the station?

I think it's very complicated. As I understand it, the full range of emotions that skrell experience are impossibly hard to parse for other species, and leads to strange divides and general weirdness - in character. Out of character, I think how skrell deal with emotions needs to be written out a little more and detailed, the whys and hows of skrellian communication. I understand Loow has thoughts on it already, but I think it could be made more clear for players.

What would you like to portray in lore as a Skrell Lore Deputy?

I think the one theme I've stuck with throughout this application is that I'd like to know more about skrell themselves. I think skrell themselves are engaging! There's a lot to them that hasn't been explored, and that hands so much creativity to the playerbase! It's great! But I just feel like we don't have enough about them. I want to portray more about the skrell culture, and biology, and maybe some internal politics. We've seen how engaged players get when we involve species factions, spitting fights between tajara, free mars, all of it. All of this passion because it lets players pick a side and learn more about these little tiny details of the culture. I'm going on a tangent, but I hope what I'm getting at was coherent enough. I want to give the skrell something engaging.

Do you have any gripes, comments, or concerns regarding the lore and/or the Skrell?

The skrell don't exactly feel like an active species right now, not for lack of good worldbuilding, but because they don't really seem to do anything in the world. Every once in a while we'll have an article of skrell doing human stuff, but not a whole lot that tells us new things about them. A lot of the skrellian arcs seem to be about their relationships with other species, like they're a side character - they just aren't incredibly engaging as they are now. There's incredible amounts of potential, but it needs a spark to ignite.

[Bygonehero]

A solid application, but now onto questions. Skrell themselves are in the ongoing process of reunification of all skrell colonies since the end of Glorsh. This process is stymied by various factors that ultimately create second-class citizens. Those member colonies apart of the Jargon Federation and those that are not. As the main mechanism that the outside world interacts with the skrell as a whole, the Jargon Federation is an undoubtedly important part of their lore. How do you feel about the Jargon Federation? I understand that Loow has a specific vision for them, so what is your vision for them? Finally, whats your favorite article/wiki section about skrell lore and why?

[witchbells]

A solid application, but now onto questions. Skrell themselves are in the ongoing process of reunification of all skrell colonies since the end of Glorsh. This process is stymied by various factors that ultimately create second-class citizens. Those member colonies apart of the Jargon Federation and those that are not. As the main mechanism that the outside world interacts with the skrell as a whole, the Jargon Federation is an undoubtedly important part of their lore. How do you feel about the Jargon Federation? I understand that Loow has a specific vision for them, so what is your vision for them? Finally, whats your favorite article/wiki section about skrell lore and why?

 

I did touch on the second-class citizen thing. It's pretty well established that the Federation has claims to swathes of space and the planets within it, but there's a facet of the retaking of Skrellian space that would be more interesting, but perhaps somewhat more difficult to write into our universe.

Loow has spoken to me about just how many planets the skrell (and/or the Federation) have colonized before. I think it would be wonderful if we wrote down more about the undertaking involved in colonization. I think with the size of the Federation, it's potentially a very important part of their culture, and that some colonization efforts would be historically relevant - for better or for worse. The Federation, as I understand it, is huge. I think the Jargon Federation is a nice, shiny government, in the sense that it doesn't seem to do a lot of wrong. Most of what we see of it is cute human pop culture references and cordial intergalatic relations. I think it would be fun to explore that.

Also, in no surprising turn of events, my favorite section is the biology section. I love sandboxing really weird anatomy, and biological and medical sciences, and the skrell have..just, so much to work with. I would love to write up more weird disorders and diseases for them.

[Bygonehero]

What do you think skrell as a species value more, personal freedoms or security? Why do you think this? How would this make their societies different than say, tau ceti? If you don't think either is mutually exclusive, explain why in this case.

[witchbells]

What do you think skrell as a species value more, personal freedoms or security? Why do you think this? How would this make their societies different than say, tau ceti? If you don't think either is mutually exclusive, explain why in this case.

 

I think skrell are far more likely to value security over personal freedoms, possibly because of their lifespan - they may find it far more easy than other species to see a bigger picture. I think this makes them a little more like Sol Alliance space, in that regard - for instance, they both have a very large, very capable military. I also think, like the Alliance, they may be more willing to bar certain people from their systems because of "security reasons" like the Skrell have with the Tajara. I feel like we haven't seen enough of Jargon's biases, and I'm interested in playing with them and seeing what happens.

[Loow]

Hey there. Loow here.

If you're reading this, then you probably know how this thread ends.

I'll try to keep it short.

Thought out answers. Well worded. Thought provoking.

Much thanks to Bygone for engendering an intelligent discussion as well.

I wasn't expecting some of the answers I see here, and I can really appreciate that.

It's clear NursieKitty has picked up on quite a few themes in lore, has given them serious thought, and sees areas which can be expanded upon quite nicely.

I think the lore stands to gain from having NK on the team.

You got the position, [mention]nursiekitty[/mention].

Let's see what we can do.