[Accepted]Sherman warbles pensively - Skrell Application

[The7thLain]

BYOND Key: TheBurninSherman

Character Names:
Main ones as of now are:
Song Sun - Chief Medical Officer
Karolina Bezdnova - Scientist (Zavod)
IRU-Dauphine - Forensic Technician (Idris)
Umbra SSU #4.262-C - Bartender
Subaru Matsushita - Atmospheric Technician

Species you are applying to play: Skrell

What color do you plan on making your first alien character: A deep, burgundy red.

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:
The Skrell in my opinion have one of the most unique perspectives in the game when it comes to playing a character. They are the only alien species that has even anywhere close to the influence and power that Humanity does, yet they are not the main race of the game like humanity is. I want to take on this new perspective by exploring a race that is one with itself in a sense, yet has members of it like those living outside of the federation, that are lost or cut off. I also think the exploration of the psionic mechanics of the Skrell would be very fun to use in RP just for the various things it can do and the opportunities it provides.

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human:

Mechanically, the Skrell are quite similar to humans with one notable exception, that being psionics. What’s more with this psionic inclusion, is the Srom and Nlom, and just the in-game iterations of them one finds when they use the sleep verb or telepathically communicate, but the in-character perspective of it and how it, among other things, ties the Skrell together with one another. Humans are independent in a way, and it shows in our lore with the various factions and nations of humanity that dot the map, but Skrell are much more communal and societal as opposed to individualistic. This shows in everything from the Quya family structure, to the near monolithic nature of the Jargon Federation, to even Skrellian names themselves in how they are oftentimes combinations of the names of others. I think incorporating this mindset alongside the other alien cultural quirks of playing a Skrell is what truly sets them apart.

 

Character Name: Vamtyu’Pom Quul Phumanus

Vamtyu’Pom Quul Phumanus, or often Vamtyu or even Vam or Pom, for short, was born outside of federation space on the Jovian moon of Europa. This place is not a usual spot for them to be born in, however, as with many things, there is a reason for this.

Roughly thirty years prior to Vam’s birth, a Quya of scientifically-minded Skrell living in one of the larger underwater cities of Qerrbalak was given an offer of a lifetime from Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals: Move out of Qerrbalak in an all expenses-paid relocation to the moon, Europa, and be given much higher paying jobs than they were working at the time due to both their scientific acumen but also their nonchalance with which they lived underwater. This Quya, after some deliberation between themselves, collectively decided to accept this offer and move to a Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals facility known as Phumanus Station on the icy moon. Once there the Quya had a bit of difficulty integrating into a more human society and being distanced from the Nlom and Srom fields they were used to, eventually decided to start making a home for themselves in this place as opposed to simply working there. This, of course, meant having children.

Vamtyu was the second of four children that the Quya has yet had, and their time in life has been odd in comparison to the typical Skrellian experience. Born as a listener, and remaining more or less one for the entirety of their sixty-two year-long life, Vam’s thoughts are not directly influenced by the push and pull of the wake, but instead they listen in to it and simply observe. This fact however, is somewhat isolating and even problematic to a Skrell in Vam’s situation. They are a listener distant from both the Nlom and Srom aside from the fields felt from their own Quya and the small handful of others living on Phumanus Station, making them a listener with nothing to typically listen to. As a result of often not hearing much, Vam is a very deliberate and meticulous Skrell, a Skrell that often growing up and working on Phumanus had a lot of time to really think about the things that they did hear, pick them apart, and approach them with various angles.

The more obvious result, however, of growing up in a human society is the remarkability that Vam has in perceiving and understanding human cultural norms, concepts, and customs. Things like gender, to human perceptions of humour, to an understanding of the human family structure are not and never were alien to this Skrell as they felt as if they were a part of it. This goes as far as utilising gendered pronouns when around humans, typically feminine ones, and adopting the surname Phumanus, as while growing up, they saw the station as their family. They even show their difference from a federation Skrell in appearance. A federation Skrell living in a similar underwater environment would have a dark, navy blue colour to their skin, where Vam is instead a dark red colour sourced from an iron-rich diet of tenderised shellfish meat. This familiarity with human society came at a cost however, a sort of out-of-touchness with the more typical skrellian norms that manifests itself in many ways.

Much like many Skrell residing on Europa, Vamtyu was somewhat prized for their ability to act like a psionic radar for the various underwater vessels roaming around the Europan seas. This combined with Vam’s natural curiosity and methodical nature, made them a valuable asset for Zeng-Hu’s research expeditions into the deep. Being influenced by their Quya, the company that they lived under, and the place where they grew up, Vamtyu applied themselves by becoming a xenobiologist specialising in the creatures that filled Europa’s dark depths. While they enjoyed this life of study and exploration, not to mention the community they found around them, Vam found themselves wanting more.

Their curious nature was always looking to learn more things, and while Europa, to them, would always be their home, there was more to learn in the galaxy than could be learned on Europa. After conferring with their Quya about this desire, Vam submitted an application for transfer to another facility. It didn’t matter where, but so long as they could learn new things, discover and carry out research on new creatures, they wanted it. Zeng-Hu said no, initially, however after receiving pressure from some of the senior directors of Phumanus station, directors that Vam had become quite friendly with in their fourty-some years they'd worked on the station, the company relented and sent Vam off to work as a contractor upon the NanoTrasen owned station, the NSS Aurora.

Vam is in the greater galactic society for the first time in their life, and despite being technically an adult, they have an almost childlike morbid curiosity with much around them and an urge to feed that methodical and analytical mind that made them who they are. Also, they have been exposed to a greater Nlom and Srom for the first time, and this is an entirely new opportunity for exploration in itself. Who knows what may await this hematite-hued alien in their new life among the stars?

What do you like about this character?

I like the dynamic of having a human-familiar skrell to the detriment of knowing their own customs. I think it could make for quite interesting RP with other Skrell on station, for better or worse. I don’t often see non-federation Skrell in game, so I think this could be an interesting niche to also explore in roleplay that this character could provide. As for personality and who they are as a whole, I am excited to play a sort of calm, wistful, and contemplative, yet somewhat extroverted person that has this boundless desire to learn new things and give themselves context within the wider galaxy. I think they will be very fun to play as a Zeng-Hu contracted Xenobiologist working with creatures that they have only read about in papers and seen in documentaries before now.
 

How would you rate your role-playing ability?

If I had to give it a number I would say eight out of ten.

Edited September 11, 2020 by TheBurninSherman

[Snakebittenn]

This is one of our best Skrell applications  I've ever had the pleasure to witness. In fact, that I've ever had the pleasure to approve. You've hit *all* the right beats of a Skrell that was born and raised outside of the Federation, and I physically can't wait to see her come to interact with Federation Skrell and C'thur.