skrell [ACCEPTED] Haydizzle Gets Wet - Skrell Whitelist Application

[Haydizzle]

BYOND Key: Haydizzle
Character Names: Kar'skalzi Bollu, Pokazli Tupoi-Rlakor, Porter de-Abaros, Alchemy, Dalask Caladius, Aerkor Hri'zok; those are the major ones.
Species you are applying to play: Skrell.
What color do you plan on making your first alien character: Light blue/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: Skrell have a couple of distinct concepts overall that intrigue me. Being drawn towards science and perfecting a field, skrell have an scholarly pursuit to them that I personally really enjoy, as I've always been one to find little facts and share them with others, or be engaged with figuring out why things work the way they do. A very unified government is also something that no other species has due to them all fracturing; unathi are close, but they still have Dominia to compete with as well. Finally, the psionics have also really intrigued me, and I think playing a psionically deaf character would be fun! Someone who has always wanted to be really good with psionics, yet either has yet to gain psionic ability, or never will, is a concept I wanted to toy with somewhat.

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: To rehash a bit, some of the reasons why I want to play this species are one in the same with why they are different. Psionic powers are something other species don't have, and the unified government is a trait endemic to skrell alone. There are also some other fun aspects setting them apart, such as not conveying emotion (in the same way as humans*), living longer than other species, and a deep concern for undoing the effects of Glorsh-Omega. Overall, I'm looking forward to capitalizing on the ideas and themes I've talked about, both for this question and the last, for my first character.

Character Name: Qulari Skroda'jederr

Please provide a short backstory for this character (approximately two paragraphs).

The galaxy can and never will be fully explored. The void of stars expands faster than light can travel into it, always stretching and pulling things apart. A chief principle among the crew of the Weishii's Favor was their efforts paled in comparison to the vast void of the stars. This pessimistic belief, strangely enough, never deterred them; it was especially unclear to most aboard why many of their colleagues and friends were there. Some theorized it was the scientific pursuit of discovering the unknown. Others postulated they were looking for the singularity. A scant few saw this belief as a challenge, to still give it their all to find everything the stars had to offer them.

Regardless of what anyone thought, they were there. These skrell were peering into the unknown, heading into Wild Space, putting their hand forth to grab the first signs of life and habitable planets they could find. The stars were their guide for both the physical and spiritual; where the light of the stars didn't shine, they knew there were objects in the void between the light and them, and thus, that is how they found gas giants of noble gases, asteroids filled with precious metals, and new systems with bizarre orbits. A pair of stargazers, as they were called among the crew, argued over discrepancies in constellations and discussed the possibilities of which stars would be the best to visit and explore. Time did not bring them together, but saw a bond that has not broken, merely reinforced itself.

Contrary to the science they knew, the skrell of this charter were creatures of habit and routine, and never dared break it out of their own suspicion. To eat food alone was to invite tragedy; to hope for something aloud was more likely to bring it to fruition; to bear a clutch while going at warp speed would doom it to infertility. And yet, born from this circumstance, the stargazers bore their first and only. However, through their luck, the egg was raised under the Gnarled Tree, and thus the child suffered from the squid's affliction. A minor issue, they thought, though they did not want to take any chances, given their superstitions were right like a broken clock. The cutting performed, the child was left only with a slightly abnormal mouth and nothing more.

The child grew up curious of the heavenly bodies they saw, extremely vigilant for other signs of life. Time and time again they remained disappointed, and the Poet drew up inside of them like a roaring river. They gawked and squabbled with the stargazers as they were brought up, though it became increasingly clear they did not fit in with the charter, the place that birthed them.

The broken clock proved right once, now twice; the child was mute to the thoughts of others. The Second Dream was their only solace, and shying away from the First was the only way to stave off the writhing jealousy, a fierce kraken that latched onto any contempt that swam too close. Though not ones for it themselves, those that gaze into the stars helped the tadpole learn to still themselves and let their mind wander along the constellations. They saw this as their solution, but the Jiu’x’klua was grabbed by the kraken, and the young one learned to ignore the First Dream to avoid spilling crass words.

After twenty years, the spawn of the stargazers came into their own, and after nearly two decades, the name was given. Each name crafted from the stars, especially fitting for the ones making up discovered constellations of various star systems; qu/la/ri for the three major stars of the Mediator. This came a few years before the charter's returning trip to the first pool, the spawn of the skrell. The 40 year charter for the Weishii's Favor had ended, so returning for new supplies was inevitable. Around now, the hatching egg began their transition into the bloated frog, leaping off from their first pond onto the icy lake, the center of learning for their kind.

What do you like about this character? I went with a bit of an off the wall concept for my first skrell; I wanted to make a skrell born to a ship that was designed to explore the unknown reaches of space for many years before returning home. They are a bit headstrong and will likely draw ire from elder skrell, but they ultimately wish to learn and explore the reaches of the galaxy that they know has life in it. A lot of the reasons I listed before—being psionically deaf, figuring out the complexities of the universe—they play into this character as well. I'm looking forward to pestering a lot of humans with curious questions about their station.

How would you rate your role-playing ability? I hate this question—7/10.

Notes: I went a little overboard with the prose since I was feeling a little gay, so feel free to ask me for clarification on any of it! Oh yeah message me on Discord if you post a reply here, I will probably forget to check on this often.

 

Do I get extra credit for posting skrell art?

Edited December 20, 2020 by Haydizzle

[Caelphon]

Accepted, Skroda is always accepted.

 

I like the premise of your Skrell, however, I do have some questions. 

 

1) How does your Skrell feel about other species? From what I can gather, they've spent nearly all of their life aboard a spacecraft - so they wouldn't have expierence with other species, if I am correct.

2) Did your Skrell attend a tertiary education centre, or have they relied soley on internships and apprenticeships aboard the spacecraft they were born? 

3) Being psionically-deaf is a big thing for Skrell. How do you plan on adding this into your roleplay? 

4) You mention that your Skrell primarily relies on elderly wisedom/has gained traits from the elderly. How will this affect them onboard the Aurora?

Thanks for applying!

[Haydizzle]

1 minute ago, Caelphon said:

1) How does your Skrell feel about other species? From what I can gather, they've spent nearly all of their life aboard a spacecraft - so they wouldn't have expierence with other species, if I am correct.

The intention was to outline their early life, as that had the most impact on them, even though they're a fair bit older now (around 60-70 is what I'm thinking currently). The expedition going into space was alluded to be a little after Glorsh disappeared ("Others postulated they were looking for the singularity.") and take place for about 40 years. However, they have spent a lot of their life in Jargon space, and only have a couple of smaller ideas about the galaxy beyond, so after finally getting enough money and reputation to relocate, they're heading to the Aurora.

Currently, their opinion of all species is rather high, and they find each one to be enamoring and exciting.

3 minutes ago, Caelphon said:

2) Did your Skrell attend a tertiary education centre, or have they relied soley on internships and apprenticeships aboard the spacecraft they were born? 

They went to college to study interpersonal relationships, stopped to work for a bit, pay off their dues, earn enough money to go back to college for a second time to study alien behaviors and dynamics. The traditional mixture of studying and getting internships for both were done. Basically, they did kindergarten aboard the ship, and around when they were 20-21, they came back to Federation space. I will likely be making them a head of personnel/counselor.

9 minutes ago, Caelphon said:

3) Being psionically-deaf is a big thing for Skrell. How do you plan on adding this into your roleplay? 

Lots of tears I took a bit of time during the application to describe Qulari's feelings of envy and jealousy regarding his lack of psionic ability. I did consider perhaps having them go from being psionically deaf to being a very weak listener later on, mostly inspired by this part of the wiki that says, "... many Skrell report feeling attuned differently to the Wake at different points in their lives, while others filmly maintain they are one or the other". So far, if other skrell try to reach out telepathically to them, they will likely be a little annoyed, which can grow or subside if they are pestered further by it.

11 minutes ago, Caelphon said:

4) You mention that your Skrell primarily relies on elderly wisedom/has gained traits from the elderly. How will this affect them onboard the Aurora?

Could you elaborate what you mean here? They were intended to actually be a bit of the opposite, so I think maybe my prose shot me in the foot here.

[Caelphon]

Ah, seems I misunderstood then. You can disregard my last question. I trust you as a player, and I also really like this application. Your answers satisfied my curiosity.

 

This application has my support. 

[Caelphon]

After a brief discussion, we've decided to accept this application! Welcome to the Frogs.