[Accepted] Clickety-clack or something - SooshyFish Vaurca Whitelist App

[SooshyFish]

BYOND Key: SooshyFish

Character Names:
Elliott Hanying - Idris Janitor, Human
There are a couple others that I am building regularity with playing, but that I don't have enough time in yet to consider 'staples' of my play. As of my return to Aurora, Elliott is my 'main', and the most likely to see me playing.

Species you are applying to play: Vaurca
What color do you plan on making your first alien character: [RGB 81, 21, 0]
Dark sandy brown shell, to follow with the color scheme of Xakt Bound Workers.

Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: I have yes. The focus has been on the Hives and how they interact with the world around them at large, and I'm still reading to solidify my understanding of who the race is as a whole, and how they work as a whole, so that I can not only play my own potential characters, but better interact with others.

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: Short answer is... They seem neat. The Vaurca are a very in-depth race with a lot going on behind the scenes, whether or not other players get to see that through interactions. They're a wonderfully diverse group of beings, that cover nearly as much ground as Humans might, albeit in vastly different methods of operation. Those unique differences I think make for an interesting setup to play as, and I think the visuals help to drive that forward. They're so unique in their looks, even amongst different types of Vaurcae. There's also the fun variance between Unbound and Bound that I think would make for interesting interactions. All in all, it rolls into one, bug-filled snowball of a unique experience that I think would help to keep any monotony from setting in, and of course with any race whitelist comes the point of helping to showcase the race, even if I know far less than other players on them.

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: There are some similarities, but the differences are fairly distinct and should be kept in mind at all times I think. The biggest is in their hierarchy. 'Drones' especially vary from humans in their unwavering mindset of their duty, focusing on their jobs through all but the most strenuous situation. Unbound vary as well, a certain lack of social queues and personal mannerisms in their day to day lives. Part of this is brought on by the extended amount of time spent in VR, rather than amongst other species. The other fact to their 'awkwardness' is the difference in societal hierarchy. For most, if not all Vaurca, betterment of the Hive and their species is paramount. While some Unbound enjoy personal freedoms, most actions are still taken with their Brood and Hive in mind.

The other major difference is in the lack of aggression from Humans. Humans are volatile creatures, often growing violent if pushed to the extremes. For a Vaurca, this is an extreme rarity, save for Type B Vaurcae. All those outside of warriors keep self-preservation, or in the case of Type E Vaurcae, the preservation of their fellows as well. This leads to situations of most Workers or Bulwarks hiding in crises, looking to avoid danger rather than face it head on, and even in the case of Bulwark Vaurcae, meeting a threat head on is only done in defense, until an opening presents itself to escape to safety. These 'quirks' help to solidify mindsets that stand in stark contrast to most Humans, and even other races as well.

And of course, the visual distinctions are a major part of these differences as well. Any Vaurca are immediately different from their coworkers, save for other Vaurcae, and even then, carapace colorings can denote differences easily. Even beyond the insectoid appearance, each Caste is wildly different in appearance as Breeders and Bulwarks are able to be identified at a glance, with the only similarity being between Workers and Warriors, the latter looking to be larger, bulkier variants on their less-combat-inclined kin.

Character Name: Ka'Viax'Tahv Zo'Ra - Of Ta’Akaix’Xakt’yagz’isk Zo’ra's Brood

Please provide a short backstory for this character:
From moment one, Tahv's life was planned out for him as another number in the vast amount of Bound within Xakt's Brood. His life was set to assist in carving out the vast network of subsurface tunnels on the planet of Luthien. His early time spent in Virtual Reality was used to learn every possible ounce of the tools he would wield. Every (virtual) waking moment was spent being molded into a perfect worker. Once he was ready, they pulled him from his VR and set him to work. Two years were spent in line with his kin, carving tunnel.. after tunnel.. after tunnel. Little time was spent relaxing, simple hours being spent to find sustenance and rest, before continuing on afterwards. Two years 'happily' spent furthering his Brood and Hive both. It was a good life. At least by his minimal standards. Not that he would complain even if he could.

But. As life does for all things, his world shifted. Not in any violent or tragic way. The Journeys and Work of the 'SCCV Horizon' had reached the Hive, and soon, his 'Crew' was set to 'transfer'. The terms meant little to him. The Breeders came to collect Tahv and a number of his kin, ordering them away from their work and into the service of the Humans who had arrived. "Orion Express" was settled on their garb, and they seemed to be workers within the same field as his kin. They were miners, cargo technicians, pilots. Albeit all at a less efficient and less cohesive setup than Tahv's 'crew'. He was ordered to leave his home, to settle into their ship and make for this 'Horizon', to continue the same work he had always done, but now in the presence of a melting pot of people, rather than in the tunnels of Luthien. The concept was worrying, to be so far from the only life he really knew.

But.. He was a Worker, and Work he would. Some of the others gave him odd looks, some outright bullied and attacked him. But it didn't matter. He had a duty, to his Brood and his Hive, and to these outsiders. And in holding to it, he would help his Hive flourish.

What do you like about this character?: Honestly, there's a certain simplicity to Bound as a whole that seems appealing. The sheer focus to their work and drive to be efficient and help their Hive is interesting. I worry about the awkwardness of how Bound are personality-wise, but that adds to the layers of Roleplay possible, and that in itself is exciting. I also just like the idea of an insanely hard-working Miner bug who just... has social queues fly way over their head.

How would you rate your role-playing ability?: I'm not sure as to how to properly rate myself, but I would like to think I'm a solid 7 on a scale of 1/10. I'd like to think I'm accommodating with other's roleplay, and that I can world well around storylines and improvisation with those stories. All in all, I think I'm fairly decent, and constantly improving.

Notes: 
First things first. I would like to apologize for any missteps in this application. I've been reading up on their lore and this seemed to be a simple enough first step for a character, but I'm also certain there are some issues in the backstory and setup, and I am more than willing to amend them as needed. 
I'm also more than happy of course to answer any and all questions people may have for me! Looking forward to feedback on this, both positive and negative!

Edited November 28, 2022 by Desven

[SooshyFish]

I'd like to make a small point, after further thought. 

My original idea was for him to be a Worker, but I am willing to shift it to a Bulwark if you feel it would fit the idea better. Bulwarks would make for better physical laborers, but my thought with Ta was that it would be simpler to play out with being new to the race.

[Desven]

Normally, we ask for players to apply with Unbound characters. However, doing so in this case would be really petty, as I think you show already a fair understanding of Vaurcae. We can't be as tough as other species when it comes to backstories, because many bugs are basically built for a single job only and many are also very young, having their first experiences usually on ship. That said, I want to make clear that this is an exception and that I still very much recommend to apply with Unbound.

 

Application accepted.