[ACCEPTED] JohnMelon - Skrell Application

[MarceLane]

BYOND Key: JohnMelon (johnmelon)

Character Names: Svetlana Voskoboynikov, Touch Atlas, Lilian Sagan

Species you are applying to play: Skrell

What color do you plan on making your first alien character: Olive Green

Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes, and now brain hurty.

Why do you wish to play this specific race:

I personally, when given the option, would pick any race over humans for a more unique experience in anything I do, games and all. This is no exception. When I was first reading about all these different races, it was the Skrell that first caught my eye. I love their unique way of expressing emotion to others, their deep connection with psionics, including the Srom and the Nlom, as well as their sordid and tragic past leading them to be a peaceful race. 

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

As mentioned previously, the Skrell not only have a different way of showing emotion compared to humans, but several other physical traits. They are amphibious by nature, due to their home planet, with webbed feet, translucent skin that produces a protective mucus, and cold-blooded copper-based blood. Their physiology also grants them an extended (compared to a human) lifespan. Not to mention, their enlarged Zona Bovinae gives them a greater innate connection to psionics, something that generates enough of a Psionic Wake to create interconnected fields, that allow continued communication throughout their species!

Character Name: Xhan’Dhum Bodro

Please provide a short backstory for this character:

Hailing from the first settled Skrell colony, Aweiji, Xhan is a 155cm tall Axiori with a current social credit score of 5.89. They have fairly long head tails, wrapped around their neck and draping down their back in a reserved fashion, with olive green skin. They’re from the city of Plebu’qlip, growing up in a Quya of engineering-based Skrel, with their Qrri’Myaq and Qraa’Myaq both being very able engineers, specialising in aerospace engineering and manufacturing respectively. Having completed their Ukutanii, and blessing their Qrri’Myaq with the burning of their token, Xhan quickly moved to their Untuk’mak. They grasped the concepts of engineering quickly, but had little time to apply it, with most of their education being theory, and watching others work. This originally bothered Xhan, but their Qraa’Myaq told them to have patience.

 

During the latter years of their Untuk’mak, Xhan’s Qrri’Myaq, Dhum-Zanzir Xinavog, passed away in a tragic accident, involving the unintentional firing of an unstable prototype thruster. The stress of the incident threw Xhan into a state of disbelief, and they became extremely reclusive from others, though still seeking the comfort of their Qraa’Myaq. It was then realised that Xhan was clearly a Listener, due to their sheer shying away from conventional norms. This slowed Xhan’s education for a while, often spending a lot of time alone. When they weren’t spending time alone, they sought others like themselves, eventually coming across a small cell of them, headed by an older Skrell. Despite the thought-provoking speeches the older Skrell gave, the non-conformity did not sit right with Xhan, who thought only of what their Qrri’Myaq would do in such a situation, presented with such information. Xhan gave the information to the authorities, who dealt swiftly with the non-conformists.

 

Returning from their lapse of loneliness, Xhan wished to return and honour their Qrri’Myaq, by adding their own name to theirs, becoming Xhan’Dhum Bodro. Xhan spent a lot of time after their stint giving back to other citizens of the Federation, practising their practical engineering skills after school hours in order to prove themselves, fixing all manner of available things, or learning how to if they didn’t know. Xhan then completed their Uyi’vesi courses, through which they made many close friendships, slowly removing the dark stains on their skin. Now armed with vast amounts of knowledge and wanting so desperately to apply it, Xhan has earned themselves an apprenticeship with Hephaestus Industries, and travelled off world to Biesel to utilise it, eventually winding up on the ship, the SCCV Horizon.

What do you like about this character?

As a Listener, this provokes several opportunities for roleplay with Skrell. What first might start off as distrust could become a slow-growing friendship with any other Skrell, given their involvement in getting rid of the cell. I also like the idea of not being a perfect model citizen, but still wanting to prove themselves actively, through learning and actions. Also, personally, I’d use their stress as a marked character flaw, which would be another thing to bring up in roleplay.

How would you rate your role-playing ability?

Having played six or so years of TTRPG’s, I would suggest that I have a very good understanding of roleplaying and interactions. I think that I sometimes tend to “over-engineer” backstories, and thoughts and ideas, which I will eventually refine into a pure, single understood thread. I do respond to stimuli in roleplay very well, and I tend to take a quiet role in most discussions, because I enjoy seeing how other people respond and interact in the other world around them, which will inevitably help me gather my own thoughts and feelings.

Edited June 26, 2023 by WhatsUpBrotendo

[WhatsUpBrotendo]

Sorry this took so long to get to reply to. Been a busy weekend.

I don't see any issues with the app itself outside of a few missing details I'd like you to fill in for me by answering the following questions:

1. What faith does Xhan follow?
2. What does Xhan think about other species that have integrated the Federation (C'thur hive Vaurca and Diona)?
3. How does Xhan feel about humanity?
4. How old is Xhan? What era would they have been born in?
5. How does Xhan feel about the Federation? Your backstory touches on this a bit, but I'd like you to expand on their thoughts more.
6. How does Xhan feel about Skrell from outside the Federation?

[MarceLane]

Ooo, some great questions.

1. What faith does Xhan follow?

   • Xhan would follow the faiths of traditional Qeblak. I imagine Xhan would have begun following the religion from listening and following their Qrri’Myaq and Qraa’Myaq, but would've first felt a full connection to the faith once their Qrri'Myaq had passed. I imagine they would spend long portions of the night looking up at the stars in reverence, honouring their ancestors, and telling them all that has transpired, and brought them further down the path of knowledge, hoping that they would be proud of them. It would also seem pretty logical to them, as the energy stored in a persons being once they pass away has to go somewhere.

2. What does Xhan think about other species that have integrated the Federation (C'thur hive Vaurca and Diona)?

   • I think Xhan would find the difference between each species' thought processes', as well as their unique biology and cultures, extremely fascinating. With Dionae, they probably wouldn't have ventured to any Spiral Gardens very often, but any they would have met on land or since they would have spoken with politely. Similarly with Vaurca, given their unique biology that produces Phoron, as well as their aid in lower-level working positions, and the Federation military, makes Xhan looks fortunately upon them. Xhan believes, so long as they have a citizenship, they can provide for the federation, and even if they don't, they can be studied for their culture, and how they would act outside of the federation. Xhan would, however, be a bit cautious of them, especially if they're outside of the federation, but still friendly.

3. How does Xhan feel about humanity?

   • Given the amount of aid that humanity has given the Skrell, as well as the impact they've had on Skrell culture, Xhan would be the most receptive to humans, outside of any other race. The agreements the federation and the humans have that promotes research is especially admirable, and if nothing else, Xhan would find every way a human acts to be interesting, including their short views on life, oddness in comedy, and the way they communicate with one another. Xhan may however be sceptical about their motives, especially given their histories with wars and disconnected-ness within their own species.

4. How old is Xhan? What era would they have been born in?

   • I would place Xhan in the latest era of the Skrell, post 2192, and likely in the age range of 70-80. I think their backstory promotes enough of a youthful naievty, and a small amount of rebellious nature, to promote how they're still grappling with their conflicting thoughts on their own species. This, coupled with their inexperience at direct physical labour, whether that be due to their way of being taught, or from fear of ending up similarly to their Qrri'Myaq (especially given their brief stop in education), would suggest to me that they haven't got too far in their career path, but are more than willing to.

5. How does Xhan feel about the Federation? Your backstory touches on this a bit, but I'd like you to expand on their thoughts more.

   • Xhan believes that the federation will have been one of the better things to happen to the Skrell, especially since the Era of Synthetic Oppression. Whilst some may seem their, hold over the populace as controlling, and Xhan themselves has had to learn to deal with such a thing, Xhan now sees it as important, as it gives everyone a singular, unified goal: one to prosper. The Federations work to fix the sterility caused by the GLSH-MG is especially inspiring, and whilst Xhan doesn't have a mind for that science, they hope by becoming a proficient engineer, they can take care of the systems that take care of others.

6. How does Xhan feel about Skrell from outside the Federation?

   • Because Skrell, regardless of where they are born (for the most part), are still considered citizens of the Federation, Xhan would still trust them a lot more than any other species. There may be a slight level of distrust due to their Social Credit, or because of where they are born, for the most part, Xhan would look past and seen the Skrell behind all of their history. This might change if, for whatever reason, the Skrell had lost their citizenship, and at that point they'd treat them with extreme caution.

*Edited for nicer formatting*

Edited June 26, 2023 by MarceLane

[WhatsUpBrotendo]

[ACCEPTED]