[ACCEPTED] ValentineUnderscore - Skrell application

[Valentine]

BYOND Key: ValentineUnderscore
Character Names: Tajrrhraz Sha'relrr, Ashoke Dhalam, Titus Soranzo, Oleg Sokolov, Giovanni Mancini, to name a few.
Species you are applying to play: Skrell
What color do you plan on making your first alien character: Whitish-grey (Axiori from Aliose who got a Spa treatment) 
Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes, I did.

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:
Of all the non-human races in Aurora, the Skrell have always fascinated me due to their alienness. They remind me of what humans traditionally consider aliens to be: large dark eyes, extremely advanced compared to humans, and focus on sciences. I also find the lore they have on psionics, Nlom, Srom, listeners, etc. to be just inspiring for roleplay.

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human:
Skrell are almost everything humans are not: long-lived, patient, psychic, extremely communal. Beyond the clear physiological differences (Skrell are cold-blooded), the way Skrell view each other as a collective united by a singular language, psionic comorbidity, and no gender or ethnic bias, really separates them from humans. They even have this groupthink-esque thing thanks to their inherent psionics, where widely accepted thoughts and beliefs disseminate through the society they are in and quite literally become a zeitgeist.

They even have multiple words to describe complicated relationships, and things humans may find unsavory, like polyamory or more fluid relationships, are commonplace. Skrell have been around for a long time, and they've developed such an interesting and alien culture that sets them apart from everyone else. I also find it quite funny that pre-Glorsh, the Skrell could pursue whatever art or science they wanted, and post-Glorsh, some of them are forced to participate in menial labor, which they find distasteful. This almost seems prideful, and I think it speaks volumes to who they are as a people. They're very advanced, they know it, but they aren't supremacists: they've been tempered by literal genocide and interaction with other races in the Spur. Because they're so long-lived, they view life in a way that is radically different from other races.

And that's not even touching on their authoritarian meritocratic Federation, complete with social credit ratings (SCS) that determine living conditions and full-scale stratification or the aforementioned literal genocide that nearly sterilized their entire race. 

Character Name: Xeqo'naq Oonq-Resh
Please provide a short backstory for this character:

Xeqo Oonq is an Axiori Skrell who was born on Aliose in Orq’wesi to a Quya of four on 7-viq, 5-viqi, slaq-qog, 2355-oqq. Their F'ex'Qa, Qevloq'Drapb, was a professor at the Aliose University of Medical Sciences, and their F'ex'Tra, Jooliresh Onrep, an archivist at the Orq’wesi archive, both undyingly loyal to the Federation. Xeqo was quite loved by the Quya and had one Qrra'Myaqq, Naql, who was quite headstrong, leading to Xeqo oftentimes being the model child. Despite this, Xeqo later added naq to the end of their name to symbolize their deep love for Naql. Growing up, Xeqo found a dislike for Viax, finding their lack of personhood unnerving, although they believe the Vaurcae are valuable fellow citizens, almost equal in Xeqo's eyes to the Dionae. 

As a youngster, Xeqo was always groomed to be as erudite as possible by their Qrri'Myaq, who was also their F'ex'Qa, Qevloq'Drabp. During their Scuttle Schooling Xeqo took additional supplementary courses. At age 30, they underwent their Odurserr and received four gifts from their Quya, the most prized among them being a poem about legacy. When Xeqo attended Reefgardens, they excelled at mathematics and physical sciences such as chemistry and physics. Around the age of 40, they began specializing in medical science courses, such as biochemistry and anatomy. During this time, Xeqo explored the astronomical facet of Qeblak and professed their faith in it. They also attended Lodge lectures, and their love of the Federation grew. At the age of 52, Xeqo felt ready to advance to Uyi’vesi, and their Quya enthusiastically encouraged them to attend the obvious: Aloise University of Medical Sciences, the same place their F'ex'Tra worked, and where they had been groomed to study their entire life. Xeqo readily accepted. 

During their tenure at AUMS, Xeqo forged a working relationship with Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, participating as a laboratory intern and studying to acquire degrees in medicine, biomechanics, and chemistry over three and a half decades: longer than normal, as Xeqo admits they took an average of 12 years to fulfill each degree as they "work more methodically than most." While at AUMS, Xeqo also met and spent time with the few non-Skrells at the university while writing a paper on alien biological processes. Fascinated by alien culture, Xeqo would adopt traditionally masculine he/him pronouns when amongst them, as they found it "fun." It was during this focus that Xeqo engrossed themselves in studying the newly-contacted Tajara, who they found especially fascinating. 

They cite a lecture they attended hosted by Lori'Eldap Joolro'Loveq as one of the most inspirational courses of their life, and the Dean's vastness of wit and sharpness of mind, despite being extremely old, pushed Xeqo to be the best they could be. They also cite the courses they took under their F'ex'Tra as being ultimately important in motivating Xeqo to strive, and so they added -resh to their name to honor Jooliresh.

Xeqo graduated Qro'vesi at the age of 87 and returned home to their Quya in the year 2452, sought employment with Ziip’Ta Medicinal, and worked with them for 22 years as a genetic researcher. During this time, Xeqo formed a Quya with two other Skrell but parted from it amicably. When the Work Initiative Programme launched in 2464, Xeqo was offered a contract with Zeng-Hu aboard the SCCV Horizon. They were overjoyed at the program's opportunities and accepted. They desired work beyond the Federation to meet more non-Skrell and learn from them aboard a prestigious ship, believing they were all as fascinating as the ones met at AUMS decades prior, and to further their applied knowledge of biology. Despite knowing about the near-omnicide committed by Glorsh-Omega, Xeqo is willing to work alongside SCC-bound AI, synthetics, and IPCs, although they have a healthy mistrust of their ulterior motives, they care more about professionalism than inserting personal opinions into the workplace.

In the year 2465, Xeqo is a Secondary Numerical with a SCS of 6.53.

What do you like about this character?

I love how scientifically geared this character is, and I'd love to roleplay them being very rigidly pro-Federation, young, but always striving to be as sharp and knowledgeable as they can be. Xeqo has been afforded a LOT of opportunities in their life and to reflect that is educated, erudite, and curious. Skrell are united, and something is exciting about roleplaying a character who is part of a unified (or as unified as there is in the Spur) species.

How would you rate your role-playing ability?

I always try my best to roleplay in a way that suits the situation and the people around me, and I'm eager to get better. I find I roleplay best with people who are skilled roleplayers, and more skilled than myself above all.

Notes:

N/A

Edited December 15, 2023 by WhatsUpBrotendo

[Butterrobber202]

Hi! Thanks for applying.

1. What is Xeqo's favorite food?

2. I see that you stated they dislike Viax, good on you for commenting on intra-Federation alien relationships. How do they feel about Diona?

3. Is Xeqo religious or in tune with their spiritual side?

4. How have recent events in the Federation impacted Xeqo? Such as Lori's recent death.

[Valentine]

Hey Butterrobber! Glad to apply and happy to answer:

1. Well, during Xeqo's time in Reefgardens and when they were at AUMS, they ate Jyalra pretty often: a junky quick snack, but no way is it their favorite food. The perfect meal for Xeqo would have to be some authentic Aliose shredded Masaraaq with a bed of Fjylozyn and a Neaera eye or two to round it off. They still have a soft spot for Jyalra though.

2. They think Diona are great, they knew a few Quya who adopted nymphs and raised them, although Xeqo's quya never did. If the Federation trusts them enough to give them SCS, they must be upstanding citizens too. Plus, they helped reconstruct the Federation. They knew a few at AUMS.

3. For sure. They are a follower of Qeblak, and their background in mathematics and material sciences has led Xeqo to state outright that mathematics is the language of the universe, which naturally means the Zareq’Eaq must be right and logical. They visited a local Observatory Dome pretty often, not that they are a learned Qe'Naho or anything, or especially devout, but they believe that celestial bodies and phenomena can predict events. They liked to observe the Starkeepers perform their calculations, which baffled Xeqo to this day.

4. With the whole reorganization of the Grand Council, Xeqo wonders if the long-held post-Glorsh stability of the Federation is entering shaky territory. They most definitely agree with Grand Councillor Jrugl and the United Federation Party. Xeqo supports more xenophilic legislature owing to how great the Vaurca and Diona have been and heartily supports monitoring Megacorporations to prevent Federation-based corporations from being outcompeted. When Lori passed away back in July, Xeqo was heartbroken such a passionate and intelligent person was gone, and they were amidst the throngs of Aliose when they carried her remains to Orq'wesi. Xeqo, in the throes of emotion, wrote a poem about Lori, although they do not pretend to be a skilled poet. 

[WhatsUpBrotendo]

Hi, thanks for applying.

I just have a few things I want to point out in your application:

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and no gender or ethnic bias

There would be bias by the Federation as Axiori are more psionically adept than Xiialt on average. While this isn't a pronounced bias it would definitely impact how easily someone could enter government positions or move up the social credit system.

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 authoritarian meritocratic Federation

The Federation is more presenting itself as a meritocracy than being an actual meritocracy. How Listeners and non-Skrell are treated in the Federation are just a couple of examples of how it isn't as meritocratic as it might initially seem.

These might seem like nitpicks since they're small details, but it is important when reading and interpreting other bits of lore or when developing a character's backstory.

Other than those two things the app is good and I'm happy to accept it.