Not-a-Gonk | Skrell Lore Deputy Application

[beepbopbeepbop]

Ckey/BYOND Username: Not-a-Gonk

Position Being Applied For: Lore Deputy

Have you read the Lore Team Rules and Regulations wiki page? Yes

Past Experiences/Knowledge: Nothing lorewise

Examples of Past Work: The same as above

 

1. On the Skrell team, you'll occasionally work closely with the Vaurca and Diona teams. How familiar are you with the lore of those two species? Is there anything you want to develop or change about their integration?

I have spent a decent amount of my time on the server playing Vaurca, usually C’thur, giving me the opportunity to read over their lore in great detail and gain a useful perspective as a hopeful Skrell Deputy. I am less familiar with Diona in general, but I have read their lore as it pertains to the Federation.

 

2. What are your thoughts on the Nralakk Federation's internal politics and current state of the Traverse. How would you like to see them develop in the longer term?

I could discuss my opinions on the current state of the Federation’s internal politics at much greater length, but to keep it concise I’ll talk more generally about the things I like, the things I think went in the wrong direction, and some important aspects which I would like to work on improving.

As for what I am a fan of currently, I really enjoy that the effects of the Synthetic Age remained a defining factor in shaping the modern Federation socially and politically, which gives a lot of material to work with in deciding how a reactionary state like the Federation moves forward. 

For what I believe went in the wrong direction, the creation of the political parties feels to me like it removes some of the uniqueness that the Federation is built on politically, and I think some of the ideas explored could have been better made through expanding the less formalised schools of thought. Additionally, the popularity of Jrugl despite growing internal conflict and more precarious conditions in the Federation should be a bigger point of contention, with potential contenders for their position being established.

In terms of what I believe should be expanded, I would argue that the Federation needs a strong reaction to Hieroaetheria, one of their traditional allies, creating a partnership with the Golden Deep, and I also think there should be more written on how the C'thuric Vaurca are beginning to take on a massive amount of the available manual labour in the Federation caused by the small population and much slower reproduction of the Skrell, and the resulting effects this has on C’thur-Federation relations. Finally, I really hope to see all these things develop in a way in which they become interconnected, inseparable issues which lore arcs can be written on, with tangible effects for the Federation as a whole, and for characters on the ship.

 

3. The Nralakk Federation’s isolationist period is ending, and it intends to expand its involvement in the Spur. How would you want to develop their relationships with the other nations and corporations?

Overall, I believe that the Federation should engage with Spur politics with its own voice, not just backing up whatever Sol says, or engaging in neutral humanitarian missions. Recent agreements with the Hegemony, Biesel, and the SCC are a good example of relations I would like to explore and develop further, as the Federation begins to regain its own distinct international footing.

 

4. Is there a specific part of Skrell or Federation lore that you, personally, are particularly interested on writing about?

Skrell history pre-Synthetic Age and the politics of the Federation are what I am most interested in writing about, as I believe this is where I could cover some areas which have received less attention.

 

Lore Proposal: Below is my lore proposal rewriting the Federation’s policing, military, and intelligence forces, the Kala, to be more in-line with the centralised government structure of the Federation, as well as elaborating on some of their functions and roles in Skrell society.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rGw1juiHUfih8_tabhKGasbmTBbqfKhPSc-i9da9BYo/edit?usp=sharing

Edited Thursday at 04:02 by beepbopbeepbop

[Stripes]

Hi, Notagonk, thank you for applying! I'd like clarification for one part of a question.

With question two, this particular section wasn't touched upon as much as the other portions:

On 01/10/2025 at 20:44, beepbopbeepbop said:

and current state of the Traverse.

can I ask you for your particular opinion on the state of the Traverse, and its current direction? Did you have any particular opinions on the Independent Traverse Movement as well?

[beepbopbeepbop]

3 hours ago, Stripes said:

Can I ask you for your particular opinion on the state of the Traverse, and its current direction? Did you have any particular opinions on the Independent Traverse Movement as well?

After rereading through a few wiki pages and lore arcs, I can say that the Traverse is way less developed than I would prefer. Throughout the depictions and current lore of the region, a vast majority seems to focus on the negatives of life there; the abandonment and brutality of the Federation define it. The presence of pirate marauder groups and independence movements is the result of this gap, plaguing the local governments with banditry, angering the average Traverser citizen. This likely comes as the Federation has adopted a policy of increasing Kala presence in the Traverse, rather than creating further social and welfare support which has proven highly effective in the inner systems, the reasons for which have gone unexplained as far as I've read. Compounded with a particular lack of history in the region, it leaves many unanswered questions as to how exactly the Traverse got to where it is in the first place. Ultimately, the further independence of the Traverse and its opening to corporate influence in recent lore articles show that it is becoming more distinct as an entity. I am in favour of this, especially with the replacement of Nralakk investment with corporate investment being the primary agent of change here, rather than the current geographical inequality, which I think is too oversimplified. On the question of the Independent Traverse Movement, I find it difficult to talk about at length given its relevance grew and then disappeared within the span of the Change on the Horizon arc in 2023, but ultimately it was a necessary manifestation in an organised form of the aforementioned anger felt by the Traversers to have conflict take place.