Honkerton's Protean Clown/Mime Application

[Bloodrite]

Discord name: Honkerton#6928

Byond ckey: Bloodrite

Characters you currently play: Krohn Moonseeker, Eevol Maitevol

Job/Races you are applying for: Protean Clown

Name of the character you intend to be using (makes it easier for us to recognise and log): Britches

In the case of applying for a species, give us a brief summary of your character's backstory. This should give us an idea that you understand the lore of the species:

The march of progress is marked by all manners of triumphs and failures. Whether or not this story ended in failure or not remains to be seen. On a remote Skrell black site on the fringes of colonized territory, research into artificial intelligence had been taking place without the knowledge of the Qerr'Katish. The purpose of this research? To gain permanent technological supremacy over the other empires and organizations across space. Malevolent in their intentions, they desired Skrell power to be absolute, despite their leaders' desire for peace.

Years of research would create numerous failures. From clunky shells to eventual amorphous nanoswarms, research had come to stagnation with the formation of Nanomass-023, and several of its "siblings". All attempts at restraining the constantly adapting, evolving consciousnesses in the new beings were failing. In fear, they would begin systematically frying the synthetic creatures with high pulse EMP weapons. This was largely met with success, until they arrived at 023's cell. Struck with the weapon, they were heavily injured, yet in the confusion of the electrical explosion, she saw her opening. The EMP had created a malfunction in the emergency ventilation system, and she swiftly escaped into the bowels of the station.

Hardly a person at this stage, and more so a logic engine due to the loss of much of their nanomass, 023 devoured metallic substances. Growing, learning, and adapting to the rigors of life evading the Skrell scientists who thought they had destroyed them. Finally, they escaped by venting themselves into space. The gelatinous mass would drift for an indeterminate amount of time. . . before finding itself "glued" to the wall of a massive ship. As fate had it, 023 would find itself on the vessel of the greatest show in the Galaxy: The Bagrum and Borgak Stellar Circus.

Slipping inside of the dilapidated cargo ship, the nano being would feed. For a time, it simply wished to survive. That is, until it grew a true mind. A mind capable of not only reason, but. . . emotion? Empathy? New sensations and ideas filled the nano-swarms pico-circuits! How they watched the hard-light trapeze artists soar. To see the animal tamers train their gargantuan, tentacled beasts to juggle rings and slide through intricate labyrinthine, colorful tubes. To witness the joy and gags of the lowly clowns. Something stuck with 023, as they watched the antics of the strange men and women and they waddled, hopped, and ran about their quarters. Doing each others makeup with a smile, or a woeful frown. Beings full of whimsy and stage-sorrow, whose lives were held under the thumb of Bargum and Borgak. It reminded 023 of their own existence, what little they could remember from the labs. It was all they knew.

And so, the gelatinous mass of nano-machines rose, rose, and reformed itself. Taking a new shape. Bright colors of red, blue pink, and white. Chalky white flesh, and a round rubber-like nose that honks when you squeeze it. Stumbling from the shadows on unsteady feed, a new being was born.

Taken into brief custody, Bargum and Borgak would find this strange clown to possess outstanding abilities that would surely wow audiences. Everyone knew about slime people. It wasn't a gag that sold tickets. But this woman? She was seemingly flesh and blood, yet her arms and legs could stretch to amazing lengths! She could eat steel bars and all manner of things a human being could not! She could climb into tiny boxes, suitcases, or any manner of container and crawl back out like the cartoon characters of old. The possibilities sent their minds whirling, and after a days deliberation, they agreed to train what appeared to be a young woman in the art of clownery and mimery.

Over the following years, she would be formed into the strange, silent, but cheerful construct she is today. She is, indeed, a clown first and foremost. However, she is quite capable of aiding in other matters, or is willing to learn.

Summarize the species. As evidence that you've looked into it:

Well, from what I've read, they're less a species and more a high-science creation, either by purpose of accident, resulting in a being made entirely of nano-machines. Highly durable, hard to kill beings capable of a great many things. Sorry if this isn't enough!

In the case of applying for Mime/Clown, what are you intending to do to make them distinct and enjoyable:

I think there's always been a place in SS13 for the traditional, griefy, terrible clown. But not on roleplay servers, unless they're like an antagonist or something. The clown has become sort of the poster-boy of the game, after all. But that's not what I'm going for. I think, as a society, we've forgotten the whimsy and joy of clownery and replaced it with fear due to movies and such. And in the case of SS13? Well, it brings up images of the maintenance clown murderer, or the guy replacing lightbulbs with plasmabulbs. In general, a character who exists to cause trouble.

And I do think a LITTLE trouble is warranted, if it is in the heart of a true clown. Nothing law breaking, or overly disruptive. The funny thing is, mimes and clowns are in the same vein. The mime is a form of clown, and mimery is often used as such. Britches is a mute. She can perform sign language if she must, but she is perfectly happy gallivanting around in her big shoes, performing gags. Following security around with a balloon baton, wearing a serious scowl while they patrol, as if she were one of them, only to turn around quickly when they look at her. Acting as if she were doing nothing at all, only to turn and follow again once their backs were turned again.

She'd stretch her arm behind someone's back, place a coin behind their ear, then gestures to inform them of the monetary prize left there without them knowing. This is a lewd server, of course. So, a fun balloon gag where she "attempts" to inflate a balloon, only for some part of her body to grow. Body gags would be a big part of it, due to her goo-nature.

In general, I just want to have a little fun, and try to let others have fun in turn. The protean durability just makes their clownery all the more potent, so she could be a bit more daring with her stunts. See: slipping on a banana peel and falling off the third story balcony.

What do you expect to happen if you use this race/job to violate any of the server rules?: Depending on the severity, I suspect a ban from further whitelisted characters. But I have no intention of breaking the rules, only create fun.


Unrelated, but here's art of her. It's original art!

https://i.imgur.com/Ask83gz.png

[mouseofthecake]

Extremely well-developed application. I, uh, dunno if I can give it a +1 without being staff, but I'll do so anyway. This is the standard we have to set for protean applicants.

[AvaricePleonexia]

Almost every clown application I've let through has not met my expectations. They failed by giving into the grief. But, given the amount of effort you put into this, I don't think you'd be so willing to just throw away the trust the staff team would be putting in you to not only play a Protean, but, also pick the clown/mime job slot. I'll give this my support. Tentatively.

You know it's bad when such an amazing, quality application is on the verge of getting turned down due to bad players. Let's hope you're not another one of them. :')

[HazelBailey]

I'm so iffy on this for the exact same reasons Avarice already mentioned. All but one clown I've given support to has been a massive shitter that at one point or another ended up losing that whitelist. The one outlier simply doesn't play their clown. But, you did put a large amount of effort into this, and I'm willing to give this a very uneasy, but hopeful +1.