[Accepted]Doxxmedearly's Tajara Whitelist Application

[Doxxmedearly]

BYOND Key: Doxxmedearly

Character Names: Full list in signature. Characters played for lengths of time:

-Wynter Steele, Librarian

-Sikaevi Suhn’Krashzkrikh (Sunny), Sec officer

-Kizikh Guwan, Gardener

-Sazya Xichi, Miner

-Rowan Fortune, Cargo Tech

-HARPI, pAI

Species you are applying to play: Tajara

What color do you plan on making your first alien character (Dionaea & IPCs exempt):Pink and purple Ivory (M’sai)

Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: I’ve had a go over it several times, yes.

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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: There are a lot of good Tajaran characters around the Aurora. Initially, I didn’t have an interest, satisfied with my Unathi whitelist, but more and more I interact with Tajara and find myself getting interested in exploring them further. I was a bit confused at first about all the ethnicities and the war, which was a lot to go through, but the more I read about it the more I understood and began to enjoy the many conflicts facing them, such as a long war, racial tension, class disparity, adapting to humanity in Tau Ceti… They’re deeper than I thought, and so I’m interested in exploring and playing with these concepts as a player. I found myself thinking up character ideas as I read, and now I want to see them develop!

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: You have the obvious face-level mechanical differences: Resistance to cold, weakness to warmth, claws, faster movement… There’s of course, the differences in speech (Rolling r’s and referring to themselves as “She/He” instead of “I.”)

They use different body language to express themselves, such as flattening their ears or twitching their tails.

There are differences in education; they are generally less educated than xenos, and there’s even educational differences within Tajara (Such as the typically-less-educated Zhan). Literacy isn’t an assumed thing for the species; the widespread introduction of such is a relatively new concept. Tajara as a whole are generally more conservative than humans, as well. This includes keeping displays of affection subtle, frowning on interracial mixing and finding inter-xeno relationships to be gross fetishism. It’s possible to have a Tajara that doesn’t share these ideas, but they are considered deviants in their society and unlikely to be open about it.

These cultural and educational differences, as well as bearing in mind the prejudice between Tajaran ethnicities and tensions that may arise between supporters of the three different war factions, are things to keep in mind when playing a Tajara. Racism, war, and political fervor are all major realities for Tajara.

 

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Character Name: Nahjiya Khayaram

Please provide a short backstory for this character, approximately 2 paragraphs

Nahjiya Walaa’fajrsiddiqah Yuhmnah Khayaram was born in 2433 to a poor family, in the moderate-sized town of Shimah, near Amohda. Her father, a veteran of the first revolution, was fiercely in the grips of PTSD and often gave to drink. She started working as soon as she could, taking under-the-table labor jobs in the construction business when she was 14. It was simple, honest work, and she appreciated it: Go to work, relax with her co-workers, rest at home, and repeat.

She was 18 when Hadii was assassinated, and like most other Tajara, she was shocked. Her focus wasn't so much on the "why" as it was on the aftermath: Zhan were blamed and targeted, public executions and firing squads returned, and for this, Nahjiya was pissed. She worked alongside many Zhan, and to see them slowly start to disappear wasn’t something the fiery young M’sai was going to let happen.

She joined a small resistance movement. They did what they could to help Zhan who were wronged, to break out Tajara who were, in their eyes, wrongly slated for execution, and to cause problems for the police of the PRA. It was a small, local effort, barely a blip on the grand scale of the war, but it was action nonetheless. It wasn’t long before they found similar groups, operating under the ALA. The ALA promised her many things: a proper education in exchange for service, a chance to make Adhomai a free and prosperous world, and a way to strike back directly at the PRA’s injustices. Nahjiya joined them happily.

Her mechanical skills were honed at the Shashtar Technical University, and saw application in the field supporting the military. She was part of an engineering unit, building and maintaining forward bases, seeing to artillery, and repairing vehicles. She didn’t receive the training of the formal military (Other than the 4-month regimen expected of ALA recruits). She wasn’t a combatant, but was still happy to serve in the way she could, despite the dangers and tremendous hardships of being at war.

Her loyalty started to waver as she was moved from front to front and saw the realities of leadership under a military junta. Firing squads executing Loyalists in the streets. Child soldiers being recruited. Terrorist acts. Anarchy. She thought it was justified, having been spoon-fed propaganda for years, and looked the other way for a long time, telling herself it was for the greater good, for the freedom of Adhomai. It wasn’t like the PRA at all… right?

The final straw was when she was given a new enemy, now facing the NKA instead of the PRA. Tasked with sabotage, she was able to get a first-hand look at the enemy towns. The horrible NKA, the one propaganda told her was forcing all its unwilling citizens into a war machine, with slaves serving the posh upper-class. She would free them! But she found that… that wasn’t the case at all. The upper and lower class wore the same clothes, ate the same food, mingled, and slavery was nonexistent. The people believed in the New Kingdom. There was support, order, and hope, despite obvious hardships. There were freedoms here that were important to her, things that were considered crimes in the republics. The way they lived reminded her of home, before the world was tossed into war.

It didn’t take long for Nahjiya to swap loyalties. She saw firsthand what the NKA claimed: Republicanism is bloodshed. She sold out what few ALA secrets she knew to NKA officials. She worked to improve the outdated wiring and infrastructure where she could, but the materials were hard to come by in the New Kingdom, and she was just one Tajara. Fortunately, there was an opportunity: several of the Kingdom’s Mights wanted volunteers to find work in Tau Ceti. They were to send funding back home, watch over NKA refugees, and learn what they could about advanced technology (And see what the PRA was learning with their NT partnership).

While she didn’t want to abandon the front, she knew this was a good way to provide for the New Kingdom and its people, and could help better their lives. After many months of feverish study of human languages (Only ending up with the bare minimum grasp on it), she left for Tau Ceti, making her home in District 6 of Mendell city alongside the many refugees, where she eventually found a work contract with NanoTrasen.

What do you like about this character?

• She’s a young and naïve dreamer, trying to find a perfect ideal faction on an imperfect planet in an unfair universe, constantly being disillusioned with harsh realities clashing with her ideals. She is a perfect example of someone who falls for propaganda while searching for the “good” side of a war.
  
• She didn’t come here to escape a war, but rather to fight and contribute in a different way. She’s deeply invested in it. No “good kitty dint do nuffin’ wrong” with her.
  
• She’s fiery and passionate about what she believes, which I’m hoping will spark some interesting tension among other Tajaran crew.
  
• I don’t play enough irritable, standoffish characters. She’s compassionate, but it’s not readily obvious, given how fierce she is with her thoughts.
  
• She’s really not very bright outside of knowing how to do her job (And even then, she knows way less than her co-workers). I want to mix this in with her pride, as she’s going to be humbled frequently. This will be especially fun with her sharp attitude.
• There’s plenty of room for her to develop, being exposed to different cultures. She needs to grow up. She needs perspective. (Aaaand she needs to be confused about these big lizards, bugs, and trees walking around, for my own enjoyment). I don't know where she'll go from here, honestly, but I'm looking forward to finding out.

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How would you rate your role-playing ability? If I give myself anything less than a 9/10 I know several people who will flog me. I receive a lot of compliments that I don’t know I deserve, but I think people generally enjoy RPing with me. I’m confident in my ability to RP and maintain character; my Unathi RP started shaky but has become solid as I grew used to playing a non-human. I believe it will be the same for Tajara.

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Notes:

-Her planned role is maintenance technician, given her background.

-She worships Ma’ta’ke, with Shumaila being the goddess she focuses on.

-Please help me if I got some info wrong about the lore and factions. I’m going off the wiki and PMs with Mofo. I am more than happy to correct and rewrite, as usual. I know several assumptions were made lore-wise.

-Thanks, Mofo, for helping me out! Hopefully this doesn't disappoint (I’m sorry this is another cat engineer OTL)

[furrycactus]

Doxx is a player that I often find myself wishing very much that I got to interact with more. From what I can always see, their characters are always well thought out, and they're a very, very good roleplayer. I love the way they used all three faces of the war, and how the character so easily ends up falling for propaganda from several sides while searching for a place. And it's quite clear that a lot of time and thought went into the backstory, which is of a very high quality. Huge +1 from me, I honestly really hope I get to see you as another cat in engineering!

[FreshRefreshments]

+1.

Its an interesting shifting perspective, and the fact that it lands on the black sheep of the three factions, The NKA, is something I like. I trust Doxx to pull off a Tajaran whitelist, and hope I get to see her Maintenance Tech around sometime soon!

[UnknownMurder]

Doxxmedearly aka Junko Enoshima or "DDOS ME DEARLY" is a player that will take roleplay in mind while thinking of consequences that may bring to the round. If it has negative consequences, Doxx will not do it but should it be a positive consequences and make the round thrills chills kills. Should Doxx make a mistake, Doxx is willingly to accept mistakes and improve through Analytical Prowess. Why haven't you applied to be a despairing Head of Staff? Memes aside. I have had the opportunity to interact with her characters, unlike some others players, her characters have maintained in character and would act like as they should ICly without pouring some OOC rage or other feels into it. I am verily sure that everyone's interests have been piqued. I trust Doxxmedearly as a player who shares the same goals in mind to be able to obtain this whitelist. +1

[JamOfBoy]

While I haven't had any deep, ultimate interactions with any of Doxxmedearly's characters I can say that, from what I understand, the minor interactions I have had, and as other people have stated, they seem like they'd be able to roleplay a member of the tajara race well. They have a great ethic to roleplay in general, which I have seen by simply interacting with them, and I'm sure they'd be a welcome addition to the constantly expanding harems and cliques of the species -- uh. I'm sure they'll retain that unique spark in Nahjiya that all their other characters possess. +1 from me.

[Guest Menown]

As long as you do well to remember that tajara consider homosexuality to be deviant, as well as what you listed in your application, you'll do fine.

You have this thing about openly promoting your characters' sexuality that won't really fit with the species. Lesbians are more openly accepted for some reason though, so you might be fine, idk.

[Snakebittenn]

While I do enjoy this backstory, and I treasure the thought of there being more NKA cats skulking around, I have to echo Menown's statement, due to your normal character creation habit.

I suppose +0.5

[Doxxmedearly]

Saw this line of questioning coming, and so I will address it.

I am aware of what is expected, as I was and am with Unathi. This topic was something I talked to mofo about while asking for some lore clarification questions. I understand some uneasy shifting going on, worrying that I might toe a line because gay is my default for characters just the same as straight is the default for many players. Being distinctly aware of the views of each race's society (and in this case, faction, as well) on the topic is something I know I have to understand completely before making characters that deviate from this expected norm. That is why it was a major point in my Unathi whitelist character; so I could make sure I was getting things right.

I get the worry, especially because I like to joke about it and scream it OOCly. I'm sure people look at how I do characters and call it a meme, claim I'm being snowflakey, contributing to the "liberal hellhole" of Tau Ceti, or whatever other things are repeated in OOC a million times a day. But at the same time I think it's pretty unfounded that my IC behavior would be so blatantly against established lore, as I've had an Unathi whitelist for some time, and they have some similar ideas (though not as extreme as Tajara).

-Kizikh, is not open about it and is in fact extremely hesitant to accept it as part of her. It is a slow process she is going through to accept it.

-Sunny is not really on board with the idea she might be bi, and rarely touches the subject.

-Xichi is now open about it (even if it took many, many rounds for her to be comfortable displaying it); it was easier for her because the Dominia wiki entry says it's chill

Maybe people don't like the idea that gay xenos exist. I guess I have to say that's too bad, because they do, no matter what you or their society says. What matters is that I understand the lore well enough to know how they would display it. Which, for Tajara, is basically "they don't." I'm very careful with the lore that I'm operating within. She's not going to go "Oh thank goodness, she is no longer on Adhomai, time to brrreak out the rrrainbow flags!!!" Will she, maybe, eventually, after a very, very long time and internal struggle, perhaps think about displaying it, or talking about it, and rejecting the idea that she is disgusting and should be ashamed? Probably! That's character development. We all play characters from different walks of life in the lore, as aliens are as distinct and varied individuals as humans are, and this is just one of the ones I choose to do. I don't know what else to tell you.

[furrycactus]

Saw this line of questioning coming, and so I will address it.

I am aware of what is expected, as I was and am with Unathi. This topic was something I talked to mofo about while asking for some lore clarification questions. I understand some uneasy shifting going on, worrying that I might toe a line because gay is my default for characters just the same as straight is the default for many players. Being distinctly aware of the views of each race's society (and in this case, faction, as well) on the topic is something I know I have to understand completely before making characters that deviate from this expected norm. That is why it was a major point in my Unathi whitelist character; so I could make sure I was getting things right.

I get the worry, especially because I like to joke about it and scream it OOCly. I'm sure people look at how I do characters and call it a meme, claim I'm being snowflakey, contributing to the "liberal hellhole" of Tau Ceti, or whatever other things are repeated in OOC a million times a day. But at the same time I think it's pretty unfounded that my IC behavior would be so blatantly against established lore, as I've had an Unathi whitelist for some time, and they have some similar ideas (though not as extreme as Tajara).

-Kizikh, is not open about it and is in fact extremely hesitant to accept it as part of her. It is a slow process she is going through to accept it.

-Sunny is not really on board with the idea she might be bi, and rarely touches the subject.

-Xichi is now open about it (even if it took many, many rounds for her to be comfortable displaying it); it was easier for her because the Dominia wiki entry says it's chill

Maybe people don't like the idea that gay xenos exist. I guess I have to say that's too bad, because they do, no matter what you or their society says. What matters is that I understand the lore well enough to know how they would display it. Which, for Tajara, is basically "they don't." I'm very careful with the lore that I'm operating within. She's not going to go "Oh thank goodness, she is no longer on Adhomai, time to brrreak out the rrrainbow flags!!!" Will she, maybe, eventually, after a very, very long time and internal struggle, perhaps think about displaying it, or talking about it, and rejecting the idea that she is disgusting and should be ashamed? Probably! That's character development. We all play characters from different walks of life in the lore, as aliens are as distinct and varied individuals as humans are, and this is just one of the ones I choose to do. I don't know what else to tell you.

 

I apologise for putting this here because I don't want to derail things, but I just want to say that I actually love everything you said here so much.

[Guest Menown]

Will she, maybe, eventually, after a very, very long time and internal struggle, perhaps think about displaying it, or talking about it, and rejecting the idea that she is disgusting and should be ashamed? Probably! That's character development.

 

So you're saying she's eventually going to openly display her sexuality and reject the idea that's she's disgusting and ashamed despite the fact that less than a year ago she would have been put in death camps for doing so?

And when you say long time do you mean like a week or two like you typically give for your other characters?

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Tone down the intensity.

[Doxxmedearly]

So you're saying she's eventually going to openly display her sexuality and reject the idea that's she's disgusting and ashamed despite the fact that less than a year ago she would have been put in death camps for doing so?

I'm saying it's a possibility, yes. That's development and learning. Rejecting the notion that you are disgusting and should not be how you are is like. A major, courageous, and careful step in coming to love yourself. It's not an easy one. It's not even a guarantee; perhaps it will always be a secret between her and her trusted friends, given that other Tajara on-station will treat her horribly if they knew, forever destined to be locked away in exploitable information. Maybe her fiery spirit will erupt and she will take this risks. Maybe everyone will write her off as a standoffish asshole and it won't even come up. Maybe she'll be shamed into taking her life. I don't know! That will be shaped by her experiences. The fact is that there are always people who will stand up for what they believe, even if it means the risk of death. I'm not saying she will be one, but it's not far-fetched to have it as a possibility.

 

And when you say long time do you mean like a week or two like you typically give for your other characters?

I'm not sure where this insinuation is coming from. I just described that my characters are ongoing in their struggles, with one exception. I'll say that no, obviously a week or two is such a ridiculously short time for something like this.

I understand how serious this is. I get how big of a deal this is for Tajara. It's not something that will be ignored. Does my grasp of the lore seem weak in some places that I can work on further clarifying? Does it seem like I'm trying to shoehorn in sexuality rather than trying to work with it in the context provided by the lore? Should I have addressed sexuality in the backstory? I understand the concern, and I understand why it is directed at me. I am not sure I can ever really assure you that I take the lore very seriously, more than I already have (but I hope that I do, either with this response, or with my roleplay! You are a good Taj player, and I respect your thoughts).

 

Tone down the intensity.

I'm sorry if I came off as being hostile or confrontational, it was not my intent. I'll watch my words.

[Guest Menown]

I'm not tracking how revelations of homosexuality are considered character development. It seems a large portion of non-human, as well as human players are striving entirely to obtain relationship partners, and putting a major focus onto their characters' sexuality. I've already had people asking me if I feel like LGBT characters shouldn't exist because of these posts, so I'm not even going to bother posting anything beyond this.

Do whatever you feel is right, I don't care. The climate has changed for Tajara, and I'm quickly realizing that. Also, [mention]Senpai Jackboot[/mention] was referring to me, not you.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Tone down the intensity.

I'm sorry if I came off as being hostile or confrontational, it was not my intent. I'll watch my words.

 

Not you, you're fine

[Doxxmedearly]

I see. I understand then. Your concern is valid, though, because of course you don't want to see anyone going horribly against lore with a species you obviously really enjoy.

 

I've already had people asking me if I feel like LGBT characters shouldn't exist because of these posts,

If anyone reading this is a person who asked this, cut that out, seriously. Please don't be jumping to extremes like this. I understand his concern and respect Menown tremendously, and I don't think that that's at all what he was implying. He should not be harassed for expressing his concerns on a whitelist app.

[Mofo1995]

Tomorrow is the big day! You drummed up a lot of discussion, can't wait to read through it.

[elianabeth]

Doxxmedearly is one of the best roleplayers I've had the pleasure to meet in this game. They're a ton of fun to roleplay with, and tend to arrange events that can draw the attention of the entire station. They also have an excellent attitude towards roleplaying and helping new players get the gist of the game, which I feel is something important for a whitelist owner to have, as they'll also be serving as a model for the species. Therefore, regarding characterizations and roleplay ability, they deserve a strong +1.

I'm not super familiar with Tajaran lore, but I have just a few questions regarding playing Nahjiya:

How do you plan to demonstrate her poor grasp on basic ingame?

You mentioned she'll live in District 6, how will you plan to show the hardship she faces there, or how does she deal with the current chaos in that part of Mendell? Does she have experience interacting with gangs (if she's prone to fall for propaganda and is very idealist)?

I think you've done a good job depicting how she'll come off personality wise, and I could ask about hobbies she does, but I don't think that's really needed for this application. Best of luck!

[Doxxmedearly]

How do you plan to demonstrate her poor grasp on basic ingame?

I've done this with a few of my characters already, such as Kizikh. It'll probably be along the lines of when someone has only a basic grasp on a language IRL: Not knowing words, and using descriptions ("Picture Floor" for holodeck, "cute human birds" for chickens, the character Aisha El-kabir using "Booms" for Kinetic Accelerators), incorrect sentence structure ("Can you explain her the rules?"), verb agreements ("She like the colors!"), strange word substitution ("How does he call..." instead of "How does he say...", "She has been fighting since four years" instead of "She has been fighting for four years"). It will be noticeable, and become more pronounced as she gets flustered and has less time to think. Slang will utterly confuse her. Aside from my own sentences, it'll be a matter of taking time to understand what other people say to her, communicating slowly, and sometimes just sort of pretending she understood what was said.

 

You mentioned she'll live in District 6, how will you plan to show the hardship she faces there, or how does she deal with the current chaos in that part of Mendell? Does she have experience interacting with gangs (if she's prone to fall for propaganda and is very idealist)?

Good question! That will have to come up in conversation. Like the NKA, she will keep a "stiff upper muzzle" about the conditions and hardships of living in what is basically a slum, and so won't complain about it. More like a "it is hard, but it is nothing she cannot endure." She shares a home with a refugee family, and if anything, it redoubles her efforts in working hard. Gangs... it's possible, though I am yet undecided on where that path will go. She has not been there for long, but that's a really good aspect to think about.

 

I think you've done a good job depicting how she'll come off personality wise, and I could ask about hobbies she does, but I don't think that's really needed for this application. Best of luck!

Everyone's gotta have hobbies! She likes to keep up on fashion trends and enjoys modifying clothes and reading magazines. She got into board and card games during her services, and likes to play with the children she lives with. She's into winter sports, too, having played them with her construction buddies way back when.

Thank you for your comments!

[Mofo1995]

There's a lot to unpack here.

It's a very strong application that shows more than a merely amateur understanding of Tajara lore. While sexuality will always be a very touchy subject, I haven't seen any issues with Dear's Unathi acting out or being absurd. When coupled with widespread community support, I'm led to believe we can trust Doxx with the potentially risky character concept. If anyone notices any risque or unacceptable behavior, report it to me and it will be handled.

I would provide a full criticism of the backstory, but at the moment I'm a bit too whipped to, and I don't want to delay any further. It's a very strong backstory with a strong understanding of the three factions, their differences, and how they interact with each other and their own populations. I'm inclined to accept this application.