Allakai's Tajara Deputy Application

[Allakai]

Ckey/BYOND Username: Allakai

Discord Name: Allakai#1723

Position Being Applied For:: Tajara Deputy

Past Experiences/Knowledge: Administrator (HaloStation13), Lore Contributor (Citadel Station RP)

Examples of Past Work:

https://github.com/Citadel-Station-13/CitadelLore/blob/master/lore/species/tajaran/Zhan Lore

Spoiler

yes, we use GitHub for our lore submissions there on Citadel, don't ask me...

 Additional Comments:

Spoiler

 

While I may not have much staff-wise experience here, the Tajara is one of the few races I truly enjoy playing here on Aurora and generally Space Station 13 as a whole. They are far more than just ‘cats that walk on two legs and speak funny’. I strive to show they are a respectable species and to see their lore grow, become more pronounced, and certainly become more forthright to the public’s eye. What I mean by this as usually the very baseline level of understanding for the Tajara is that there are either ‘Communist’ Tajara or there are not. For example, for humans there is a wide variety of cultures and ideas for humanity. You can be from Sol, Mars, Eridai, a spacer, etc etc. There seems to be no bounds and ends for humans. For Tajara it is perceived you are either Communist or not. To expand and shift the focus of being PRA or not for Tajara is something that I believe will benefit greatly to the species as a whole as well as the way they interact with other species as well.

 

A major point of interest that I intend to bring to the Tajara is a new sub-culture and group of Tajara that are far more sea-based than their other brethren. While this is only an outline for the sake of an application, this group I intend to make, the Rakar, are free-willed, wild, and even spoken to be savage. Their main idea that comes to mind is the saying of ‘A Rakar learns to walk sooner on a boat than they do on land’. I intend to explore a caste system for the Rakar that shows several key traits that they are dogmatic about: truth, honor, certainty. A Rakar is to be trusted on everything they say for a lie is something they cannot honor themselves upon. All choices, may they be good or bad in the sense of society, is to be told truthfully about. Honor in the sense that a Rakar will always seek to put themselves on a pedestal of respect for who they are and especially what they are. Finally, upon the matters of certainty. All decisions are to be made with 100% firmness on their thoughts. A Rakar should know that what they are doing is certain and correct to themselves that is based upon the calculation of who they are honorably as a Tajara and the sake that they intend to be truthful about it. This sub-culture and group intends to entirely show a different and drastically different face of Tajara with the forwardness of almost brutally honest Tajara with an air of aloofness and pride as a free people that have conquered the very oceans of Adhomai. While they are to be a relatively small caste of Tajara they have a wholly fleshed out culture, society, and religion to stand out from the perceived similarities that most Tajara have to the general population of the Aurora community.

 

 

Edited October 20, 2019 by Allakai

[Faris]

I'm not sure if this has changed, but. 

31 minutes ago, Allakai said:

Past Experiences/Knowledge: Currently an Administrator (HaloStation13), Lore Contributor (Citadel Station RP)

We don't tend to accept people with positions in other servers. For a number of reasons that may include conflict of interest as certain things said on staff discord are privileged. Prior to retired admins being removed, anyone retired that would become a staff member for another server would lose their access.

 

Additionally, you don't strike me as active in the community or even in terms of gameplay. You used to be quite active but then disappeared and only recently I've noticed you back.

[Allakai]

10 minutes ago, Aboshedab said:

I'm not sure if this has changed, but. 

We don't tend to accept people with positions in other servers. For a number of reasons that may include conflict of interest as certain things said on staff discord are privileged. Prior to retired admins being removed, anyone retired that would become a staff member for another server would lose their access.

 

Additionally, you don't strike me as active in the community or even in terms of gameplay. You used to be quite active but then disappeared and only recently I've noticed you back.

Regarding the matter of being staff on another server. I do not have issues with scheduling on HaloStation and can dedicate plenty of time to both. As far as I am aware and have been told it is only the matters of active staff such as moderation and administration, not lore and CCIA.

 

On your second point, you are correct. I have been somewhat off and on but with some affairs in my life clearing up as well as a sudden burst of drive to help this community I pride myself on wanting to be here far more than I have been as of late.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Are you sure you want to add more to the tajara with your seafarers rather than expand on what we have already? Tajarans are monolithic within their 3 factions with political differences but little else. Having these worked on would be preferable to another group of sailors to me.

[Allakai]

8 minutes ago, Marlon Phoenix said:

Are you sure you want to add more to the tajara with your seafarers rather than expand on what we have already? Tajarans are monolithic within their 3 factions with political differences but little else. Having these worked on would be preferable to another group of sailors to me.

Oh certainly, yes. This is only a minor stepping stone as I had outlined in my application explaining how I will start with this group to begin with as a place to start. Keeping this initial ideal in mind it will allow me to expand on what we already have as Tajara. As a baseline level we have the PRA, DPRA, and NKA. As I have explained we have the conundrum of many people seeing only the PRA and NKA, with only those two we get a difficult problem of the Tajara being stuck in an issue of being one or the other as I had already stated. An issue that I can state firmly agree with is some members have voiced that Tajara are stereotyped into the thought of being nothing more than homophobic, racist, and painfully stale soviets. To expand further on what the Tajara are is my overall expanding vision, but for now I will stay small and to further push on this ideal from a firm base of there being more than just the stereotype of what the Tajara are. 

To further explain on what I would like to see is a further explanation upon the culture and society of the Tajara. My vision is to see the Tajara grow more from their rigid society as you described as being 3 factions with simple political differences. I wish to expand and truly drive home points of what varies with these cultures and people. What makes each Tajara tick rather than a blanket explanation. 

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Sick! +1

[Allakai]

As an update I have resigned from my position on HaloStation due to the conflicting interests it would cause with the development of lore here on Aurora. Apologies on my part.

[Scheveningen]

I'll ask the same questions I asked Coalf, since I'm interested in the different takes various deputy candidates may have. 
 

Quote

1. What is your OOC opinion about the rather prevalent homophobia in the Tajara lore, and do you think it needs changing? To my understanding, the PRA jails and labels homosexuals (and, so I'm told, those who openly associate with them) as sex offenders if they ever catch them. The DPRA and the NKA just kill them, and the PRA is somehow considered the more progressive faction. Which technically isn't even wrong. Surely, there are plenty of IC explanations for why the homophobia exists, I've heard them all and I'm sure nobody's interested in discussing it - is the open discrimination against homosexuals (if not openly killing) really important to the Tajaran narrative, though?
2. What are some resolutions you have to make Tajarans easier to gravitate to? I found that because of the above reason and a few other aspects, particularly that PRA/DPRA/NKA loyalist characters are incredibly rare nowadays - very few people feel particularly inspired to play their Tajaran characters themselves due to the incredible, awkward baggage involved. I often see PRA consulars board and get barraged with "PRA man bad because his government discriminates against homosexuals", which leads to few people associating with the consul than what could've happened naturally had the aforementioned issue not been a factor. There are also some permeating aspects of each faction with different cultural opinions that would be considered a 'bad take' if you openly expressed it in a coffee shop.

 

[Allakai]

Hi! I am more than happy to answer your questions.

Regarding question 1) This personally has always been an incredibly difficult issue for myself when it comes to playing as a Tajara and at times admittedly it has made playing Tajara incredibly unfun. The short answer to your question, yes it should be changed as it is at this point a well that has run incredibly dry. The long answer? The long answer is far more complicated as one cannot up and lift the 'established' Tajara lore that homophobia is suddenly to be fixed, changed, and gone. It is something that needs to be slowly nurtured and shifted into a brighter scope that for a lack of better words, resounds your second question. More on that later. Back to the question at hand. To answer further I personally find it rather... distasteful. Many other species have legitimate reasons for their anger or outright hatred. See Skrell and Glorsh. For the matters of homophobia? I see no clear reason for it to entirely being there outside of pure shock value. On the OOC opinion this is a rather poor and generally eye rolling manner to bring attention to a species. A species should be respected on their abilities and what makes them stick out in a surprising and positive fashion, not from pure shock value alone.

Regarding question 2) As outlined and said in your own post and subsequently my own being a Tajara, especially one that follows dogmatically to the already current lore, can be frustrating, annoying, and for the crux of the cake: teeth gritting. As someone that plays the PRA Consular Officer quite often it feels like the 'enslave all organics' AI gimmick that has been run one too many times. One can only play 'the Grandfather that hates gays' character for so long before it becomes rather stale and unappealing. To actually get to your question and my answer. As I had said above I am to follow the path of bringing the Tajara around to something that some players can be excited to be behind. I wish to bring about what I am at the moment calling "The Pillars of Life". Tajara are to pride themselves on honesty, clarity, pride in their work, and a sense of togetherness in all who they work with. The last one in particular is what I strive to nail and hammer into as the current gag for most Tajara is that 'Tajara only help other Tajara'. It would be the most ideal to incorporate the ideology of 'comradeship' from the already existing lore and build upon it. For these very things the purpose would be to make Tajara far more open ended and allowing for people to see more understanding in the Tajara and ultimately allow more players to feel unconcerned with WHAT they are, and rather the quality of their character.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Oh gosh i would have suggested you offer to resign the other position if you get the spot here, since that'd leave your options open, rather than resign outright. X_x

Still +1 i like your andwers

[Alberyk]

This is a really hard decision for me. But, I will have to decline your application due to the team being full. I am not really sure on adding a new subgroup of tajara, at least not for now, as I plan to focus more on developing our factions. But, in the case I do, I will contact you about this. Thank you for applying.