Haydizzle Bridges the Gap - Tajara Whitelist Application

[Haydizzle]

BYOND Key: Haydizzle
Character Names (most well known to least): Kar'skalzi Bollu, Aerkor Hri'zok, Dalask Caladius, Buhersiz As'zalth, Jakuvah Gawgaryn, Deimos Serraios, S'uzda Dhosu, Porter de-Abaros, MYRIAD, Morgan Andalhand
Species you are applying to play: Tajara
What color do you plan on making your first alien character? A shade pretty much dead split between blue-grey and dark grey (Zhan).
Have you read our lore section's page on this species? Yes!

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?
As a species, tajara have a couple of ideas in their lore that appeal to me. Perhaps that, like the real world, nobody is a clear cut hero; at best, people only conceal their unappealing traits, and at worst everyone is morally gray. I will admit that there was a long streak where I had major gripes with some ideas as they were portrayed in lore and then by the playerbase, though it seems that these have taken a turn towards being more tastefully done in game, and around that time is when I started seriously mulling over the idea of making a tajara application.

In my unathi application, I outlined a "generational trauma" that the species had endured as a result of the Contact War. Some of the reasons that drew me towards unathi have undoubtedly drew me here: the revolutions on Adhomai caused scars that won't be healed for sometime, I feel. The main page even briefly mentions that arranged marriages fell out of practice solely because a generation of adults were essentially wiped out.

Also because I want Alb to throw my character in the Zhan pit when NBT arrives.

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human:
I think it would actually be a misnomer to say this species is extremely different from humans, in that their history is comparable to a lot our own. However, I'm not looking to play a furry human; there are still some notable discrepancies for this species. I think the most notable is most tajara were previously a species that lived largely in squalor. The first revolution ended a little more than 30 years ago from today's date in the setting. Most tajara as a result didn't have much experience with comfort or the things industrial reforms brought as that was gatekept by the nobility. Older tajara as a result could still remember a time when they were peasants, while also very likely fought in both wars. Additionally, I think tajara have the opportunity to present more pushback against mega-corporations than some other species, as they have factions that oppose their interference on Adhomai.

Character Name: Pokazli Tupoi'Rlakor

Please provide a short backstory for this character:
Pokazli Tupoi'Rlakor, known simply as Khaz, was born to a rather promising collective of mixed ethnicity not too far from Nal'tor. A Zhan born of a similar father and Hrarar mother, Khaz was a spitting image of the monolithic society the Republic strived for. The tale's optimism stops there--the baby made no cries for help on such a cloudless, brisk morning as it entered into the world. A tongueless tajara was seen as a bad omen from the couple's interracial pairing. The small family became ostracized, even with the introduction of a younger brother a little over a year later.

The family had some moderate hardship trying to get Khaz even a basic bearing of the world around him. Though education was scant in the countryside, he still needed to learn a more substantial way to communicate. It wasn't until he was about 7 or 8 when a more standardized practice of sign language became available thanks to NanoTrasen. Lessons remained expensive, regardless of the collective's proximity to the capital, due to the commute and human teachers. However, both parents knew it was worth it: being a Zhan in this world was already tough enough, but being unable to speak was just another obstacle hurdled in the child's path. The tajara chose simply to call himself 'Khaz,' partially for his human tutor, but also to truncate his name and make it easier to remember (Khaz being a part of the name of his ethnicity), which helped in turn with signing it out.

Regardless of Khaz's unfortunate condition, the family plowed on, both literally and metaphorically. The collective provided as long as they tilled, and though Khaz wasn't much use in the fields, he found talents elsewhere. This group of farmers were used to simple, meager meals, and didn't really know much else. Khaz, however, had much time on his hand; he often experimented with his own portion of the food to try new recipes by hand. He was pushed towards limited success as his family saw mild improvement in the enjoy-ability of these meals. Nonetheless, improvement was improvement, and given the simple and small amount of ingredients to work with, it was nonetheless an impressive trait. The wordless child spent his days providing where he could around the house as he wasn't much use elsewhere.

His family were all out in the fields when the fateful day came in 2451. To afford lessons, the family opted out of a television and instead for a radio; Khaz shuddered when he heard the gunshots and yells about Al'Mari. The timetable fast tracked as his brother and father were both sent off to fight in the Second Revolution while Khaz was being left behind with his mother. They spent years living together, not much word from them on the lines, and their only knowledge of their fates being a single document describing them as basically being missing in action.

Recompense was given for their losses, but Khaz's mother recognized a chance where she saw one. The funds were used to purchase Khaz's education in nearby Nal'tor, where he studied to become a chef. Though his lineage proved troublesome in the countryside, it was compounded to worse degrees in urban territory. Haunted by the death of their leader, Khaz was lumped in with the same rebel that sparked this second war. He became an easy target of hatred around campus, as being unable to speak made it much harder to stand up for himself. Deciding that he was tired of his treatment in the Republic, he completed his education and signed on with NanoTrasen, hoping to one day come back to the planet he so loved and hated.

What do you like about this character?
All my characters have had it too nice for too long; someone needs to suffer for them. I enjoy that Khaz is a somewhat middle of the road character, not being boldly unique, flashy, or perhaps even outlandish as you may say like my other characters, while still retaining layers of complexity. He doesn't love the PRA, but he recognizes that his situation would have been likely remarkably worse elsewhere, and Khaz knows what the PRA has done for him. What inspired me with making a character mute was a desire to explore the difficulties and challenges of someone who isn't fully able-bodied during a time where most of our IRL tools to help accommodate these problems aren't readily accessible. There's also some Deep Lore™️  I have for the character that ties into tajara lore, but I didn't outline here to keep it as a thing for character development later on.

How would you rate your role-playing ability? I like to think I have a lot to improve on still. A solid 8 out of 10.
Notes: thanks for reading! Feel free to give me some feedback here or on Discord if you have any unrelated comments or suggestions about my roleplay.

Edited September 11, 2020 by Haydizzle
Quick formatting change

[WickedCybs]

I can vouch for Haydizzle's roleplaying ability, I have interacted with a few of their Unathi characters and they're overall well thought out, gives interesting looks into the lore. Part of why I applied for the Unathi WL.

I am not very good at asking questions, so that is all I have to say for now.

[DeadLantern]

While Tajara may mirror some of our own politics and history, they definitely still have a unique culture and social system that resembles something else entirely.

You make a race mixed character, cool. They also live in the countryside--Zhan are known for living in tight and insular communities that traditionally marry with the other families in the village. The father of this character obviously departed this sort of life, as with the Hharar. In the countryside, technology and influence is very limited. The average rural PRA Tajara would not believe heavily in the Party, and may even see them as another monarch stealing their crops. In any case, this family would take a lot of flak for living in the countryside, both for a Zhan out of his community and the interracial marriage. You do not violate this, but it is something to keep in mind. He might be jaded with other Tajara, or even the party, for the way he might be treated.

What you write on the page is fine and accurate, but you neglect another part of Tajara culture that is probably important: Religion. Here is what I ask you: what religion is Khaz? Zhan are traditionally followers of the Ma'ta'ke Gods, and Hharar can be either both. Does he shun religion in favor of the party? Or does he deal in Raskariism?

Another thing to bring is up is that you speak little of how this character views the world. He is certainly treated a way by this world, but we do not get a sense of his reaction to the world around him. How does he like Hadiism? Is it a bastion where he can finally fit in as one unified people? As a farmer, did he oppose collectivization? What about the discrimination towards Zhans by the Party? And, not to forget, what about the NKA and the PRA? Essentially, I am asking how Khaz thinks of Adhomai and the state of it and her people.

Thanks for reading!

[Haydizzle]

These are some good points that I definitely glossed over, so let me just quickly give my thoughts on it off the top of my head.

26 minutes ago, DeadLantern said:

You do not violate this, but it is something to keep in mind. He might be jaded with other Tajara, or even the party, for the way he might be treated.

He tries to be optimistic, so I imagine that he is "saving face" by leaving the planet, hoping perhaps people and other tajara will be a little nicer away from home. This is reflected somewhat in his view of the party: pragmatically, he recognizes the opportunities and life he had as not perfect, but how it likely could've been worse elsewhere.

26 minutes ago, DeadLantern said:

While Tajara may mirror some of our own politics and history, they definitely still have a unique culture and social system that resembles something else entirely.

I agree! I think their mirrors and similarities are more so in how they react to each other and the other factions, in tandem with how ideological they are.

26 minutes ago, DeadLantern said:

Here is what I ask you: what religion is Khaz?

This is something I alluded to earlier with the Deep Lore™️ in my app. I will say briefly that his mixed biology causes some turmoil on that front, however, as perhaps a hint of some ideas I had in store for the character! (Lore devs are welcome to DM me if they actually want to hear more about this part.)

26 minutes ago, DeadLantern said:

I am asking how Khaz thinks of Adhomai and the state of it and her people.

I will try to simply my thoughts here as briefly as possible as there is a LOT to unpack here and I don't want to bury you in a handful of paragraphs.

By and large, I think Khaz sees Adhomai as extremely flawed. He feels like an outsider for a myriad of reasons, only being reinforced by the events leading to Second Revolution. He struggles entirely with his identity or where he fits in; another thing to quickly allude to (that I want for other people to learn about) was his parents not agreeing about who they believe which faction is best. Part of him leaving the planet I'd say would be him trying to figure out who he is without the pressure of his people, the PRA "secret service," or even his mother keeping him from learning about the other factions. I wanted to present him as someone who has been duly afflicted by the conflict, but as a result of internal and external conflict, he doesn't know where to fit in.

He's neutral to Hadiism currently. Again to tie back in with some earlier points, he sees them as having helped him, but due to his own experiences with life and how much their attempt at one homogeneous culture has failed him personally, Khaz is probably somewhat curious about the DPRA. I left him more impressionable than my other characters since I felt tajara as a species are often the most ideological, and thus it's a good chance for roleplay when you can impress your ideology onto others.

 

Anyway apologies if that was still a little long winded. Hopefully that answers your questions!

Edited September 12, 2020 by Haydizzle
Fucking borked my word choice there

[DeadLantern]

I think these questions are satisfactory. Good luck on your application, you seem to know what you are doing!

[Peppermint]

I have no questions, just a query. Tajara characters deal with a lot of inter-character drama and hostility, sometimes to the point of exclusion and violence. The character you're applying with is a prime example of such, especially given the amalgamation of character and faction types. It's not OOCly guided of course, but something to expect. Are you comfortable with that? Your character could often be negatively targeted and face a lot of discrimination, after all. 

Edited September 13, 2020 by Lemei

[Haydizzle]

45 minutes ago, Lemei said:

Your character could often be negatively targeted and face a lot of discrimination, after all.

I think if you asked me this question a year ago (even before I was on Aurora), I definitely would have said no. Even just 6 months ago I would've been weird on the topic in regards to tajara. Given though how I've seen the playerbase and "culture" around it develop since then, I think now I am infinitely more comfortable with it than I would've been then.

Pretty good question all in all though, to be honest. I had made no hesitations expressing my discomfort with applying for tajara in the past back when I was newer and my exposure to it was different, so it's pretty valid to reassert related concerns now. Thanks for reading the app!

[Alberyk]

I don't really have any question and I believe you display the needed lore knowledge to make a Tajara character and roleplay one.

Application accepted.