Melo says "Hadii's grrrace, comrrrades!"

[melodramatize]

BYOND Key: Melodramatize

Character Names: Triex Xyla (scientist), Verda Ryals (cargo tech), Fen Blackburn (security cadet), Effie Maclagan (corporate reporter)

Species you are applying to play: Tajara

What color do you plan on making your first alien character: Calico (Hharar)

Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: yes

 

Why do you wish to play this specific race:

I find the Tajara to be a very interesting race and am interested in playing a character whose entire life up to this point has been shaped by the conflict that has wracked the entire planet. Additionally, the deep divide between factions on Adhomai and the fact that this even follows the species off of their own planet and system into predominantly alien spaces is fascinating to me.

 

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human:

Tajara, in many ways, are still playing “catch up” technologically and scientifically to humanity and the other species present aboard the Aurora. Their recent history is embroiled in terrible and tragic war that has affected every Tajara in one way or another, and their deep entrenchment in their historic and cultural values has led some (most) other races to view them as backwards and somewhat primitive.

 

Character Name: Malika Sinbharr

 

Please provide a short backstory for this character

Born at the tail end of the first civil war in the year 2430, Malika was still an infant when her parents were killed in the fighting and she and her older brother, Harrmalik, were taken in by a branch of the S’rand’marr Parivara and raised as Children of the Parivara. Harrmalik, upon reaching the age of 18, became a Priest of S’rendarr, but the young Mistling Malika dreamed of doing more with her life than taking a Vow of Silence and living a life subservient to the Priests.

 

Upon becoming an adult, Malika left the Parivara and went to work in a hospital while saving money to attend Trizar State Medical Academy, with dreams of one day becoming a physician. She had finally saved enough money and begun her schooling when President Rhagrrhuzau Hadii was assassinated. She stayed in school as long as she could, but the Adhomai Liberation Army approached and fighting broke out in Trizar, forcing her to leave school as she was eventually joined the PRA Army as a combat medic, putting the skills she had learned in the Academy and as a Mistling to use to the best of her ability.

 

After the conclusion of the second civil war, Malika, tired of the fighting on her home planet and grieving all that she had already lost in her relatively short life, took all of the money that she had saved and sold the rest of her belongings in order to afford transport to Mendell City in Tau Ceti, where she hopes to finish her schooling in the Biesel Institute of Medical Sciences. She currently finds herself employed as a medical resident aboard the NSS Aurora, and lives in Mendell City’s Little Adhomai when she is not working or in class.

 

She deeply disagrees with the ideology of the DPRA and New Kingdom and feels that cooperation with other spacefaring species on a galactic scale is necessary for the advancement of the Tajaran people and Adhomai as a planet. The money and support from NT and other corporations has helped bring new opportunities to herself and many other Tajara.

 

What do you like about this character?

I feel like playing Malika is going to be very nuanced as I try to balance her viewpoints and history with war and conflict with her role aboard a research station. I also really like the idea of her having a lot of practical experience with healing while having comparatively little formal schooling; her methods, at least at first, may differ from what other doctors would consider standard procedure, and I imagine her getting slightly frustrated at still being relatively low on the totem pole despite having served as a combat medic and healer on Adhomai.

 

How would you rate your role-playing ability?

It’s hard to rate yourself honestly but I think I have a good grasp of grammar, spelling, and characterization. I would say 7-8/10

 

Notes:

Edited October 23, 2020 by melodramatize
female Taj in the PRA weren’t drafted so I changed conscription into the army to joined

[stev]

Seems like a fairly solid app! I have a couple of questions, though feel free to respond minimally to them - they're not deal-breakers, more parts that it'd be cool to see fleshed out some more. 

What lingering mannerisms and views does Malika carry with her from her upbringing in the Parivara, if any?

Does she have any conflicted feelings about the disparity between the PRA's atheistic political doctrine and its support and backing of the Parivara? 

How has her later service in the People's Army shaped her views on the PRA (and other factions)? 

[melodramatize]

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly! To answer your questions:

 

What lingering mannerisms and views does Malika carry with her from her upbringing in the Parivara, if any?

Malika tends to be rather thoughtful and reserved, with a deeply ingrained sense of what might best be compared to human “Catholic guilt” over her perceived sins and wrongdoing. She feels somewhat selfish for abandoning her home planet in pursuit of her own goals, but overall wishes to help people in line with her upbringing. Some other mannerisms and character quirks include her tendency to pray for guidance over difficult or important decisions, and her aversion to swearing. She will sometimes draw the symbol of Messa at the feet of those in her care who are particularly injured or ill, and will often send a prayer to S’rendarr asking for a blessing to heal them.

 

Does she have any conflicted feelings about the disparity between the PRA's atheistic political doctrine and its support and backing of the Parivara? 

In her mind, the goals of the PRA align quite well with S’rand’marr worship, which promotes collectivism, sharing, and helping those in need. Though the PRA itself has an atheistic political doctrine, she doesn’t feel that there is a huge disparity between that and their support of the Parivara, whose traditional and conservative values support the ideology of the PRA and is popular amongst the peasantry. Additionally, as the Parivara tends to stay out of political matters, she does not find it unusual or hypocritical that the PRA would not involve themselves too deeply with religion.

 

How has her later service in the People's Army shaped her views on the PRA (and other factions)? 

Malika as a character has grown very tired of war and conflict and wishes to see her people prosper economically, spiritually, and physically. The communal nature and effort on rebuilding that the PRA has made is a good thing, in her eyes, especially where it helps smaller towns and villages, such as helping build canals and roads and loaning equipment and workers to help them do so. After seeing so many people displaced and struggling, she is supportive of the welfare programs and other things designed to help them get back on their feet. She’s not necessarily strictly opposed to the economic structure of the DPRA but she feels she cannot support them due to their past violence and methodology, particularly regarding the armed coup against President Hadii and their many attempts to sabotage their own democracy in its beginning stages. Additionally, she doesn’t feel it is fair that they blame xenos for the majority of the problems faced by the Tajaran people when they have caused many issues themselves that are only just now beginning to reach a resolution. Regarding the political structure of the New Kingdom of Adhomai, she disagrees with it entirely as she sees the division of society through the caste system unnecessary, especially considering that she worked with people from many different walks of life during her time in the People’s Army and during her upbringing in the Parivara.

[Shenaanigans]

True asked me for some pointers on this character's backstory before posting this and I had very little to say, because they already had a very solid character concept going and a good understanding of the interplay between the S'rand'marr faith and Tajaran politics. I think they'll do quite well portraying a Tajara and already show their RP skills in their current characters. The answers to stev's questions are also very insightful, further convincing me that they know their stuff.

+1!

[Bear]

Spoke with them in passing about the PRA's draft. Otherwise a very good app. I enjoy the strong ideals and display of faith. Liked the answers to Stev's questions!

 

+1

[Alberyk]

This application display more than enough knowledge in regards to the Tajara lore and knows how to use it well to create a character.

 

Application accepted.