Camellia's Tajara Lore Deputy Application

[Camellia]

Ckey/BYOND Username:
Dantzy
 

Position Being Applied For:

Deputy Lore developer

Have you read the Lore Team Rules and Regulations wiki page?:

I've gone over it, yes.

Past Experiences/Knowledge:

• Storyboarded for a few Discord RPs
• Ran a few one off stories that are somewhere on pastebin.
• Wrote lore for a very big HL2RP server, roughly got 100-90 people daily.
• Wrote lore for a MUD/MOO that I won't name here.
• Also programmed for it for a few months before leaving due to creative differences.
• Acted as an head admin on a few serious Gmod RP servers ?
• Helped out run some events for a para downstream I don't play on anymore.

Examples of Past Work:

Regarding past work, I'll be honest, I have not contributed much outside of an application I'm very much proud about.

I do however have a few contributions here to show the type of work I like to write;

Quote

 

The 22nd Division 'Sun's Last Grace' of the Republic

(Fitting music to accompany the above)

"Friends! Comrades! Bandits! Degenerates! You are all here because you were scum, but you are Hadii's scum!"

- Commander Al-Bashir Shaikh

Founded in 2458, the 22nd Division is a division of Republican soldiers entirely made up of inmates that had flooded Republican prisons. The division holds a considerable population of Zhan and so called degenerates, as well as any political prisoners that were unlucky enough to be drafted within the division. Consisting of those who stepped out of line, the Sun's Last Grace is a division that fights tooth and nail for their right to exist.

Formulated in response to earther criticisms with how the Republican Army wins through superior firepower and attrition, the division enjoys a degree of flexibility and tactical freedom while still following Republican battle stratagem. The division is often known for thinking outside of the box to the point of near suicide by baiting enemy forces with their own supplies only to set off explosives and capture the survivors immediately after.

Though despite all of their strategy and tactics, the mortality rate within the division is absurdly high and only a handful are allowed to be discharged from service. Degenerates are routinely beaten by allies and Party Commissars often turn a blind eye to these horrid acts but despite all they have been given, the degenerates within the battalion fight not just for their freedom but to exist. Zhan within the division are known to be fearsome fighters and Commissar's often praise their acts of carnage on the field, though begrudgingly and rarely at best.

Following the armistice, a large number of bandits and former inmates that had taken part in minor crimes have been offered a chance to serve within the Republican Army in exchange for loyalty and conformity to the state. Degenerates, however, are exiled from their world and sent to Little Adhomai in exchange to loyalty to the state while also being aware that if they act openly degenerate, they will be taken care of by collaborators within Little Adhomai.

Due to this, the lucky few Tajara that actually have managed to survive, find it rather difficult to fit in and often hitch a ride into the Frontier where the Republic won't find them, in hopes of better dreams and a life.

Notable members include the following;

Shakova Eshir - Chief translator.
Aleksasha is a female Tajara who was thrown in prison by the Republic for unspecified degeneracy. They are known for hosting a mighty feast in response to countless victories undertaken by the division as well as the copious amount of bar fights they had gotten into before and after their imprisonment.

Al-Bashir Shaikh and Markovian Shaikh -  Commander and 1st Lieutenant

Brother of Al-Bashir Shaikh, he and his brother were thrown in prison for running an organization which had been a front for something much darker, though it's unknown as to what, though rumors state they were brutal cultists, least, that's what the party says, of course.

 

Quote

Daughters and Sons of Raskara

"For too long have the people of Adhomai been met with chaos and war."
"We solve that conundrum today, my friends, my comrades."

- Penitent, translated speech, delivered to a crowd of workers.

Founded roughly in the mid 2420s, the Daughters and Sons of Raskara is an organization dedicated to freeing the people of Adhomai against their oppressors. Fully believing in the mantra of "No Gods, No Masters," the organization has enjoyed considerable success in absorbing in subversive elements that the royalty had been wanting to cleanse from their kingdoms.

Headed by an elusive figure known only as Penitent, Penitent has decried a personal crusade against all tyrants via the use of propaganda. The first report of the so called Penitent comes from a siege in the Rasn'rr area where bread baskets were airdropped by a mysterious set of jets following the destruction of local anti-air batteries. On the breadbaskets, there was a note that would read as followed;

"In a world without royalty, in a world without tyrants, there will never be a family without bread. Repent and offer your soul for the glory of Adhomai and you will be granted the grace of equality."

And so, the hungry, the disenfranchised, all became partisans that very moment and rouse up against their oppressors, the city falling only weeks later.

In the aftermath of the first revolt, the activity of the DSR has been muted at most. No activity has been taken against the organization up until the second revolt where immediately the DSR made a number of moves during 50s and onwards. Reports would come in that pirates bearing a sigil of Raskara were raiding PRA and NKA vessels, screaming;

"Glory to Penitent! Rejoice for you repent today for your crimes against Adhomai!"

The raids were successful and the Royal Navy and Republican Navy found only some success when tracking down and entrapping these criminals.

Sometime during the first revolution, botanists within the DSR had managed to cultivate a recreational plant that saw use throughout the coastal territories of the revolutionary front and royalist front. This plant was given the name Penitents Grace, named after the elusive leader of the organization. The plant was distributed to the needy to provide a degree of comfort for those in trying times. The plant itself appears to resemble the earther dandelion with the stems of the plant being grounded up and juiced while the petals of the plant were served on dishes to provide a sweet taste to a meal.

As of 2460 and onwards, the organization has continued to support the ALA behind the scenes through the delivery of pro ALA propaganda and other acts of demoralization ranging from subtle subterfuge to further raids along the coasts. The organization maintains the sigil of Raskara eclipsing S'rendarr and Messa and is growing stronger by the month, time would only tell what they do next.

Additional Comments:

Regarding additional comments, I feel one shark I'd want to wrangle here so the community knows I'm acknowledging this is the treatment of the LGBT community within Tajara lore. I've spoken to a good few people about this and I want to make it clear that, I don't condone anything against the community IRL, just to make that abundantly clear. One stance however I'm gladly going to die on a hill about is this; if we make everything a utopia, if everything is very liberal and everyone is happy, we won't find ourselves in a utopia, we will find ourselves in a dystopia.

To this end, I personally cite the great work, "Brave New World" in where the world is a utopia but at the same time, it is a dystopia. People aren't naturally born anymore, they are vat grown, people don't experience pain and discomfort, only, bliss. In fact, one of the characters finds it difficult to do their craft purely because they aren't inspired by pain. To quote the words of the great Viktor Frankl, a Jewish man who survived being in a concentration camp, "It is through great pain and suffering that mankind finds meaning" and to that end, I apply it to my character, Tavarr Batov.

Tavarr has been wronged so much, he attempted to rationalize what he done and it haunts him, it gives him drive, motivation, even. This is why I proposed the last chancer idea, it was made to show that the LGBT community within Tajara society CAN do great things and can find meaning in a world that hates them and I feel that is a powerful message, to enter oblivion and return better and stronger, to have oblivion test you to make you a strong person, is something all should recognize.

There can't be darkness without the light, if there is a lot of darkness in a setting, it makes the more "noblebright" moments stand out more, this is the take I've went through when I created this application.

Where do I plan on taking Tajara lore?

I love to write, I love to share stories, debate philosophy, debate religion and the conception of them, this is why I enjoy Tajara lore, they are a deeply conservative people who fear the eclipsing of one of their moons, to this end, I feel it would be very unique to expand on concepts involving their the numerous God's in Tajara lore while also showing how it correlates with the flora and fauna of people.

When I've written the DSR, I pooled from the Spanish Civil War and the tactics Franco and his Army undertook to demoralize the enemy, I plan on taking from history and with that mind, due to the fact that the Tajara species are in a cold war, I feel writing more short yet sweet stories/incident reports to display the nuances and unique aspects of Tajara lore would be very refreshing and it won't be me adding to anything further that's important, it'll be supplementary and stay as such. As a writer, I love to explore the cold war, I love everything happening from the 60s onwards, movies like Atomic Blonde and the such are something I adore and with that in mind, I wanna state that I grew up series like James Bond and the such, it's interesting because they are (generally) personal conflicts and I, as a writer, feel personal conflicts are the most compelling because they hit you where it hurts, at home.

Edited January 13, 2021 by Camellia
hiding mentions of my old name due to personal reasons.

[Susan]

I have to say, personally, I am not impressed with this application.

The vast majority of your additional comments and even your first example are laser-focused around the status of LBGT characters in Tajara lore; this is, in reality, a footnote in the overall design of the species and given how unreasonable and political the discourse and public opinion has been around this facet, spending so much of your application focusing on it reads to me as a narrow-minded take on the breadth of Tajara lore. The fact that you even need to clarify you are not a bigot in reality is emblematic of a problem. There is much and more present here than anything to do with the LBGT community; commentary on class discrepancies, failed governments, racial interactions, Soviet-bloc leadership systems - this is something that is, in essence, of little actual import beyond establishing their species as a conservative one, and it is only through the optics of political viewpoints or modern societal issues that the fact they do discriminate against LBGT individuals eclipses anything more important about them.

Were the Republic to employ prisoner battalions, at no point would they 'privately sympathize with their plight'. What needs to be understood is that the Republic, and to an extent the other governments, make heavy usage of propaganda and indoctrination to control public opinion. Primarily in history when considering the countries that are an analogue to specific parts of Tajara lore, ala the USSR or Germany, opinions of soldiers regarding their penal battalion 'comrades' weren't particularly high. These men were drafted out of necessity, and sent to the front to undertake dangerous suicide missions with the express purpose of getting them killed or using them as fodder. The government and the people viewed them as such, in a majority - and even if battalions were given an objective together they typically stay with their own command structure, so the chances of them socializing or rubbing shoulders consistently while at war is low. Less opportunities for leave, constant front line deployments doing things like mine clearing...

Consider that German PoWs, who were captured soldiers, were sent, in violation of the Geneva convention, to clear landmines after the war where a vast majority of them exploded and died. There was no sympathy, and these were people who weren't convicted criminals. The type of propaganda and brainwashing that occurs in authoritative and totalitarian governments is to the point where they can successfully paint humans as 'non-people' and people have no moral qualms in beating or killing or abusing them. Additionally, with the closure of the prison camps, the reformation of Tajara homosexuals is the priority. They get sent to state institutions to prepare them for return to society to be a productive member of the nuclear family unit. Were prisoner battalions to be a thing, they would primarily be violent criminals or political dissidents, I believe. Alberyk can correct me on this.

To articulate the main problem I have with this application, it is that you somehow feel Tajaran conservatism regarding homosexuality should be the defining issue of their species. It isn't, and shouldn't be; there are many more flaws that are more apparent and integral to the Tajaran species beyond this, revolving around their class disputes, government structures, and race relations. This isn't a 'noblebright' moment for gay soldiers to do some heroic act and change people's minds. It isn't a dramatization of Pearl Harbor. The fact of the matter is this is not a moment, quoting the definition of noblebright to be, 'for the actions of a single person to make a difference'. It won't. The Cold War was a conflict of a different era, fought with different weapons, different viewpoints, and different countries. The lens of modern politics cannot be applied to it. Any attempt to characterize Tajara viewpoints on homosexuality as an important part of the lore to be targeted is a non-starter; it is a symptom of the way their species has developed, with much larger causes. These will not change because of the actions of a single person.

The rest of your application, I feel, is exceedingly barebones in comparison to this. The focus on this point underscores the lack of development elsewhere - you talk about the Gods in Tajara lore as being something else you want to focus on. What, exactly, is there left to be expanded on regarding their religions? Tajara lore is fat, their deities are already more well-developed than I would say any other species, so what is there to be added? The group you wrote for is an interesting take on it, but there's little else of substance here for me to critique. 

In the end, the LBGT community in Tajara lore is a footnote and should not be the be-all end-all characterization of their species. I am wary of people who see it this way, because it suggests a political leaning of some way. If you are concerned with dyspotias, and light-in-the-dark moments, perhaps systems of government that lead to the deaths of thousands, or race-baiting and race-relations that continue to cause contentious and violent clashes are a better area to look to; the reality is that, while PCs may like to play homosexual Tajara that are sometimes stretching credulity with adherence to existing lore, the Republic and the other governments, along with their civilian populace, are firmly a nuclear family majority with these sorts of individuals outliers and expatriates who play no large part in the functioning of the species. Tajara lore has much larger built-in flaws to cause conflict.

[Cnaym]

23 minutes ago, Susan said:

In the end, the LBGT community in Tajara lore is a footnote and should not be the be-all end-all characterization of their species.

 

14 hours ago, Cylean said:

I love to write, I love to share stories, debate philosophy, debate religion and the conception of them, this is why I enjoy Tajara lore, they are a deeply conservative people who fear the eclipsing of one of their moons, to this end, I feel it would be very unique to expand on concepts involving their the numerous God's in Tajara lore while also showing how it correlates with the flora and fauna of people.

Please expand on that. I love having deep philosophical conversations ICly because it makes it so easy to represent different ideas that you do not hold OOCly. It's why I love the diona, their viewpoint is just so different. It's why I appreciate the tajara lore, it's dark without being edgy. Would this be a relationship I'd describe it as complicated, it's not a bad thing to have people from different cultures and religions be... well... different.

Do you plan to expand on cultural stuff as well? I am having trouble with most recent lore stuff describing situations and places instead of people and backgrounds. Not sure yet if I would support another lore writer offering short newspaper articles depicting very situational stuff instead of the day to day of an average citizen from their race. Don't get me wrong, some events are important, but for writing a character I would have a way easier time with a lot of day to day and lifestyle information.

[niennab]

LGBT issues and how it pertains to Tajara lore is incredibly important and I appreciate it’s mention. There’s a lot of OOC contention between those who want it gone and those who want to keep it and so I feel it’s appropriate that it’s addressed in every Tajara deputy application. However, I do not feel that it’s mention warrants attacking the applicant outright. In fact, if you want a target, I mentioned to Cylean in passing that I’d likely be asking every applicant their opinion on the matter.

Working as staff can often be draining or cause for burn out. Do you believe you will be able to navigate the deputy responsibilities in addition to moderator work? Are there steps you will take to try to mitigate these possibilities? How?

[Caelphon]

I must agree with Nienna's comment; LGBTQ+ and issues arrising from it within Tajara Lore is incredibly important, especially since it can impact a large group of players. Mentioning it is a bare minimum expectation in my eyes, and Cylean expanding on it is a good way for those gleaming the application to understand their goals. 

Can you give us an example what you plan on doing with the 'Tajaran Cold War' that is seemingly heating up? I say heating up due to the recent articles about espionage and the revokation of the Citizenship Act. 

[Waff-AI]

3 hours ago, Susan said:

I have to say, personally, I am not impressed with this application.

If I may also be personal and entirely off-topic, then, I had truthfully written an entire response to this. I realized, however, both how rude that would be to the applicant- and still is, on my part- and how disappointingly lackluster your entire point is. Seeking 'two-dimensional spaceman political capital' by making bizarre, half-true mentions of realpolitik is very odd and holds no real relevance to their competence as a lore writer.

With that said, I do have some questions for you, just to gauge some feelings on longer-term projects.

I am not, presently, a Tajara player, although I have considered application in the past of my time on the server. What do you plan to bring to the table in order to continue the species' relevance in a mobile setting away from Tau Ceti, as is hinted in the NBT? What do you, believe, would be the best way to bring in new players, with or without the themes of the Republic of Biesel or Adhomaian politics?

Tajara lore is by far the most expansive non-human, non-commercial lore category on the Aurora wiki, and in some regards on the forums. How healthy do you, as a deputy, believe the direction of the lore to be? Do you believe this momentum is sustainable, or that it should be made more introspectively focused, with revisions of older lore rather than continued additions of the new?

Any mention of Brave New World should also be cited with its relevance to the themes of Tajara lore, as well as mutual connections to the subsequent novel, Island, and how it contrasts the ills of Brave New World with decidedly positive takes on the themes introduced. Do you feel your own synthesis of 'grimdark' and 'noblebright' would be appropriate for the current standing of Tajara lore? Would it benefit from a greater amount of thesis or antithesis? Do you believe this is necessary?

[Camellia]

Hello everyone, I've woken up and I will be responding to any and all feedback in one mega post.

4 hours ago, Susan said:

The vast majority of your additional comments and even your first example are laser-focused around the status of LBGT characters in Tajara lore; this is, in reality, a footnote in the overall design of the species and given how unreasonable and political the discourse and public opinion has been around this facet, spending so much of your application focusing on it reads to me as a narrow-minded take on the breadth of Tajara lore. The fact that you even need to clarify you are not a bigot in reality is emblematic of a problem. There is much and more present here than anything to do with the LBGT community; commentary on class discrepancies, failed governments, racial interactions, Soviet-bloc leadership systems - this is something that is, in essence, of little actual import beyond establishing their species as a conservative one, and it is only through the optics of political viewpoints or modern societal issues that the fact they do discriminate against LBGT individuals eclipses anything more important about them.

 

The treatment of LGBT characters within Tajara lore has been a massive talking point as of late so I feel ignoring it or walking around the issue is extremely problematic. As a writer, when I wrote up the penal battalion, it wasn't just an inclusion of LGBT characters but rather, the inclusion of an oppressed people that fight not for their freedom but rather, their right to exist. Degenerates, bandits trying to repent for their horrid and cruel acts is something I feel a lot of people relate to, this is why they were written, they are to be relatable and to provide light in an already depressing setting, it's to show that the plight of the lgbt community within Tajara lore is not something people fight for alone.

Even in history books, you see people fighting for what they believe in for good and for worse but my point is that again, it's relatable, it's lore that people can get inspired by and as I said, it provides light in an already dark tunnel and that makes lore stand out, I feel.

The reason why I clarify that I'm not a bigot is because we aren't speaking to each other over the microphone or anything for that matter, we are speaking through text, so I feel that explaining to viewers reading this application that I have a personal connection to harassment, to mistreatment, to anything, really, shows that I, as a writer, am writing from the heart and I'm not writing to the choir, I understand the mistreatment, I understand how peoples lives have been ruined by such treatment and with that in mind, I want to show readers I don't have some secret agenda, I'm here to write what other people find relatable but most importantly,

I want people to feel empowered by what I write, to show that they aren't ignored, to show them that even in fiction, people can fight for country and what they believe in and should they do so, they'll be rewarded.

Clearly, Tajara lore isn't just about LGBT matters, that would be a mighty disservice to everyone who has contributed in the lore in the sense of, "Oh, you wrote about food lore? Lame."

Tajara lore is about fighting for what YOU believe in, in a world where people hate and despise you and to rise up from the flames and grow stronger from encounters is something again, I feel is something empowering to those who need a light as their dusk approaches, before any acts of critical harvest approaches.

Thank you, Sue, for further letting me elaborate on things.
 

4 hours ago, Cnaym said:

Please expand on that. I love having deep philosophical conversations ICly because it makes it so easy to represent different ideas that you do not hold OOCly. It's why I love the diona, their viewpoint is just so different. It's why I appreciate the tajara lore, it's dark without being edgy. Would this be a relationship I'd describe it as complicated, it's not a bad thing to have people from different cultures and religions be... well... different.

 

Gladly, so, as far as background information goes, I used to do very basic cultural studies and with that in mind, I find the Mat'ta'ke and even S'rendarr to be fascinating. One might only need to look at Ancient Egypt and in this exact case, Lord of the Sun, Ra. I've personally found it very interesting that the Njarir'Akhran worship is never really expanded on outside of those who play characters with that faith.

My goal was to further explain the societal norms that correlated with the faith growing the way it did until the First Revolution. Rationalizing why faiths and culture evolved the way they have is something again, I'm interested to, and with that in mind, I feel correlating the Njarir'Akhran worship with the God King(s) of Adhomai would give NKA characters inspiration for future endeavors, there could, for example, be two sects of the Njarir'Akhran worship, that being they are Mata'ke who is the "Lord and Master" of Adhomai versus those who feel they are the personification of God King Rrak'narr, the original "Lord and Master" of Adhomai.

Following that up, one thing I've come to notice is that, throughout history, numerous Gods, stories, etc, are all made for a reason. The stories of Baba Yaga, for example, are made to warn children about straying off too far from the woods and not behaving so I feel further explaining the nuances of their conception and how it, again, correlates with their culture would be very fascinating to explore.

5 hours ago, Cnaym said:

Do you plan to expand on cultural stuff as well? I am having trouble with most recent lore stuff describing situations and places instead of people and backgrounds. Not sure yet if I would support another lore writer offering short newspaper articles depicting very situational stuff instead of the day to day of an average citizen from their race. Don't get me wrong, some events are important, but for writing a character I would have a way easier time with a lot of day to day and lifestyle information.

As mentioned, I do armature culture studies, so I definitely find how Tajara theology of the belief in the Suns/Moons and the aforementioned Gods would be something I would focus on immensely and I do recognize that not everyone creates characters the way I do and, that is okay! My aim is to offer supplementary material for people who'd like to read up on numerous interpretations of the faiths on Adhomai and expand on adding new concepts such as Tajara placing the organs of important figures in urns, it's expanding on the nuances of a conservative people is something I feel people would be interested in reading, the same way they debate philosophy regarding IPC lore and treatment of.

 

3 hours ago, niennab said:

Working as staff can often be draining or cause for burn out. Do you believe you will be able to navigate the deputy responsibilities in addition to moderator work? Are there steps you will take to try to mitigate these possibilities? How?

Burn out is something I've had friends warn me about and I will make it clear that I put everything I can into my works though I'll also make it clear that, I recognize my limits, though I am a firm believer in the phrase, "Glory to the ones who look forward!" and what this means to me as a writer is that, I like to remain innovative, I often bounce ideas back at people with a few friends I have on here and elsewhere (after I've given them lore context of course) so it won't just me, we are a lore team, and there is certainly no I in team. To be in a team is to delegate responsibilities to others, have someone work on writing a story while you have someone drafting up a minor rewrite, you delegate and ensure they aren't just doing what they are doing but rather, check in with them, ensure they haven't been pushing themselves to burnout because that, is positive teamwork and makes people want to remain in the lore team, I feel.

3 hours ago, niennab said:

However, I do not feel that it’s mention warrants attacking the applicant outright. In fact, if you want a target, I mentioned to Cylean in passing that I’d likely be asking every applicant their opinion on the matter.

My stance is this;
I will make it abundantly clear that if I find a user using Tajara lore to shield their bigotry, they'll thoroughly investigated and be spoken to, I don't condone it and I feel anyone with a conscious would say the same as well. I feel that by taking something like the treatment of the LGBT community within Tajara lore and using it to empower others, to realize that, hey, we aren't forgotten! We are here and we are ready to fight! Is something I feel people deserve to be reminded about, to know that their plight, their agony, is not being glossed over and treated as writer just writing something grimdark just to be grimdark which is VERY disingenuous to how the LGBT community both in lore and IRL is treated.

The community isn't something to be exploited, it's something to be recognized and respected.

I hope that answered your concerns, Lauren.

 

2 hours ago, Caelphon said:

Can you give us an example what you plan on doing with the 'Tajaran Cold War' that is seemingly heating up? I say heating up due to the recent articles about espionage and the revokation of the Citizenship Act. 

Of course! So when I write that I plan on expanding on the cold war arc happening within Tajara society, I would be aiming on expanding this;

• The gadgets and other Tajara tech used during the cold war.

As mentioned, I love spy thrillers, I love the concept of the traitor uplink and the goodies you can get from it. Reading about an M'sai scout whose recording coordinates in preparation for a war gone hot scenario only to have them be captured and escape, would be interesting I feel. You get to talk about characters that can be compelling and further expand on the lore and nuances within say, the DPRA and how their society is viewed by a PRA spy, outside of what has already been established.

I grew up on films like Red October, James Bond, etc. So when I'd write for the Tajara cold war, I will do my best to capture the tension in a time where tensions are already rising sky high, I'll be able to explore themes of belief and country instead of God and country like how we did in our world. I'll be able to expand on morally ambiguous themes that I can't really portray on the NSS Aurora whenever I play Tavarr or a morally ambiguous character like my character Beria.

2 hours ago, Waff-AI said:

I am not, presently, a Tajara player, although I have considered application in the past of my time on the server. What do you plan to bring to the table in order to continue the species' relevance in a mobile setting away from Tau Ceti, as is hinted in the NBT? What do you, believe, would be the best way to bring in new players, with or without the themes of the Republic of Biesel or Adhomaian politics?

The main thing I plan to bring to the table regarding Tajara lore in correlation of the NBT is a theme of discovery and how the conservative Tajara cope with it. Prime example would be the treatment of a destroyed species/civilization via an event/away mission. I'd like to portrayal a tragedy of a civilization that had nuked themselves into a nuclear holocaust and correlate it with the current Tajara lore through brief POV stories within the numerous factions (and subfactions) on Adhomai.

Tajara lore, I feel, is about fighting for what you believe in but with NBT, we can expand it to greater lengths and under my enlistment of Deputy, we can expand from not just fighting for what you believe in but rather, exploration and hopefully, consolidation.  Tajara are leaving home, they are exploring the Spur, they want to establish themselves on the galactic stage and I feel it would be a compelling motive to not only board the exploration vessel for opportunity but rather, show they can be responsible for great things, wanderlust too, being another reason  and I feel all I've said would be a compelling reason to join up with NT and the expeditionary vessels.

My goal here is to explore themes and NBT would allow me to further expand my avenues of storytelling, though, we will need to wait and see, as well as communicate with other lore devs so we are all on the correct direction.

I hope that answered your question, it was very hard to put into words if I'll be honest.

Moving on;

3 hours ago, Waff-AI said:

Tajara lore is by far the most expansive non-human, non-commercial lore category on the Aurora wiki, and in some regards on the forums. How healthy do you, as a deputy, believe the direction of the lore to be? Do you believe this momentum is sustainable, or that it should be made more introspectively focused, with revisions of older lore rather than continued additions of the new?

I feel Tajara lore at the moment is about to peak and grow thanks to the NBT but, all things must eventually come to an end. I believe I (or someone else) spoke to Alberyk and he mentioned at one point, a final "hazah" will be given to Tajara lore and I can see where he is coming from. It's the most expansive lore out there and instead, we should focus on the micro say for example, further displaying NKA citizens and how they (the poor, un landed nobles) cope with their faulty plastic jewelry and how they are no longer the lords and ladies they were previously.
 

3 hours ago, Waff-AI said:

Any mention of Brave New World should also be cited with its relevance to the themes of Tajara lore, as well as mutual connections to the subsequent novel, Island, and how it contrasts the ills of Brave New World with decidedly positive takes on the themes introduced. Do you feel your own synthesis of 'grimdark' and 'noblebright' would be appropriate for the current standing of Tajara lore? Would it benefit from a greater amount of thesis or antithesis? Do you believe this is necessary?

When I wrote that passage, I wrote in the mindset of, if we keep everything grimdark, it will feel pointless, though if you add something bright to it, noblebright, dare I say, it makes everything against it feel darker in comparison, you can't have dark without the light, it's a narrative duality. I feel as a writer, you never want to create something absurdly grimdark without a reason, e.g New Brave World's sister novel, 1984, it was written to highlight the dangers of authoritarianism and effectively be satire so I feel from a narrative standpoint to make things stand out, yes, it would be necessary create a contrast so people can point back at something they like so it doesn't just blend in and feel the same.

 

___

 

I will be honest, this was a very rough "mega response" to make, I appreciate all of the feedback, positive or not but, I want to leave this response with one final parting message,

We are here to have fun, we are here to tell stories and act like we are on a stage for others to watch and I feel we should remember that in bouts of frustration, anger, and burnout. We're all human and with our flaws and I feel the one thing we all want is validation,

And that's what I am to do, it's not just about the LGBT aspects of Tajara lore but rather, the aspects where people fight for what they feel is right, as a deputy, were here to ensure a side isn't forgotten about,

So let's see how far we'll go.

[Scheveningen]

I feel naught but overwhelming support for this applicant. It's self-evident the applicant has put a lot of thought into their application and more importantly feels a personal charge that would greatly help motivate them to stick to their duties. An application - and applicant - of this quality is very rare.

[Coalf]

Hello possible future co-worker, I have some questions
 

Spoiler

 

1) How do you think you handle rejection?

This is a very on-body question and one that is difficult to answer honestly. But it's a question that doesn't get asked enough.
You write with a lot of heart, and people like that can become very uncompromising to the point of detriment. But at the same time, people who are too willing to capitulate on their ideas rarely bring anything of value and tend to get shoved into the background.
So I'd like to know where you rank yourself on that scale, or at least where you think you are.

2) Retcons, reworks, what's your stance on them?

We've had quite a few extensive debates both in the lore team and out the lore team about the nature of retconning or reworking things? What's your take?

3) What do you think of the prospect of Tajara off-of Adhomai?

Tajara are a strong cultural species, rather than biological. This means that we've had to always tie backstories back to their homeworld and their home-culture, regardless of how far they'd go. This has been restrictive to work around in terms of developing on other planets. What do you make of this? Are you more interested in working on adhomai itself, or the possibility of working outwards into space?

4) Religion?

You seem quite interested in religions, as I've written a good portion of them I'll most likely be your most frequent opposition/partner when it comes to working on those. But why in particular have you taken to the idea of canopies, jars, and Njarir worship? I'm interested in knowing where that particular interest comes from. (besides "I've done cultural studies")
I also have more specific discussions reserved for IF you are accepted that aren't really appropriate for this area, so do note that.

 

Finally, thank you for applying.

[Guest Menown]

I find the aspect that we'll relegate hundreds if not thousands of years of cultural norms to a sudden shift to exile to be incredibly disingenuous. It makes no sense for the PRA who have actively sought to reform those deemed deviant by their laws, and does nothing more but lead these Tajara to believe that stepping out of line is acceptable enough because you and your lover get a first class ticket to a better life.

It doesn't fit the themes we've set so far expressing the species as one of unity, nor I feel changing the way a species acts for the sake of telling LGBT players their "plight" is being forgotten.

I'd argue that we have a large majority of deviant Tajara unaffected by the lore as it is, because people just don't care to roleplay what's considered a cultural norms. People are so unused to this, that actually roleplaying it gets you branded a bigot and investigated for actually roleplaying, as you've outlined here.

4 hours ago, Cylean said:

My stance is this;
I will make it abundantly clear that if I find a user using Tajara lore to shield their bigotry, they'll thoroughly investigated and be spoken to, I don't condone it and I feel anyone with a conscious would say the same as well. I feel that by taking something like the treatment of the LGBT community within Tajara lore and using it to empower others, to realize that, hey, we aren't forgotten!

The implications arising from this that'll we're going to be facing witch hunts over roleplay is honestly worrisome. We faced this when we played LGBT characters and now we're expected to face it when we comply with what the lore expects out of a typical Tajara.

The proposed focus and alterations don't even take into consideration the NKA and DPRA who are much more traditional than their PRA counterparts, and likely wouldn't consider the option either.

I'd like to see more done to address the state of the Party and their control on Tajara off Adhomai, holidays, vocabulary, and other forms of menial things that will flesh out what it means to be Tajara. There are leagues more important aspects to the lore than ensuring every LGBT voice is heard and that they know they aren't forgotten.

1) You've made little if any mention of the oppression of the Zhan-Khazan. They're still considered second class citizens in a supposedly unified society. How do you plan to address this if chosen, if at all?

2) What do you have planned for Hro'zamal and other Tajara territories that have since been largely abandoned lorewise since their arcs ended.

3) Do you plan on working on cultural aspects relating to folklore like Coalf did, or will you be sticking primarily to religions and such.

Sorry for any typos, this was sent from my iHadii.

[Susan]

6 hours ago, Cylean said:

___

Spoiler

 

I understand your purpose for writing the penal battalion, but the majority of my post was a dressing down of your implementation of it. Primarily, I pointed out that historically penal battalions did not enjoy any of the same privileges afforded to normal soldiers and were typically regarded extremely poorly. This is because totalitarian states much like the Republic or its offshoots successfully weaponize propaganda to tell the populace that people like those who serve in the battalions are effectively 'non-people'. They are animals, unworthy of sympathy, respect, or recognition, and it is extremely unlikely for other elements of the military to, as you put it, 'begin to be rather sympathetic to their plight' because they have been radicalized since the moment of their birth to hate the other. This sort of behavior is not merely exclusive to the current Tajara governments; it has been like this for thousands of years on Adhomai, because it served the nobility well.

And in conjunction with the above, your additional line about 'those the Party deem degenerates have been offered not only their freedom but expulsion to Mendell City with their beloved' is in direct opposition with how the Republic has acted and the way their government is set up to deal with these people. They deport Tajara from Biesel for this sort of thing - why would they let them go? These types of authoritarian institutions are all about control and controling the people, which is why I explained that the reformation of the Tajara homosexual is the objective. They would not be in a penal battalion after the closure of the work camps; they are sent to state-run facilities to be reformed and re-entered into society as a productive member of the nuclear family unit. The entire premise about Tajara, and the Tajara governments is all about their efforts to exert control over the species even in places as far away as human space. Thus, this line is in countermand directly to the lore. While in fiction it may be nice to write about how people who fight for king and country can be rewarded, the people fighting here (political dissidents, criminals, social outcasts) are serving as punishment, have a gun to their backs to shoot them if they don't obey orders, and are seen as worthless cannon fodder by a large margin.

Moving on, however, I appreciate you expanding your point. Whereas for some strange reason my statements on this issue have been misconstrued objectively as 'attacking you', I am only interested in ensuring the deputy who replaces me is committed to the nonpoliticization of Tajara lore. Sure, there has been much and more ado about this facet of the Tajara species, and my comment regarding you having to clarify you are not a bigot is more of a sad statement on the state of people taking it too seriously and being unable to separate IC and OOC, which is, in my opinion, the sole reason why this is as big of an issue as it is. With that said, hearing you explain your stance on it has, unfortunately, convinced me that I do not believe you are the right person for the role.

Tajara players using their whitelist as an 'excuse' to 'shield' their bigotry is an invented issue perpetuated by aforementioned players who are incapable of separating IC behavior from OOC. This has not happened, no one was ever able to supply proof of it happening to myself, or Alberyk, to my knowledge.

But more over, I find your desire to frame the LBGT issues in Tajara lore as a way to 'empower' LBGT players disingenuous. Individuals such as myself (who is a member of this LBGT group), and others, have spent a significant period of time sticking correctly to Tajara lore and having their conservatism directly impact their characters. Menown's Mrrrhazmanq was someone considered deviant by the government, had their character go through work camp reformation, and affect their roleplay accordingly. I am wary of these attempts to politicize Tajara lore in this manner, because not only does it do a disservice to the people who have been abiding by it for so long, but because it is also the surfacing of a political agenda and outlook on something that should be, by it's nature, extremely apolitical. As I said in my original post, making the LBGT community be the be-all-end-all of the entire species is a misrepresentation, and merely because there may be  LBGT players on Aurora (much like myself) does not catapult this single symptom of their culture to the forefront.

In the end, it is my opinion that attempting to write 'empowering' stories about LBGT characters flouting a government who would not allow it and appealing to a citizenry who would not care are not based in the lore and are instead a fanciful interjection of a modern political agenda into existing stories. I don't think anyone here has 'forgotten' LBGT people. I wrote the foundations for the Tajara, and I am a transgender individual. The intent was not to highlight or empower this minority because, in the grand scheme of Tajara, it is merely one of hundreds of equally oppressed minorities and does not deserve to be spotlighted simply because it is a modern issue. The reality is that governments much like the USSR, which is now Russia, to this day continue to oppress LBGT minorities with overwhelming public support, and this is not 'grimdark for the sake of grimdark'. It is reality. Tajara lore should first and foremost be based in apolitical reality, and not be used as a broadsword merely because a select few people choose to be uncomfortable about it. 

I need to clarify at the end, once again, this is not an 'attack' against you. I do not hate you, or  revile you, or whatever else people can come up with; your other comments here lead me to believe you would be a good addition. Unfortunately, the concerns above are a dealbreaker for me.

 

Edit: I've spoken with the applicant at length in private and they were calm, level-headed, and our competing viewpoints came to a middle ground, which is a rarity indeed when dealing with members of the lore staff. I tentatively would like to +1 this app, for as worthless as my opinion is, and I am sure they will approach Tajara lore with the grace and expert navigation required.

Edited December 26, 2020 by Susan

[Camellia]

Thanks for the responses, everyone, for the feedback, I will respond them as followed;

 

3 hours ago, Coalf said:

1) How do you think you handle rejection?

This is a very on-body question and one that is difficult to answer honestly. But it's a question that doesn't get asked enough.
You write with a lot of heart, and people like that can become very uncompromising to the point of detriment. But at the same time, people who are too willing to capitulate on their ideas rarely bring anything of value and tend to get shoved into the background.
So I'd like to know where you rank yourself on that scale, or at least where you think you are.

Regarding rejection, I have made a post a while back that was pure, Aurora, fanfiction and treated it as such and with that in mind, I understand my limits as a writer in the sense of, not everyone agrees with depictions and with that in mind, I fully expect ideas to be rejected but before that, I recognize that I'll need to communicate with the team before hand and ensure we are all on the same thematic base and logical base so we avoid any "tachyon weaponry" situations.

I feel like, yes, I recognize when an idea has gone far and will gladly concede if it's to be rejected by the team and by extension, the community because ultimately, I serve the community and I feel like angering them and upsetting them is not something a lore deputy should do.

3 hours ago, Coalf said:

2) Retcons, reworks, what's your stance on them?

We've had quite a few extensive debates both in the lore team and out the lore team about the nature of retconning or reworking things? What's your take?
 

As outlined in the aforementioned passage, in regards to retcons, I feel it would be better to rework them as a team but, most importantly, a community.  I also, recognize that, you can't make everyone happy though there is one thing you can do, and that is try, to make everyone happy. Regarding exact retcons however, it would very much depend on the context of the retcon and or rework because as I mentioned in the wizard thread a few days ago,

Fix, not remove, and in the case of Tajara lore, do not disregard but rather, elaborate, show how it effects Tajara, how they they grow from it as a character and how a character can grow from it, this is a reason why I wrote up the penal battalion, I'm recognizing the struggles of a species and giving them a brief moment of levity to contrast against the darkness and other horrid aspects.

3 hours ago, Coalf said:

3) What do you think of the prospect of Tajara off-of Adhomai?

Tajara are a strong cultural species, rather than biological. This means that we've had to always tie backstories back to their homeworld and their home-culture, regardless of how far they'd go. This has been restrictive to work around in terms of developing on other planets. What do you make of this? Are you more interested in working on adhomai itself, or the possibility of working outwards into space?

Regarding the planets, I feel my point regarding NBT should be referenced here;
I feel NBT gives you, as lore writers/deputies, a window into explore how they cope with long dead civilizations that have gone extinct, regardless of nuclear holocaust or not. Truth of the matter, they are dead, and if the war goes on, they'll be met with the phrase;

"So long..."
 NBT allows us to explore just that, to see how characters evolve from seeing similar situations via away missions and the such, to explore Tajara lore while not even talking about Adhomai.
I'm more interested in working, primarily, in lore the community desires because at the end of the day,
I serve the community and will ensure I serve it faithfully, with that in mind, I'd like to present a program I'd like to use to further expand on the lore of the other worlds;

It's a masterful site I've used for my own personal projects and I'm more than willing to add nuances and the such to the worlds so they feel complete and with unique details others can look into in debth. I have not forgotten the other two worlds and I will do my best to explain cultural nuances they would have, as well as explain the racial divide between Unathi on Tajara race relations on Gakal'zaal.

3 hours ago, Coalf said:

4) Religion?

You seem quite interested in religions, as I've written a good portion of them I'll most likely be your most frequent opposition/partner when it comes to working on those. But why in particular have you taken to the idea of canopies, jars, and Njarir worship? I'm interested in knowing where that particular interest comes from. (besides "I've done cultural studies")

The main reason why I take interest into it, outside of cultural studies, is because I feel it can really be used to really elaborate on the culture and how it's shaped up. The Njarir were hailed as Gods before the days of the revolution, comparable, I feel, to the treatment of the Pharaohs of old in Egypt where they were viewed as the embodiment of Ra, personified in all of his heavenly glory. If you'd read the lore on the Ma'ta'ke Gods, it reads as followed;

Quote

However, after the battle, Mata’ke knew that the only way to become gods of Adhomai, would be to become part of Adhomai and grow from it. And so Mata’ke along with his siblings enlisted the help of Dirrnavirr the King of all Rrak’narr, the strongest and most loyal creature of the gods to take their power and keep it safe, stored inside containers of Dhrarmela’s making, which is why we store the organs of important Tajara in urns after death. As they descended onto the earth, to be born to different mothers and different families, as mere mortals to walk the earth with no memories of their godhood. But as they all began their rebirth, Mata’ke bid Dirrnavirr to never tell anyone, even their new mortal forms of the test which they set up as a single word would ruin the challenge completely.

I feel exploring the nuances of how the Ma'ta'ke religion has groomed the Tajara society would be utterly fascinating and give people ideas about their characters, for example, further explaining the aforementioned nuances and burial rites would give a priest something to do, it's the small things like that, that I personally feel give unique complexities to Tajara lore and sets them apart from humanity itself.

3 hours ago, Coalf said:

I also have more specific discussions reserved for IF you are accepted that aren't really appropriate for this area, so do note that.

As I've told Sue in my DMs, my window is always open, I feel a healthy conversation, while one you don't agree with, is paramount to running a good and stable community.

 

Moving on!

 

3 hours ago, Menown said:

1) You've made little if any mention of the oppression of the Zhan-Khazan. They're still considered second class citizens in a supposedly unified society. How do you plan to address this if chosen, if at all?

As mentioned in the brigade proposition, I haven't forgotten about the Zhan's and how they have been ostracized by the societies at large. The brigade wasn't just supposed to be about LGBT themes but again, it's about people fighting for what they believe and how, no matter class, no matter race, no matter the so called degeneracy, a soldier is a soldier and they will fight for whatever they believe in, I could certainly see a lore post or something in the future written in similar vein regarding the treatment of Zhan's and how they cope with it because ultimately, we are here to portrayal something, were all actors, in a way, so I feel further explaining their plight and offering a window into it would give much needed characterization to the Zhan's.

 

3 hours ago, Menown said:

2) What do you have planned for Hro'zamal and other Tajara territories that have since been largely abandoned lorewise since their arcs ended.

I feel like I've nailed this in regards to what I said to coalf, with me offering to generate a world with landmarks, languages, etc, if you have any concerns though, my discord is always open, I've spoken to Sue and I feel we both, have come to a positive end of a conversation.

3 hours ago, Menown said:

3) Do you plan on working on cultural aspects relating to folklore like Coalf did, or will you be sticking primarily to religions and such.

Folklore is the basis of all societies. The Aztecs praised debased and horrid blood gods because they believed the sun would be destroyed and, moving onto Tajara lore now, my goal would be explaining the complex nuances of their society and providing supplementary material to the lore, without adding to any bloat for that matter.

3 hours ago, Menown said:

The implications arising from this that'll we're going to be facing witch hunts over roleplay is honestly worrisome. We faced this when we played LGBT characters and now we're expected to face it when we comply with what the lore expects out of a typical Tajara.

The proposed focus and alterations don't even take into consideration the NKA and DPRA who are much more traditional than their PRA counterparts, and likely wouldn't consider the option either.

That's not to say it will be baseless, communication, with all parties, is something I aim to strive and solve with Tajara lore and as I mentioned, my goal here is to serve the community to the best degree I can and faithfully too. Ultimately, it is the playerbase that keeps the administration in check and vice versa and I feel causing witch hunts is the last thing I would ever wanna do, I like talking to people, I may not agree with them but, I keep my window open and ensure things aren't one sided.

 

3 hours ago, Menown said:

I'd like to see more done to address the state of the Party and their control on Tajara off Adhomai, holidays, vocabulary, and other forms of menial things that will flesh out what it means to be Tajara. There are leagues more important aspects to the lore than ensuring every LGBT voice is heard and that they know they aren't forgotten.

It is with the cold war brewing that I personally feel we can expand further on things without it feeling disjointed and with that mind, I'll also reveal a little thing,
I study languages too, seeing how they drift, etc, one brilliant conclusion I've made when reading 1984 was when I realized,

The proles, proletariat, will eventually become isolated by the middle class and the party, the whole concept of Newspeak is inherently flawed, O'Brien makes a point that, there will always be traitors. I would expect PRA, weak as the government is (as written on the wiki) to start becoming more and more desperate, so within the PRA, there will always be traitors and explaining and showing how there will always be traitors within all of the organizations would be compelling because again, it's about seeing why people fight for the reasons they do that makes good storytelling though, it's more than just that, obviously.  

 

3 hours ago, Menown said:

I find the aspect that we'll relegate hundreds if not thousands of years of cultural norms to a sudden shift to exile to be incredibly disingenuous. It makes no sense for the PRA who have actively sought to reform those deemed deviant by their laws, and does nothing more but lead these Tajara to believe that stepping out of line is acceptable enough because you and your lover get a first class ticket to a better life.

It doesn't fit the themes we've set so far expressing the species as one of unity, nor I feel changing the way a species acts for the sake of telling LGBT players their "plight" is being forgotten.

I'd argue that we have a large majority of deviant Tajara unaffected by the lore as it is, because people just don't care to roleplay what's considered a cultural norms. People are so unused to this, that actually roleplaying it gets you branded a bigot and investigated for actually roleplaying, as you've outlined here.

I recognize that change, takes time, but that's not an excuse to not bother with it, to elaborate on the plight of Zhan's and the lgbt community is just a subgoal.

My goal, as Tajara lore deputy (and any lore deputy really), is to provide supplementary material and show that, the issues within lore(s) aren't to be ignored or treated horribly but rather, furtherly expanded and given unique lore stuffs via small stories to give others who are struggling with concepts an idea to bounce off of.

I hope that response is adequate enough for you, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to send me a message over discord.

Moving on,

 

---

I recognize that, with Tajara lore, and looking at our world, change, comes slowly and methodically and I feel making slow moves with all things and communicating intents and what the community desires is a powerful thing to do to ensure were happy and not at each others necks.

I went out of my way to speak to Sue to ensure I understand where she is coming from and we've come to an agreement about it. My window is always open but there is one thing I feel I want to make clear,

This year has been awful, acts of critical harvest has reaped this world and I feel there is one thing we all need to do.
We need to talk to each other and console our differences but, most importantly.

We all need time to heal.

I feel the lore team, generally, is available to render judgement onto this application.
Shall it be denied, I'd understand but, I feel there is one thing that matters,

It's the effort that counts.
My dms will be open until about 8 PM where I generally go to bed though I just got Vermintide so I'd be playing that today.
I hope everyone has a good rest of the day now.

[WickedCybs]

For the Tajara off of Adhomai thing

Quote

Regarding the planets, I feel my point regarding NBT should be referenced here;
I feel NBT gives you, as lore writers/deputies, a window into explore how they cope with long dead civilizations that have gone extinct, regardless of nuclear holocaust or not. Truth of the matter, they are dead, and if the war goes on, they'll be met with the phrase;

In the NBT, we're surely going to be going around the spur as well, populated areas even that are mentioned on the wiki because what good is describing a cool place if we cannot visit it? I feel like its missing the mark here to just elaborate on long dead civilizations and how this relates to Tajara, every species will be dealing with that essentially. Interesting stuff sure, but not what I'm looking for when it comes to things workable in game. 

I would be more interested in any statements regarding the off-world communities Tajara have. Not specifically from their own planets, like Hro'zamal or Gakal'zaal but things more along the lines of their lives in places like Tau Ceti, where we have District 6 being the most developed example. The NBT ship is definitely going to give us a chance at having characters that have lived in a far wider variety of places rather than mostly Tau Ceti residents. So, how are things for the Tajara out in the Frontier for example? I would think a good amount of Tajara could have lived, worked and been born there though more than a few players get surprised when one character of mine mentions being a citizen of it. The Coalition has areas I feel that are just as appealing as Tau Ceti to prospective immigrants, like Xanu Prime.

There's a few words about what Tajara get up to everywhere, some linger in Eridani, live there as mercenaries (perhaps not anymore). Some race autogryos in Crosk. There is the community on Himeo though that will probably get changed. Many lived on Mars. So the big thing to me, is elaborating on these various backgrounds elsewhere, strengthening them. Living on Adhomai is naturally, the strongest and most obvious choice for a background. Probably always will. I like the variety the rest of the Spur brings too and it can certainly be used to the advantage of the species.

I am curious if this is something you have any thoughts or ideas on.

Edited December 26, 2020 by WickedCybs

[Camellia]

Once again, thanks for the feedback, I'll respond to all that I've been given and include some final notes;

 

17 hours ago, WickedCybs said:

In the NBT, we're surely going to be going around the spur as well, populated areas even that are mentioned on the wiki because what good is describing a cool place if we cannot visit it? I feel like its missing the mark here to just elaborate on long dead civilizations and how this relates to Tajara, every species will be dealing with that essentially. Interesting stuff sure, but not what I'm looking for when it comes to things workable in game. 

When I mentioned those places, I pictured away missions, places you can still visit, just to make that clear. Following that, I would love to see events depicting said dead civilizations as a window to show the horrors of a nuclear holocaust, to show to Tajara that are hell bent on uniting Adhomai (if there are any!) that their home will be baptized in nuclear fallout. My goal as deputy using those events would be to challenge the characters icly and only icly ensure that because as mentioned, I very much would love to expand on it and provide people details to further flesh out their characters and their arcs.

We'll need to see how NBT develops really and I feel that if I were to work with the team on that, we could do some great things with it

 

17 hours ago, WickedCybs said:

I would be more interested in any statements regarding the off-world communities Tajara have. Not specifically from their own planets, like Hro'zamal or Gakal'zaal but things more along the lines of their lives in places like Tau Ceti, where we have District 6 being the most developed example. The NBT ship is definitely going to give us a chance at having characters that have lived in a far wider variety of places rather than mostly Tau Ceti residents. So, how are things for the Tajara out in the Frontier for example? I would think a good amount of Tajara could have lived, worked and been born there though more than a few players get surprised when one character of mine mentions being a citizen of it. The Coalition has areas I feel that are just as appealing as Tau Ceti to prospective immigrants, like Xanu Prime.

Oh no, I fully understand your interest, I feel there are a number of worlds that can be uplifted and expanded on and offer a window into Tajara lore, say for example, the syndicalists in Himeo. I think it would be interesting to further expand on the cultural differences between DPRA Tajara, and Tajara on Himeo. While they are both close knit and independent civilizations, they are in their own special way and I certainly feel that through news articles and expanding on the good Tajara have done on Himeo (given their adaptations) would expand greatly, on their lore.

I would hope that would deal with any concerns about me forgetting about lore and civilizations outside of Adhomai.

--

Some closing notes;

One thing I want to make clear is that, I get why people don't like my proposition(s) and I fully understand that. The "liberal change" players want just come suddenly, it should be done overtime, in the way African Americans fought for their civil rights.

If you don't like a conservative species then don't play them or interact with them.
Don't interact with them if they make you feel uncomfortable but if you feel there is an ulterior motive to what a Tajara players has said ic then your welcome to open a discussion about it.
They're going to stay a conservative species because it makes them different than humans.

People shouldn't be forbidden from playing ostracized Tajara but they should acknowledge that they've been conditioned to suppress that, external or not, so don't act like it's normal.

We can't suddenly liberalize all of Tajara lore nor would the community want it to be super depressive and grimdark either because grimdark, in on itself, is pretty silly.

I feel we need to reach a happy synthesis between both the lore team and by extension, the player base/staff team.

I feel like Coalf, in his post on their application, put it best.

--

I hope that alleviated any concerns, if anyone wants to talk, they are welcome to do so.
Minor errors/changes were made to the propositions, I urge others to talk me about them in DMs where I'll be more reachable as I'm often dwelling on these very rough responses for a brief stint, given how complex this issue is.

[Camellia]

While I wait for further feedback, I felt I should summarize some of the main talking points and my own reflections after dwelling on them;

• Stance on LGBT themes?

If you don't like Tajara lore, don't play or interact with Tajara.
They should remain conservative as that's partially their identity and what sets them apart.
Don't act like it's normal to have a lgbt Tajara with being open about it.
If you feel uncomfortable as a player with scenarios then ahelp and talk to staff about it.
Change just can't happen out of the blue, compare it to African Americans fighting for their civil rights and how it effects us today. 
No, will not be an excuse from me to not do something THEMATICALLY FITTING AND POSITIVE with LGBT characters in Tajara lore, aka no big changes, just additions to be supplementary.
Regarding LGBT themes, we'll do it with nuance and care, not played for grimdark points because ultimately we need something bright to make some things feel dark in comparison, avoiding GrimDerp moments would be my goal.

• Religions?

Expanding on the formation of Njarir worship and possibly having sects of worship about Mata'ke and Rrak'narr. The one sect believing they were the embodiment of Rrak'narr, the original lord and master of Adhomai while holding opinions on Mata'ke just being a power hungry upstart and that Rrak'narr never willingly gave out his power, making the sects heretical in their own fashion. Could possibly see those following Mata'ke being much more egoist and barrowing on themes as provided by the pharaohs of old.

Possibly causing some turmoil within the NKA with upstarts viewing themselves as followers of the aforementioned sects as a way to give themselves a degree of insane legitimacy (as lord and ruler of Adhomai) with, perhaps, a new character to get the ball rolling on that? Who knows.

• Rejection?

If it's bad, it's bad, I present my ideas to the team, I'm not going to argue over lore, were here to have fun, I feel like causing discord would be God awful to cause. I get my idea for the brigade may or may not, be thematically appropriate and I'm fine with sacking it but also, I'm fine with talking to the playerbase.

• Communication?

I would certainly have no objections talking to other Tajara mains and getting their feedback and interpretations on things as I feel a players voice is important, though don't expect any leaks.

• Tajara on other worlds?

Expand on scenarios like those found on Himeo where it's a distant and cold world and how Tajara evolution has made Tajara a valued sight on that world, along with how I could possibly organize an event to provide insight on past civilizations that would be something Tajara could look at and be something they relate to, e.g a warlike race that was so disunified they killed each other, use it to provide characters arcs/movements, would be my goal.

Using Himeo as a way to develop Tajara culture, how it's different there compared to Adhomai, how they, Tajara, grow as a species within the Coalition due to their adaptations and how Heph would want to hire them for mining and the such, new political leaders from said events, stuff like that with how Tajara are valued along the Frontier of the Spur would be something I'd love to explore

As for the other colonies (and I suppose on a world like Himeo) I would not object to be making demographics about certain worlds with depth that can be found here;

Note;

THE ABOVE IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW OPEN THE EDITOR IS AND WHAT I COULD CHANGE AND MORE.

----

• NBT and Tajara?

NBT is a window to see how Tajara on the vessel could interact with similar yet different societies, it could serve as a reminder to some more rural Tajara that haven't been effected that much by the Industrial Revolution and how they life has changed, this also segway's into my next point

• Industrialization: Old Vs New

The industrialization of Adhomai has caused a lot of change. Those in rural societies see Tajara with books and associate it with the royalty while those in the city praise how pure the rural Tajara are something to be praised, no doubt causing tension and ire on both sides when the apprehensive rural Tajara are met with city folk who might sound patronizing to them, describing their way of life as quaint only to feel upset or annoyed at some remarks.
This also leads into my final goal to explore;

• Nuclearization, Cold War, and Disasters.

Let's be honest, Adhomai is close to midnight, it's going to happen and I myself, being a fan of Bond films, TNO, and other similar media, would find it really unique to expand on Chernobyl-esque incidents with scenarios the main players on Adhomai would need to maneuver around in order to keep their homeworld safe from nuclear holocaust. Expanding on Tajara spy gadgets, aforementioned environmental disasters from say, the NKA and how the PRA/DPRA react to it, would be new and refreshing I feel. 

It's a game of keeping prestige and further discussing incidents and writing about them would no doubt be interesting to discuss.

To see how characters react and behave following incidents/events would be my goal as deputy and I feel NBT would give me a lot of leeway to do new unique takes on the lore.

If there are any concerns or questions, I'm always around on discord.

[Camellia]

So, I thought I'd include some fictional songs that are certainly inspired by IRL ones (e.g  Das Einheitsfrontlied and March of the Siberian Riflemen) with a PRA song that'll be posted later.
 

Quote

And because he is a Al'marist,

a Al'mariist would like some to eat,

he wants no Khur’miurr Raharr, only something;

That gives something for them to eat!

Onwards!

So go on! Two, three!
So go on! Two, three!
So go on! Two, three!

To the work we must go!
March in the snow!
For you are a follower of Al'mari too!

Onwards!

So go on! Two, three!
So go on! Two, three!
So go on! Two, three!

And just because they are a Al'mari,
they do not like a pistol to the head.
They want no servants,
and no overseer over their head

Onwards!

So go on! Two, three!
So go on! Two, three!
So go on! Two, three!

To the work we must go!
March in the snow!
For you are a Al'mariist too!

.....
 

Quote

From Olska, the masterful library,

from Baltor, the great watchmakers of old,

as mighty as rolling thunder,

Into battle, the riflemen march,

as mighty as rolling thunder,

Into battle, the riflemen march,

Were they made rough.

...

Furious winds,

So did the ruthless storms reign on Adhomai,

furious winds, they were made strong,

So did the ruthless storms reign on Adhomai,

they were made strong,

...

No exhaustion, no fear!

They shall stand up for you!

To the waves of the Ras'val Sea!

They'll send their greetings!

To the waves of the Ras'val Sea!

...

Remember the terror!

Remember the dark times!

An ode to old glory,

an ode to new found glory!

Suns will defend,

the prestige of their kind!

...

The Kingdom is bound to rise!

Blazed by the suns!

And this song will be heard,

to the city of Nal'tor!

I'll probably post more later once I get some more inspiration.

[Mofo1995]

What's your favorite Tajaran faction, and why?

[Camellia]

2 hours ago, Mofo1995 said:

What's your favorite Tajaran faction, and why?

I feel having a favorite Tajara faction is a bit of a biased thing to have, even more so as a Deputy because you aren't just influencing the lore but rather, your influencing other players and their backstories/applications

I would say though, I like the aspects of the following factions for the following reasons;

The PRA

The PRA is an interesting case study for when a civilization is given it's own "intergalactic shock" modifier in the sense that, it's a new society that was met with great change but still coping with it's original ideas in freedom against the masters yet, they themselves have created a society that is a pseudo Orwellian/Huxleyan nation state yet ultimately, they are a society that provides protection and free TVs/entertainment to their people, despite how censored it is which, in my opinion, is comforting in it's own, more special way.

In a stark contrast, we have the DPRA,
They are bright revolutionaries who believe in the original tenants of the revolution yet they find themselves surrounded by military juntas that could cause major incidents within the DPRA and even more so in the case of Ahem for example and yet, they carry on. Their radio stations blast propaganda and what the two other nation states on Adhomai have been doing to their people, further boosting their nationalist zeal.

Yet despite the juntas, the overcrowding in cities and a few other issues, they will never surrender, they have a message, an ideology and you can't kill the concept of thought which is something uplifting I feel.

And, with all of that in mind, we have the NKA

Be felled they were in the revolution and made strong by mighty winds and a doctrine of reliability. They are outgunned and surrounded yet they are persistent. They romanticize a world before contact with the greater intergalactic community while also going out of their way to romanticize the old and simple things in life by ensuring their equipment is reliable while also creating masterful clocks.

They are a society that romanticizes the past and in a way, that's sorta relatable, in away.

---

And, to act as an addendum, I'll be adding a brief description to how the actual anthems go if giving national anthems to the DPRA/NKA/PRA is "bloat" as I feel anthems are a good way to gauge the mindset of the Tajara that fly their respectable banner for new players.

[Cnaym]

You have shown by now that you care for the lore, are willing to put the effort in and also able to differentiate between IC and OOC.

I honestly wish more of us would display such vital aspects of providing for and partaking in a roleplay community.

The ability to engage with criticism in an open and polite manner is the real dealmaker for me here though, you won't be given the same kindness in return by everyone, but that does not mean that you should ever give that up.

Combination of moderator and lore positions is highly dangerous in my opinion and in all honesty this has put out some of the best and some of the worst staff members I had to work with. I fully trust that you will find your place among the first group, otherwise I could not support your application wholeheartedly.

+1

[Alberyk]

This is not really an easy decision to me, but there is only one slot. I will have to deny this application. But, don't be disencouraged by it. I still consider you a great writer and person, you have a lot of passion and positive energy.