TheGreyWolf's Tajara application

[TheGreyWolf]

BYOND Key: TheGreyWolf

Character Names: Arnet Norstone, Sofia Zeil

Species you are applying to play: Tajara

What color do you plan on making your first alien character: My plan is a M’sai with wheat colored fur.

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:

I find their lore interesting and the intertwinement of the three governments particularly curious. I think the potential for small conflicts between taj from the different factions is great but also with how different each of them are, there are a lot of options on what to do and work with.

 

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

Well, beyond what I wrote above there is how recent all of their troubles are and how new they are to space in general. There is also how that as a separate race their views of humans and things humans do are different, not just culturally but also that their opinions of the megacorps are most likely heavily influenced by where they live and their past. Beyond that with the difference between the ethnicities which is only again further influenced by their country, it provides great tools for RPing something that feels unique and different from humans.

 

Character Name: Kathira El-Hashem

Please provide a short backstory for this character.

2437-2455

Kathira is a commoner born to royalist parents in 2437, in the period between the first and second revolution. Growing up wasn’t easy, as her father quit working for Kaltir’s law enforcement a few years after her birth when he was finally fed up with working for what he considered the brutal regime that the PRA were running which forced him to take other jobs in between, but being an m’sai it proved harder to accomplish than otherwise with the lingering opinions that he was working for the PRA in one way or another. This was again not helped by his former work as a law enforcer which many his former friends remembered very well.

This caused no shortage of problems in her childhood as her family just barely managed to scrape by until the second revolution in 2450 when her father was quick to join the uprising and soon after the military. It was particularly in these early years immediately before and after the outbreak of the second revolution that Kathira’s thoughts about the PRA set like concrete, and likewise with the ALA (later DPRA) which she hardly saw as any different. In her mind, the problems only occured because of them and because of the brutality they showed when they were let in peacefully. She only became more resolute over the next few years as the fighting waged on, until in 2453, when news arrived. Her mother was informed that Kathira’s father had died on the frontline.

The years passed by, the fighting continued between the factions. Kathira sunk more into herself during this time to cope with the loss of her father and found comfort in the worship of S’rendarr and in particular Messa for whom she prayed to for guidance and felt a kinship with what she represents. At one point she entertained the thought of becoming a Sun Daughter, but she quickly realised she would never find peace among them and instead she began to look forward.

 

2456-2463

She started at Kaltir Law Academy in 2456 with the aim to step in her father’s footsteps and become a cop. She was lucky, as despite her family’s poor status she was sponsored by one of the local aristocrats whom she later learned from her mother, that her father once helped him out when her father was still a part of the police. She would never finish that path however, as during one of the training scenarios she was paired up with one of her classmates, a Zhan-Khazan known for being rough during training and when they were doing the exercise, he managed to accidentally break Kathira’s leg.

Her leg never healed properly after the episode as a result of poor treatment of the injury and she had to face the realisation that becoming a cop was no longer an option. She thought about her future again now that her plans had been forcefully changed and again the thoughts of the Parivara came to her, but again she dismissed it, slower than the last time. It would take far more than a permanent limp and chronic pain for her to stop now, so if her main plan was not possible, she would take the second best: She changed her courses and took up forensic science, a job where she could still matter even with her injuries. It didn’t get easier as some of her classmates had different opinions on if a m’sai belonged as a forensic while others accepted it as part of their role as law enforcement.

She was still studying the day the parliament was bombed and as to anyone else, it was a shocking day to her. That an attack in the capital and on the king himself was even possible underlined just how vulnerable anyone could be to attacks from the PRA and DPRA on Ahdomai, and she began to think about her options once again. It became brighter when the armistice was signed, but even then she had little intention of staying on Ahdomai and instead it gave her a way to leave once she finished her studies, which she finally did in 2462 at the age of 25. She took her time before she in the end signed up with Nanotrasen.
 

What do you like about this character?

A lot of things really but if I should pick out a few it would be the potential interactions she can have with others, from not agreeing with the belief of the other factions to her support of NKA nobles. Another point is the way she supports the king (now queen) despite many things that are lacking and the hardships. In a way, it feels believable to me that she can support them still.

 

How would you rate your role-playing ability?

I believe myself to be okay at RPing my characters through text & actions but have slightly more difficulty in portraying them using emotes. Despite that hindrance I consider myself able to RP my characters correctly and usually as I envision them on creation.

 

Notes:

[WickedCybs]

Have just a few questions.

Firstly, would you call them a Conservative, Absolutist or Populist when it comes to the Royalism? I have them pegged for a Conservative due to their background but it would be good to hear the reasoning.

Secondly, I've been noting that generally, backgrounds start to matter less on the station. Natural to an extent as a character wouldn't be on Adhomai anymore and would need to keep up appearances for their job, but there's more to being a supporter than hanging up a flag while being upset at those of other Factions being about. Tajara have been getting eager to please and non-confrontational across the board. Since this is a proud supporter of the NKA, how do you think your character would handle an argument about the importance of Nobility to someone claiming it's an oppressive & unjust system? Many opt for "This one will be the betterrr perrrrson and stop talking" and such but that tends to be uninteresting and a roadblock to roleplay

[TheGreyWolf]

29 minutes ago, WickedCybs said:

Firstly, would you call them a Conservative, Absolutist or Populist when it comes to the Royalism? I have them pegged for a Conservative due to their background but it would be good to hear the reasoning.

You are right that she would fit being a conservative royalist. She believes in this in part because of her parents belief in that the king is the rightful ruler but also because her own experiences (particularly through her education) she has come to see that teamwork is essential which is why she believes in the parliament as well, something I realise while typing this out that I didn't indicate very well in my original post.
While one individual shouldn't rule unrestricted, neither does she believe it would be good if the king's (queen now as it is) power was taken from him because someone who has been groomed for leadership will be better at it than someone like her who was not made ready for having that kind of responsibilities from childhood.
 

29 minutes ago, WickedCybs said:

Secondly, I've been noting that generally, backgrounds start to matter less on the station. Natural to an extent as a character wouldn't be on Adhomai anymore and would need to keep up appearances for their job, but there's more to being a supporter than hanging up a flag while being upset at those of other Factions being about. Tajara have been getting eager to please and non-confrontational across the board. Since this is a proud supporter of the NKA, how do you think your character would handle an argument about the importance of Nobility to someone claiming it's an oppressive & unjust system? Many opt for "This one will be the betterrr perrrrson and stop talking" and such but that tends to be uninteresting and a roadblock to roleplay

Honestly this is where I would usually say that it would depend on the individual situation due to how many factors are involved, so i'll try to make some general ones instead.
Assuming it was someone in a position of power, say the captain or head of security and to a lesser extend other department heads. In those cases as long as it remained a friendly conversation she would explain her thoughts on it, particularly the belief that she believes it works better if those in charge were made ready to do so rather than learning it later or even learning it while doing it.
Now if we instead say command, but less friendly tone as it seems implied: In that case she would most likely find an excuse to leave if possible, not quite admitting defeat but if needed to leave she would perhaps mention having to think about it, not really meaning she will in that case.
Coworker, relatively friendly conversation: It would be in a way the same as with a command staff, but she would without a doubt be more open as it isn't someone in an authority to do anything if they disagree.
Coworker, unfriendly: She wouldn't admit defeat or that her belief is wrong and would be far more likely to get even more stubborn about her beliefs. She would attempt to convince them but if they keep denying it then there isn't much she can do.
And finally, taj coworkers who are from the other factions: She would additionally use arguments where she draws contrasts to their leaders, or rather what she believes them to be like which may be right, may be off. This one is just assuming they aren't her boss as however friendly or unfriendly they are, they are still those who has faith in the wrong systems with the only exception being if they appear to get doubts about their own factions. 
Of course, all of this just addresses the way she would argue for hers. I can't predict how the others would respond so I can't say what would happen if someone made an argument that would actually make her doubt her own faction since it would also depend on what it was. She could get doubts (but not admit to them immediately) or she could just think they are wrong. Chances are even she might ask them to elaborate to find holes in their beliefs of her system.

[WickedCybs]

1 hour ago, TheGreyWolf said:

Snip

Looks generally fine to me. I don't think I have any other questions really.

Good luck.

[MattAtlas]

How religious is your character? You mentioned that they even thought about joining the Parivara. That surely takes some dedication to worship, does it not?

What're your character's unbridled views on their own nation, the NKA? Do they feel guilt about leaving and why?

[TheGreyWolf]

5 minutes ago, MattAtlas said:

How religious is your character? You mentioned that they even thought about joining the Parivara. That surely takes some dedication to worship, does it not?

She's a believer and dedicated to it, but I wouldn't actually say she's dedicated enough she would join them. Both times she thought about it were the hardest times in her life so it was something she considered as a way to find peace through the hardship but she realised it wasn't a life she could do. She still does her best to follow the teachings represented within her religion and takes it seriously however, perhaps with the exception of the female being the caretaker and the male the provider as a result from her childhood after her father's death.
 

11 minutes ago, MattAtlas said:

What're your character's unbridled views on their own nation, the NKA? Do they feel guilt about leaving and why?

It's her home nation, but it is lacking. She's aware that the many problems, including food & medical care is being worked on but she also sees especially the medical care as one of the great problems in part due to her own injuries. A nation with trouble
She doesn't feel guilty about leaving her nation, as both her own injury, the hardships her family had and the bombing as the most prominent examples made her not feel safe there because it was so lacking. But she feels guilt that she left without her family instead, as they are still left behind in it while she now gets it different. She will however try to alleviate some of her family's hardships by sending money back home.
Put short: Her nation has problems and she believes they are being worked on but until they are fixed, she won't feel safe being there.

[MattAtlas]

Good stuff! I look forward to seeing this character and you have my endorsement.

[Kintsugi]

Having remembered you from Bay, I must say that I'm not quite enthusiastic about the possibility of you playing Tajara on Aurora - though I will say that it has also been three years since then, and it's entirely possible that you've gotten better since the Resomi days (I know I have, anyway). I'd be willing to see you given a shot, but I can't help but be skeptical at the same time. Still, everybody deserves the benefit of the doubt!

Edited February 28, 2021 by DanseMacabre

[Alberyk]

I don't think I have anything to ask, and this application displays enough lore knowledge.

 

Application accepted.