Lly2 Tajara Application

[Lly2]

BYOND Key: Lly2

Character Names: Laurence Boyd, Laurie Blackburn, Wilbert (pAI)

Species you are applying to play: Tajara

What color do you plan on making your first alien character: Taupe, #483C32

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'm primarily interested in playing a Hharar Tajara because I believe it's what I can play the best, and it will end up being the best way for me to contribute to the server.

I'm currently returning from a long break. Having not played SS13 in any meaningful capacity since around 2017, I'm looking to return to an old character that I have extensive experience with, just to ease the transition back into the game. I started playing SS13 around ten years ago, and began playing Tajara around eight years ago; since that first Tajara whitelist got accepted on a HRP server, I would estimate that 90-95% of all my playtime has been spent playing one. It's created an odd situation in which I feel more comfortable and capable role-playing in SS13 as an alien race compared to as a regular, mundane human.

And then, of course, there's also the underlying reason that made me spend so much of my time playing as a Tajara back in the day - it's a section of SS13 lore I enjoy very much, and the race are so much fun to play. I'm a huge fan of the opportunity to delve into politics for a race that have such a distinctly different history to the real world.

 

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

In terms of mechanics, the Tajaran build sets them apart from humans in a few ways. Some of these differences include (but are not limited to) the following: Tajara are generally more agile and limber than humans, but are more vulnerable to brute damage as a consequence; their fur sees them more resistant to the cold than other races, but leaves them more vulnerable to high temperatures; their eyes allow them better vision in the darkness, but in return make them more vulnerable to bright lights; and their anatomy prevents them from using some items of clothing manufactured for humans. These clothes include human gloves, shoes, and voidsuits.

In terms of role-play and personality, I believe the main differences stem from the recency of their introduction to space travel. Where humans have been travelling across space for many years, giving them an extensive breadth of cultures in all areas of the cosmos, the Tajara have been limited to Adhomai for most of their history. As a result, they have been forced as a people to contend with whatever their society has thrown at them; without the ability (prior to human contact) to leave Adhomai in favour of some other more hospitable planet elsewhere, they have all been required to find their own way to deal with what their long history of instability and conflict has thrown at them. In turn, I believe this makes them a more politically extreme race than humans. Many Tajara have nowhere to go to flee from the politics of their planet - and so they are more likely to make an active decision to entwine themselves with their area's political power, or to become a dissident.

 

Character Name: Al-Karim Hussein

 

Please provide a short backstory for this character

Al-Karim was born in Nal'tor, Adhomai on the 29th of November, 2437, during the interwar period. His parents were two Hharar labourers making ends meet however they could. They met during the middle of the First Revolution, having fled into the city in hopes of refuge from the war, and quickly married. They were simple people pleased with whatever contributions they could make to society in the city; in 2433, his father proudly carried crates around during the retooling of the Nal'tor mint, and often regaled his son with stories of his involvement. As he grew up, these stories were influential on Al-Karim's view of his position under the PRA, and now under NanoTrasen: the opportunity to work beneath powerful individuals is a great privilege that ought to be cherished.

Right from the advent of the Second Revolution, young Al-Karim thoroughly believed himself and the PRA to be the 'good guys'. He had never known a time before their rule, and they had provided safety for him and his family thus far; and after all, the good guys always win, and the most significant thing he knew about the Great Revolution was that the PRA had been the ones to unite Adhomai and end it. The rumours of a New Kingdom and the Liberation Army - to young Al-Karim, they were remnants of a time long passed attempting to disrupt the current era of relative peace.

Following the start of Azunja's open rebellion and the assassination of President Hadii the year after, Nal'tor began to feel the full force of the war effort. Over the next few years, the city grew increasingly full of wounded veterans returned home from the frontlines, and the war effort was ramped up a dozen times over; industry turned to the production of weapons and ammunition, and those that couldn't fight were expected to pitch in. Mandatory labour was yet to be enforced, but everybody knew how they would look to the Party if they refused to help.

His father joined the industrial effort; Al-Karim looked hopefully for employment in the field of medicine, which he found in the form of an intern position at a local hospital. He was quietly hopeful for the end of the war, and had made tenuous plans in his head that one day when this was all over he'd make his way to the Trizar State Medical Academy for a university degree. If it was at all possible, it was always best to be hopeful, his parents frequently reminded him.

Al-Karim was 20 years old when the PRA lost Tampiska to the Liberation Army and began conscripting - his plans were discarded. As some tiny recompense, at least he had been enlisted as a field medic.

For three years he - along with so many young men - risked his life on the frontlines of the war in defence of the nation he loved with all his heart, but he felt no pride in what he did. Whilst he knew that the measures the PRA were taking were necessary to combat the opposing military force, he wished he did not have to take part in it himself; he was not a born killer, and would have found more comfort serving his Party back home healing wounds, or aiding in the re-education camps. In the men he fought he saw boys no different from himself: people torn away from their families and homes and forced to serve in an awful, unnecessary war. The ALA and NKA had started the conflict which now must be rightfully ended, but he knew in his heart that at least some of his opponents were not radicals, and perhaps if they had been born elsewhere those young men would be fighting beside him now. And what if he himself had been born elsewhere, where they had been? Would he be the betrayer fighting for the enemy force? It was a question he didn't want to have to think about, for he feared the conclusion might reduce his conviction - for that reason, he spent the rest of his days in the military trying not to think too much or deeply.

When the Armistice of Shastar was signed, Al-Karim tarried home with less urgency than one might expect from a boy returning home to his parents. He had gone into the war as a hopeful Young Hadiist, proud to serve his nation and aid in any way he could to combat the rebel threat, but the years had taken his toll and he did not think - if there were ever to be a third revolution - that he would manage another term on the field. On the trip home, his thoughts regretfully fell upon leaving his family behind; he loved them so dearly, but he feared that should things go wrong again, and should he once more be conscripted, it would be them that the resulting wroth from his reluctance would fall upon. 

Na'ltor was too close to where he'd seen his comrades fight and die, and he feared for his own mental health should he spend the rest of his life lingering there. There were other places he could help - far away in Tau Ceti there were Hadiists struggling in their own, less bloody battles, trying to find a place for the Tajara out in the wider cosmos. If he could just find a way to get there, he knew that he could proudly lend himself in service again in a place where the slate was cleaner - a place where he was further away from the looming cloud of thought above him of those acts he had to undertake during his military service.

And so he did not linger. For a few months he enjoyed his time beside his mother, father, and some extended family within the city, before he began his plans to strike out alone. He took the steps slowly so that he could be sure of himself the whole way through. At first, it was a small, simple application for a work visa in the Republic of Biesel; they were far less strict on their immigration policies than elsewhere, and so he could not see a reason to be denied. Once his visa was accepted, he began applying to various corporations across the Republic in hopes of a medical internship. He hadn't acquired the degree he'd hoped for the Trizar State, but perhaps the qualifications he had acquired as part of his military training would count for something out there in Tau Ceti.

 

"You will be assigned an apartment in District Six."

"Little Adhomai?" he hesitated.

"Yes," the recruiter responded simply. "It is the most suitable location for your pay-grade."

And that was it settled. Al-Karim flies now in a NanoTrasen vessel to Mendell City, where he'll be left off in a home quite similar to the one he'd been leaving behind. But here, at least, there was the wonderment of space travel and human technologies to reinvigorate his passions - that was what Al-Karim hoped. He hoped it would be enough.

 

What do you like about this character?

I enjoy the idea very much of somebody striking off on their own to find a new career for themselves only to end up in a place that is significantly less different than they had believes it to be. Whilst he would not be serving in an army in Little Adhomai, the place is rife with violence and conflict. It disguises itself as a cold war, but everybody acquainted with the locale knows what happens behind closed doors to those who speak too loudly or proudly about their allegiances.  Additionally, where can now be allowed a little more freedom in speech in terms of the reforms he hopes his party will undertake, there is now the enormous figure of NanoTrasen looming over him; he knows that his employers will have no qualms about relieving his job from him should he misstep too deeply or too frequently.

I'm hoping to have a lot of fun with seeing where this character's reflection on his ideology in this new place goes. His current belief in Young Hadiism stems mainly from his age. He has seen the violence other parties have taken part in, but it was only during the context of the war and what he was told, not during an era of peace - this is the main reason that he believes the PRA could function as a state even after reductions of authoritarianism taken through gradual reforms. However, depending on what he sees first-hand now that he will be interacting day-to-day with members of the other parties, there is a large possibility that he may tend away from Young Hadiism and towards Orthodox Hadiism, as he sees the necessity for an iron fist in order to keep dissidents in check.

 

How would you rate your role-playing ability?

In the context of SS13, I consider myself remarkably average, but in the greater scope of role-play in general I would place myself highly. I've managed to get a pretty big portfolio of experience in a lot of different communities over the years, and throughout I've been employed in editing or doing creative writing as a hobby, but I think that in SS13 I'm currently limited by my knowledge of the game mechanics. It's been a long time since I've really got deep into the game, and the codebases used today are far different to what I was used to back in the day, and so I feel hindered sometimes by having to spend my energy on figuring out how things work rather than just being able to put my 100% into what I'm typing.

Outside of just this application, I hope to remedy this by taking my time in intern roles just to have a nice refresher, and not leaping into important positions where I'll be expected to be extremely knowledgeable of mechanics right away.

 

Notes:

Some things which I struggled to include without making the backstory a huge infodump were little bits about his new opinions on the other factions, and his religion, so I wanted to throw this in here.

During the rebellion, Al-Karim prayed to whoever he thought would answer, for he hadn't a strong persuasion to one god or the next. During his time in the service, his faith in Gods wavered moreso. They hadn't shown much evidence of answering his prayers, nor the prayers of any of the men who stood (or died) beside him. As of today, his belief is that religious worship is a great vessel for comfort - he is unsure of the existence of any greater power, or if the greater power would truly be worth worshipping in the event they did exist, but he recognises that religion and its practices give people - and himself - something to believe in, and that faith is truly powerful.

Regarding the DPRA and the NKA more generally, Al-Karim can never truly forgive them for their grievances against the Party and its people, but he still believes deep inside of himself the citizenry of those nations are capable of learning. With enough time and effort from him and other willing Hadiists, there must be at least a number of them who will be able to be convinced of the evils of their nations, and the good-intent of the PRA. He was a big believer in the re-education camps that were set up during the second revolution, and he hopes to take some inspiration from them and what they did when he inevitably interacts with citizens of the DPRA and NKA once he arrives in District Six.

Regarding Royalism specifically, Al-Karim finds fault in the belief that society will naturally drift towards a caste system without intervention and in the adversity to fast change. He knows the power of tradition and how it is important in some aspects of life, but he has seen firsthand the huge leaps in advancement that collaboration with NanoTrasen and other corporations has brought the planet of Adhomai - to not work as fast as possible towards those advancements is to refuse the Tajara important technologies that would hugely advance their quality of life as a race.

Al'mariism is something Al-Karim could never support for its open opposition to alien influence. The extreme violence that Al'mariists have displayed already as a result of their xenophobia gives Al-Karim absolutely zero faith that they will manage a prosperous future for the planet without huge ordeals of more bloody death. If an ideology staunchly refuses the assistance or collaboration with anybody else, including those that have not yet proven themselves to be a detriment, he can see absolutely no merit to the belief.

As for his own faction, Al-Karim is a proud Young Hadiist with great aspirations that his nation will return to the glory they had when he was born. They had taken great losses during the war and the necessity for some time to regather themselves was absolutely there, but given that time and effort from him and other aspirants, he knows they can unite Adhomai once again; his only hope is that the next time it happens, it will be able to be done in a manner less violent than what he saw his faction do during the second revolution. There it was necessary - the opposition used their share of violent tactics too - and so the PRA were only acting in kind, but now there was time to reinvent strategy: to come up with a solution that would not result in so many lives lost. However, should the necessity for brutal tactics return with the advent of a new revolution, he would not blame the PRA's leadership for what they needed to do to keep his great nation alive.

Edited May 24, 2021 by Lly2
Changes in response to feedback

[WickedCybs]

The reasoning behind the disillusionment is something I think could be expanded more, here. You say he's war weary, sees the opposition as no different and would like to get away from it all due to his experiences, that's fine. But I question the part where his faith wavers in his nation and the why behind it. It's an important factor for someone that's been indoctrinated to believe in The Party their entire life and has been taken care of by the state where it was the most present until now.

Depending on where he fought, he would have potentially experienced first-hand those struck by ALA terror cells and definitely at least treated those affected by its terror tactics. Liberation Army cells would often have no scruples about utilizing children in the war effort as well. Potentially he's not just seeing Tajara his age being conscripted to fight, he's also seeing them taking advantage of those who don't know any better. In many regards, it wouldn't be a conventional war. The ALA has a conventional element and heavy asymmetrical elements too. 

The NKA might be seen as more honourable and perhaps conventional but the people he was fighting would likely notably differ to him. The opposing soldiers on the other end would likely mainly consist of Hharar and M'sai, with Njarir leading of course. Ethnic battalions too. The more concerning elements of the caste system would be fully apparent here such as the classism and racism.

All this taken in as a conscript and not a volunteer. Many were not so motivated or prepared. The PRA Officer Corps would not have been the best, gutted after the mass defections that kickstarted the threeway war. Ethnicity is not something that mattered as much in the PRA of course, but his Zhan comrades would still be facing heavy discrimination by their own side. To a lesser extent, Njarir as well. A Commissar could be watching at your back. The PRA favoured quantity over quality as well on the ground. Friends would certainly be lost. The final years of the war were also easily the worst for the People's Republic and its soldiers.

I'd like to see more of Al-Karim's thoughts regarding the DPRA and NKA. You say he's trying to convince himself to think of them as blank slates. Well, he knows or should know at least the core parts of what they stand for, propaganda or not. What were his thoughts before? What does he think of Royalism? What does he think of Al'marrism? Pushing it all aside is something something that just wouldn't really be entirely possible I'd say, old habits die hard and the subconscious can be strong. The privilege of leaving Adhomai is one that can be rescinded too.

Edited May 24, 2021 by WickedCybs
formatting

[Lly2]

12 hours ago, WickedCybs said:

[snip]

 

Thank you so much for the feedback. I was concerned that I wouldn't get any because of how new I was to the community, so I'm really glad to have had this reply.

Reflecting on what I wrote, I think I was too heavy-handed with the lack of faith. I took a lot of inspiration from what has happened with veterans returning home from modern wars without accounting for the impact of indoctrination in a PRA upbringing. I've gone back and made some edits that lean away from "lack of faith" and more towards "lack of want to return to combat". Where before the backstory talks about a lack of faith driving him away from The Party, it's now more specific about the war and a desire to make a career for himself that can help the PRA without him needing to actively fight should a new conflict arise.

I've expanded on Royalism and Al'mariism (and the other parties in general) in the notes section, and tried to do so here and there in the backstory too where it wouldn't detract too hard from being a cohesive timeline. If I need to find a way to throw the notes into the story itself I can do so, but I found it a lot more readable myself this way.

[WickedCybs]

5 hours ago, Lly2 said:

 

Thank you so much for the feedback. I was concerned that I wouldn't get any because of how new I was to the community, so I'm really glad to have had this reply.

Reflecting on what I wrote, I think I was too heavy-handed with the lack of faith. I took a lot of inspiration from what has happened with veterans returning home from modern wars without accounting for the impact of indoctrination in a PRA upbringing. I've gone back and made some edits that lean away from "lack of faith" and more towards "lack of want to return to combat". Where before the backstory talks about a lack of faith driving him away from The Party, it's now more specific about the war and a desire to make a career for himself that can help the PRA without him needing to actively fight should a new conflict arise.

I've expanded on Royalism and Al'mariism (and the other parties in general) in the notes section, and tried to do so here and there in the backstory too where it wouldn't detract too hard from being a cohesive timeline. If I need to find a way to throw the notes into the story itself I can do so, but I found it a lot more readable myself this way.

Not a problem, and I think it's fine. Good luck with the application. Being new to the sever is kind of a factor but I myself have done the same as you with another whitelist, content matters a lot more.

[Alberyk]

Sorry for the delay. I don't think I have anything to ask. The application displays a good knowledge of the lore and how to use it to create a character.

Application accepted.