UponASeaOfStars Posted January 24, 2023 Posted January 24, 2023 (edited) BYOND Key: UponASeaOfStars Character Names: Aveline LaCroix, Physician; Marinette Fourier, Scientist Species you are applying to play: Tajara What color do you plan on making your first alien character Silver (M'sai; hexcode #C0C0C0, hair #B2B2B2) Have you read our lore section's page on this species? It took me several days, but yes! Why do you wish to play this specific race: I mean, I want to play all of them at some point- the lore here is absolutely astounding and I'd love to be a part of this community long-term - but if we're talking Tajara specifically? It's not even the "catpeople go brr", it's the sheer breadth and depth of lore and the themes displayed in it- it's the kind of lore that makes for a damn good story, one where it's not black-and-white (regardless of what Si'raya thinks - she's biased!), where there's always more to it than surface-level. A lot of servers have Tajara (or equivalent) as just "oh, they're just space cats", but not here. Here we've got twenty-five articles of indepth lore about why they're not just space cats, and that appeals to me far more than any cookie-cutter catpeople. I won't say the catpeople aspect didn't play into it a little - I love the idea of being able to express my character's emotions through tails, ears, more subtle body language cues and expressions that aren't human - but the primary appeal really is the incredible stories that can be told using the themes of the Tajaran people. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: It'd be quicker to list the similarities - because beyond 'bipedal sapient creatures', they're remarkably different. The obvious one is the physiology, of course; I touched on it a little earlier but there's a lot of really unique factors to playing a character that isn't human, not least because they're not human. Physiologically, you're looking at a completely different method of expression with ears and tails, a completely different way of experiencing the world through heightened senses and extended circadian rhythms, and even things as minor as temperature preferences can be a lovely way to express "this is a Tajara, not a human in a fursuit". And then when you dive into the culture-- well, saying 'human culture' is incredibly vague, but it's a safe bet to say that Tajaran culture is unique to Tajara, because first and foremost it's shaped by their collective experiences; from things as simple as the climate affecting their community values (such as community meals around bonfires) to as politically intricate as the dynamics between the three primary factions (of which Si'raya absolutely has strong opinions on-- we're not playing humans in fursuits here, after all). It's also worth considering how they're perceived by other races-- they've been on the interstellar stage for a relatively short time, so they're not starting out with the same advantages as other races (especially humans and skrell), and arguably they'd be viewed with even more suspicion given their pre-spaceflight origins. They don't just need to be as good as humans; they need to be better, because the deck is stacked against them to begin with; doubly so for DPRA like Si'raya, meaning she's forced to pretend to belong to a Republic that she detests in order to so much as be glanced at by a megacorporation. Character Name: Si'raya Mratiirr It's short for S'rayyakhasarha, but have fun pronouncing that if you don't speak Siik'maas. Please provide a short backstory for this character: "Step aside, please; Si'raya will answer this one, for the only person who can share the truth about Si'raya is herself. She divides it into four parts, so you may know all of who Si'raya is, from her birth until the current day. You have promised her discretion, if you recall? She will hold you to this." "The story begins, as many do, in sil'nryy-aysaif. Greater-summer, when the crops flourish, and we dance beneath the twin suns, and all is well. It is twenty-four-thirty-six, in a little village in Northern Ras'nrr, and the revolution is just five years done. And Adhomai bleeds. She does not remember before this point- for Si'raya remembers nothing from before her birth, of course- so take this all with some reservations. Father told her tales of before, of the dynasties pushing their claws down upon the throat of the people, of the flames of revolution smoldering even before the humans; tales of discontent, of whisperings, and then of a spark, some forty-five years ago-- long before Si'raya's time, but this matters still, for it sets the scene. The spark of D'as'ral, and the flame that burned Adhomai to the ground. Almost a hundred million dead. And yes, that was before her time, but how can it not affect her? Si'raya is born in twenty-four-thirty-six, in the first generation to grow unhindered by the cruelty of the elite-- and as she grows, father tells her a great many things of the past, of the warning signs; he tells her that the fires have not died down, not truly. He tells her of his time in the military, of his friends who kept peace beside him, who are loyal to the people, and to Al'mari, for Al'mari's will is the will of the people. He tells her that ever since the humans came, they have sought only to colonise, to exploit, to pillage our resources- and that Adhomai belongs to its people. And he asks if Si'raya understands. She does not understand at all." "We move now to menshe-rhazzimy. Lesser-winter, when the harvest comes, and the snow begins to fall, and we prepare for the coming cold; the last moments of peace we are granted. This little village in Northern Ras'nrr-- let her tell you about it. About the bell-tower standing tall above the houses, ringing each dawn so we may see the suns. About the food we would share around the fire each day, trading tales and basking in the warmth while we still could. About the little hunting lodge a mile north by the radio tower, where father would take Si'raya to hunt, to teach her the ways of the M'sai. He had a way, his own way of hunting - with a bolt action rifle, five rounds plus one in the chamber, we would head out to hunt nav'twir. He taught Si'raya to aim for the snow-striders' legs, for they are fast and flighty, and likely to escape if shot in center-mass. One shot to the leg to slow, father said, then one to the head to kill - and then pray, for taking the life of another creature is not to be done without asking forgiveness, for they have done no wrong and cast no sin. For the role of a hunter, her father tells her, is not simply to kill and provide meat for the village, but to hunt - and that means patience. It means knowing your target, and their weaknesses. Camouflaging yourself, appearing to be beneath notice, until the right moment to strike. And father tells her that some day, she may find herself applying these lessons in other means, and he asks if Si'raya understands. She understands a little." "To sil'nryy-rhazzimy, then, greater-winter. When the storm hits hardest, and we are tested by Messa, and we must do all we can to weather the storm and survive until the coming dawn. The year is twenty-four-fifty-one, in this little village in Northern Ras'nrr; and we are by the radio, listening to the parade, when the traitor strikes. President Al'mari, may he rest with Messa, cut down for turning away from the influence of the interstellar elite, just as he had stood firm against the Adhomai elite some twenty years prior. Father told her of Al'mari, and how he had saved Adhomai; and then when he fell, and when Malik Hadii pressed his claw to our throats... we did what all Tajara would do. But that comes later. Let her tell you of the so-called 'People's' Republic that defiled Al'mari's legacy, that sent a legion of troops to our village to enforce the undisputable will of tyrants, just like the nobility of old. Let her tell you of the soldiers inviting themselves into our homes, taking what little food we have, beating those who refuse them access. There were three 'guests' in our home- the tall one, the dark one, and the scarred one. Let her tell you of father visiting the radio tower each night to send a signal to his old army friends, asking them to send help, telling them the patrol routes and the patterns and calling in every favor he still had. And let her tell you of when the same three soldiers found father at the radio tower one night, while Si'raya watched from the lodge; of how they pressed their gun to his chin and fired, and though she wanted to scream and to cry, she did not, for a hunter has patience. And let her tell you of when the scarred one came to her house that night, cap in hand, and told her that father had taken his own life, that the stress of the years had finally caught up to him; and the scarred one, he asks if Si'raya understands. And Si'raya understands well." "And finally, to lesser-summer, when we pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off and continue our work. When we take up our rifles and we begin to hunt, and we construct for ourselves a new life out of the frozen ashes of the old. It is twenty-four-fifty-two when the Adhomai Liberation Army arrives to save us, and Si'raya has been planning for this moment. So when they come, she is not at home, but high up in the bell-tower; she enters with father's rifle. Five rounds, plus one in the chamber. And she recalls how he taught her to hunt animals - one to the leg, one to the head. And a few hours later, the army finds her there, her rifle empty, praying for forgiveness. Si'raya tells them of the tall one, the dark one, and the scarred one; and she tells them of father, and how he died for the cause; and she tells them that he can rest well in Messa's grace now he is avenged. And they nod, and they look to each other, and they tell her to fight the oppressors, just as father once did. And for the next nine years, she hunts with them, her unit of irregulars, praying over the bodies of the animals that ravaged her lands. Until the Armistice, and her partisans join the newly-formed Joint Intelligence Committee - for we must go somewhere, yes? And they ask Si'raya, what would she do to serve her people, the free peoples of Adhomai, the Democratic People's Republic? She tells them, 'Anything'. So they teach her to act as a Hadiist, to hide her revolutionary ways and be the model citizen, and they give her papers and documents that certify her as belonging to the Haadists. And they tell Si'raya that they wish for her to travel to the stars, to integrate herself into the workforce of the corporations that now rule Adhomai in all but name (for Malik is a puppet, and we all know this), and to send intelligence back that could help her people. And they ask if Si'raya understands... and Si'raya understands perfectly." What do you like about this character? (Describe what you like about this character) The way Si'raya is as a person -- someone who lives a double life, someone razor-sharp and hardened by her years, loyal and patriotic to a fault, fueled by a cold anger and a drive to do right by her people -- is entirely different to my current characters, or even anyone I've played in a long time. Si'raya isn't rash and impulsive like Aveline, she's not whimsical and carefree like Marinette; she's a Tajara, born in a snowstorm of a planet and exposed to the cruelty of sapient species from birth. Si'raya allows me to explore themes I've always wanted to; ones of politics and war, ones of a frozen heart slowly warming as she's exposed to actual good people, as she realises that maybe not all aliens are bad. Taking a character like Si'raya and tossing her onto the Horizon... I feel bad for her, but at the same time, it's what she needs in order to heal. Si'raya is someone who has her own agenda, her own motives, and is far more than she pretends to be; at face value, she's just a M'sai space mall cop, a little rigid and by-the-books, someone with milquetoast political views who's endlessly thankful to the corporations for giving her a chance to ~see the stars~. Actually, though? A hunter, a predator, someone who needs to push down her instincts to pretend to be just another face in the crowd, because if people begin to suspect she's more than that, then she's useless to her people, and serving the free people of Adhomai is what she's about. Above all things, the theme of loyalty runs through Si'raya's backstory and her blood - above all things, she is loyal to her people, to her family, to her planet. What happens when that loyalty comes into conflict with her loyalty to her friends, the people she'll meet and grow to love on the Horizon? That dichotomy, and the overall dichotomy of Si'raya being two halves of an incomplete whole, is what appeals most. How would you rate your role-playing ability? I wrote Si'raya's whole backstory in-character just now so... hopefully I'm okay? Notes: I'm more than happy to answer questions, and I expect I'll have to! I'll answer them as Si'raya where I can, but if it's an OOC thing it'll be Stars talking. Thank you for taking the time to read this! Edited January 24, 2023 by UponASeaOfStars typo 1
RustingWithYou Posted January 26, 2023 Posted January 26, 2023 Marinette is a fun character who I've had the pleasure of playing with a lot in science, and I think that Stars does have the roleplaying ability to do the whitelist justice. +1 from me 1
La Villa Strangiato Posted January 27, 2023 Posted January 27, 2023 I think UponASeaOfStars is a very enthusiastic roleplayer who puts a lot of effort into their characters. I think they would play a cool Taj. 1
Alberyk Posted January 28, 2023 Posted January 28, 2023 Some questions: What job do you plan to play this character as? How does she sees the current junta in Northern Ras'nrr? What Al'mariist school of thought she sympathizes most with?
UponASeaOfStars Posted January 28, 2023 Author Posted January 28, 2023 7 hours ago, Alberyk said: Some questions: What job do you plan to play this character as? "This one has already sent in her application to the Kazarrhaldiye Operations Group, with a specific request to be stationed on a Conglomerate vessel. The Kazarrhaldiye ask few questions and contract to the PMCG, which Si'raya believes has a security team stationed on the Horizon? She intends to join this team, one officer among many. There are two reasons for this, in truth: the first is that this one has few marketable skills that would appeal to the mega-corporations, aside from her marksmanship and coolness under pressure. She had no formal education in scientific processes; she knows little of construction and thrusters and turbines; and her knowledge of anatomy extends only to her fellow Tajara. But security work, that is simply being professional and memorising regulations. It is something Si'raya is capable of." "The second reason, and this one is between you and Si'raya and her handlers, is because a great deal of trust is placed in security teams. This one is under no illusions that she will be trusted-- for her kind are sneered upon by the interstellar community, and she cannot change this-- but there is at least some privilege afforded to the position. People see the uniform, not the Tajara wearing it, and that on its own is of great value; Si'raya will be professional, and courteous, and beneath notice. Just one officer among many, as she said." Quote How does she sees the current junta in Northern Ras'nrr? "With conflicting opinions, in truth. Ras'nrr is her home, and always will be; she has bled for it, and bled others for it, and she would do so again. And to see it broken into pieces, shattered by the crimes of the People's Republic... you know, her little village in Northern Ras'nrr, with the bell tower and the hunting lodge and the bonfire that we would all eat around? She went back, not long ago, and found nothing. The tower had fallen; the lodge had been shelled; the bonfire was nothing but ash beside the ruins of her home. So when she says that Ras'nrr needs stability, she means it. Kah'nrir is... well, there are many terms to describe him, but Si'raya is not sure 'stable' is every one of them." "Kah'nrir is loyal to Al'mari, yes, and for that she has some respect for him; but of his treatment of her people, of the factories where her free and proud kin suffer? What else would one expect from a former noble, if not the innate desire to rule? Si'raya understands, yes, for this peace will not last-- but she does not approve. She cannot approve. It is as if we are slaves once more, toiling for the profit of our betters; it is as if all Al'mari believed in, had been cast aside. And yes, she says believed past-tense; he was a great man, a great leader, but he is with Messa now. And, as far as Si'raya is concerned-- the sooner Kah'nrir joins him, the better... and yet. And yet, there is no solution to this, no answer that results in a perfect ending. We must band together to resist the People's Republic; we cannot afford to fracture ourselves further. So for now, we tolerate Kah'nrir and his lunacy, because we must." Quote What Al'mariist school of thought she sympathizes most with? "That is... a difficult question to answer, for she sees merit and flaws in all. And then she remembers Razin, and she revises her statement - Si'raya sees merit and flaws in most, and Razin is just as deranged as Kah'nrir. But let her tell you of her thoughts, from the perspective of a hunter. From the sharp eyes and sharp claws of one who has fought for her people, for her homeland, and knows better than most that things are not as black-and-white as many claim. Let her tell you what this one thinks, and what she would do were Si'raya in the position of power." "We begin with our goals: we wish for a free Adhomai. Nothing more, nothing less. Free from tyranny, free from oppression, free from the claw of the elite slicing open our veins to harvest our blood for profit. Free from the mega-corporations that expand into our lands and steal our harvests, and free from those who would enforce their will. This does not mean free from aliens entirely, mind you-- simply from their rule. If they wish to visit Adhomai, if they wish to experience the beauty of our dawns, they are welcome to, Si'raya thinks-- as long as they are kind, and respectful, and do not pretend to place themselves above us. Si'raya is not a xenophobe, do not accuse her of this: she simply thinks the planet of Tajara belongs to the Tajara. Guests are welcome, but they are guests even so." "So a free Adhomai. This means democracy, this means stability, this means the state exists to serve the people, not to control them. So Si'raya shares the thoughts of President Harrlala, you say? No, not quite. Harrlala is wise, and Si'raya has a great admiration for her... but she is naive, innocent. A politician, not a warrior; she reminds her of Al'mari, in truth. Someone whose innocence and naivete was a blessing to us all, but still resulted in tragedy-- she suspects that one day, Harrlala's gun will also be on stun. And wars are not won by words and handshakes, but by blood and bullets." "So Nated's protege Alnadruskiy, then, or Hotak? He who acknowledges the need for a strong military, who knows that we as a species cannot ever be weak, that we must push back against our oppressors through force if need be; and he who champions this force, wishing to bring the war back to our people to destroy our foes and free us from our shackles? No, not them either. Harrlala is well-intentioned but naive, but Nated, Alnadruskiy and Hotak-- they are neither. They know that force is necessary, but they mistake their targets. We should not be serving the corporations, we should not be giving them our lands and our treasures... but we can coexist. We must, if we wish to survive, or we will be wiped from our planet." "Then what? Razin's beliefs, worshipping the ground Nated walks on as if he is not just another Tajara, flawed like the rest of us; determined to destroy those who come to us from afar, even those with good intentions? No. Mirzakhani, who wishes to seal us off from the galaxy, and pretend to un-see that which we have seen, who thinks we can turn back the clocks and forget our tragedies? No. Then what? What would Si'raya do? It... is a complicated question. Harrlala has the right heart, but the wrong fist. Alnadruskiy has the right fist, but the wrong heart. And we cannot fight among each other, we cannot fracture ourselves further, for the more weaknesses we create, the more easily it is for the People's Republic to crush us, for the mega-corporations to exploit us. So perhaps they work together, the pen and the sword combined... or perhaps that is simply the dream of a foolish hunter."
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