GMR25's Tajara Application

[Carver]

BYOND Key: GMR25
Character Names: Constance Marca, Frederick Dayton, Larus Tomasson, Reed Calom
Species you are applying to play: Tajara
What color do you plan on making your first alien character: (120, 50, 14 - similar to Ruddy, but I wanted to make a grey gradient pop a bit more as I plan for the character to be older)
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:
With an arc centered around Adhomai coming up (or here, depends on when I posted this app!) I had figured now would be the best time to try something new and interesting to better take advantage, immerse myself and potentially participate in said arc. This interest was further fueled by the variety of interesting off-station roles requiring the whitelist that have cropped up. Overall, I hope to experience something different than what I'm accustomed to.

Past the arc itself, I find that Tajara offer a variety of character archetypes that come more naturally to them than most other races due to their situation and history. On a more personal note, I find that their clothing and culture is aesthetically great compared to the more contemporary visuals used in other factions and cultures - I had a great time playing around on a local copy of the codebase and seeing how various character designs might look.

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human:
Let's get this first out of the way: Typing habits. The use of third person is something that won't be easy for me to accustom myself to without wrecking my greater typing habits as a whole. I presume autohiss can handle the rolled R's, but I will need to spend time getting accustomed to using He/She/Name in place of I.

Onto the more cultural aspects, Tajara generally hold very rigid and structured system of beliefs shaped by tradition and particularly their nation's ideology; starting with their caste system: A defunct historical structure that has shaped the Tajaran view of the different races and their individual value and position - with the Royalists seeking to preserve it in a less cruel form, whilst the opposing Hadiist and Al'mariist factions seek to break away from it's lasting effect via differing methods; ultimately to less-than-ideal results. As such, depending on your character's race and origin, their opinion of the races may differ but said differences truly depend on their upbringing - with only the Royalist New Kingdom holding a positive view of the previously dominant Njarir'Akhran.

Furthermore, Tajara are a deeply superstitious and faithful people; as despite the secular nature of two of three major powers only the Hadiists have begun to truly shift away from S'rand'marr Worship and the Ma'ta'ke Pantheon. Common between the two faiths, the stellar entities of the twin suns S'randarr and Messa and moon Raskara are treated with reverence and great suspicion respectively. Aforementioned superstitions remain dominant, with a myriad of mythological figures and legends kept 'alive' by oral stories; more traditionally-minded Tajara may even bear protective charms and talismans to bring safety and good fortune in their lives.

Finally, before I bring up mechanics, there's the overarching note that ties it all together, the three nations of Adhomai: The Haddii's dominant, authoritarian PRA born of the First Revolution; Nated's militaristic, decentralized DPRA that has yet to fully piece itself together from the initial coup; and the New Kingdom led by the Azunja dynasty, the last nation representing the lost traditions of the pre-contact Tajara. To put it bluntly, they all hate each other - their politics render each of them fundamentally incapable of working together, and this extends down to their individual citizens who have great trouble getting along even light-years away from Adhomai without being forced by the less-than-gentle hand (read: laws and corporate structure) of Biesel and the SCC.

Last paragraph of this short novel; mechanics and associated biology. Let's shotgun this; Tajara despise the heat due to being accustomed to the generally cold climate of Adhomai, and so in most attire the conditions of the Horizon aren't ideal for them - despite this, they must put it up with it. They have naturally sensitive (and emotive) ears, giving them a disdain for loud and unexpected noises in particular. Their languages incorporate a varying amount of body language, so deformities or loss of natural structural elements (such as the ears or tail) harm their ability to fluently communicate and express themselves. They are treated with suspicion and distrust by most entities outside of Adhomai proper, limiting their opportunity for advancement within alien polities and corporations - with only the more politically affluent Hharar and Njarir capable of assuming most positions within the Horizon's command structure. Their bodily structure renders them incapable of wearing most hand and footwear designed for other species, in addition to alien I/EVA equipment.

Character Name: Valeriin Dyrukh'raszyn
Please provide a short backstory for this character
Valeriin was born in the human year of 2414, a Njarir’Akhran of a minor house in the Kingdom of Kaltir and survivor of the First Revolution, during much of which he was sheltered due to his young age and status as his father's heir. When Kaltir surrendered, Valeriin's parents and much of his extended family were murdered - and at the age of 18 he was hidden away by loyal servants of the household among a peasant family who bred Zhsramii, where he had spent most of the next eighteen years working to hide himself from violent revolutionaries and earn his keep. Yet, by 2449 he had learned of the return of the Azunja dynasty - and by 2450 pledged himself to the rightful King as his father had been pledged to the King who ruled before. Serving as an Officer leading a cavalry Alam'ard among Azunja's uprising, he put his expertise in handling Zhsramii to good use, though not without great risk. Just a few years into the Second Revolution, he'd found himself married with his wife expecting, yet the Republican Offensive forced him further away from home to continue to defend the New Kingdom. By his late 40s, his eyesight began to worsen and alongside the danger of his position in the Imperial Adhomian Army, his age caught up with him and he was shot off his mount during a flanking charge - fracturing a leg and leaving him crippled for life. 

Only but a few years later was the Armistice of Shastar signed, and Valeriin found himself returning to a more mundane life of leading his household - teaching his children to be proper Njarir and followers of Ma'ta'ke as his father taught him, yet also attempting to instill in them a quiet humility and appreciation for the simple beauty of nature as he had learned from the Zhsramii ranchers he spent his young adulthood with. It was in this quiet life that his own appreciation of the simpler things began to grow; he continued to ride his Zhsram, being rarely seen in public dismounted due to his injury and need to maintain a strong image for his household, and in his spare time he tended a personal garden with his children - growing small quantities of traditional plants such as Binajr-nab'at and Prraza'al Messa, though steadily devoting a section to several alien herbs and plants that he finds himself ever more curious about such as Raspberries and Mint.

Now, well past his prime at 51, Valeriin finds himself to be growing weary of the greater strife on Adhomai that has dominated most of his life and plans to pass on leadership of his house to his oldest son - soon to reach maturity. He has little patience for politics, furthered by a potent hatred of the PRA for murdering his family and an immense distrust toward the DPRA for their unrepentantly violent tendencies. Despite views that would have him labeled an Absolute Royalist, owing to his undying loyalty toward the late Vahzirthaamro Azunja as an infallible King who saved his people in spite of impossible odds, Valeriin seeks to see the stars beyond Adhomai even if this would require he place himself among foreigners or worse. He understands that the Horizon's arrival is perhaps his only opportunity to do so without placing his family under great financial stress, and so he's brought only a traveler's purse worth of money and several important belongings - leaving all else.

What do you like about this character?
I like that this character is going to require a lot more nuance than what I'm typically used to. He's at an advanced age, limping and with poor eyesight - yet holds himself high in order to maintain a dignified image. He's intended to be markedly well-spoken - perhaps to a degree seen as quite antiquated by other Tajara - in his native tongues of Siik'maas and Ya'ssa, yet he will struggle with properly wording more modern concepts that he's unfamiliar with, such as calling all lasers 'firearms'. I most look forward to his interaction with foreign cultures, as even despite his familiarity with the pre-Revolution noble standards of living he'll see human and skrellian standards as quite extravagant by comparison, and he'll be lost on many alien terms and concepts spoken in Basic.

How would you rate your role-playing ability?
7/10 on a motivated day, 8+/10 if I feel strongly inspired. I try to play only when I'm motivated.

Notes: I am going to struggle with learning to use third person regularly. I also fear the amount of tabs I have to keep open in order to memorize all the important details involved in properly portraying a relatively 'advanced' character. Though, if I enjoy him enough and feel that I've grown sufficiently familiar with all the key notes, I am strongly considering elevating him to be a New Kingdom Consular instead of merely a Passenger. I had considered making him a Gardener, but he would never feel comfortable letting the greater spur's impression of Njarir be one lowering himself in such a way, nor does he wish to work for any foreign corporation.

[Fluffy]

Reed Calom is a known presence and I do not remember any "wtf is he doing" moment about him, I am not a tajaran expert but I support the player and am confident that he can present any studied-up specie in a consistent manner, though I leave to the tajaran experts to determine if the species was sufficiently studied as, as I said, I did not really study it myself

+1

[Alberyk]

Application accepted.