Tajaran app - N8-Toe joins the alien menace

[N8-Toe]

BYOND Key: (byond key) n8_toe

Character Names: (character name) I have collected almost 20 over time. But the ones in current rotation are Arpaschad Fa-ta’bs, Nash Slater, Cezary Mayfly, Cezary Polaski

Species you are applying to play: (species name) Tajaran

What color do you plan on making your first alien character: (Color of your character; Dionaea & IPCs exempt). A calico sort of pattern. Relevant excerpt. “Tajara tend towards monochromatic bodies while others have multicolor or even calico fur patterns.”

Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: I have! Will probably play with the wiki up on a second monitor for abit once I get going though. 

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:

(One paragraph minimum)

A large part of what makes roleplaying fun, and fuels interesting stories is how we interact with what makes our character “them” and their relationship to the world around them. With that in mind the large breadth of material and lore for tajarans, as well as their near omnipresence on every roster makes them an easy choice. I also really enjoy many of the themes in the lore for the species which I believe opens the door for interesting conflict and interaction. Such as the current cold war between the three major tajaran powers, and the historical conflict of nobility versus the masses. There is so much opportunity for good storytelling there and I’d like to be a part of it. 

 

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

(One Paragraph minimum)

I think this is in two parts and the first is just playing the non human element of it. Being alien they move and speak differently than a human, as well express emotion differently. Don’t see many people from sol with tails after all, nor many humans talking in the third person. The second is the background afforded to them. Adhomai is one disaster after another politically, with brief glimpses of hope for “peace in our time” with events like the armistice. Different culture, different foods, religion, traditional dress, and environment help shape non-human characters in a way that makes them feel distinct from humans. 

 

Character Name:(Character name)L Malika Hirron

Please provide a short backstory for this character

(Approximately two paragraphs)

Born to a poorer Hharar family in Nal’tor, they lived in a cramped apartment with their parents and siblings. She grew up in the shadow of the city's starport, watching alien shuttles going to and from the stars from their window at night, and resolved to one day follow them to the heavens. Born in the years following the end of the first Revolution. Their family managed to mostly survive the war intact, due to their parents' younger age and positions in essential manufacturing which protected them from the drafts. The launch of Ruka would be a turning point in their life, inspiring them to want to go to space. They’d become heavily involved in youth brigades, getting excellent marks for both their academic, and political achievements within it. This created a gap between her and her parents, who were not the most zealous followers of the PRA’s government. They’d grown disillusioned during life in the interwar years, and distressed by some of their childrens full on frenzy for the party line. They’d be among the first students to study at the Hadii Institute of Orbital Research, much to the pride of their parents, even if they’d have rather she stayed and pursued a more traditional life.

 

The outbreak of war would change the path of their life, her academic studies at the Orbital Research institute were sidetracked, and they were placed into officer training. Being churned out with a commission in the kosmostrelki, and a pilots certification.Their service in the war would see them rise through the ranks to a Lieutenant. With the near totality of their service being in the piloting of cargo shuttles, then a helmsman position on a tender. Never seeing actual combat, something they feel a guilt for, as if they didn’t do their part. Never one to question their commissar, their faith in the Hadii government did not falter out all through the war, and their belief in the PRA only grew by the time the armistice was signed, despite its lost ground. With the end of their military service, they’ve decided to look further in the stars. Taking a position with the SCC as a bridge crewman, hoping to see more of the galaxy they dreamed up as a child on Adhomai. 

 

Outside of work they are a follower of the S'rand'marr religion, though not as devout as their parents are. Generally a very upbeat person, they enjoy astronomy and stargazing. An interest they have found much opportunity to indulge in while in orbit, with more terrestrial interests such as gardening. Though they may not publicly admit it, they do have a soft spot for human music. Despite the war and rising nuclear tensions, they have a positive outlook on the future, seeing the DPRA as more misguided, and inevitable to fall back under the vision of the PRA. Though they harbor little positive feelings for the NKA, seeing tajarans still following nobility as morons at best. 

 

What do you like about this character?

(Describe what you like about this character

I like the character and its backstory due to the hooks for RP it opens up to. Such as their guilt about feeling like they had not “done enough” during the war. Combined with what some others might see as an almost Naive loyalty to the party line having never with their own eyes witnessed the bloodshed it caused. As well I’ve enjoyed playing characters with a “Sailor” background before with my scarab characters, and I think I’ll really enjoy the twist tajaran lore puts on that sort of character.  

 

How would you rate your role-playing ability?

7 on a good day. I’m not the greatest but I stay in character and keep their motivations in view. As well I am a team player and I like to think excel at “yes and” Roleplay. 

Notes:

Whoever put together the tajaran lore timeline, I owe you. 

[KingOfThePing]

The story is alright but there are definitive beats that gave me some questions:

• Malika is calico coloured and a pure Hharar. As far as I know this is almost not possible. There are only two options this can be: either one of the parents must have been a non-hharar, probably a Zhan, since no Hharar colouring gives the genes to result in calico pattern or her mother was also calico patterned, which is very, very rare to occur naturally (read: without cross-breeding). Resulting in this Malika is most likely a cross-breed, and thus she would absolutely, definitely faced harrassment and discrimination in the PRA - inherited from her mother and probably the rest of the family as well. Even if you say that she is not a cross-breed she would have faced difficulties because of her fur colour in the PRA.
• This gives me the question /why/ Malika would have been as zealous for the PRA as you write she was. The foundation of the story is basically that she was a prime citizen and politically active from the youth on - which would have been borderline impossible, due to the problem I stated in the point before this.
• This also results in me finding it hard to believe that she would get into a) an officer program and b) into the basically top of the line, special of the special Kosmostrelki. Kosmostrelki are the best troops, both trained and euipped, that the PRA has, not only in the Air Force but in general.
• Even if we ignore this all I'd like to know why she wanted to leave Adhomai and the PRA, when she liked it so much? For the money? Did she finish her degree or was that thrown completely overboard after a while?
• What does she think of the SCC in general? Some Tajara believe they are only on Adhomai to exploit their resources, does she think that, too?
• You say her parents very "devout" followers of S'rand'marr so I assume this shaped her in some way, especially early in her life? How?

 

I'll see if I have more questions tomorrow.

Edited April 15, 2023 by KingOfThePing

[CatsinHD]

35 minutes ago, KingOfThePing said:

Malika is calico coloured and a pure Hharar. As far as I know this is almost not possible.

As far as the wiki states, and I have confirmed this with the lore team, calico is only Hharar, not the other way around. As shown in the screenshot below, when I played my own Calico (Jrizar the surgeon), it is known that calico is a Hharar fur pattern (confirmed this again with Ramke).

But, this comment is not to correct, I just felt the need to point that out all things considered.

 

As for my own feedback, I only have one question beyond the three listed by Ping.

• How does Malika act towards people form the other nations in normal working life? She is sure to come across others in the diverse work-spaces of human space.

Otherwise, you were quite curious, asked a lot of questions and took feedback that clearly has made a good backstory in my eyes. I recognize Nash Slater and quite enjoy seeing him around overall. A solid +1 from me.

[N8-Toe]

Thank you @William Murdoch and @KingOfThePing both for your feedback and excellent questions. As well thank you @William Murdoch for clarifying the calico issue. You put it better than I could have.

 

I'm going sidestep the first few questions centering on their coloration and jump to the rest

1 hour ago, KingOfThePing said:

• Even if we ignore this all I'd like to know why she wanted to leave Adhomai and the PRA, when she liked it so much? For the money? Did she finish her degree or was that thrown completely overboard after a while?
• What does she think of the SCC in general? Some Tajara believe they are only on Adhomai to exploit their resources, does she think that, too?
• You say her parents very "devout" followers of S'rand'marr so I assume this shaped her in some way, especially early in her life? How?

 

 

1: Wanderlust mostly. They finished their degree via correspondence during their military service which helped them qualify for a job with the SCC. They love Adhomai and their home, but their dream is to see the stars and what secrets they might hold. A curiosity that can't be sated fully within the PRA's borders.  The money doesn't hurt either

2:  They see the SCC in a pragmatic view. They believe it should be the Tajara guiding their own destiny and not outside nations, but they also recognize the SCC and other powers that be as a means to an end. For themself in the opportunity to work aboard an SCC ship, see the stars, and collect a check. And for the PRA as a whole in terms of access to technology and materials to allow them to grow and out maneuver their foes. They're skeptical of the SCC, but know when to keep their mouth shut about it.

3:  While she may have drifted from the religion, it isn't not as much a large part of their day to day life. Her religious upbringing from her parents still see's their faith as something they go to during hard times or stressful moments for comfort. They still hold immense respect for clergy, and take their word seriously, growing up the PRA's more atheistic policy was the start of their parents wariness of the party which grew into the gap that exists between her and her parents now. Many of their best childhood memories center around religious festivals such as Shi-rr’ata and Kahara S'rendarr Mai. One of the few things that makes them regret their career in space is missing the festivities ground side.

 

 

1 hour ago, William Murdoch said:

• How does Malika act towards people form the other nations in normal working life? She is sure to come across others in the diverse work-spaces of human space.

 

4: They'd act in a professional manner. Their time aboard ships having instilled a sense of discipline and knowing when is the wrong time to say something snarky. Though they would act with clear favoritism towards people they can relate to. Be they fellow PRA citizens or just those who don't create conflict. Though if others where to bring up politics they'd reply in full for better, or much more likely, for worse. So able to not claw at the first NKA aligned crew member they see, but not above telling them she thinks they're a fool should it be brought up. Also probably not terribly likely to spend time with "opposition" members in their off time.

[KingOfThePing]

8 hours ago, William Murdoch said:

As far as the wiki states, and I have confirmed this with the lore team, calico is only Hharar, not the other way around. As shown in the screenshot below, when I played my own Calico (Jrizar the surgeon), it is known that calico is a Hharar fur pattern (confirmed this again with Ramke).

Well, then the wiki makes little sense or basic genetics are being thrown overboard, I guess since the genes for the white and black fur must come from somewhere. The wiki states:

Quote

Some Hharar females can even be calico on rare occasions, this is almost always hereditary on the maternal side, meaning the mother has to also be calico for her daughter to be, though this is not absolute and calico mothers can have normal brown daughters.

That's really the only thing that's being said abou calico coloured Tajara and it's pretty lacking, so if people apply with this they cannot be blamed.

Anyway, this does not really disqualify the discrimination that were probably faced. It's out of the ordinary and not uniform - something the PRA really does not like, at least that is what I thought with what the PRA represented. But we can just wait for a lore dev to clear it up, because with many niche things, this specific thing is not explained on the wiki so people cannot reasonably know about this. It should be obvious that I am wrong with this, mixed something up or just took headcanon for being on the wiki.

Edited April 16, 2023 by KingOfThePing

[Alberyk]

Application accepted.