Alien Application - Sycmos (Tajaran)

[Sycmos]

BYOND Key: Sycmos

Character Names: Saulden Ramses, Gwendolyn Bell, Adam Bell, Jeremy Zaraska

How long have you been playing on Aurora: ~1 month

Species you are applying to play: Tajaran

Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes.

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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 feel that I would be most comfortable playing Tajaran of the alien species (alien is a strange word to use in this setting considering the fact that the background is deep space, where everyone is alien to each other) and after reading what was shared on them on the freeforums.net page I feel like I could perform a much better job roleplaying as one than say an Unathi or Skrell. I briefly considered Vox but seeing as there's no current lore on Vox (nor do I know if they are available), carrying around an N2 tank sounds irritating and I have little to no knowledge on them it looks like Tajaran is my best bet.

Playing an alien is great for roleplaying because you can play off the dynamic between races, as you cannot do that anywhere at all (or as much) with human-to-human interaction. As some races have biases towards others it can make for some interesting opportunities, and I think that I can effectively use those biases to build a more complex relationship with other characters. Seeing as Tajaran are somewhat skeptical of Unathi and generally view humans as a mixed bag I think that I can make good judgement on what kind of behavior I should emulate when interacting with certain characters. I think this will ultimately aid in making shifts much more interesting to partake in should I be accepted to play as a Tajaran. I am also interested in learning how to play out these traditional behaviors when they are slowly eroded by the melting pot that is NT employment.

I oftentimes feel like alien species are not frequently played enough during shifts and given the time I usually spend with SS13 open I think that I will be able to add in a constant alien spice to the mix of shifts. I really enjoy the atmosphere of the Aurora station but I feel like I could contribute more than I do now if I have the option to play as a Tajaran, as I feel capable enough to roleplay as one effectively.

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: Tajaran have much more cultural distinctions than humans seem to now that they are space-capable, and tend to keep to them more often. It's rare that you see someone on-station that is human and incredibly traditional, and I feel that the Tajaran's inherent traditions can be used for a better roleplaying experience if properly utilized. Watching the interactions between clans can be either interesting or potentially troublesome, and maybe even more so depending on what human or Unathi they are interacting with. I feel like humans don't entirely rely on some of those biases, or even have them, and that makes some interaction with others a little more stale.

Why does this species in particular hold your interest? Personally I'm not fond of the idea of roleplaying an Unathi, they're just not for me; I'm more comfortable roleplaying something with fur as I used to RP as a Worgen Warrior on WoW for several years on an RP server. Skrell never entirely interested me to begin with and while Vox seem interesting I feel like it's just not something that I would enjoy as much.

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Character Name: Shahesh Ra'vimjaan

Please provide a short backstory for this character, approximately 2 paragraphs:

Shahesh T'zharah was born in 2428 in a settlement farther to the north than most, on the fringe of the upper north. His childhood was like that of any other Tajaran's born to the border towns - a routine in learning how to mountaineer and hunt. It was not even before he was 18 that he would be sent off in his first hunting expedition, a necessary operation every autumn to bring meat back to the town as its location oftentimes isolated it from trade during the deep of winter. Shahesh, born of relatively light fur as his family was, soon came to co-lead expeditions with his father. Many great bounties were had until their relationship slowly began to fall apart over the course of several years, inevitably ending in physical struggle in the middle of the hunt. The young Tajaran would kill his father in a blind rage. The return of the expedition group would result in Shahesh being thrown out of his father's clan and consequently exiled from the town.

Having failed his mother and father and himself, he wandered out into the wild to die - this was not the end, however. After several grueling days of hunger and cold, Shahesh blacked out but woke up in a NT medical facility in Hol'Tar. Although he had survived, he had no will to live - his honor stripped from him for his mistakes. What seemed like several months of transiency in the capital finally ended when Shahesh found work as a shaft miner for one of NT's numerous projects, where he remain for several years. Following a shaft collapse and his rescue of a dozen personnel at the cost of his right arm the Tajaran took a surname of no worth, Ra'vimjaan, and sought opportunities elsewhere. Several months of frustrating rehabilitation with a prosthetic later Shaesh signed up for NT Security training at the recommendation of his former superiors, followed by certification in Station Engineering. With his vigor returning to him slowly Shahesh eventually finished with dual certification in NT Security and Engineering.

The recovering Tajaran would take several assignments on several NT vessels and stations for the next five years, growing slowly accustomed to the cultural niceties and taboos of the other galactic races and always going out of his way for others until his sudden reassignment to the NSS Aurora following a Syndicate intrusion on the now defunct NSS Schollenburg.

What do you like about this character? I feel that playing a Tajaran whose traditional values and natural behaviors have been somewhat eroded, but not entirely erased, by his exposure to other races and his own exile would make him interesting to play as. I think it would be easier to interact with humans in a way as it would make sense for one to take on a more watered-down perspective after having experienced so much in so little time. His hardiness and work ethic that he's developed through his time spent on Adhomai with his clan would certainly play a role in his interactions with others, as well as the humility he would later develop following his exile.

How would you rate your role-playing ability? I'd give myself an 8/10. I don't think that I'm amazing at roleplay but given that I've been roleplaying on different forums and games since I was a pre-teen I feel like I am capable of holding my own in any roleplay situation.

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Notes: Edited as of 6:11PM, October 9th.

Edited October 15, 2014 by Sycmos V2

[Demonofthefall]

Sycmos is a good RPer and I think he will be able to play a Tajaran well. +1

[Susan]

The lore for Tajaran on the freeforums page is no longer up to snuff and has undergone a rewrite.

Edit: Having been given permission to release this, you can find all new lore on Tajaran here.

[Sycmos]

The lore for Tajaran on the freeforums page is no longer up to snuff and has undergone a rewrite.

Edit: Having been given permission to release this, you can find all new lore on Tajaran here.

 

I'll go ahead and make my revisions.

[hivefleetchicken]

From what I know, Scymos is *relatively* new to the community, and so far he hasn't done anything that I can hold against him. I think it would be fine to give him a chance at kitty-kat RP.

+1.

[Susan]

It should be noted lore for Tajaran ethnicities is now done, but what you've stated isn't that different from what is on paper.

However, Tajaran don't really have tribes, and wouldn't really have a reason to run off on their own and go all survivalist in the north. They have clans, which are more similar to tight-knit families working together for a specific goal (ie group farming). A better analogy would be life on a ranch or something; they aren't that primitive. Their tech level prior to the revolution was at about Victorian England.

[Sycmos]

It should be noted lore for Tajaran ethnicities is now done, but what you've stated isn't that different from what is on paper.

However, Tajaran don't really have tribes, and wouldn't really have a reason to run off on their own and go all survivalist in the north. They have clans, which are more similar to tight-knit families working together for a specific goal (ie group farming). A better analogy would be life on a ranch or something; they aren't that primitive. Their tech level prior to the revolution was at about Victorian England.

 

I'm honestly confused about what is and what isn't applicable at this point because of how general the information was when I first posted the application and edited the first time but I'll try to steer myself in a more canonical direction. I understand that they aren't that primitive but from what I understood they still operated in groups, but as I said I've been somewhat confused reading the lore anyway. I'll make more changes.

[Susan]

They do, the word 'tribe' is just misleading and seems very primitive.

If you want to make your character part of a hunting party or something that brings stuff back from the North or something, that's not too bad. Just the word led me to believe you thought they were more primal than they actually are. Less 'tribe' and more 'clan'.

With that in mind, and presuming that's what you're going for, then you have my blessing as the cat commander for +1 with a cat that fits with other cats. And also because I'd like to see more cats on station in general and feel you would do a good job roleplaying one given what I've seen of your characters.

[Sycmos]

They do, the word 'tribe' is just misleading and seems very primitive.

If you want to make your character part of a hunting party or something that brings stuff back from the North or something, that's not too bad. Just the word led me to believe you thought they were more primal than they actually are. Less 'tribe' and more 'clan'.

With that in mind, and presuming that's what you're going for, then you have my blessing as the cat commander for +1 with a cat that fits with other cats. And also because I'd like to see more cats on station in general and feel you would do a good job roleplaying one given what I've seen of your characters.

 

That's where I was going with initially, I was just somewhat misled and confused. I know what to do in regards to revising now.

Thank you for your support.

[Sycmos]

The brief character backstory has been edited.

[LetzShake]

Sycmost is a great RPer and this looks well written to me. +1

[Guest]

Sycmos is a writer, what can I say? They know their way around the written word and damn if most this game isn't writing. On top of that, they're pleasant to talk to, intelligent, polite and just world weary enough to have some caution. I like the reasons they gave on this application most of all. They're well thought out for interplay with other characters and the development of their own character. I''m proud to give them a +1 vote endorsement.

[Lessick]

Application accepted.