[Accepted]nursie's tajara app 2

[witchbells]

BYOND Key: NursieKitty

Character Names: Phoebe Essel, Kazuo Kurosawa, Ocelot, a few others.

Species you are applying to play: Tajara

What color do you plan on making your first alien character (Dionaea & IPCs exempt): light brown

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:

Aside from the obvious bit that probably shouldn't go in my application if I actually want to be whitelisted, I think tajara are unique in terms of thinking about their civilization. While they may not be as hardy or rough as unathi, I imagine the tajara as a very pragmatic, hard-working, "one for all" type of people. Plus there's that whole "three factions warring with eachother" thing that makes for delightful bits of conflict between characters, and I am a glutton for conflict.

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

I feel like tajaran have a more rigid cultural structure than other species, which actually kind of goes without saying. Lately I've been more interested in more frivolous aspects of their culture, like food and fashion, from my interaction with other players. I love the idea of tajara being a very utilitarian people, with exceptions being in the more populous cities, with fancy clothes and lavish meals, etc.

 

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Character Name: Alissa Kihrbusihr

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

Citizens of Al'mari had the chance to enjoy lucrative military careers, her parents included, and the city was prosperous and strong despite the feeling of looming doom to the north and south. It was a Republic city, zealous and proud, and it suffocated Alissa. Though it did not reach the glory of Nal'tor, the city flourished and often facilitated the patriotic zeal of its citizens, leaving a sort of visceral discomfort that otherwise would not have grown in others. It was a culture in which she felt she was stifled, and confined to a mold of the ideal citizen of Adhomai.

But there were, of course, dark corners in every city. An "underground railroad" of sorts that ferried unsatisfied tajara to a new world, a more peaceful world with new experiences, new people, and robust opportunities for excellence. She knew an entirely new world would have its own military patriots and differing cultural norms - but frankly, the thought of staying on Adhomai for the rest of her life made her fur stiff. She would always love her people and her family, but this was something she had to do for herself.

She told herself that this was what she had to do. Over the course of a few months, her plan came to fruition - She used money stolen from her parents to procure a (mostly) legitimate passport and a one-way shuttle trip to a new world.

What do you like about this character?

My favorite aspect of playing alien characters is how they interact with human culture. Alissa is a young, impressionable, desperate girl who feels smothered by her war-torn society. I reiterate the "underdog" aspect and theme from my previous application because it's something I really, really like. I also like watching my characters grow, and starting with young characters is a wonderful way to do it, because of how much young people change.

How would you rate your role-playing ability?

I will again refrain. This is my least favorite question ever and I feel as if it only serves as to gauge a player's pride (or arrogance, in some cases) in their own ability. I like trying new things with roleplay. Sometimes they don't always work, but that's part of the experience, it's part of the fun. I instead invite others to rate me however they see fit.

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Notes:

 

[AllyBearsley]

It looks pretty good and I believe Nursie is a competent roleplayer. Phoebe Essel has been interesting to watch in action and talk to (even though she's another catlady medbay person). Nursie is also a pretty swell person OOC.

The app looks good. Sadly, I'm not too familiar with Tajaran lore, so if I missed something major I don't mean to be giving it a pass. However, the backstory looks fine, I like the sense of adventure and desire to escape that Alissa feels. The thing is, what will Alissa do now she has escaped? Like what job will she do with NT (since that's your defacto place to go once escaping) and I always love hearing how a character actually ends up finding a job with NT.

+1 from me.

[NoahKirchner]

Any time I've arrpee'd with Phoebe it's been believable and generally a good experience. They're also an admin so it's a given that they have experiences making situations more fun for the group than fun for them personally, and I think that is a big part of RP.

As far as lore goes, I'm not qualified to comment but I really like the backstory. The idea of a still patriotic but dissatisfied Tajara seems like it could bring a fair bit of spoken conflict to the table.

On the negative the cat in that picture is clearly not supposed to be under that newspaper.

+1 and stuff.

[DatBerry]

Certainly a fresh take on the Tajaran character backstories, the story yet leaves much to be desired, It seems the character was so sheltered that "PRA Is good other are bad" is the only knowledge they know about the conflict, we also barely know anything about the cat other than them just hating the conflict and wanting to get out of dodge as soon as a possible, as much as to leave their sheltered family and venture to spess.

which bring another point, what exactly can they do to earn a living? they stole some money, alright. they ended up in biesel, free and broke; how did they manage to live? what education, experince or qualification do they have? when did they get them? how well did it go and how did it effect them if at all? how did they end up working for NT? how do they feel about it?

and back on conflict subject, you said you love the 3 side conflict and the RP it can bring about, but the character has betrayed and escaped the only side they respected, what is their standing now? do they still believe in the PRA but they just don't want to deal with the pressure on adhomai or did human influence change it's standing?

all these are subjects you can touch on to expand on the story, because right now it's very bland and not very different from a "cat raised in space and doesn't know what an ALA is". I'm sure you've read the lore by now so I don't think I'll need to give any more ideas in what parts of your story to expand on.

while i don't mind giving a +1 right now, I'd like to see how you respond to this.

[Ornias]

Despite this feeling rather sparse, I'll easily give a +1. Phoebe is believable and enjoyable to interact with, especially because of the conflict my character and her have.

Actually, I'll only give a +1 if you stop wearing the cat on your head, or agree to wear it during surgery thank you

[SierraKomodo]

Certainly a fresh take on the Tajaran character backstories, the story yet leaves much to be desired, It seems the character was so sheltered that "PRA Is good other are bad" is the only knowledge they know about the conflict, we also barely know anything about the cat other than them just hating the conflict and wanting to get out of dodge as soon as a possible, as much as to leave their sheltered family and venture to spess.

which bring another point, what exactly can they do to earn a living? they stole some money, alright. they ended up in biesel, free and broke; how did they manage to live? what education, experince or qualification do they have? when did they get them? how well did it go and how did it effect them if at all? how did they end up working for NT? how do they feel about it?

and back on conflict subject, you said you love the 3 side conflict and the RP it can bring about, but the character has betrayed and escaped the only side they respected, what is their standing now? do they still believe in the PRA but they just don't want to deal with the pressure on adhomai or did human influence change it's standing?

all these are subjects you can touch on to expand on the story, because right now it's very bland and not very different from a "cat raised in space and doesn't know what an ALA is". I'm sure you've read the lore by now so I don't think I'll need to give any more ideas in what parts of your story to expand on.

while i don't mind giving a +1 right now, I'd like to see how you respond to this.

 

Essentially, this. Also, Hharar technically isn't a color

[Bygonehero]

What color do you plan on making your first alien character (Dionaea & IPCs exempt): hharar

 

Are you aware that currently the lore team is trying and failing to actually enforce the species lore within the tajara whitelist in respect to this? Would your tajara be a good example for future whitelisted? I think this issue should be doubly important for you, as an admin and a whitelisted player you should be setting an example for others.

My interactions with you have been with Phoebe alone, and most often as antag or AI. They appear overly hostile if even somewhat memey in their coldness to others. I can recall several times when horrible things were occurring on the station and Phoebe would tell off the antagonists or the victims. This isn't very believable, especially for a doctor.

If there is a strength in your style of roleplay, it is consistency. Phoebe has behaved more or less the same in the entire time I have ever encountered them. If character development is so important for you, where is it, or is Phoebe perpetually crotchety cat lady?

Additionally, I believe datberry hit the nail on the head, what actually qualifies this person to work on a Nanotrasen research station?

It's a -1 from me until the issues stated are addressed. Primarily the issues with the tajara species lore. There's already enough meme's with them and the tajara whitelist head needs to show that there are standards for tajarans.

[witchbells]

Certainly a fresh take on the Tajaran character backstories, the story yet leaves much to be desired, It seems the character was so sheltered that "PRA Is good other are bad" is the only knowledge they know about the conflict, we also barely know anything about the cat other than them just hating the conflict and wanting to get out of dodge as soon as a possible, as much as to leave their sheltered family and venture to spess.

which bring another point, what exactly can they do to earn a living? they stole some money, alright. they ended up in biesel, free and broke; how did they manage to live? what education, experince or qualification do they have? when did they get them? how well did it go and how did it effect them if at all? how did they end up working for NT? how do they feel about it?

and back on conflict subject, you said you love the 3 side conflict and the RP it can bring about, but the character has betrayed and escaped the only side they respected, what is their standing now? do they still believe in the PRA but they just don't want to deal with the pressure on adhomai or did human influence change it's standing?

all these are subjects you can touch on to expand on the story, because right now it's very bland and not very different from a "cat raised in space and doesn't know what an ALA is". I'm sure you've read the lore by now so I don't think I'll need to give any more ideas in what parts of your story to expand on.

while i don't mind giving a +1 right now, I'd like to see how you respond to this.

 

I'm sorry I couldn't portray it well enough through my writing! Alissa was born and raised in a republic city where this is the general mindset, so of course, she only has access to PRA propaganda and news stories. I don't feel like "sheltered" is exactly the right term for her situation, but nothing better is coming to me. It might be better to say that PRA citizens are being manipulated by their government to see things in their favor rather than calling them sheltered. Ideally, her backstory is meant to serve as a stepping stone, and facets of her personality will open up as I play her. It's meant to serve as a proof of concept - Alissa is sensitive, but adaptive young woman who is understandably apprehensive about Biesel, but the war-torn civilizations of Adhomai were far more anxiety-inducing to her.

Alissa is a very young woman who I'll be playing as either janitor or a chef, but regardless, her spot on the food chain would be in very low civilian jobs. Nanotrasen is a primary employer in Tau Ceti, and if there is any weight to the meddling Nanotrasen has done on Adhomai (or any planet, for that matter) it seems very likely to me that Nanotrasen would hire inexperienced tajara workers en masse and pay them low wages, especially if that inexperienced worker needs a job and a place to stay (both of which Nanotrasen can provide.) I imagine she holds Nanotrasen in a very good light as they provide for her.

As for how she'll feel about the PRA in the future, that remains to be seen! It will depend entirely on the interactions she has with other tajara, and I'm especially excited to see how she develops.

[Azande]

Nursie has never failed to bring a certain level of excellence to all of her characters and the role's they play, I definitely support this and think she will flesh the character out nicely once given the chance!

[Stauto]

+1 because Nursie is the best person ever.

Nah, real talk. I like the idea. I'm interested to see how people will interact with the Tajara. Please, at least once, play a nurse, just so NursieKitty can truly be Nursiekitty

[Synnono]

Citizens of Al'mari had the chance to enjoy lucrative military careers, her parents included, and the city was prosperous and strong despite the feeling of looming doom to the north and south. It was a Republic city, zealous and proud, and it suffocated Alissa. Though it did not reach the glory of Nal'tor, the city flourished and often facilitated the patriotic zeal of its citizens, leaving a sort of visceral discomfort that otherwise would not have grown in others.

 

This paragraph makes me feel like Alissa would have realistically grown up with strong pro-Republic sentiment, both inside and outside her family. What influences or experiences in her life on Adhomai made those things feel stifling? Does she care at all about the cause of her country (and parents) or the outcome of the war? While it makes sense for a character to want to flee from a conflict, she seems to effectively be leaving the people and family she loves (according to your app at least) to do 'something for herself' that isn't really defined by your backstory. Why was it so appealing to steal from her family and leave everything she's ever known behind, and does whatever that is help define how she'll be played on the station for you?

What I would want to avoid in your position is making an applicant character who consciously ignores one of the main themes of Tajaran lore today. While it isn't necessary to spoil an entire backstory in an application, it is important to indicate how the species' central conflicts have helped create the character you're applying with. As it stands, this sounds like a coming of age story with no defined motivation (yet), and could be just as easily applied to a human leaving home because they just don't like being home.

On the player, I don't have any concerns - you're a longtime favorite of mine on Phoebe and you definitely put some extra thought into the humans I see you play.

[witchbells]

Citizens of Al'mari had the chance to enjoy lucrative military careers, her parents included, and the city was prosperous and strong despite the feeling of looming doom to the north and south. It was a Republic city, zealous and proud, and it suffocated Alissa. Though it did not reach the glory of Nal'tor, the city flourished and often facilitated the patriotic zeal of its citizens, leaving a sort of visceral discomfort that otherwise would not have grown in others.

 

This paragraph makes me feel like Alissa would have realistically grown up with strong pro-Republic sentiment, both inside and outside her family. What influences or experiences in her life on Adhomai made those things feel stifling? Does she care at all about the cause of her country (and parents) or the outcome of the war? While it makes sense for a character to want to flee from a conflict, she seems to effectively be leaving the people and family she loves (according to your app at least) to do 'something for herself' that isn't really defined by your backstory. Why was it so appealing to steal from her family and leave everything she's ever known behind, and does whatever that is help define how she'll be played on the station for you?

What I would want to avoid in your position is making an applicant character who consciously ignores one of the main themes of Tajaran lore today. While it isn't necessary to spoil an entire backstory in an application, it is important to indicate how the species' central conflicts have helped create the character you're applying with. As it stands, this sounds like a coming of age story with no defined motivation (yet), and could be just as easily applied to a human leaving home because they just don't like being home.

On the player, I don't have any concerns - you're a longtime favorite of mine on Phoebe and you definitely put some extra thought into the humans I see you play.

 

For all intents and purposes, Alissa is a PRA citizen, raised in a PRA city, with (I assume) her only media outlets being allied with PRA. The reason she's leaving Adhomai was not due to a sudden "revelation" or switching of sides, but rather a dissatisfaction with the chaos and zeal within her environment. She does not want to spend the rest of her life in the confines of a war-torn world, nor does she enjoy the idea of being coerced into PRA service - it's safe to say she is not loyal to the republic, but I would also gather that she does not trust the ALA or NKA due to what she was exposed to growing up. She didn't enjoy stealing from her family, but it was a conflicting decision that she had to make if she didn't want to spend the rest of her life (or adolescence, even) on Adhomai.

Believe me, I'm trying to be very, very conscious with how I've involved Alissa with the three factions, because heaven knows I do not want to make a third application, but I want to see her relationship with the three factions develop as I play her, and watch her grow.

[Mofo1995]

I will be getting to this after work today, though likely it will result in an extension of a day or two as I have some questions which I would like answered before judging it. I'll be back tonight.

[Bygonehero]

+1 from me. Thank you for making the changes to your application. We need consistently good tajara roleplayers if we are going to change the server culture surrounding them, and as I said in my prior post, this is your single greatest strength.

[Mofo1995]

BYOND Key: NursieKitty

Character Names: Phoebe Essel, Kazuo Kurosawa, Ocelot, a few others.

Species you are applying to play: Tajara

What color do you plan on making your first alien character (Dionaea & IPCs exempt): light brown

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:

Aside from the obvious bit that probably shouldn't go in my application if I actually want to be whitelisted, I think tajara are unique in terms of thinking about their civilization. While they may not be as hardy or rough as unathi, I imagine the tajara as a very pragmatic, hard-working, "one for all" type of people. Plus there's that whole "three factions warring with eachother" thing that makes for delightful bits of conflict between characters, and I am a glutton for conflict.

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

I feel like tajaran have a more rigid cultural structure than other species, which actually kind of goes without saying. Lately I've been more interested in more frivolous aspects of their culture, like food and fashion, from my interaction with other players. I love the idea of tajara being a very utilitarian people, with exceptions being in the more populous cities, with fancy clothes and lavish meals, etc.

 

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Character Name: Alissa Kihrbusihr

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

Citizens of Al'mari had the chance to enjoy lucrative military careers, her parents included, and the city was prosperous and strong despite the feeling of looming doom to the north and south. It was a Republic city, zealous and proud, and it suffocated Alissa. Though it did not reach the glory of Nal'tor, the city flourished and often facilitated the patriotic zeal of its citizens, leaving a sort of visceral discomfort that otherwise would not have grown in others. It was a culture in which she felt she was stifled, and confined to a mold of the ideal citizen of Adhomai.

But there were, of course, dark corners in every city. An "underground railroad" of sorts that ferried unsatisfied tajara to a new world, a more peaceful world with new experiences, new people, and robust opportunities for excellence. She knew an entirely new world would have its own military patriots and differing cultural norms - but frankly, the thought of staying on Adhomai for the rest of her life made her fur stiff. She would always love her people and her family, but this was something she had to do for herself.

She told herself that this was what she had to do. Over the course of a few months, her plan came to fruition - She used money stolen from her parents to procure a (mostly) legitimate passport and a one-way shuttle trip to a new world.

What do you like about this character?

My favorite aspect of playing alien characters is how they interact with human culture. Alissa is a young, impressionable, desperate girl who feels smothered by her war-torn society. I reiterate the "underdog" aspect and theme from my previous application because it's something I really, really like. I also like watching my characters grow, and starting with young characters is a wonderful way to do it, because of how much young people change.

How would you rate your role-playing ability?

I will again refrain. This is my least favorite question ever and I feel as if it only serves as to gauge a player's pride (or arrogance, in some cases) in their own ability. I like trying new things with roleplay. Sometimes they don't always work, but that's part of the experience, it's part of the fun. I instead invite others to rate me however they see fit.

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Notes:

 

 

You're a veteran roleplayer and someone who is extremely integrated into our server's community. Not to mention, an administrator. I bring these up to let you know that your application is under more scrutiny than the average application because I know your capabilities with little uncertainty.

 

Why do you wish to play this specific race:

Aside from the obvious bit

 

 

What color do you plan on making your first alien character (Dionaea & IPCs exempt): light brown

 

Please select an RGB value from the list on the wiki, or provide one if you would like to suggest light brown as a color. I know it's anal, but Bygone is right when he points out that trying to get a standard for colors is currently in flux. Light brown seems perfectly believable, maybe pick a suggestion from this list or come up with your own? http://www.rapidtables.com/web/color/brown-color.htm

Either way, if colors are going to start being enforced in the near future, let's get off on the right foot and have you start with one.

 

Character Names: Phoebe Essel, Kazuo Kurosawa, Ocelot, a few others.

 

I think tajara are unique in terms of thinking about their civilization. While they may not be as hardy or rough as unathi, I imagine the tajara as a very pragmatic, hard-working, "one for all" type of people. Plus there's that whole "three factions warring with eachother" thing that makes for delightful bits of conflict between characters, and I am a glutton for conflict.

 

This is incredibly vague. Additionally, "one for all" and "three factions warring with eachother" thing are highly contradictory.

 

I feel like tajaran have a more rigid cultural structure than other species, which actually kind of goes without saying. Lately I've been more interested in more frivolous aspects of their culture, like food and fashion, from my interaction with other players. I love the idea of tajara being a very utilitarian people, with exceptions being in the more populous cities, with fancy clothes and lavish meals, etc.

 

Still vague. But I still appreciate that someone has pointed this out. Their conservative culture and reactionary tendencies often are glossed over by members of the community despite being one of the most major themes in their lore.

 

Citizens of Al'mari had the chance to enjoy lucrative military careers, her parents included, and the city was prosperous and strong despite the feeling of looming doom to the north and south. It was a Republic city, zealous and proud, and it suffocated Alissa. Though it did not reach the glory of Nal'tor, the city flourished and often facilitated the patriotic zeal of its citizens, leaving a sort of visceral discomfort that otherwise would not have grown in others. It was a culture in which she felt she was stifled, and confined to a mold of the ideal citizen of Adhomai.

 

I'm not sure if its intentional, but I see parallels here when speaking of the mold of the ideal citizen of Adhomai to the Soviet idea in the late 20's and early 30's of the "New Soviet Man," the idea being that humans would one day be machine like in the way that they thought and acted to live in harmony with perfect logic and to work with productivity in mind. At any rate, for those reading, Al'mari is the city located just to the west of Castle Hadii, and is relatively safe being that it was formerly the domain of the Hadii family when they were nobles and currently where most of the family lives aside from in The Steeple. Losing the city would be like the Soviets losing Leningrad as far as morale victories go, except its avoided coming under siege. These details have yet to make it to the wiki along with an explanation of characteristics of the various cities and their cultures, but Nursie did ask about these things for Al'mari from me.

 

But there were, of course, dark corners in every city. An "underground railroad" of sorts that ferried unsatisfied tajara to a new world, a more peaceful world with new experiences, new people, and robust opportunities for excellence. She knew an entirely new world would have its own military patriots and differing cultural norms - but frankly, the thought of staying on Adhomai for the rest of her life made her fur stiff. She would always love her people and her family, but this was something she had to do for herself.

 

Shady human in trench coat says, "Hey, cool cat, want a low paying job where everyone calls you a furball thousands of light years away from home?"

NanoTrasen must be catnip for Tajara who are a glutton for conflict

In all seriousness though, the idea that she was lured away by a desire for adventure and the temptation of opportunity is believable, especially with all the bull that NanoTrasen recruiters spout. All though Alissa's life has been mostly sheltered, I'm sure that events such as the ALA winter offensive made her feel that nowhere on Adhomai was actually safe afterall.

 

She told herself that this was what she had to do. Over the course of a few months, her plan came to fruition - She used money stolen from her parents to procure a (mostly) legitimate passport and a one-way shuttle trip to a new world.

 

I don't understand what is illegitimate of this passport. Is it partially illegitimate because it was bought with stolen money? The "legit" ness of legal documentation is a binary state, especially when the government is a highly authoritarian bureaucratic mess. Aside from that issue, I like the idea of Alissa stealing her family's money before setting off for what she thinks will be a better life for herself. It gives her an attachment to her homeworld, but at that same time is a barrier between herself and all her friends and family back home. And yet, for all she knows, they could just be looking for her or missing their daughter. It's not like she announced, "I'm stealing your money to go be a fursona with humans lol" The uncertainty about how they feel regarding the situation is a nice even if unintentional touch.

 

What do you like about this character?

My favorite aspect of playing alien characters is how they interact with human culture. Alissa is a young, impressionable, desperate girl who feels smothered by her war-torn society. I reiterate the "underdog" aspect and theme from my previous application because it's something I really, really like. I also like watching my characters grow, and starting with young characters is a wonderful way to do it, because of how much young people change.

 

"My favorite aspect of playing alien characters is how they interact with human culture." This is a very strong pose. There tend to be two camps among Tajara when it comes to dealing with human culture. Those who see their political and social freedoms and think the governments back home should lighten up a bit, and those who are turned reactionary by the radically different cultures and cling to their tradition to maintain identity. Which is Alissa in? Is she somewhere between them? Or is this something she will come to learn for herself as she enters the human universe?

 

How would you rate your role-playing ability?

I will again refrain. This is my least favorite question ever and I feel as if it only serves as to gauge a player's pride (or arrogance, in some cases) in their own ability. I like trying new things with roleplay. Sometimes they don't always work, but that's part of the experience, it's part of the fun. I instead invite others to rate me however they see fit.

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Notes:

 

 

The people have rated you very highly, with even your detractors lending you +1's.

Likewise I have read your responses regarding her factional "loyalty." I appreciate the notion that despite effectively leaving the PRA, she was born and raised under it and consistently fed their propaganda throughout her life. SO all though she isn't willing to fight and die for them, at least not at the moment, she buys into their perspective on the conflict and their revisionist history.

Once my concerns have been addressed, I will be glad to complete my processing of this application.

[witchbells]

Okay, final boss!

 

What color do you plan on making your first alien character (Dionaea & IPCs exempt): light brown

 

Please select an RGB value from the list on the wiki, or provide one if you would like to suggest light brown as a color. I know it's anal, but Bygone is right when he points out that trying to get a standard for colors is currently in flux. Light brown seems perfectly believable, maybe pick a suggestion from this list or come up with your own? http://www.rapidtables.com/web/color/brown-color.htm

Either way, if colors are going to start being enforced in the near future, let's get off on the right foot and have you start with one.

 

Sorry about that! I imagine her fur color to be about #a0763e, which is a few tones darker than "burlywood."

 

I think tajara are unique in terms of thinking about their civilization. While they may not be as hardy or rough as unathi, I imagine the tajara as a very pragmatic, hard-working, "one for all" type of people. Plus there's that whole "three factions warring with eachother" thing that makes for delightful bits of conflict between characters, and I am a glutton for conflict.

 

This is incredibly vague. Additionally, "one for all" and "three factions warring with eachother" thing are highly contradictory.

 

What I meant by my phrasing was that tajara view the value of community above the value of the self. At the very least, this is a sentiment popular in PRA territory (I imagine NKA citizens are not so selfless) who seem to lean very hard towards communist values and the idea that one works to keep the gears of society moving rather than to simply support themselves.

 

Citizens of Al'mari had the chance to enjoy lucrative military careers, her parents included, and the city was prosperous and strong despite the feeling of looming doom to the north and south. It was a Republic city, zealous and proud, and it suffocated Alissa. Though it did not reach the glory of Nal'tor, the city flourished and often facilitated the patriotic zeal of its citizens, leaving a sort of visceral discomfort that otherwise would not have grown in others. It was a culture in which she felt she was stifled, and confined to a mold of the ideal citizen of Adhomai.

 

I'm not sure if its intentional, but I see parallels here when speaking of the mold of the ideal citizen of Adhomai to the Soviet idea in the late 20's and early 30's of the "New Soviet Man," the idea being that humans would one day be machine like in the way that they thought and acted to live in harmony with perfect logic and to work with productivity in mind. At any rate, for those reading, Al'mari is the city located just to the west of Castle Hadii, and is relatively safe being that it was formerly the domain of the Hadii family when they were nobles and currently where most of the family lives aside from in The Steeple. Losing the city would be like the Soviets losing Leningrad as far as morale victories go, except its avoided coming under siege. These details have yet to make it to the wiki along with an explanation of characteristics of the various cities and their cultures, but Nursie did ask about these things for Al'mari from me.

 

I have drawn many influences from Russia before the 1950s in this application. I've mentioned earlier in my application how the tajara value practicality, productivity, and community over other pursuits, and though I haven't done any extensive research into it (which couldn't have hurt!), it is where most of my ideas regarding tajaran culture have come from, and the other bits came from my interaction with tajaran players and the impressions I got from their characters. Thank you for the information, by the way!

 

She told herself that this was what she had to do. Over the course of a few months, her plan came to fruition - She used money stolen from her parents to procure a (mostly) legitimate passport and a one-way shuttle trip to a new world.

 

I don't understand what is illegitimate of this passport. Is it partially illegitimate because it was bought with stolen money? The "legit" ness of legal documentation is a binary state, especially when the government is a highly authoritarian bureaucratic mess. Aside from that issue, I like the idea of Alissa stealing her family's money before setting off for what she thinks will be a better life for herself. It gives her an attachment to her homeworld, but at that same time is a barrier between herself and all her friends and family back home. And yet, for all she knows, they could just be looking for her or missing their daughter. It's not like she announced, "I'm stealing your money to go be a fursona with humans lol" The uncertainty about how they feel regarding the situation is a nice even if unintentional touch.

 

I intended to give Alissa a large amount of conflict regarding her people and her family at home. Stealing money from her parents certainly plays into this and forcibly separates her from her homeworld, probably more than she would like. It reinforces the idea that Alissa really doesn't hate her home, but unseen circumstances (like the zealous, selfless patriotism mentioned) seem to push her away from her people and her culture.

The legitimacy of the passport probably is inconsequential, but I tried to use it to imply that her trip off world might not have been documented - which would indeed leave her family (including several siblings, younger and older) worrying sick about her whereabouts.

 

What do you like about this character?

My favorite aspect of playing alien characters is how they interact with human culture. Alissa is a young, impressionable, desperate girl who feels smothered by her war-torn society. I reiterate the "underdog" aspect and theme from my previous application because it's something I really, really like. I also like watching my characters grow, and starting with young characters is a wonderful way to do it, because of how much young people change.

 

"My favorite aspect of playing alien characters is how they interact with human culture." This is a very strong pose. There tend to be two camps among Tajara when it comes to dealing with human culture. Those who see their political and social freedoms and think the governments back home should lighten up a bit, and those who are turned reactionary by the radically different cultures and cling to their tradition to maintain identity. Which is Alissa in? Is she somewhere between them? Or is this something she will come to learn for herself as she enters the human universe?

 

I imagine Alissa finding a comfortable medium, greatly enjoying the personal freedom that human space provides but still clinging to part of her culture that helped her became who she is - I imagine her still keeping a sense of community, but not to such an extent that would be the norm in PRA territory. It's a not strong stance, but I think it makes her feel a little more realistic, as people seldom seem to staunchly be one or the other.

 

How would you rate your role-playing ability?

I will again refrain. This is my least favorite question ever and I feel as if it only serves as to gauge a player's pride (or arrogance, in some cases) in their own ability. I like trying new things with roleplay. Sometimes they don't always work, but that's part of the experience, it's part of the fun. I instead invite others to rate me however they see fit.

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Notes:

 

 

The people have rated you very highly, with even your detractors lending you +1's.

Likewise I have read your responses regarding her factional "loyalty." I appreciate the notion that despite effectively leaving the PRA, she was born and raised under it and consistently fed their propaganda throughout her life. SO all though she isn't willing to fight and die for them, at least not at the moment, she buys into their perspective on the conflict and their revisionist history.

Once my concerns have been addressed, I will be glad to complete my processing of this application.

 

I'm glad I was able to portray those feelings correctly, as I spent more time than I did on other aspects trying to find the right words. I'll answer any more questions you have, but I hope these answers were satisfactory!

[Mofo1995]

Your answers check out. While you seem to have struggled to write the application itself, your answers throughout the thread have been very well put and provided good clarity on Alissas personality traits and character.

Application accepted.