I did a thing.

[yami0204]

Name: Antana Tey'ma | Kaldok Ta'ket
Gender: Male
Age: 32
Height: 1.9m
Weight: 54kg
Race: Cardassian
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Light blue
Haled From: Bajor
Hometown: Jo'Kala, Musilla Province, Bajor
Current Residence: Pleasanton, California, USA, Earth
Occupation: Scholar, writer, artist
Family: Father - Antana Talin; Mother - Antana Ital | Father - Akem Ta'ket; Mother - Menok Ta'ket
Scars/Distinctive Features: On the back of his right hand and across his left thigh are scars from injuries sustained during an attack when he was an infant. Unlike most Cardassian men, he keeps his hair long enough to reach the small of his back. He usually pulls it back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He'll oftentimes wear sunglasses, even indoors, if the lighting is too bright due to his eyes being very sensitive to bright light. He wears long sleeves and pants through all seasons and makes sure to wear layers due to Cardassians' sensitivity to cold.
Personality: Though outwardly he seems quiet, reserved, and even shy, Tey'ma is none of those things. A bookworm at heart, he's only truly quiet and reserved when he is engrossed in reading something that has taken his full interest away. His shyness is more caution, like a wounded animal uncertain of what the intentions of the other people around him are. Generally, if approached with friendly intentions, he'll talk at length about whatever topic he's interested in, or monologue in the Cardassian way about whatever is on his mind. He tends to hide a lot of information about his past when asked about his childhood, opting to only focus on things in his memory that are happy while making certain to secret away anything that would hint at his childhood having any difficulties.

He enjoys learning new things, and will savor any new experience like a fine wine. Though he is a naturally curious individual, his suspicion will sometimes take hold and keep him from asking too many questions or even engaging in something he's interested in if it seems like there might be uncomfortable questions asked of him. Because of this, he tends to come off as being an introvert who abhors fun outings in favor of staying indoors to write or paint. However, this behavior doesn't mean that he hates doing things with others, but merely means that he is cautious whenever a situation that piques his curiosity arises which may end with undesired consequences, whether or not those consequences actually come to pass.

Some may find that there is an air of sadness or gloom around him, which is something that is intentional. He would rather wear his emotions well on his face than hide them completely, as many find Cardassians to be two-faced. The last thing he would want is for someone to think that his smile wasn't genuine, so whatever emotion he is feeling will show naturally on his face, thanks to his upbringing in Bajoran society. The only time he would try to hide his emotions would be in any situation when an ordinary person would, ergo when being pressed about a painful memory or other touchy topic. His goal is to break the stereotype of the dastardly Cardassian.
Background Information: During the occupation of Bajor, Tey'ma's family had moved from Cardassia Prime to Bajor as part of the large-scale effort to replace the native citizens of Bajor with Cardassian citizens to cement authority over the planet. His father was a low ranking officer in the military while his mother was a plant biologist researching how to fully utilize the plant life on Bajor for both agricultural purposes. They were an unassuming family who was outwardly loyal to the Cardassian Union. A year before the withdrawal of Cardassian forces on Bajor, Tey'ma was born, given the name Kaldok Ta'ket, and lived with his family in an orderly Cardassian life. However, a few moths after his birth, the Bajoran Resistance force orchestrated a nighttime attack on Cardassian residences in the city, resulting in the death of Tey'ma's parents and leaving the infant alone in the rubble of his own home. The following day, after the Cardassian military did a light search of the area for survivors, there was a rescue effort led by Bajoran locals who saved Tey'ma and many other Cardassian children who were left behind by the Cardassian military.

Tey'ma was taken to an orphanage, where he lived for a year and a half before being adopted by a kindhearted family who had originally been part of the rescue crew who found him. After being taken in, his name was changed to Tey'ma in the hope of giving him a peaceful and happy life now that the occupation was over and efforts were being made to repair the damage that was done by it. Tey'ma grew up in a small rural community at the southern edge of Jo'Kala, and for the first few years of his life, he was treated well by everyone around him, especially by adults who felt that children shouldn't suffer prejudice for the atrocities committed by their parents. The Bajoran children his age liked Tey'ma as well, despite looking different from them.

Unfortunately, that attitude towards him didn't last long. As Tey'ma got older and entered into the Bajoran school system, he was a minority from a race who had done an incredible amount of damage to Bajor, and its slow recovery meant that blame was always placed upon the Cardassians. Even after the war with the Dominion, Cardassians were shown in textbooks, literature, and all other media to be evil beings. As Tey'ma learned about the atrocities his people had committed in history class, he could always feel the eyes of the other students on him because he was the only Cardassian in his class. Silent stares would later turn to verbal abuse by classmates, which eventually turned into physical bullying. The teachers tried their best to explain to students that Cardassians like Tey'ma were not to blame for what happened, and that the teachings of the Prophets would have them show kindness to the child of an enemy who had done no wrong. Yet the bullying and harassment continued, forcing his family to pull him out of school just before he started secondary education.

Tey'ma's family moved to a larger school in the city - one that had a few Cardassian students enrolled - in the hope that it would be a better fit for their son's education. After one year, it became clear that no matter what school system they placed him in, the Bajoran students would always be ruthless towards their Cardassians classmates.

It was decided that they would leave Bajor, head to Deep Space 9, and take the next transport shuttle destined for Earth. Earth and the Federation was highly diverse, with many different alien species living in what seemed like a harmonious utopia from how it was always described. If they couldn't live peacefully there, then there would be no place left for them to go.

Arriving on Deep Space 9 was the first time Tey'ma had the opportunity to meet so many different alien races, and his first time seeing a Cardassian adult. He realized that when he finally was an adult, he would look like that, which hit him hard. In the week that his family stayed on Deep Space 9, waiting for an opportunity to go to Earth, the young Cardassian engaged with the older Cardassian on the station, and he learned the other side of the information that he was taught in Bajoran history classes. He had no idea that there was so much more to the story. He had been shamed by his peers and made to feel guilty for being what he was, yet now he was hearing of Cardassian history which was filled with not just the terrible atrocities of the war, but also of art and architecture and literature and music. The picture of Cardassians in Tey'ma's mind morphed from being black-clad militaristic villains to being multidimensional people who merely had a different perspective on life. Unfortunately, yes, that history included terrible things, but all races in the galaxy had similar stains to their histories. When Tey'ma and his family finally left for Earth, the young Cardassian was weighted down with digital files containing Cardassian literature and poetry, art and architecture, and historical texts, all thanks to the nice, though slightly menacing, Cardassian man on Deep Space 9.

Earth proved to be the best place for Tey'ma to finish his schooling. Not knowing whether or not their son would want to join Starfleet, Tey'ma's family made their home in Pleasanton, to the east of San Fransisco. The weather was a bit too cool for Tey'ma's tastes, as Cardassians tend to thrive better in hot and humid climates, but he was grateful that the sun wasn't as terribly bright as it was in the southern part of the state. Though Tey'ma eventually decided not to join Starfleet, he did graduate from both high school and college, choosing life as a writer and artist, as well as being an activist against bullying. The literature he had been handed by that Cardassian on Deep Space 9 proved to be an inspiration for him, using it as an aid to highlight that Cardassia isn't just a bleak, oppressive, militaristic society, but also one with culture and ideas and a rich history. He works as the head of a Cardassian studies course at his old university, and he spends his free time writing poetry and short stories about the glory days of old Cardassia. Tey'ma hopes that, in the future, relations between Bajorans and Cardassians will not be so tense, but until then he wishes to inspire other young Cardassians with tales of a Cardassia that existed long ago.
Other Necessary Information: Though Tey'ma had a difficult school life, his home life was warm and loving. His parents adored him unconditionally. They provided him with the best environment they could. His Bajoran extended family, of what hadn't been wiped out during the occupation, were not quite as accepting of their Cardassian family member, but they tolerated him as best they could.

Despite growing up as a Bajoran, Tey'ma never felt comfortable with the idea of joining in the Bajoran faith. He felt like being involved in the religion would only make him feel even more like an outsider, with others judging him for not being a true believer simply because of his race. He was sometimes asked to come to religious ceremonies by friends, and he would go more out of obligation than desire. Festivals were a thing he enjoyed, even the religious ones, but if it seemed like someone was looking at him darkly, he would usually find an excuse to leave early and not be a bother to the continuing festivities.

Tey'ma has always tried to maintain friendships once they are established, if only because he's had a hard time starting friendships in the first place. He maintains a few friendships with the Cardassian classmates he met while on Bajor, as well as friendships with those he's met since moving to Earth. It's not a lot of friends, but he cherishes them for being there for him. A notable friendship that he maintains from his days on Bajor include a Bajoran man he's known since they were both very young named Garel Fyal; they've known each other for over 20 years and still chat for hours like when they were younger.

Romance isn't a strength for Tey'ma, but he's had a couple of romantic relationships in the past. His first crush was actually his dear friend Fyal, though he only admitted his feelings to Fyal years later after he was certain that it was just a crush and nothing substantial. His first real romantic relationship was with one of the Cardassians he met in secondary school: a young man named Dalka Vrell. Vrell's family kept his Cardassian given name while letting him assume their Bajoran family name when he was adopted. Tey'ma was quickly enamored by Vrell, who was so handsome that even the Bajorans in their school found him to be incredibly attractive... for a Cardassian. Vrell and Tey'ma became fast friends, both having a love for literature and art as well as a love for debating each other about any random topic. As both were in their early teens, their romance was swift and filled with the passion and drama of youth, each of them hiding their relationship from their parents and classmates for many months. Though they threw the word "love" at each other often, it was the kind of passionate love that only teenagers can truly indulge in. When Tey'ma was pulled from Bajoran school and from the planet itself, they tried to maintain a long distance romance, but as time wore on, they realized it was only youthful passion that made them love each other so viciously. After they both mutually agreed to breaking off their relationship, Vrell continued to keep in touch with Tey'ma and has since moved to Earth for much the same reasons Tey'ma did.