Catacombs of Oralius--AU Aamin Marritza

[Nerys Ghemor]

I don't know about anyone else, but one character that I've always wondered what he would've been like in another world, one more suited to him, was Aamin Marritza.

In one of the alternate universes in "Parallels," one where Cardassian and Bajoran roles are reversed, I had the opportunity to do just that. AU Aamin Marritza is an Oralian Guide in that universe. Normally this role is filled by women, but in this AU, there are some sects that allow male Guides.

Obviously, AU Marritza's features are based on the one shot we get to see in "Duet" of the real Marritza--NOT the Marritza played by Harris Yulin, who wore Gul Darhe'el's features. When I did this...along with one of the cultural differences in my Catacombs of Oralius AU--which is that Cardassian men often have long hair--the result was a rather "feminine" appearance. This was intentional. In fact, I know that AU Marritza has occasionally passed himself off as a woman to hide his identity from Bajoran patrols.

As to the robe he's wearing...you'll notice that his neck ridges are almost completely covered. At least in my own AU, this is something that Oralian Guides do all the time once they've taken holy orders, since Cardassians view the neck ridges as sexually attractive. While others aren't restricted from showing their neck ridges, in their Oralian society, male Guides as well as female ones must adhere to a stricter standard of modesty. Guides can marry, in many sects, but even in those cases, the neck ridges are only for the eyes of their husband or wife, as the case may be.

The real Marritza in the canon universe: http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/File:Aamin_Marritza_2357.jpg

AU Marritza:

 

[Gul Re'jal]

I like that robe he's wearing. Especially that part around his neck ridges.

Is this some kind of pattern on another robe he wears under the top one or does he wrap some scarf-like thing like that?

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

I think it's more like a scarf, because if he didn't have to hide from the AU Bajorans that he was a Guide, he would wear it under other clothes besides his clerical robe. I think different cultures on AU Cardassia might have different solutions to that (and some of the most liberal sects might not expect that at all), but the majority probably would consider the covering of the neck ridges part of the modest dress that a Guide should wear, and have some kind of way of doing it.

(Needless to say, that means AU Marritza, prior to the time when he started living full-time on the resistance base, would've felt very awkward--almost "naked," when he was in public, since he couldn't let the Bajorans see what he really was.)

 

[Deranged Nasat]

Nice! As usual, there's a really strong sense of character in the drawing. I couldn't actually remember what Marritza truly looked like, so if I saw the picture without the title I'd have to guess...but I think I would have guessed correctly. The Cardassian in the picture has the "presence" I would associate with your AU Marritza character.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Thank you so much.

 

[TerokNor]

He looks like someone one would like to know. And the idea with the covering of the neck ridges and how you´ve done this in the drawing is great.
Also, even he does have a female touch, because of the softnes this characters drawing has inside, it is nontheless clear to see that this is a male. It is just the right balance.

...and...I can´t restrict myself from asking that...and you probably expect this question from me anyway... have you ever drawn AU Corat Damar?

TerokNor

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

I'm glad to hear you say there's still something about him that makes him look male. And I'm also glad to hear that he seems like someone you'd want to know. I think that even with his eccentricities, he does care about people a LOT. I'm also glad you liked the design of his clothing!

Haven't drawn AU Damar yet...I haven't quite made up my mind as to what he looks like.

 

[BolianAuthor]

Wow... you REALLY nailed down the expression/mood on his face! I'm still trying to decide what I think of the long hair, but I gotta say, this is awesome... I know how hard life drawing is, and I truly admire your skill in that department. Great work!

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Thanks.

The long hair is an expression of the AU Cardassia's culture. When I saw the way Cardassian women wore THEIR hair, it made me wonder if, in a culture where they didn't have to conform as they do in the prime universe, perhaps men did something a little more with their own hair (though not in as "ornate" a way as the women do--AU Marritza isn't putting anything in his hair, and if you've ever seen AU Dukat, his is tied back in a very simple, almost Revolutionary War style). On this AU Cardassia, the cultural norm tends to be that the "military cut" is the shortest that doesn't seem weird or shocking to them. A shaved head makes the same nonconformist statement that in our universe, long hair on a man does.

If you feel it makes AU Marritza look "feminine" though...I don't mind that impression, because he does seem that way in my head, too.

Thank you so much for looking!

 

[BolianAuthor]

I don't mind it (the long hair), it's just that at least IMHO, it's always been hinted that Cardassian culture has the males as being dominant, arrogant, and rude... kind of thuggish, and for that reason, I guess I'm just not used to seeing a more "feminine" hairstyle on the males, but it works, I think... especially since before the military took over, the Cardassians were supposedly a very peaceful/spiritual/artistic culture.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

The Cardassians in this AU are the cultural heirs of the Hebitians. Theirs is a "Hebitia" that reformed (the name change of the species is actually one of the reforms, because of what "Hebitian" means in my universe), and curbed the abuses that the Oralian Guides and government officials were guilty of at the time of the Cataclysm--but still retained their faith by and large. So I saw them as keeping many of the norms that existed before the revolution in the prime universe.