Profile
DZHOKAR KARIM
GENDER: Male || AGE: 46+ Years (varies in AUs) || HEIGHT: 6' 2"
SPECIES: Dragon (Western type, with Eastern long influences)
PERSONALITY: Charming | Gentlemanly | Seductive | Condescending | Egotistic | Vain | Guarded
VERSES: MYTHICAL VERSE (MAIN); MAFIA VERSE (Human Subordinate/Ally); POKEMON (Trainer / Noivern Gijinka); DEMON VERSE (Pride/Lust Demon); Various AUs
ADDITIONAL: FULL PROFILE & GALLERY (Weebly) || ART TAG (Tumblr)
Where do I even begin with this douc-- Dzhokar was created... sometime in late 2011 / early 2012, but he was a rough concept well before that. I initially made him to fill the role of Zuro's absentee father from his Voleros Saga app bio.
Originally, I really didn't expect to give him a solid design, nor was I sure what name to give him (I can thank my friend Aya/VHPlant for the name suggestion though, cuz it's stuck since then). I didn't even intend to flesh him out past a side character, or even make him at all likable or redeemable; he was meant to be the deserting douche dad for Zuro's story, and I was content with featuring in him in a fic when the two meet on less than civil terms, and then leaving it at that.
But kinda... unexpectedly, Dzho started to take a life of his own, separate from his son's. I can attribute most of it to my friends' interest in his character (still questioning how tho omfg--). It was enough for me to put more active thought into his character, particularly his own motives and relationships with other characters.
His original concept was being a charming casanova “with serious commitment issues,” and I originally didn't want to go the "cliche" route of giving him feelings for his partners, particularly Zuro's mom, Zelda. But it ended up naturally going in that direction, and as I developed his history with Zelda more, I eventually just let it happen. It made him a "better" character for it, and I think it helped create a framework for the way he behaves with others in different AUs.
Writing Dzhokar was a rough learning curve since again, I never expected to flesh him out... and also because his manner of banter and smooth-talking was a foreign concept to me AHA;;; But after more encouragement and after I accepted where he was going, he became easier to write. So much so that he's another character that I can drop into fairly easily in most AUs, which... surprises me to this day. He varies between certain AUs but for each of them he feels consistent, or at least it all feels like it's his character. And yeah, despite how distant I meant to be with his character, he is a favorite for me to work with /muttered tone--
Dzhokar's concept design has gone thru a lot of redos and revamps, and only recently have a I settled on his dragon gijinka form. They all still needs a lot of work work, but some of his key physical features for his gijinka form include:
Emerald green eyes (slit pupils and grey sclera); dark red hair, near burgundy (extends past chest / rib cage); mesomorph; pointed, wing-shaped ears that move expressively (cuff piercing on left); eyelid markings; sharp canine teeth; long, slightly curved horns; Long tail tapering to a point, with hair trailing down the spine to tip; scales that extend from tail up back, and over nape.
