Zashara Sho'am
Zashara Sho'am | ||
Real Name | ||
Location | USA | |
Birthday | ||
TarValon.Net Information | ||
Affiliation | Brown Ajah | |
Rank | Aes Sedai | |
Title | Head of Ajah | |
Join Date | June 2004/July 13, 2007 | |
Bonded to | Jeryn Lekar | |
Link to Forum Profile |
Previously known as Zashara Da'sainne.
Contents
Tower History
- Rejoined TarValon.Net: July 13, 2007
- Rejoined Tower: August 19, 2007
- Raised Accepted: November 13, 2007
- Raised Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah: July 23, 2008
- Demoted Accepted: January 1, 2011
- Aspired to the Brown Ajah: March 26, 2011
- Raised Aes Sedai of the Brown Ajah: September 22, 2011
Previous Tower History
- Joined TarValon.Net: July 20, 2004
- Joined Tower: August, 2004
- Raised Accepted: November 30, 2004
- Raised Aes Sedai of the Gray Ajah: August 30, 2005
- Retired: ~August, 2006
Tower Involvement
Current
- Head of the Brown Ajah: April 28, 2014 - Present
- Library Editor: January 1, 2013-Present
Previous
- Survey Team: January 1, 2014 - October 20, 2015
- Department of Administration Staff: December 15, 2012 - December 31, 2013
- Chat Operator: January 21, 2009 - March 31, 2015
- Sitter for the Brown Ajah:
- Current Events Forum Moderator: March 29, 2012 - November 20, 2012
- Heart of the Brown Ajah: July 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012
- Mistress of Novices: September 9, 2008 - July 21, 2009
- TVT Eyes and Ears: January 1, 2009 - December 31, 2009
- Sitter for the Gray Ajah: January 1, 2006 - May 9, 2006 (partial term during Spring 2006)
- Classroom Teacher
- TarValon.Net Ajahs - Brown: April 2012 - May 2012
Awards
- Members' Choice Award: Most Likely to Succeed - 2006
- Members' Choice Award: Most Like a Main Character from WoT (The Dark One) - 2010
- Members' Choice Award: Member You'd Most Like to Snuggle on the Couch With - 2012
- Members' Choice Award: Most Representative of Her Ajah (Black Ajah) - 2014
- Members' Choice Award: Best Real Life Couple (with Raam Sho'am) - 2015
Merits
Template:2015-12-ProBonoGold
Gold
Silver
Tower Relationships
Bonding
- Current
- Bonded to Jeryn Lekar, Mahdi'in d'ma Dieb: September 26, 2011 - present
- Previous
- Bonded to Jeryn Lekar, Mahdi'in d'ma Dieb: April 28, 2010 - January 1, 2011
Mentoring
- Mentor
- Mentees
- Dwynwen al'Muir - Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah
- Alyccea Nymaessene - Accepted
- Sandriel Andarin - Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah
- Shaerlyn Storna - Aes Sedai of the Brown Ajah
- Eluial Aldaran - Aes Sedai of the Brown Ajah
- Aelonia Tendar - Novice
- Jeffan Caliarthan - Accepted
Other Tower Relationships
- Married to Raam Sho'am of Mahdi'in d'ma Dieb
- First sister to Kytheria al'Shea of the Blue Ajah
- First sister to Allin Sha'maer of the Brown Ajah
Official Event Attendance
- Fall Ball 2005 - Richmond, Virginia, USA
- Anniversary Party 2006 - Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
- Anniversary Party 2008 - Estes Park, Colorado, USA
- Anniversary Party 2009 - Millersylvania, Washington, USA
- Dragon*Con 2005 - Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Dragon*Con 2007 - Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Dragon*Con 2008 - Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Dragon*Con 2009 - Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Dragon*Con 2011 - Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- JordanCon 2012 - Roswell, Georgia, USA
- JordanCon 2013 - Roswell, Georgia, USA
Senior Member Interview
May 11, 2012, Updated November 5, 2015
Why did you choose Brown?
Hmmm. Well I’ve been around the tower since about 2004 and I’ve been around the block, as my Who’s Who page can tell you. I ended up in Brown, because the Ajah fit me. My impression of the Browns was that they were chill and laid-back, with a wicked sense of humor – this pretty much describes who I am in RL.
I love learning new things and knowing random stuff, like philosophy, scientific weirdness, and all of the gossip. My quest for knowledge is all-consuming hunger; I have to know all of the things! Why? So I can put it all together in my head and extrapolate ideas for my amusement. My Ajah sisters accept all aspects of me and aren’t afraid to tell me exactly what they think, good or bad. It’s a drama- free and non-spammy environment.
Basically I’m Brown, because it is where I can be myself.
Are you like the Browns in the books? Do you love books and have a tendency to daydream?
As surprising as it may be to some people, I am a lot like the Browns in the books. I do my own thing, evidenced by my eclectic research and interests. I love reading books and I do daydream quite a bit. I can get really passionate about my research, sometimes ignoring inconsequential things like food and sleep if something really interests me. I remember reading in New Spring, that the Blues viewed the Browns as letting the talents of their Ajah members go to waste by allowing them to do whatever instead of using them for the good of the Ajah. I want to do whatever I want, in the way that I think is the best, not in the way that someone else thinks is best.
Do you have a favorite Brown Ajah character from the novels?
I know the traditional answer is Verin, and I do love Verin. My favorite, however, has to be Saerin. She’s got a volatile temper, isn’t afraid to gets into fights, isn’t afraid to voice her opinion, and takes charge of a situation when she deems it necessary. Saerin also likes to get to the bottom of things, and can be single-minded about that, particularly when something has piqued her curiosity. She’s basically like me, and I love me.
How long have you been a fan of the Wheel of Time series?
Since 2000.
How did you first get into the series?
I had a few weeks of downtime over the summer between 9 th and 10th grade. My family was moving in 3 weeks, so I wasn’t enrolled in any activities. One of my friends gave me the WoT books to eliminate my boredom. I finished Books 1-5 in those 3 weeks.
Who is your favorite "hero"?
Tuon. She’s an Empress with an odd sense of humor who is amazing at manipulating people. Plus, she’s pretty awesome about actually knowing her subjects.
Favorite bad guy/gal?
The Dark One. It makes sense that one of my favorite characters would be the one I’m most like.
Favorite book and scene?
Crossroads of Twilight... Just kidding. I don’t really know tbh. Favorite scene is Nynaeve gathering the army for Lan.
If you were set down in Randland, who/what would you see yourself as? An Aes Sedai? Innkeeper? Seanchan Captain?
The Dark One.
How did you find TarValon.Net and what convinced you to stay and become a Senior Member?
It was just after Crossroads of Twilight had come out. I was looking for information on the next book and found TV.net. I’d never been on forums before, so it was a new shiny to play with. I met some very awesome people at a local event in my first month here, including my first-sister Allin, plus I got a new procrastination tool! I stayed because of the people.
What do you do in "real life"?
I’m getting a PhD in Biochemistry, which sounds cool, but actually involves a lot of research and patience. My work right now is all computational. I do statistical analysis of changes in cell signaling networks that occurs in asthma/COPD to try and reverse engineer what is going on in diseased lungs to develop a cure. I got my BS in biomedical engineering, and MS in Microbiology, so another part of my project is to apply engineering to my microbiology research and sell it to traditional scientists.
I know it’s a shock, a Brown who is into higher education. If you ask me details about my RL work, I will likely talk about it for a minimum of an hour (Editor's note: make that three hours).
Do you have any hobbies?
Anyone who even remotely associates with me knows that I love sports. I love watching, playing, coaching sports. I used to do marathons/triathlons, play soccer, and figure skate. I enjoy playing the piano, playing rock band, and punching people in the face.
What kind of music do you enjoy listening to?
According to Raam, bad music. In actuality, I love most rock music and electronica. I also love classical music and have season tickets to the symphony. ^^
What are some of your favorite movies/television shows?
Favorite TV shows: The West Wing, The Wire, Battlestar Galactica, Farscape, Better off Ted, Sports Night, Archer Favorite Movies: Most anything Disney, Lord of the Rings, the Christopher Nolan Batman movies, The Miracle of Life
Aside from The Wheel of Time, what are a few of your favorite books/series?
Malazan Book of the Fallen, Lord of the Rings, 1984, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Stormlight Archive
What profession did you want to have when you were a kid?
Originally I wanted to be a doctor that takes out babies, but then when I learned what was involved I decided that I’d rather be a neurosurgeon.