Tailson

Server Moderator Application Basic Information Byond Account: Tailson Character Name(s): Rex Winters, Kere'Selsh Qorina, ASSIST, PocketBuddy 2.0 AI Name(s): Harmony, Glow Discord username + tag: Chris#9941 Age: 28 Timezone: GMT When are you on Aurora?: Usually about 6 my time until about midnight. Weekends I'm on a lot more frequently. Experience How long have you played SS13?: I think it may be approaching about a year now? I've been a more consistent player since I subbed to Byond, almost exactly three months ago according to the warnings I get. How long have you played on Aurora: See above. Only played on Aurora. How much do you know about SS13 (Baystation build) game mechanics?: I like to think I have a fairly solid grasp on how the game works by now. I have a lot of practice with science, engineering, AI and borgs in general. I'm lacking in medical and security knowledge, though more mechanically than anything. I'm quite up to speed on in-lore regulations for both departments. Do you have any experience moderating for an SS13 server?: No. Have you ever been banned, and if so, how long and why?: Clean record. Personality Why do you play SS13?: Largely to unwind. It's not much more complicated than that. I enjoy the roleplay and the events that tend to play out each round. Why do you play on Aurora?: I'm a sucker for roleplay. Gave other servers a shot and wasn't exactly thrilled. May try them another time, but I think I'm on the Aurora to stay, thanks to friends I've made. What do moderators do?: At the most basic level, mods make sure things are running smoothly and that everyone is enjoying themselves. Stepping in to look at the occasional skullduggery and doing what they can to make sure everyone involved walks away satisfied. What does it mean to be a moderator for our server?: I'm not sure how much this differs from the previous question. In a general sense, moderators do what I've already said. What they do on this server I suppose requires some decent interpretation skills. The nature of roleplay being what it is, you need to consider that bonus layer of where things can go wrong or where people can fall out. Is it an IC or OOC issue? Important to be able to differentiate and point people in the right direction. Why do you want to be a moderator?: I've been playing on the server for a long old time, and would like to help give back a little. Skull won't take my goddamn money so I'll put my mouth where my money is and lend a hand instead. Also, [mention]Sharp[/mention] told me to do it. What qualities do you possess that would make you a good moderator?: Bottomless well of patience and decent humour, mature outlook on life and good written and spoken English skills. Also, past experience moderating other things. How well do you handle stress, anger, or insults?: Like a duck deals with water on its back. Anything Else You Want to Add: I'm finally getting around to this. I had meant to do it earlier but it takes a certain amount of boredom to actively want to fill out and online form on a forum.

I see exactly what you're saying, it makes sense. On a similar note, however, why not consider increasing the number of antagonists in the round based on number of players? Rather than ruling out wizard and ninja, add extra wizards and ninjas. Would make for some interesting dynamics, and the wizwoz/ninjas don't necessarily have to work together. Quite often you see wizard vs. ninja in those visitor rounds, so wizard vs. wizard and ninja vs. ninja would be interesting to see.

Did someone say... Bicentennial Man?! Seriously though, I do like this idea. Being able to take those steps well and truly into the uncanny valley with shell characters would be excellent fun and would really help with those uncomfortable moments between organics and "nearly-organic"-looking robots. That feeling that something is off about the person in front of you... Takes that paranoia and tag stuff to a new level, too. I like it. I agree that these fancy biosynth things shouldn't be compatible as organic limb replacements, not least because as you stated: They require silicon blood to function and that stuff is hella toxic.

I really do like the idea of having a "customisable wizard". Just how other antags are free to determine their own backstory and reasons for coming to the station (I've seen many different ninja antags), I find the relatively stringent backstory enforced on the wizard to be unusual. Yes, there's a capacity for memery with customisable wizard clothes, but there's always been a huge amount of memery coming from wizards in the first place. In fact, "I AM A WIZARD" is basically ridiculous on its own, so there's not much anyone can do to make it any more unbelievable. Still requiring the clothes to do spells and stuff, yeah, important, that's a mechanic, but changing clothes shouldn't be a huge problem. There's no lore in-universe that dictates what a wizard should look like or should even do. In regards to the Wizard Federation, there's nothing stopping them from wearing different clothes. Maybe if it's not possible to change clothing appearance once the wizwoz is on the station with a voidsuit-refitting-style wizard clothes closet, you set your clothing style and you run from there. Out of every antag on our dear station, the Wizard fits in the least, lore-wise. Changing lore that is basically none-existent shouldn't pose that much of a threat to our overall universe lore. Also, having a wizard masquerading as a regular street magician, tophat and all, sounds like it'd be fun. EDIT: Wizwoz is also very prone to peace antagging. Perhaps because it's one of just a handful of ways a wizard can be played. New appearance might inspire some people to think up unusual and interesting angles to approach the antag from.

Honestly, Kyres is one of my favourite people that play on the Aurora. I bump into his characters frequently and every time I find myself engaging with them in a positive way. I'm surprised you don't have the whitelist already. Okay, personal lovey sappy stuff aside, the character looks great. I really like the personal growth backstory, it's difficult to put a real sense of tragedy into the backstory of an IPC because so frequently it doesn't feature in machine origins. I wish I knew enough about IPC lore to comment on things like ages and how broad their knowledge can get but you see IPC RDs often enough so it must be okay. I'm rooting for you. +1

Hi guys, just been curious as to what people think of Harmony as a station AI character. She's all but replaced Glow as my main AI character. I'd welcome any criticisms, too. Looking to improve my AI play. A lot easier to do that now that the random crashes are more or less gone now.

You would die.

I'm Director Winters and this is my favourite app on the citadel. Honestly, though, Anders is one of my favourite characters in the science department (though I love everyone equally, no favouritism). A very down to earth and, more importantly, believable and flawed character. DrHobo would make an excellent headofanything, and Anders would make a great Director.

O-O-S is one of my favourite station-bound units. The personality is an enjoyable one, and I often find myself gravitating towards playing Rex if I see O-O-S on the station. The odd synthetic logic of helping people more by having personal funds is a fun angle. +1, I'd love to see O-O-S as an IPC.

Honestly, I really enjoyed reading it back to front. The little bit stating that they'd very closely tracked their evolutionary routes from as early as they could really gives me a good feeling of the sort of people Skrell tend to be. Knowing that they don't have teeth and just have these hard gum things helps me roleplay with them, not necessarily as them (grit your gums is a favourite on PB). Interacting not just with synths (which is an obvious dynamic) but with other crew sounds extremely fun thanks to how generally inexpressive they are when perceived by other races. All that extra inflection being lost when speaking basic sounds like it could lead to some really interesting "of course I was being sarcastic are you dense or something" moments. Also, a tiny bit I liked: Calling frontier space "the Traverse", implying it's just another steps further along the way to demonstrate that clear difference in thinking between Skrell and Humanity. I really liked that. This and the parts surrounding it scream to me that there's some general spark of a character in Kere'Selsh. I still believe that longer bios are "better" or more helpful for applying, but your two-paragraph bio has something to it. Maybe there's more to hear here. Either way, it hints toward some kind of passion. And that's good. I'll be honest, I want this character to grow dynamically. When I created Rex, I had no clear backstory in mind, he was just a name I liked and an old face that looked good as a tiny sprite. He's the person he is now because I had those interactions and that time ingame to develop the character into what it is. I have an idea for Kere'Selsh's backstory if they're asked where they come from, what their parents were like, any clutchmates (one, extremely lucky parents). I can put it here if you want, or more likely in a PM. I don't want to be a memer and go for the whole "find out ICly" shit, but I think I'd enjoy dripfeeding and developing it over a longer period of time during actual ingame interactions than posting it all here as a sort of character reference library. Oof, well. I'll start with the easy bit, the last bit. So Kere'Selsh is fiercely proud to a fault. He absolutely does not make mistakes. And even in those rare moments he made a mistake? He didn't make it. It was a test. He did it on purpose. Think Arnold Rimmer from Red Dwarf with a better poker face. As far as he's aware, he's basically infallible in every way. That said, when he's not insisting he's correct, he can be quite understanding. He's not a monster, and his employment on human vessels probably wouldn't have lasted if he'd been deliberately antagonistic to his peers. He works better with Skrell, of course, he's not here for the humans, he's here for the human engineering. I did take a look through this! Most likely, he'll hail from a planet with a lot of influence from Xaqixal, as the surrounding systems likely would have adopted that hardworking, industrious mindset from the main planet in that wave/cluster. All of that stuff needs maintaining, so it's likely that machinery would have been a part of Kere'Selsh's life growing up. Ohyes, totally going to keep advertising. I'm actually really excited to play another species and want this to go through right.

Oh man, I wasn't sure how far to go into the backstory. I lieu of having properly developed the character (which, yeah, needs some ingame time to really do) I wanted to give them a sort of framework for a personality, reason to be driven, etc. and then build from there.

BYOND Key: Tailson Character Names: Rex Winters, ASSIST, PocketBuddy 2.0, Rayner Northey. Species you are applying to play: Skrell What color do you plan on making your first alien character (Dionaea & IPCs exempt): A pale blue colour. Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Oh yeah. 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: I've been looking to play something new (i.e. non-human) for a while. I've been sort of unable to decide where I want to go in this regard until someone recommended it to me and I realised that I have actually been loving the Skrell lore for a long ol' time. Really interests me. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: Skrell lore, as mentioned above, is hella cool. I really enjoy reading about the glorsh rebellion, as everyone else should do of course, but even the little bits really grab my attention. My other characters are either synthetic-appreciative or synthetic themselves, so I think playing a character that has this visceral dislike of them would be a nice change of pace. Character Name: Kere'Selsh Qorina Please provide a short backstory for this character, approximately 2 paragraphs Kere'Selsh has, since quite young, enjoyed the more physical and practical aspects of the scientific process. Taking things apart, putting them together, taking them apart and then putting them together better, all of that fun stuff. It seems natural, then, that he would take a particular interest in engineering and all that mending and improving that comes with it. Kere'Selsh first realised he wanted to work aboard a human installation after first seeing a human-built ship. It was impressive, of course, like they all are, but compared to Skrellian vessels? It just cried out to him, it was functional, it was dirty, it needed his attention and improvement. Since then, he's done everything in his power to get aboard human-owned vessels and stations, despite his obvious disdain for the synthetic units they seem so obsessed with, and has shown great aptitude when it comes to making sure things run properly. He was eventually head-hunted by NT and jumped at the opportunity to work on a more advanced station. What do you like about this character? My characters are quite unconfrontational. Like, to a fault, maybe (PB is an exception, of course. The little shit). I'd like to play a character that gets his hackles raised by something as ubiquitous as synthetics on NT stations. That said, he's not a bad guy, just opinionated and has a very "I never make bad decisions" kind of attitude. How would you rate your role-playing ability? People like my characters, I think, so I must be doing something right. I'm going to be modest and say at least a 14/10. ...7/10. Notes: Was originally going to call him Giro'Shels Qorina. Say that out loud. Giro'Shels. Gyro-shells. Spinning shells. Silly.

BYOND Key: tailson Character name: Rex Winters Item name: Engraved Wristwatch Why is your character carrying said item to work?: It was a gift from his late son decades ago, it hardly ever leaves his wrist. Item description: A fine gold watch. On the inside is an engraving that reads 'Happy birthday dad, thinking of you always.' Item appearance: I've attached the finished sprite in DMI format, is that okay? Also attached the gif version in case I'm a fucking idiot and imported it wrong. Here's a blown-up preview: How will you use this to better interact with crew and/or stimulate RP?: It's a significant part of Rex's history, and due to the nature of the job he has to remove it occasionally to put on gloves or activate his hazmat RIG. He tends to hand it to someone closeby for safekeeping. It just adds another layer to the character that people may want to ask about. Additional comments: Honestly this is kind of a selfish request in a way. I always start with the normal, red wristwatch and it just sort of sits there being a normal watch, it'd be nice to have it stick more closely with Rex's past. rex_watch.zip

Work with Adam quite a lot, especially recently as Rex. Very good, believable character that very safely manages to avoid that "FOR SCIENCE" mindset that tends to plague the department. Perfect trait for this sort of role, yeah. +1 from me.

I've played with Plenek a few times now, and is one of the more active people in medical, let alone as interim. She's a fun, believable character and Matt plays her extremely well. OOC, I absolutely +1 this. But also IC, Rex would be recommending her if he could.

Masuno cares about paperwork. Masuno is passionate about paperwork. When interim Masuno actually reads paperwork. This alone makes them perfect for an RD. Honestly though, they are a fantastic roleplayer and are very enjoyable to be around. I can quite easily give this a +1 with little complaint.

Ohman, thanks for the glowing recommendation. And yes, the pair get along maybe a little too well at times, anyone else would think it were a pair of mute neanderthals wandering around science. Always happy to find a PB advocate. Wow holy moly Cloud I'm not sure how to properly respond to this, this is so much! Thank you so much. Kizzy and Owl are some of my favourite characters on the server, also, it's always nice to see the pair of them around. I wasn't really expecting many responses to this thread, let alone two full-length paragraphs. ._.

Ohey ohwow I didn't realise you had an app in or I would have been all over it by now. I absolutely adore Kizzy as a character and just by seeing that name on the manifest it seriously sways me towards playing ASSIST on that shift. But this is about Owl isn't it? Owl is a great AI. Very often you can find yourself ignored by an AI due to any number of reasons, be it crises, inundation of requests or even just client crashes. You somehow manage to battle all of that and still make time for everyone on station which I find is not only great roleplay but also fucking miraculous. Not only do you know how to play fun, convincing characters, you also know how to wrestle with the game client and make it your bitch. I love the concept. Someone mentioned already that you're not just slapping an AI into a shell but you've got plenty of backstory to back it up. I really like it. Now all I'm worried about is when this app gets approved, what happens to Owl the station AI? Seriously though I can't +1 this enough.

I don't know much about Unathi, but I know that your Freya Fiejelsyiane character is one of my all-time favourites on the server. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that you'll do this justice. +1

BYOND key: tailson Character names: Rex Winters, ASSIST, PocketBuddy 2.0 How long have you been playing on Aurora?: I'm not sure. Maybe around 2 months with any serious activity. There was a gap at some point before that. Why do you wish to be on the whitelist?: I feel like RD would be a good way to take Rex and expose him to more situations so that he can develop properly as a character. As it stands he tends to spend a lot of each shift cooped up in R&D/Xenoarch. Why did you come to Aurora?: I'd been meaning to play SS13 for a long ol' time. Just so happens a few friends picked it up at one point and chose Aurora seemingly at random, so here I am. Have you read the Aurora wiki on the head roles and qualifications you plan on playing?: I have indeedy. Please provide well articulated answers to the following questions in a paragraph each. Give a definition of what you think roleplay is, and should be about: I feel like most people would agree when I say that roleplay is generally about writing a collaborative story of sorts with people you're playing with. Main reason? Entertainment, obviously. Everyone has that creative urge and express it through various mediums. Taking on the role of an imagined character is another way of flexing that creative muscle. What do you think the OOC purpose of a Head of Staff is, ingame?: A lot of new people have been coming to Aurora lately, largely because of the new map. These people are either migrating from other servers to see what all the fuss is about or brand new to the game entirely. OOC it's generally up to the RD to care for new players coming into the research department, or assign someone knowledgeable who can help. What do you think the OOC responsibilities of Whitelisted players are to other players, and how would you strive to uphold them?: In some cases people who are whitelisted for these roles might be drafted in or volunteer to help forment some interesting scenarios in some rounds. An interesting antag or somesuch is something an RD especially would have some fun interactions with. The sign of a good head of staff in this case would get the rest of the department/station involved with what's going on, so even xenobio, stuck all the way down there all day, get a few things to help out with. Essentially it all comes down to making sure everyone playing is having a good time. Please pick one of your characters for this section, and provide well articulated responses to the following questions. Character name: Rex Winters Character age: 85 Please provide a short biography of this character (approx 2 paragraphs): Rex grew up on Earth. He wasn't especially exceptional in any way as a youngster if you were to discount his tendency to be reclusive. He took a lot of interest in learning, casting himself into his education from a young age, spurned on by the jeering of his peers at the time. Rather than try to fit in, Rex retreated into himself. The lack of interaction with children his age didn't seem to bother him, and he grew up to be relatively normal. Rex demonstrated himself to be an exceptional thinker and practical inventor, and following a handful of pointless part time jobs when younger enrolled in a university local to his hometown. It wouldn't be long before he found himself spending an extended amount of time studying at Solis Cognito University, eventually leaving with a master's degree and three PhDs. Rex's first career job was with Sano Pharma—an Earth-based pharmaceutical company—a relatively short stint that saw him prove himself in the pharma R&D field. He was snatched up by Xeng-Hu and worked with the development teams there for over two decades before leaving due to pension disputes and signing up with NanoTrasen. It is during Rex's employment here that tragedy struck, his wife, son, and daughter-in-law lost their lives in a traffic accident. His only surviving family is a granddaughter he remains close with. Following the deaths in his family he underwent a bout of depression, but has since recovered. Rex now works quite happily in NanoTrasen's R&D and Anomaly departments. That was two very long paragraphs. What do you like about this character?: Rex is recluse, but not anti-social. He likes keeping to himself but bonds well with people who take the time to learn his name. The reason I like this about him specifically is because it allows me to wrap some of his character up in mystery that I can drip-feed to people who haven't met him before. What do you dislike about this character?: The same reclusive streak isolates him sometimes, which means I can feel a little cut off from everyone else, especially when running xenoarch. Though, that said, it is rare that I play anomalist and everything goes quietly. What do you think makes this character fit to be a head of staff?: Rex is a very senior member of the team in terms of age, clocking in at 85 years. He has that life experience to back him up in his department and can be protective and easily concerned, an especially important pair of traits in the research department. Please provide well articulated answers to the following questions. How would you rate your own roleplaying?: I want to say it's somewhere above average. I hate tooting my own horn as it were but I feel like I've made a decent impact in some peoples' stories with my various characters in the relatively short time I've been here. If I were to give it a number value, I'd say around 7/10. Extra notes: I love playing Rex, but quite often I feel like he'd just be better suited for this role than R&D alone. To this end, I've been learning the various parts of research and feel like I'm confident enough in enough areas to make a bid for this. I'm looking forward to being able to work more closely with other heads and to get the rest of the department involved with the station as a whole.

Hey, Lukas Chapman is pretty much the best, even if he does threaten PocketBuddy with endless paperwork. Honestly, I really like the character. Like people have said: He's down to earth, approachable and isn't all a "rar rar listen to me or get hit" kind of HoS.

Winters wants his pug back. +1

At this point I'm basically glued to Kizi's side, so I can definitely vouch for his roleplaying ability. He plays the lizzer very well, including flaws and prejudices, so I have no doubt he'd do the Tajaran character justice. The character backstory is hella indepth, too, which is great. +1

Telecomms! You would not believe how confusing that shit is. Also, xenoarchaeology wasn't very clear when I was doing it some time ago, so maybe that needs looking at, also?

Hey guys, I'm curious as to what you guys think of the characters I'm running with so far. Everyone knows PB (obv) but I'm not sure how many people have lasting impressions of Rex (who is quite reclusive) and ASSIST (a relatively new character). Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!