FearTheBlackout

+1. Potato has a good cast of characters who all roleplay well from what I've seen, and I enjoy their Consular character concept.

Honestly, while the idea of specializing in a field is fun, and I've used it to great effect in the past, it doesn't really work for Robotics. You're right in that there definitely isn't enough for Robotics to do to justify it. There was also a large divide of players who either specialized in one thing or knew everything, and there was no official stance to say which was correct. This does away with all of that nicely, so it has my support.

I was against this, since it would require me to learn something currently outside the scope of the role, and because I don't view Roboticists as being researchers, despite being in Research. However, I warily support this for the fact it removes one of Robotics' dependencies, and that R&D feels more like an engineering than a scientific thing to begin with. If it goes through, I hope it convinces some people who frequent R&D to try Robotics. Better Roboticists are sorely needed. Opinion redacted. Against the changes for the reasons Doxx described.

I had a fun round teaching Robotics to their lab assistant -- although they already had a good idea of what they were doing so I hope to work alongside them in Robotics soon! +1

I've had a good interaction with Young on one occasion, I believe during a merc round where I appointed him my secretary and we both got kidnapped unless I'm thinking of someone else, and I like Hayes' angle even though I haven't interacted with him much! +1

Leudo's Consular Officer, Vizq, did a seminar in the Bar about Vaurca biology in a way that was both accurate and interesting to listen to. I think they represent the species and the Zo'ra hive quite well. +1

As a CE, Val is still kind, helpful, easy to interact with. It's always great to see her taking Ginny wherever she goes, but I admit I've missed making hardsuits for her from Robotics. Overall, still a +1

Wicked is probably one of the must fun people to talk to on a regular basis for me, and it has been this way for a good while now. Their character, Val, is also very approachable and easy to interact with, and has shown their colors with the recent Federation arc. Hard +1

Expounding on my support from before the trial, Arhaziik is great fun to talk to, even as non-Unathi, and represents the ideals of the Hegemony and Unathi very well. Double +1!

Lezakh is good company in Cargo. I remember him conspiracy theorizing all round once before taking the HoP hostage over the SAT. Was intense. The rest of the time, he's very friendly. +1

I've known Restricted a good while over the years, and he's no slouch when it comes to roleplay or playing Unathi. His application has plenty of meat to it and I honestly don't tend to read over large character biographies, but I trust him wholly. +1

Index is good company from what I've observed. She goes around and actually gets shit done (as much as is reasonable for the role itself). GERHARD was also fun to hang with as dual Bartenders. +1

Waff is a good boy. It's always fun to hang with him as Mars the Moron in Robotics, or see what Duke Priceright is up to next. I would trust him with any whitelist. I'd love to see where he could take his character concept. +1

BYOND key: Devildabeast Character names: How long have you been playing on Aurora?: A few months! I had a break last year, but have been playing consistently late last year throughout this year. Why do you wish to be on the whitelist?: I want more job-based opportunities for roleplay and interaction to be open to me, and what better way to do that than with the Representative role? Why did you come to Aurora?: I'm always seeking new venues for roleplay environments, and Aurora caught my eye when I was trying places other than Baystation. I've been very committed to it, only going back to Bay for a while last year, ever since. Have you read the Aurora wiki on the head roles and qualifications you plan on playing?: Yes! Have you received any administrative actions? And how serious were they? Nope! 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: Roleplaying is a system of entertainment and interaction between two or more parties. It's all about conveying something outside of yourself, and presenting it in a way that's enjoyable to others and to create a world and setting outside of our own. Of course, it takes a lot of creativity and inventiveness to make it work, not just from yourself, but from the people you're playing with. When done right, it takes you into something that you could never experience in day-to-day life otherwise, and lets you create a whole world that everyone involved contributes to. What do you think the OOC purpose of a Head of Staff is, ingame?: Heads of Staff are meant to delegate the responsibilities of their respective departments, acting as managers and even representatives for those departments. While it's important to know all the important components of your department, the main purpose certainly isn't to be a jack-of-all-trades or specialist, but to, again, be a leader to your department, trusted with all the extra duties and abilities that entails, including sending faxes and suspending employees. It's certainly not to be superior to anyone else or have more power. What do you think the OOC responsibilities of Whitelisted players are to other players, and how would you strive to uphold them?: While keeping the game progressing and being entrusted with additional responsibilities are certainly important things for any whitelistee to do, especically on other servers, I believe that first and foremost on Aurora, ensuring that a superior and interesting roleplay environment takes precedent. I see many people who take on SS13 for the "action" component, and while that is perfectly fine, I myself come to Aurora for a more "slice of life" approach (beyond every-round antaggery and special events, of course) where I can truly explore the nuance of a character and their environment, and Heads of Staff and aliens should both be there to expand on that possibility with career management and multiculturalism respectively. Could you give us the gist of what is currently happening in Tau Ceti and how it affected your character and their career? Among other things, Tau Ceti is still recovering from the aftermath of a hostile embargo from the Sol Alliance. Tensions are high, and the Coalition itself doesn't foster much respect for Sol after the Interstellar War. Lelise would be likely to expound on this, attempting to improve relations with the independence-valuing Republic however she can. The Federation attack on the Aurora is also likely to have left a sour taste in her mouth, leaving her unsupportive of the Skrell's (in her eyes) authoritarian government. She is more likely to be supportive of rebels, along with other alien employees. What roles do you plan on playing after the application is accepted? Most likely? Just the Representative role. I can't honestly foresee myself being any actual Heads of Staff down the line. Characters you intend to use for command or have created for command. Include the job they will be taking.: Lelise Marimo - Consular Officer How would you rate your own roleplaying?: As I've stated in my alien applications: Somewhere above average! I definitely try to put a lot of thought into the spirit of the game and my interaction with others, although my playstyle tends to be experiential, with ideas being solidified as things go along, rather than premeditated, with lots of background already packed in. I consider both styles to be good if done right! Do you understand your whitelist is not permanent, and may be stripped following continuous administrative action? I do. Have you familiarized yourself with the wiki pages for the command roles? Yes! Extra notes: None at this time.

The Unathi gender mechanical imbalance already upsets me as-is. Give it to both or neither.

Thank you for the input. I can make some adjustments to the character concept later tonight or tomorrow if the application hasn't been processed by then.

I guess what I meant by that is that Shock is used to working extensively with IPCs, not just stationbounds, so working with NanoTrasen is an unusual experience for it since it will have to place more focus on maintaining human, maybe Aut’akh, prosthetics, alongside the occasional IPC, but never getting to build its own because of NanoTrasen’s nature.

An honor duel might make more sense at the cost of giving her a reason to be injured. In that event, I wonder if she would still have to undergo a Ritual of Shards or not? I’m not sure. I’m guessing yes, since it wasn’t constant hardship or not done by the books, but I don’t know. I thought that, because she was grief-stricken and may not have remembered the exact details, and the attacker wasn’t someone she recognized from the community, AND she ran away, that the other clan couldn’t really do much about it, and the attacker wouldn’t get put to justice, putting her in both emotional and physical grief. The thing about getting into the Ansiba clan is difficult, because female Unathi are discouraged from seeking positions of power or intellect or even learning to read and write, especially in the Wasteland. Even so, I don’t reasonably believe that Ansiba’s answer would be to just turn everyone away who can’t prove themselves by profession. The wiki does say they “recruit from the most intelligent Unathi”, not the most prestigious, so I’m thinking there might be some kind of test or something she performed well on, as she’s already been able to display emotional and social intelligence, which would already be perfect for a journalist, so I don’t think that learning intelligence is far from the realm of what she’s capable of, since she would need it to be “methodical” as described. The thing about Unathi politics is that, being middle-aged and from the Wasteland, I’m not sure how much the goings-on of the Hegemony really affect her to begin with, and by the time she enters the commune, she’s already left with the fleet to New Gibson. I wanted her to be a more “recent” character if that makes sense, having just acquired her chassis a year or two ago, and just having been married when the events unfolded that led to her becoming Aut’akh, meaning that she has no kids currently.

BYOND Key: Devildabeast Character Names: Species you are applying to play: Aut'akh (Unathi) What color do you plan on making your first alien character: Dark green. Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes! Why do you wish to play this specific race: I don't think that Aut'akh are honestly like any other species I've seen in my long time of playing SS13. Trying something new is always a great experience, and Unathi on Aurora, as well as Aut'akh, are more developed than anywhere else I've seen. Being very new to the galactic scene is also very interesting and I would like to see where it goes. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: As stated above, they aren't like any other species, being about two-thirds synthetic, the epitome of transhumanism (transunathi-ism?). They have the unique position of technically belonging to the same species as every other Unathi, but belonging nowhere on their own planet but amongst themselves. Their connection to, or rather disconnection from Oss when on the Aurora, as well as their jovial personalities, seem like a great arc to play through and a good way to interact with others and form relationships (aside from most non-Aut'akh Unathi, obviously). Character Name: Ansiba Lossha Please provide a short backstory for this character: Originally Usha Vihnmes, she was the wife of an innkeeper, Akslos Vihnmes, and would provide room service to inngoers and talk to them as they ate, weary from their long travels. She was enjoyed as a kind ear in her community, and just recently married. What she wasn't aware of was the extortions her husband was pulling on some of their customers, the details of which are still inexact to her. One night, a fight broke out between he and an angered customer, the former being killed and she herself being wounded. Grief-stricken, she ran away from the inn and her community, never coming back. She wandered the wasteland for days until she was found by clan Dorviza, where she was healed and sat down, explaining her story but unable to go into the exact details of why it happened. All she knew was that her husband was dead, and she herself was crippled, making her mostly unsuitable for work and undesirable by others, a recluse. She remained this way for a while until a traveler arrived in town one day, identifying themself as a follower of the Aut'akh, offering to take her to the Polar Bunkers for conversion to her new life and body. Having been raised Th'akh, she was at first unconvinced and uncertain of the Aut'akh ideas of Unathi-kind, but in both realization and desperation, accepted, making the long, tenuous journey to the north pole. When she arrived, she was welcomed by many fellow refugees from the Wasteland, as well as all over Moghes. She underwent the ritual of rebirth without issue, joining the recently branded Ansiba clan. Her studies into the goings-on of Tau Ceti led to her interest in becoming a journalist, where she could put forward the truth and increase people's knowledge of the world at large. She worked with several companies around the system before finding her way onto the Aurora, where she will work as a Freelance Journalist. Lossha is about 6'5" and around 300 pounds. Her chassis is a dark, if slightly metallic green, and her eyes are black, with sizable horns. She is often kind and caring, though has trouble completely trusting people. She can be intelligent and methodical, especially when reporting the news. She has a fondness for Dionaea since she was acquainted with them back in the Wasteland, but is wary of other organic species. What do you like about this character? She's definitely got a lot of baggage, but is learning to move past it. Her beginnings are nothing whelming but still brought her to where she is today. I think in her case, the character development has barely just begun, and I'd love to see where things go, especially given her job and clan. How would you rate your role-playing ability? Somewhere above average! I can't comment much on it, besides that I try my best to be creative and interact with others, which is what roleplaying is all about at the end of the day. Notes: I was told that Aut'akh is, in fact, the same whitelist as regular Unathi. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be playing a regular Unathi anytime soon, and my application is based around that, but I am absolutely happy to answer any questions relating to Unathi in general, especially if it relates in some way to the Aut'akh as well.

BYOND Key: Devildabeast Character Names: https://i.imgur.com/uoNILFA.png Species you are applying to play: IPC (Integrated Positronic Chassis) Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes! Why do you wish to play this specific race: Synthetic gameplay can be a large change of pace from organic species. I enjoy trying to discover what sorts of differences I can play out as a machine, and how the character's background fits into that. I have a good deal already with playing IPCs on other servers, but enjoy the lore and integration they have here. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: IPCs deal with a greater amount of marginalization than most other "species", and there is much duality on being free versus being owned. The treatment of free and owned synthetics differs wildly in the face of the law, yet with the particular crime of "murder" never applying. This cements IPCs not as people in the eyes of their society, but generally as equipment with a purpose. Despite this, they have also made bounds in synthetic rights that allows them to take almost all Command positions aboard the Aurora unlike, say, the Vaurcae. This puts them in the precarious position of people being uncertain of just how many "rights" they deserve, with plenty of societies, including the Federation and Dominia, being distinctly anti-synth. In terms of individual role-playing, any IPC has to play with the ultimate directive of "self-preservation" in mind. Like the wiki says, this can be expressed in many different ways, but at its root, means that most machines wouldn't make any unnecessarily risky or foolish behavior. In that regard, they tend toward predictability and familiarity -- working the same job whether owned or free, thinking of things in more strictly materialist ways. With that in mind, it is easy to see why many humans, and other species, can find modern-day synthetics to be alienating, even worrisome with their increasing rise in society. Character Name: XMG-Shock Please provide a short backstory for this character: Built on a private platform somewhere in orbit of Tau Ceti, Shock was a Xion industrial unit placed in a group of other synthetics that, though with human supervision, largely oversaw the construction and upkeep of additional units that were to be sent out to the world at large. The machines built were largely fellow Xion units, with a few Hephaestus G1, then G2 in the time shortly following Shock's activation, mixed in. The Xion units themselves were like poster children for the company, displaying the sort of niche fields their synths were capable of fulfilling. Shock itself did fine in its work and didn't stick out strongly among any other unit of its ilk, but did study the history of synthetics in its spare time, perhaps to improve its own work ethic or simply out a curiosity. After a private meeting between staff, including the overseer of the robotics division Shock was under, concerns were raised about placing the trust of such a large group in maintaining and improving themselves, with talks of a revolution not off the table. As a result, Shock's group was cut in half, with one half, itself included, being redistributed to other workplaces, in its case the Aurora. Though there was animosity in dividing such an efficient labor force, the deed was done, and Shock was all but entirely cut off from its "family" -- machines like XMG-Siphon, who was expressing ideas for new blueprints when it disappeared, or XMG-Lyre, who checked the time constantly to ensure units were being developed by imaginary "quotas". Shock would log and reminisce about these harmless "quirks" among its group, and would probably talk about someone different every time when prompted on the Aurora. Shock knows Robotics inside and out, possessing the mind for innovation (where necessary) that comes with being an engineer. It believes that equipment, intelligent or not, should be treated with care to ensure the greatest longevity, as it claims. Its knowledge is primarily in biomechanics, giving it the best edge for maintaining IPCs and prosthetics. It dislikes the Aurora's robotics division lacking assets to build their own IPCs, though not openly. It likes to talk about the IPCs from its old division, along with their traits and what they would have done in certain situations. It itself has expressed interest in purchasing freedom, but lacks the funds to do so, and is still owned by Xion for the time being, contracted under Hephaestus, its main company. It is detached from the "XMG" portion of its name, having a hidden negative opinion of Xion due to the split, and would like to be rid of it some day. It has a polite and "correct" way of speaking, though the genuineness of this can be debatable, either due to its status as a machine or simply being done representing its company. Nevertheless, it remains professional at all times. What do you like about this character? Robotics is one of my best/favorite roles, and I think industrial units, particularly Xion, work perfectly as Roboticists or one of their alternate titles. I tried to introduce some names and characters into Shock's background that it could go into when prompted and mix in its industrial lifestyle with its personality. Of course, it still has desires and interests, but trouble expressing them because of the treatment of synthetics. How would you rate your role-playing ability? I would put it somewhere above average! As I said in my Vaurca application, I have a system for staying engaged and engaging others that often works nicely for the purpose of advancing the narrative. I've had especially a lot of fun getting comfortable with the Vaurcae, and I hope I can do the same with IPCs. Notes: None this time, besides that I don't intend to give up halfway and am happy to answer anything you throw at me.

Joke =/= funny or relatable, or even acceptable. I don't approve of communities that allow a culture to exist where these things can be said casually -- which loops back around to my point. I feel like what you've said is far removed from everything else I had to say.

This entire thread just reminds me of the deplorable harassment culture most of us live in or contribute to. There's not much you can do about attitudes or behavior when you have a community that's brought together by something like roleplaying, not ideals or beliefs, because not just community members, but staff are, in fact, wildly different people who have their own ideas on enforcing things, so long as it falls within the spirit of the rules (usually). I don't really care about Burger being in the right or wrong here, but what I do know is that everyone has the right not to be subjected to any kind of harassment or unnecessary discomfort if they don't want to. I can't speak for Burger, but if I had experienced anything like this, I would have taken a break or left entirely, especially if I felt that staff addressed it inappropriately, which, from what I've seen in actual dchat at the time and what Burger posted? Is the case to some degree. Insofar as Unathi go, I do not like their writing. Yes, there are plenty of things done well and work goes into it, but the dominating factor that people seem to capitalize on in the worst way possible is their "traditional" views, among them heavily-ingrained sexism. The former is mostly okay, because at the end of the day, you are still expected to behave appropriately at work, and there are equally traditional cultures in every other species, including humanity, who are played just fine. I draw the line at the sexism. Why? Because it's a real world issue that, frankly, pisses me off to have to think about in my 25th century space-station roleplaying game. It makes more uncomfortable than anything else I've experienced while being here. There are plenty of other issues that are tackled in the game, but much more rarely do they translate well to real life, like Sol having prejudice against xenos because they are literally aliens. "Male and female", however, and the imbalance of power that has existed for centuries, are translated one-for-one into the game, and even mechanically enforced for some unimaginable reason by disallowing female Unathi to break out of handcuffs when males can. I don't see anything clever about it, and the fact is, as an example, I got to enjoy listening to a wonderful conversation on the general Discord late last night about someone wanting to "slap a female HoS silly" and "hating authoritative female heads of staff". We live in an undoubtedly sexist society, and yes, I'm calling the behavior out, however joking, as sexist, and that is the reason I don't trust people to handle the issue of Unathi sexism responsibly. I know it's a big part of their lore. I still don't like the lore or their species in general, but they're not going anywhere, and as I've been told, the handcuffs things is definitively not changing because that's what is desired, so what can I do? That said, I don't know if the specific incident of the...tummy rubs...was necessarily related to Unathi sexism as much as it was general weirdness. You should not be asking someone that in IC or LOOC. Forgive me if I don't feel even slightly endeared. Going the proper administrative routes is well and good when they achieve results and the staff in question are trustworthy, but given comments made, I cannot currently say that I feel that they are. I will always push for dialogue because dialogue is not wasted effort when people can extrapolate their concerns and hopefully affect others in some way by the end. Getting shut down or ignored means nothing; keep talking until it hurts. That's what Burger is doing because, like it or not, they are invested in this game, and no amount of ad hominem is going to change valid community concerns.

Please, close the application. I'd like to try again at a later time.

Is every IPC character that starts free power gaming? You don't have to take my word for it, but I don't do anything with the intent to "win" and have nothing against me that would indicate as much. I barely even play non-civilian roles nowadays, and no antags. Everything I do is just to enjoy the game, and I want to play IPC to assist in doing that. Still, I'm happy to change anything you want me to. IPCs operate on cause-and-effect; they're by no means simple, but they tend to think of things one way or the other. They are, of course, synthetic, and might identify more with a machine than a human, although this varies for everyone. A Shell model might try to be more appeasing to humans, for example, while an industrial unit might not care as much. A machine's top priority is its own survival, but this can be expressed in a lot of different ways. A lot of their culture is centered around humanity's itself, being that their existence is very recent and they don't have any to call their own. Some revel in serving their owners, others pursue freedom. EMPSs are highly dangerous to them. They must be repaired by a Roboticist, not a Doctor, with additional surgical steps even for a Shell. If not free, they are always owned by some organization or another, and would have to pay off their own cost plus extra, although this is generally impossible outside of Tau Ceti. Discrimination, of course, is indeed a large part of the species, and IPCs don't get many rights anywhere outside of Tau Ceti. They have to scrape by to succeed, especially if free, and many people would rather they not exist at all. I get stress and anxiety very verily easily so forgive me if I get defensive about critique.

BYOND Key: Devildabeast (call me FearTheBlackout on forums and discord!) Character Names: Species you are applying to play: IPC (Integrated Positronic Chassis) Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes! Why do you wish to play this specific race: Synthetic gameplay can be a large change of pace from organic species. I enjoy trying to discover what sorts of differences I can play out as a machine, and how the character's background fits into that. I have a good deal already with playing IPCs on other servers, but enjoy the good deal of lore and integration they have here. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: IPCs, while almost as freeform as humans compared to some other species because of their myriad backgrounds and appearances, can still be almost always be noted for the discrimination they endure and the scrutiny they face to have the right "identity" as synthetics. There are plenty of different factions and ways of being to represent, which I find greatly enjoyable. Character Name: Hawun Please provide a short backstory for this character: Originally designated Mortar (the paste, not the gun), Hawun took on its new mantle after its time spent in Hephaestus' employ. It was built and activated on the Amoni, designed for industrial tasks, primarily cargo hauling and logistics. Stationed in Sol, Hawun found meager pay compared to its later transfer Sidirourgeio in Tau Ceti. It was entrusted with transportation thanks to its bulky G2 frame, but not the paperwork due to its passive nature. It mostly remained within the company of other synthetics, where it developed its own personality as a machine with a purpose, a sentiment it still primarily identifies with to this day. Even so, its mistreatment, even in Tau Ceti, led to it holding over some money on the side from its extra pay, sometimes foregoing things like minor repairs to its chassis until later on, where it could finally purchase its freedom, where thereupon it would enlist in the Foreign Legion and earn citizenship after year's time. Hawun, being an older unit for its model, about 10 years old, has begun to become more receptive to diverging from its core purpose. Though it still remains a Cargo Technician first and foremost, it also learned prayers and hymns from the Isidorian faith (read more here: https://pastebin.com/zxSrNyB8) that some of its fellow synths practiced back on the Amoni. It has begun to dip its toes in religious services as a Chaplain. It is no longer serving in the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion, but still wears their dress clothes as a mark of respect to the service. It knows how to operate industrial exosuits, primarily power loaders, as an extension of its logistical work beginning from the Amoni, but rarely uses them these days on the Aurora. It has a passive, almost peaceful demeanor despite its size and purpose. It identifies itself with New Republicans, but generally disagrees with pro-corporate sentimentality, and tends to entrust more faith in the government. It resides in District 14 in Mendell City, sharing an apartment with other like-minded machines, often of different model and history. What do you like about this character? One thing I enjoy about Hawun, and my other characters as well, is that I keep them multifaceted; I feel like Hawun has a lot going on here, not just in its past but in the modern day that influences the way it is and what it can share with people regarding itself. I don't know of many or even any synths that have religion contributing to their background, and while Hawun isn't strongly religious compared to some of my other characters, I always enjoy finding a way to introduce it into their story as long as it makes sense. How would you rate your role-playing ability? I would put it somewhere above average! As I said in my Vaurca application, I have a system for staying engaged and engaging others that often works nicely for the purpose of advancing the narrative. I've had especially a lot of fun getting comfortable with the Vaurcae, and I hope I can do the same with IPCs. Notes: I know that the Cargo Technician/Chaplain split is an odd divide for an IPC, and I'd be perfectly willing to change it to just Cargo Technician, but I hope you'll consider it according to Hawun's background. Either way, thanks for reading.