Peppermint

Still just as against them. As people have pointed out time and time again, people don't explore their environment with just their sight. I really don't think the indicaitors will make enough of a difference, and right now they're just annoying. I am, for the most part, struggling to see the benefit.

Thanks for the help! It's very much appreciated. Edited in your suggestions - highlighted 'em for ease of viewing.

This. It's fine it works against IPCs, but 10(?) sprayable, AOE shots that instantly end the IPC they hit is so silly.

Heyo! These were actually the passages I was a tad shaky on myself, so fair enough lol. 1 and 3 are kind of linked. Looking through the lore, I couldn't find anywhere that said they (the rock nomads) actually joined the war effort on the DPRA's side in an organised fashion, instead of just fighting the PRA on their own terms within their own caravans. So I kind of assumed they both had the same enemy, but didn't necessarily formally ally themselves to begin with. The section with the Mountain King specifically says he never really gave his support to either side, and instead just defended his home. Unless I'm missing something? Scrapping together the lore for the nomads was a pain, given it's kind of spread everywhere and there's only 3 or so small sections. So to clarify, she would have liked to join the DPRA in a more formal manner, signing on as a soldier instead of functionally acting as a raider. 2) Saffiya isn't necessarily super traditional by way that she believes what she's doing. It's all more an excuse for her to keep her family and friends around, to feel wanted and adored, and to have something that's 'hers'. Does that make sense? I'd argue nomads have a considerably better life compared to most Zhan, mostly because they keep somewhat separate. I disagree that she would approve of the caste system, and her issues with the PRA was more them grinding down her culture as opposed to wanting to be treated like a worker. If she'd gotten her way, she wouldn't have fought at all and would have been quite happy to let the rest of the Tajara scrap it out if her and her own were left alone. I very much don't think they either have to be against the caste system and approve of the PRA, or be against it and disapprove. Like, you can see this with the Indian caste system to a degree as well. People can enjoy the social bonds and stability it brings, whilst still despising being put in a single 'box' as it were. Plus the NKA kind of takes it to its extremes again, and her life there - whilst better than most Zhans - would hardly be as good as before the second rebellion imo. I would also argue that she's very young in many ways, as well as having dealt with the struggles of war. Objective thinking isn't very high on her list of priorities, and everyone likes someone to blame. Kind of rambled a bit, but that's kind of why she supported what the DPRA were doing. Allowing her people to keep their traditions, whilst having the option of being something more. Nobody likes having their freedom taken away.

BYOND Key: Peppermint96 Character Names: Current. Mercy Loveday - Security Officer Evelyn Morgan - Head of Security Barely used. Nina Thompson - Surgeon Genevieve Francois - Security Officer Shelved / Unused Bethany Harper - HoS - Dead lol Hope - Security Officer - Under revision Felicity Larson - CMO Elizabeth Harrington - CMO Liberty - Security Officer Eden Moore - Security Officer Mei-Ling Mori - Lab Assistant Maya Kari - Miner Species you are applying to play: Tajara What color do you plan on making your first alien character: I’ll have to fiddle with the editor some, but grey-blue most likely. So, you know, Zhan. Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes. God, there are so many, but yes. Please provide well articulated answers to the following questions in a paragraph format. One paragraph minimum per question. Why do you want to play this race? Tajara was supposed to be the first race I applied for, but ended up getting roped into other whitelists by friends who wanted to play together (RIP Lily ). Taj always looked fun and now I’ve finished uni, I have enough free time to play again and applying seems sensible. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a human: Ignoring the cast system for a second, Tajara are, essentially OOC, cat people. They have thick fur to suit their homeland, and claws that demand certain changes in tool usage that would likely make adjusting to human/skrell dominated space that much harder. They also have distinct colouring to match their subspecies, with difference psychological builds between each one. Eg. Zhan being built bigger and better equipped for manual labour compared to their brothers and sisters. Going hand in hand with the above, keener senses also play a part, giving them better senses of smell, as well as better eyesight, compared to the human ‘norm’. Again, I can imagine this could also play havoc with newer Tajara just entering human cities and ports, given everything must be so darn overwhelming and new compared to home. Another issue to face alongside the discrimination born of human prejudices, in part likely due to being referred to as cats - a wonderful ,extra humiliation bonus to go along with the usual challenges immigrants face. Traditionalism and ‘natural order’ is deeply entrenched into their culture and social structure, to more or less degree depending on species/faction. This can bring up isolationist opinions as well as clashes with other races, humans and skrell especially, over their treatment of certain classes. So adjusting to their space and corporations is a struggle, especially so far from home. I imagine many would surfer in this regard, depending on where their family unit is. I’m not going to go hard on each subrace here, as otherwise the length will get a wee bit silly. Instead there’s the issue that deep-rooted segregation does some really nasty things to brain and social development, as well as create all sorts of horrific social norms in treatment toward other castes. This can lead to poor resource allocation of things like education and healthcare, even after the more archaic systems have been abolished. It can also be especially bad on literature and scientific development through the limiting of the ‘idea pool’ which may help to show why the DPRA especially are struggling to make technological headway. At least in part. Growing up in this kind of setting would be extremely deliberating for all individuals, even if it’s not necessarily in the same way. Nonetheless, discrimination is deeply entrenched in Tajara ‘culture’, and a leading element of the race. Tajara also have a naturally lessened life span compared to the other galactic races, which is only going to be made worse given their history of warfare and all that comes from that. Whilst this would also mess with their perceptions of time, more importantly, it’s likely to become increasingly relevant as the race integrates with others. Existential crisis galore, I’d imagine, though that would not necessarily be relevant to playing IC. Just something interesting! There’s also stuff like the specifics of sexual dimorphism sleep cycles, and early history, but getting onto those topics would just push the length even further. I’ve read the wiki plenty though, and have these elements - especially the third - in mind. Character Specifics Character Name: Saffiya Emani Character Job: Apprentice Engineer Background Early Childhood: Saffiya was born to a rock nomad family around 2438 (Making her 24 in the ‘present’ timeline) in the Harr’masir area. Whilst her life contained the bitter struggle of growing up, to the outside world at least, as a Zhan, for the most part her early life was a pleasant one. Despite the harsh treatment, suspicion, and btterness cast to the caravan by the non-Rhazar'Hrujmagh they came into contact with, it was, in many ways, still better than the alternative. Born to two loving parents whom had previously supported the rebellion before returning home and hoping for a better life, Saffiya grew up alongside a childhood rich in story telling, music, and warmth. Like her siblings and peers, she was quickly taught in the arts of riding, herding, and weaponry, though could never quite shake the fascination she held in the ideas of cities, and spacecraft. Adolescence: After 2448 as increased pressure from the Haidii family began to try and settle the nomads, Saffiya’s way of life came under threat. Whilst the years before had seen increased resentment toward the rebelion’s ‘saviors’ as Tajara culture was slowly homogenised and their traditions stripped away, much of this was seen second hand. Either through the places the family visited or through conversations with - for the most part - other Zhan, Saff’s suspicion toward the regime only grew. Less so for political reasons and more so just for the love of her family, as the pressures increased, so too did her hate. Made worse by an injured Father and bereaved mother whom had both fought alongside Haidii in the previous wars the unfairness of how her and her people were treated by their supposed allies was made all the worse by a teenager’s passion. As the tensions grew into the culmination of agents such as Harmaliik being sent to her home in a bid to, as she saw it, strip away their individuality and spirit, Saffiya joined the war effort in trying to keep hold of their homeland. This put a pause on many of the things she’d looked forward to, ranging from her elevation to adulthood and the end to an arranged marriage she’d approved of to the son of one of the other caravan families. War and Rebellion: For the most part, at the start of the New Kingdom’s split, Saffiya was too young to see much active combat. Instead she ran minor errands for the caravans as her mother and father joined the resistance effort more directly, though did her best to sneak away with the raiding parties when able. For the most part however, in the years leading up to the formation of the ALA, Saffiya’s bitterness continued to grow. The long nights of fire side music and familial warmth felt like they were in the distant past, ruined by the Haidii and their lies. This likewise grew more zealous as older members of her social circle began laying the blame with NanoTransen, detailing all they’d done to take her mother and father away. As resistance continued and Saffiya grew older, she started to take more active roles in the fighting. First as a messenger, then later as a scout, though this was short lived following the inevitable death of her Father on a PRA raid gone wrong. Heartbroken, only her mother’s insistence she stay with the clan following Nated’s coup kept her at home. Yet as more of her friends were killed and she herself received minor injuries, Saffiya came to resent that choice. Running around as little more than a mercenary, feeling as if she was not truly contributing, began to wear on her. Especially as her age and anger were becoming increasingly under question by her family unit, leading to further withdrawal from the front. 'Freedom fighter': Following her mother’s increasing deterioration and as the reality of war set in, Saffiya’s previous days dreaming of glory and righteousness were long gone. Instead leaving a young woman stripped of the childhood she’d adored was left anxious and confused; a prime recruit for the most extremist of the 'freedom fighters'. Running away from her caravan as soon as she had she had the chance, Saffiya - to begin with - felt she’d finally found people who thought as she did. An ALA terrorist cell that practically lapped up the woman's ideologies and hate, using her thoroughly even if she was entirely unaware she was being exploited. In many ways, it was the best and worst of her life. She was surrounded by young men and women who felt as she did, were of her people, and provided a wonderful buffet to her declining mental health. Yet on the other side of things, she missed her family and was increasingly struggling with homesickness, whilst trying to justify the 'acceptable losses' of her work . Yet as time went on an 2461 rolled around, Saffiya was once again left feeling betrayed. Harmaliik’s pledge to the NKA - and the caste system it upheld - was something she could not abide by. It felt like everything she’d fought for had come undone as one of her people's heroes cast their lot in with the enemy, even if in reality she could see the sense of it. Doubly so as the guilt began to catch up, made all the worse as the Adhomai she'd wanted was looking increasingly impossible. Yet after losing her Father, her mother ,and - to a degree - herself, Saffiya withdrew from the ALA and tried to find her way back home. Partly for herself, and partly for the need for a mother's love. Crevuce: Upon returning to her old caravan, Saffiya found it changed. Many of her childhood friends had since passed away, or saw her as a zealot who should never have left her family. Worse, in many ways, was her mother. Relieved to have her daughter back despite their disagreements, Saffiya still couldn’t quite bring herself to forgive her for their rows and frustration leading up to her leaving. In her own mind with her own now twisted logic, Saffiya couldn't shake the thought that her father might have been alive if they'd pledged to - and had the resources of - the DPRA without just being convenient soldiers - paid for a service she wished they'd offered freely. Even if the reality of staying behind would have been non too different, she herself didn't see that; too wrapped up in hurt feelings and the blooming effects of PTSD. As such, her homecoming was short lived. Unable to rectify between the home she’d left and the one she’d wanted, Saffiya left and wandered. For the next few months she dotted from place to place, looking for meaning that always resulted in conversations surrounded Crevus. Whilst many of those she met painted the city out as some bastion for all Tajara, Saffiya remained sceptical. Yet with no where else to go and unable to face the shame of a second homecoming, she set out for the city and meaning. Her time there was brief, and mixed. Whilst on one hand she found fellow Zhan from all walks of life by which to bond with - even if she herself did not truly see them as being of the same race - the mix of factions and the strangeness of living in a city left her frazzled and anxious. Once again a prime target for extortion and harassment due to her isolated nature, large parts of the time she was in the city were spent being homeless. Chance eventually led her to a handful of the NanoTransen offices within the city. At first, to try and scope out the ‘evil’ she blamed, in part, for the destruction of her homeland, and later for the promises of adventure. Or, more exactly, for escape. NanoTransen and Biesel: Becoming increasingly desperate and poor, alongside sickened at the city she’d found herself in and the lack of traditional values, Saffiya eventually let herself be spoken into an NT contract. Whilst this was firstly a post in the security services given her experiences and need to boost their ‘equality’ demographics, eventually she talked the representatives into her allowing her to sign up as an engineering apprentice - hoping to at least gain back some small slither of that childish excitement that started it all to begin with. For the next few months, she learnt to read and speak basic, doing so by taking jobs as a bouncer for the casinos an shops - occupations she hated, but saw as a necessary evil. Eventually getting her proficiency up just enough to pass the tests, she was shipped out under the direction of the same representative and made her way to Tau Ceti. And, ultimately, the Aurora. < Religion stuff would go here if the length wasn’t already a tad dumb - she follows the Ma’ta’ke religion as per her parents. It's more a way of life to her/philosophical and 'what Tajara's do' type of traditionalist, as opposed to the deity side. > What do you like about this character?: I play a lot of ‘normal’, intelligent characters with basic human backstories. Doing something new with a more physically intensive character seemed fun. Likewise I’ve not really seen many rock nomad characters, and I like the clash they have in finding a place amidst the culture of their peers. Secondly, I really should just learn how the darn engineering department works and this seemed like a fun way to get involved. Mostly as even if the department turns out to be mechanically uninteresting, there’s plenty to do RP-wise to keep me playing the character. Unlike, say, my skrell/IPC applicants that ,whilst being good ideas (If I do say so myself), ultimately were not appropriate for an SS-style game. . How would you rate your role-playing ability?: I don’t really like this question as it’s so subjective. Especially as SS is fairly constraining in many ways, so a ‘good’ character is more limited than other mediums. I feel my characters are very distinct from one another, and feel ‘real’ - they all have their own goals and wants, pluses and drawbacks, though how well they’re enjoyed by other people is not something I’m aware of. I also play very strong-willed and emotional characters, which can often rub people the wrong way and lead to OOC issues. 1/10. Notes: I played volunteer kitty roles during the event. The first was the lead singer for bloodstorm (the one that got into all the bar fights) and the second was the Amohda swordswoman with the cool bullet splitting mechanic. So, I’ve played the race before to a degree (Not counting the away site.), even if I was shaky on the lore and needed a ‘lil guidance. Autocorrect kinda messed me up a little. Forgive name issues, please! Thank you to Bear for proofreading it and checking it over + to the others in the relay I’ve been asking questions to as of late.

Given how ''''certain''' people were constantly metagaming their locations and running there on round start, all I can say is thank god they've been reduced. Shit was frustrating af.

Just want to point out that this is something Esto has spoken about a number of times in OOC, before the topic of meson removal even came up due to the event shenanigans. So, is totes a thing and not just an excuse to have an advantage (Not that I imagine many people think that, but juustt in case.)

Would be nice if they could keep the flavor roles. 'Investigator' sounds kinda wishy-washy to me. Would also be nice if they could get something that isn't the darn trash-flash gun. Overall like the change though.

Feels like a non-issue that can fall under other categories tbh.

My concern is the traumas, yes. They weren't fun. I'm sorry, but they really weren't and given the even more severe lack of psyches, I imagine they'll just be worse. Especially as the fun ones (imaginary friend / split personality ) aren't properly implemented/functioning. I suppose we'll see though. I've not played medical all too much recently so I'm unaware of the meta has shifted, but either way, drug interactions and side-effects have been a big want for a while; I'm excited!

Heyo. I can understand your frustration with how your last app was handled. I'm not going to comment more though as I wasn't involved. In general however, I would point out that whitelists aren't that easy to get and do bring certain issues. I've been playing here close to a year and have two. I applied and passed my command trial before so much as writing up my IPC app. The point being that they can be tricky - they're meant to be - for good or for bad. A few things, however: -Afaik, each race has certain elements that need to be touched upon in an app to demonstrate relative understanding. For IPCs, it might be subjugation, the current political/social climate of opinions, as well as highlighting the differences between humans/robot people. There are also certain 'pitfalls', for certain races, such as applying as a free IPC. - Background effort is also important if you're a newer face and your characters less well known. Did you ask questions in the lore channel? Did you DM the lore devs and ask for extra help for any more difficult bits? Being seen to put in effort to correct issues goes a long way in life, and this is no different. People applaud asking for help. Lots of people fail their apps. IPC especially. Lots of people then go back, reapply, and make a good character. I'm sure it's frustrating, but it's not abnormal or anything to feel down about.

To echo the above, it'll also make combat injectors on RIGs a mess as you can't drop the dosage below 10(?). Akylsine also seems a little too heavily nerfed, but the side-effects in general seem super cool.

I'm liking the changes to skrell lore less and less. I'm really sorry, as it's obvious how much work you've all put into it. The changes to the human lore side were welcome and adored; they're interesting and I think they'll bring a lot of flavor. However, as many have said, so much of the rest is empty and boring that reading it is honestly a chore. I know I wouldn't have applied for skrell to begin with if the current changes were present and it's making me what to play skrell less and less. It's not just the length either, but the substance in my opinion. Likewise, having glorsh being morally evil was, to my mind, a good thing. It gave skrell a shared history of trauma that gave the race some flavor and edge without being over the top. It was also plain interesting that the reasons behind it were never really discussed and allowed for more individual thoughts on why and - kinda - made me at least wonder if Glorsh hadn't done all these terrible things for ultimately good reason. Sure, AI hitler could have been turned down or muddled a bit, but it really feels like this is just...hollow in terms of emotion and undercuts a lot of what made skrell interesting. I agree with Borya and Doxx entirely.

Heyo. I was one of the officers. I'd like to point out that the whole thing began with someone kidnapping the bartender in front of three of us at the bar, then decided to wordlessly attack me with a wrench. Given he was violent and then violent throughout his detainment, the moment he escaped - alongside someone breaching mining by forcing the airlock and then running around busting windows with a sword - riot gear was given out. At no point did any of us use said gear in anything other than a non-lethal way up until the end, where a bunch of sword cultists decided to attack the shuttle. Yes, part of the cult was peaceful, but the other half most certainly wasn't. Likewise, we kept making excuses for things like the reporter - citing no evidence, no witnesses, ect to give you guys more time - until he showed us the lair y'all had built. I don't really understand how any of the above constitutes powergaming, as your own character was not the target for said riot gear; the guy smashing shit up with a sword was.

Was on the fence for a bit, but personally not a fan at the moment. Combat with the cones is utter CBT for both sides. It turns everyone into a ninja where they blink in and out of invisibility. It also makes chairRP harder as you can't see who's present to even talk to and the like.

I also like it, though a few things. - You don't always want to give your officers lethals on blue alert. - There isn't always command staff able to allow blue alert, so I'd suggest giving the warden some way of being able to updgrade them too. - This is a really big buff to sec antag. Guarantees they have a free, lethal weapon upon code change. - The ion issue that was already spoken about.

It makes me feel ill, so I'm a little biased. Less so the cone, and more the flickering movement of things appearing and vanishing on the screen. It's especially bad in combat, but I hope this will get better if the cone preference changes go ahead. In general I like it, but not entirely sure how it fits well into the game. I also don't think stealth works for some of the reasons Gem spoke about. Maybe it should just be a thing in the dark? I dunno. Reserving judgement in general, though.

Not interacted with their character directly all too much, but the RP that has been there has been great. I would generally encourage more communication with command, but it's waaayy waayyyy better than what it used to be. I'd also suggest not bringing in interim command members without running it past the other members first as well, as it's not really something the HoP should be doing alone. Really small issues though, the rest has been great. +1

I've yet to hear any convincing arguments as to how this benefits people who are actually playing medical. The removal of nurse/TP? Fine. Whatever. The removal of everything into one generic role is where I'm drawing the line, because it feels less like this is a plus for people playing med and more a plus for being who are complaining about their character having a higher chance of dying when not everyone can do everything. When, ya know, there was a whole round of nerfs given people felt brainmed was too easy. And yes, if more research was added, if virology/genetics hadn't been removed, and if there was any mechanical advantage/gain from this change, sure, I think many people would be on board. However, given none of these things are true and it's unlikely anything of this ilk would actually be added (hence their removal), I'm personally entirely opposed to this change. Especially when we fairly regularly have people playing TP/Nurse/EMT over medic, ect - if people were oh so unhappy they can't do everything, why not just play surgeon? I also think it's entirely understandable that people are a little bit bitter where it's people who don't play the role (or, in some cases play at all - like what!?) are supporting this change where - as far as I can see- the majority of people who play the department are against them, even if they agree with some things like the nurse issue. But, again, if people want to play nurse, what is the problem with that? SS13 is already a difficult game to get into, and complaining that some of the roles are complex feels a little pointless.

Agree with everything SadKermit said, really. Also, it's really not hard to get into learning medical and if people are really scared away because there are different titles, that's really on them? We have a wiki after all. I would also point out that if there was no need to have any of these roles and people hated the limitations of them, they'd - ya know - not actively play them; we still have plenty of physicians/a few trauma docs/some EMTs. Nothing is stopping these people from doing other jobs if they want to, and it feels like a decent chunk of your argument - what people can/cannot do - has been mostly fixed in the newest update. I would also point out that other departments - security especially - do suffer from the 'but my realism' argument. Especially on the mallcops with guns angle, but that's an entirely different argument. It's simply nice to have other options on a server that should be putting RP in front of mechanics. If this included the reintroduction of a (non-shit) virology and the return of genetics, it would make considerably more sense imo. As it is however, I really don't see how this benefits any individual playing medical as opposed to solely being a way to get rid of arguments developers have issues with. Medical is fun because it's a complex department in my opinion. Stripping that away isn't a good move.

Biology and medicine are entirely separate fields for the most part. There's some overlap, but a researcher isn't going to be practising medicine in 99% of cases. Not really a fan of this at all - imo it removes flavour in favour of homogenisation of roles. We just had a rather promising update - I like the mindset behind this, but not sure it would work all too well.

Yes please. 'Nuke or x' gimmicks are so lame, and having some actual cost to it would be nice. On the flip side, it's frustrating when you're playing merc and there's always that one guy that insists on using it for every tiny threat. I tend to just take it off the ship anyway tho tbh.

The main problem I have with barricades is that mobs can pass through them, which makes them redundant when it comes to dealing with things like spiders and hivebots. If that could be fixed alongside this, that'd be pretty great.

I still don't see why anyone would fight this thing just for bluespace crystals which, whilst rare, really aren't that useful. The model is great, but it's the same logic as to why people don't go and fight the worm mob out on the rock - what's the point, bragging rights aside? I also don't think it's very reasonable to expect the entire security team to head out to fight this thing. Though that's just an echo of what everyone else has said; the mob itself would be a great addition, it just seems a little overtunned for minimal reward.

Changling is already a mode many people have issues and limited patience with. This does nothing but encourage you to kill the changling on top of all its flaws. You can't cuff/restrain them, so why not just opt for two bullets to the head instead?