Shenaanigans

Agreed on both points. Trying to guess which language is which off of the sliiiiiightly different shade of green is nigh impossible and you'll definitely have some audible distinction between Unathi of different origins in speaking Azaziba.

I was also present for this round as one of the other expedition members (the engineer), but all I'll say is that I heavily disagree about this being a purely IC issue. The enjoyment of many players was tanked by dragging out the expedition preparations over weapons that weren't even brought along and no one should have known we would need in the first place. It would have been easy to just say "alright, go anyway and turn back if it's dangerous" when all of us were gathered, ready, and eager in the bridge, but instead we all get turned away with no explanation. It negatively impacted the experience of quite a few people OOCly, so I believe it is an OOC issue worth looking into.

You used to be able to queue up multiple attempts at shrapnel removal and thus make the chance of failure easy to deal with, but now that you can't anymore I'd definitely agree that trying to remove multiple pieces is a headache and a half. Either reducing the failure chance or re-allowing the multi-attempt method would be great.

I feel like the inability to physically interact with the round except via proxy (through stationbounds) is a good counter to how much sheer power the AI has over the station otherwise. The purpose of the AI is better off as a observational, assisting presence who can interface with some subsystems but can't just stomp around in a remote body and do everything, because then why does the station even have staff? AKA the PR has my support.

I feel like there's an allusion to a deeper issue with the game mode going on here when the prospect of being recruited into cult gets such a vehemently negative response from a lot of players. Personally, my opinion is that by playing secret you're expected to engage in good faith with whatever antag type is rolled, and it seems like horrendously bad RP manners to get caught by a cultist and respond to conversion with cryo or refusing to play along. That said, the suggestions to make "resist until death" much quicker seems reasonable to me. If someone is that uninterested in being converted, they don't have to lay there slowly dying for 10 minutes and waste the cultist's time and, say, fifteen-ish seconds would leave at least a small window for a sweeping rescue. I'm just sympathetic for the sake of the cultist who goes to the trouble of capturing and isolating someone to get them onto a rune and, after all that work, all they get out of it is a corpse, so maybe some new benefit added in even if someone resists to death?

Basic Information Byond Account: Shenaanigans Character Name(s): In rough order of most to least used... - Valeriya Samsara (Head of Personnel) - Sloane Goldhirsch (Security Officer) - Aisha Viswan (Chief Medical Officer) - Finley Green (Cargo Technician) - Sreznai Guwan (Shaft Miner) - Halkikijr Zaydan (Cook) - Zo'iksa Szek'hakh (Head of Security/Security Officer) - Nalyurrna Mrraz'hran (Gardener/Priest) AI Name(s): n/a Discord username + tag: Shenanigans#9440 Age: 23 Timezone: Eastern Standard Time (UTC-4) When are you on Aurora?: Generally I'm able to play all throughout the day, but I'll most often be online ghosting/in round in the evenings. From around 8 PM to 2 AM. I just work a part time job for a few hours a day Sunday through Wednesday and am in a few DnD games in the evenings. Experience How long have you played SS13?: My account was created on October 9th, 2019, so it's been almost a year now. How long have you played on Aurora: Aside from the first day or two where I played a few rounds on Beestation to learn the game controls (not a fun experience), I've spent all my time playing Space Station 13 on Aurora. How much do you know about SS13 (Baystation build) game mechanics?: I would say I have a good understanding of the basic mechanics of all departments and nearly all jobs. I wouldn't exactly call myself "robust", as I tend to shy away somewhat from throwing myself into combat and don't care much for min-maxing mechanics, but I have enough knowledge to figure things out through trial and error and am familiar enough with the Github codebase to go fishing around for information I don't already know. Do you have any experience moderating for an SS13 server?: No. I've moderated plenty of RPs before, but I've never been staff for a SS13 server. Have you read through the criteria thread; https://forums.aurorastation.org/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=4198 - and believe that you mark off all the criteria?: Yes and yes! Have you ever been banned, and if so, how long and why?: Nope. Personality Why do you play SS13?: At the time that I decided to start playing SS13, it was because I'd recently been turned off of a game where I got most of my RPing fix and was craving a new space where I could take part in the hobby again. I initially found the actual gameplay aspect very intimidating, since I was coming off of forum RP and a platform that was basically just a chatbox with no expectation to really have any skill, but once I got my bearings it became really fun to learn all the different jobs and get involved with the community. Now here I am nearly a year later. SS13 serves as a (generally) very enjoyable hobby for me where I can stretch my creativity in creating characters, enjoy interacting with the others who play, and have fun bettering my understanding and skill at the game. Why do you play on Aurora?: I initially chose the Aurora to play on because it was where my girlfriend plays (and still does). The HRP tag was something I knew I'd prefer from the get go, since I was more interested in lore and storytelling over gameplay, and since getting comfortable here I've generally just not had an urge to try out other servers. I like the community here, I like the available jobs and the characters who play in them, and I love the expansive lore that seems to be rather unique to the Aurora. It gives so much more material for creating engrossing characters that are part of a setting that actual has impact on the way you play. What do moderators do?: Moderators are, as the name suggests, there to moderate the game by watching what players do and stepping in to offer guidance or a gentle nudge if someone is stepping outside of the bounds of the rules. They're tasked with making sure that the game remains a (relatively) calm place where people can play knowing that they won't just randomly have their experience ruined by someone looking to grief or have all the fun at the expense of others. They're equal parts enforcer as well as teacher for people who might not have as much experience with how the game works. What does it mean to be a moderator for our server?: Obviously a moderator for the Aurora, specifically, would be expected to handle the above two points that I mentioned, but with a HRP server I feel that there are extra responsibilities to also be keeping an eye out for behavior that compromises the HRP status of the server. Someone might not be breaking one of the more clear cut rules, such as coming in with a meme character name or wordlessly attacking people, though they are still negatively impacting other people experiences by misrepresenting lore, shutting down antag gimmicks, or taking on tasks that a character should not ICly have knowledge of in their job. These are somewhat more nebulous things to moderate and can require careful, well thought out decision making on what is and isn't healthy behavior for the server. Why do you want to be a moderator?: I have a long track record of finding myself with the urge to get involved in the staff side of things when I really start to enjoy a RP, and thus far I was mostly content doing that on just the lore side of things as a Deputy. Now, though, I feel that I've reached a point in my understanding of and comfort with SS13 that I can test the waters on the moderation side of things, further offering my help to keep the server up and running with an active staff team. I just get this itch to become involved with the administrative side of things and would say that that's how I express my like for a RP platform that I've become dedicated to. What qualities do you possess that would make you a good moderator?: I've always felt that my level head and very low temper are two of my greatest strengths, likewise things that translate well to the... unique stresses of moderating a social group online. I am very slow to anger, open to hearing multiple sides of a disagreement, and patient enough to sort through all the information in front of me before I jump into making decisions. I will always do my best to respond to aggravation with a cool head, since a breakdown into hostilities is pretty much a guaranteed way to derail any conversation and make sure that nothing positive comes from it. How well do you handle stress, anger, or insults?: Quite well. As I just mentioned, I would call myself an extremely difficult person to anger (over small things) and I've dealt with the stress of moderating RPs that ended up falling apart due to simple grudges and a lack of willingness to just talk things out, so I value that skill very highly. In the case of personal attacks, I vastly prefer to step back and disengage from that rather than trying to argue back. I try my best to stop and self-evaluate if someone is bringing up valid points on what I've done wrong, but there's a difference between that and someone railing at you and berating you over text. Anything Else You Want to Add: u w u

Traitors and Hatchling-nappers: a Plot Unraveled at Last! In the months following the coronation of Not’zar Izweski, 68th Hegemon and Lord of Lords above all Sinta, it has been a time of recovery and fortification for the realm. With the return of the major noble Clans to the fold and rebellious sentiments forgiven, relative peace has reigned on Moghes. However, today has brought startling news from the mouth of Hizoni Razi herself—newly named Spymaster of the Shadow Service. Her investigation into the recent disappearance of “Yakt Izweski” has concluded. Past news shed light on the plot to spirit the hatchling out of the Izweski manor via a maid who, under questioning, confessed to handing the child off to a member of the Maraziites some months ago. Further details on where the child ended up or how directly High Priest Unzi was involved in this plot remained in question, but as of this afternoon the Spymaster gave a public statement in which she explained the depths of what she’d uncovered. The azure was straight-backed and certain as she spoke to the waiting reporters outside the Izweski manor. The mention of proof brought her to brandishing a sheaf of papers in one hand, lifting her chin triumphantly as she went on. Inquiries as to whether or not these writings would be made public were met with a dismissal. For the time being, it seems that the Spymaster wishes to hold fast to the documents until every last dreg of treachery is rooted out. This set the assembled Sinta to murmuring. Unzi’s trial may have been months in the past, but his insistence that he did not directly plan nor execute any plot to steal the hatchling still lives within the memory of Hegemony subjects. This reveal cast the words in a new light. It was at this time that Hizoni opened the floor up to questions. One reporter asked something that has been weighing on many minds for all these months: what of the hatchling, “Yakt Izweski”? Hizoni paused at that, before setting her expression to a grim cast. The Spymaster departed back into the manor shortly thereafter, though not before posing for this image to be taken of the newly minted Spymaster in regalia fitting her position. Hizoni has indeed proven her skills in this successful resolution to such a important case and now minds can be put to rest on this mystery with the assurance that justice has been served.

Just double checked this and yes it seems that the wiki is just a little out of date on that front. Xenoarcheologist is an alt-title of Scientist, which has a minimum age of 30 years. Roboticist is the only non-learner science role that's currently set at 25. Otherwise good answers! This app has my support.

Hi there! I have to say I really enjoy the flavor of this character, taking as core a value to Unathi honor as "bravery" and spinning that to be something that can apply to scientific pursuits rather than simply throwing oneself into combat. It illustrates a very thoughtful understanding of Unathi values-- beyond a more basic, battle hungry warrior archetype --and definitely makes Sezrak into a memorable character. The only concern I have to bring up is the fact that Scientists have an in-game age minimum of 30, so if you do intend for him to take the Xenoarchelogy role you would need to bump his age up by a few years. Other than that, I only have a few things that I'm curious about, since you were generally very thorough in outlining his backstory and personality. First off, what would you say his opinion is of the Hegemony and generally other Unathi who are not from Dominia? Secondly, how does he feel about his House's origins lying in piracy and the somewhat "dishonorable" tactics that the Imperial navy is rumored to practice?

You mad lad you actually posted the application... Well, if Vulc wants to torture himself experience the wonder of Command then I'm happy to throw my support behind him getting a trial. Despite only ever playing two characters, he's shown an ability to RP out a fleshed out, interesting, and memorable personality-- as anyone who's met Ronald Monday ICly can attest to --and routinely handles the chaos of security as an officer main without defaulting to "unga antag smash" or letting it turn his character into an unfeeling baton dispenser who only goes back to acting like a person once the antags are dead. I think he'd contribute well to providing engaging RP as command and could be trusted to not abuse the privileges that come with the role. +1 even though ur crungus

I'm in agreement with Schwann that robotics has a lot of varied tasks they are often expected to be able to handle and, realistically, it doesn't make too much sense that someone has the credentials to perform brain surgery for the sake of cyborgification then turn around and build a stationbound from the ground up. I think the most sensible course of action would be splitting the two robotics slots up into one biomechanical engineer (handling prosthesis and cyborgification) and one mechatronic engineer (handling mechs, hardsuits, and stationbounds) with a sort of middle ground of IPC maintenance, AI nonsense, and other minor responsibilities divvied up based on whether someone thinks their character would feasibly have the knowledge for it. I know it puts a good amount of faith into people sticking to tasks fit to their title, but there's precedent for that in things like medical (surgeon versus physician) and it just... makes more sense to me than encouraging roboticists to be wondercombo surgeons and engineers.

That all checks out for me! I'm happy to back this application.

To clear this up a bit-- not everyone within the Queendom is of the Szek'hakh Clan, but given that it was a fairly well off Clan prior to the Contact War it is fair to assume that it was a large one with numerous sub-branches. So you could absolutely have a character who's related to Lazak herself without being something as direct as a daughter/grand daughter. Maybe a cousin or simply related by marriage of another family member. Whether or not you want to have that be the case, or just change the character's Clan name, is entirely up to you! As far as the actual character goes, I'm very interested in the concept you have going and think it brings in quite the unique take on both Unathi transspiritualism and Queendom ideals. The question Haydizzle brought forward about how exactly she ends up on the Aurora is presented just because that act of getting from Moghes aaaaaall the way to Tau Ceti can be a hurdle for character backstory, so we just want to make sure the logic of getting from point A to B checks out. I know you've probably got character details worth keeping under wraps, though, for the sake of maintaining some mystique for later RP. One last thing I wanted to note was that we actually just had some dueling lore drop for Unathi today! I'll just link the relevant pages for you to take another glance over, given this character is established to be a talented duelist, if you haven't seen the recent additions. https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Unathi_Honor https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Unathi_Guilds

This is an interesting topic for an article and you definitely succeeded in pulling my attention with it, making me want to know more about how this would ripple out to effect more of Moghes if it did happen, so good job there! I'm also going to be That Person who drops questions on all the applications. Do you have any interest in a specific Unathi faction for edits/expansion? Expanding on number one, what aspects of Unathi lore in general do you think you'd like to tackle? Social culture? Religion? Galactic politics? Something else entirely? Would you say that you're more of an independent or collaborative writer when it comes to worldbuilding/lore?

I'm a sucker for the use of slang and non-verbal communication to diversify a culture, so you've definitely caught my interest with the topic of your essay. I could see it being a lot of fun to explore and incorporate into Unathi as they now exist to further flesh out what separates them from other species. To get a better sense of what else draws you as far as Unathi lore goes, I'll also ask a few things! Are there any Unathi factions that particularly pull your interest or stick out as being areas you'd want to make edits/additions? What do you like most about Unathi as a species? A big part of lore writing is creating content that helps entice players into making characters that actually use said content in RP (or apply for whitelists and join lizard gang), so is there any aspect of current lore that you think does this well? OR could be made to do it better? If you could pick a species to further explore Unathi's relationship with, which would it be?

All the various points of this application check out lore-wise and I know that you've put a lot of thought and care into crafting it, so I'm happy to throw in my +1! My only question (since Dead hit on all the general bits I would've asked after already) is more out of curiosity-- does Geiz have any particular long-term plans? Cargo technician is a very accessible, low tier sort of position to make some credits off of, but does he intend to pick up an education or try to advance at all in making a home for himself in Tau Ceti?

ban she

Seamless communication is probably one of the hardest aspects of command and tends to come with more practice, so I think as long as you keep a focus on trying to improve in that realm you'll make for a great command player with time. The effort to engage crew and cultivate a fun environment is very much there, based on what I saw in that 3+ hour extended round last night, and I was impressed by how Prince bounced between chatting at the bar, organizing laser tag, and then pulling in crew for a pool party which she was active and participating in all throughout. A member of command who seeks to create fun in quieter moments is a very valuable thing to have. +1

HI there! I was thrilled to see that this app included a character from Ha'zana, as the GC tends to be a very under explored faction that I'm working on renovating a bit because of that, and in general the concept is solid. Your answers to the previously posed questions also follow well with the lore. My only point to bring up is that, even though the Compact tends to depart from some of the laws of traditional Unathi society, they still keep similar opinions on gender roles. A woman joining the Compact is not unheard of, though she would not be given the same amount of respect or responsibility to fight in raids as she would be seen as naturally weaker and more suited to "feminine" tasks. This does, however, work well for an enterprising woman looking to start a bar! I only bring it up so that you're aware that she wouldn't necessarily be "escaping the restrictions of traditionalist society" by joining the fleet, since gender roles are very much still present there.

Oh thank god you updated this. I started playing science literally yesterday and was floundering trying to figure out to do without a cloning board or phoron pistol anywhere on the lists.

Paradox always has well informed, insightful opinions on many facets of lore-- extending far beyond just what's focused on skrell --and I know they have a real plan as to what path to steer skrell lore down as well as tons of good ideas. +1 for frog monarch

Also bringing some perspective from the above mentioned round, I do have to agree that your Captain play hasn't exactly shone from what I've seen. Maybe it was just a product of the absolute chaos that is a Tower Defense round, because 12 antags in one round is just insanity that I wouldn't wish on anyone in a trial, but even though I wasn't in a position to witness much of the combat oriented activity that happened that round I can bring perspective from a fellow Command member standpoint. To begin-- communication is KEY. If there is any one piece of advice I could give to anyone playing Command it is 100% to be communicating with the rest of the Heads so you're all on the same page as to how to react to a threat, and I felt that this was lacking in your play as Siobhan Verity. As a Captain your job is to coordinate the Command members and when 12 antags show up on station they're naturally all going to look to you and ask "what the hell do we do about this". The amount of response we got to that question during the aforementioned round was very minimal-- mostly just to call for a raise to red, distress beacon, and later a shuttle --with little to no talk of what we should be telling the crew or how we should be interacting with the visitors. Be hostile? Be friendly? Stay away from them entirely? Any of these would have been viable plans of action, but as a Captain it's important to choose and make that choice known rather than letting everyone do their own thing and fend for themselves. Otherwise both the other Heads and the rest of the crew are forced to sit back in this sea of uncertainty meanwhile not wanting to step on toes by taking charge, because we have a Captain and that's for the Captain to be doing. I think if you work on being the voice of calm and coordination that's important to have from a Captain you'll find success in your trial, it was just a bit lackluster from my experience in this round. Keeping working at it!

This is a very cool item and just as well justified. Easy +1

Also joining the scores of interested users! o/ I considered trying to familiarize myself with byond coding as a quarantine project so this would be a fantastic help.

I really doubt that any large amount of users actually, in all seriousness, wants to remove security. Objectively speaking there has to be someone around with the clearance and access to weaponry to deal with boarders, hostile xenofauna, and supernatural creatures from the pits of the nightmare realm, so security has to continue to exist in some form. The rotten apple lurking in the bunch is, instead, the mindset that tends to feel at home and take root in the security department-- valid hunting, "play to win" RP style. If it can even be called RP to begin with. I do have to admit a bias against opinions coming from self proclaimed security mains because of this prevailing tendency to treat SS13 like a first person shooter, though I also tend to feel the same way against antag mains. Are all of either category the unga bunga "make spaceman go horizontal and win" type plaguing HRP servers? Of course not. But even in my relatively short stint on this server I've witnessed time and time again mechanics having to be adjusted for this specific breed of user for the sake of ensuring that the Aurora actually remains HRP and fun for the people who want more than to focus on "winning" or "losing" in a hobby where neither or those is real. Nothing should be built to WIN or LOSE. Only balanced so that it provides the maximum amount of engaging roleplay for the maximum amount of users, which is what I saw depsec as moving toward. I do strongly disagree with some of the proposed changes to the initial testmerge (cough securityradioremoval cough) that hamstring the department in not so constructive ways, but it's extremely inaccurate to take this stance of "oh obviously this is just some intricate plot to lead to the end removal of security entirely" when the staff have said time and time again that the intent is to enhance RP. As much as I'd love a culture shift where the people who only care to AFK until antags show up that they can shoot were frowned upon enough to change their attitudes, shifting mechanics to make it so that they can't so easily stomp on well meaning antags is the more realistic option. It's not a removal of security, it's (ideally) a shift to a security that helps RP more than it harms it.