WickedCybs

BYOND key: WickedCybs Character names: Val Xiram, Vael Zuuxix, Ilirium Verana, Informer, Sylvaoo Quvu, A.C.E.S, Sirius-70 How long have you been playing on Aurora?: It is probably around two months at this point. Why do you wish to be on the whitelist?: I am a big fan of engineering and those within it, and I think it would be an interesting development in a current character arc. That said, I do know the responsibilities attached and I’ve been trying things out by acting as an interim head every now and then. Why did you come to Aurora?: Burnout on another HRP server and the want to try something new. It’s been worthwhile so far I would say Have you read the Aurora wiki on the head roles and qualifications you plan on playing?: I have. Have you received any administrative actions? And how serious were they? Yes, a warning about metagaming (used knowledge a character should not know/think oddly about ICly), which I would say is on the upper end when it comes to serious missteps. 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: Playing the part of a character, with other people doing the same as well. It’s great because it gives people the chance to play out some interesting situations and put themselves into a person who may be like them but not quite, or perhaps not at all. You play people, they should have their own hopes and dreams, thoughts and fears. It is also not limited to reality, and that tends to make it a lot more fun. The setting is a universe where humanity exists alongside other intelligent life, and they intermingle. The established lore and general theme keeping things cohesive and adding immersion to the setting. Add in dastardly antagonists and events to react to, and you have a good environment to let role-play shine. It should of course, be enjoyable too. What do you think the OOC purpose of a Head of Staff is, ingame?: They’re the leaders and managers of their departments. Naturally, they tend to be the “face” that is seen the most by the rest of command and the very presence of a departmental head of staff can serve to involve the rest of their department further into a round and keep them from feeling left out via being their link to command. They are also round movers and a good head of staff can contribute to a round greatly, either by being an active participant in some plot or as the target in another persons scheme, among other things. While expected to be competent and knowledgeable, they’re not paragons of perfection. They’re still people with strengths and weaknesses. What do you think the OOC responsibilities of Whitelisted players are to other players, and how would you strive to uphold them?: Keep rounds engaging when you can, guide those within your department and those without it, if it calls for it. Acting as the best example you can be when it comes to being a believable character, essentially. As a whitelist holder, you would be in the spotlight far more, and with that light shone on you its a good chance to show your stuff and you are capable of. I know I have been wanting to follow the example of a few CE’s recently when it comes to their roleplay. This extends both IC and OOC when it comes to conducting yourself. Being a good member of the community is just as important as being a good roleplayer in round. Could you give us the gist of what is currently happening in Tau ceti and how it affected your character and their career? The whole business with the Jargon Federation is very fresh on peoples minds still. For those there for the climax, it’s something they would not be forgetting anytime soon. This is especially the case for Val Xiram, a station engineer and born Federation citizen who had their faith in their nation shaken. Becoming privy to all sorts of troubling and interesting things over the course of the last two warbling events has all but ensured going home could be a one way ticket to a tagging should the Federation delve into their mind… or something gets let slip. So Val looks to the future. Tau Ceti is going to be home for longer than expected. While originally content to be a station engineer in the short term, now that they have to think farther ahead they are aiming higher in their efforts for a better life. Thanks to their skillset and knowledge obtained from their Federation education and general experience. Becoming a Chief Engineer could be a very real possibility, and they’ve been volunteering for interim every now and then to see how they would fare. Sloan’s encouragement has also rubbed off of her, though she wouldn’t tell him that. What roles do you plan on playing after the application is accepted? Only Chief Engineer really. I don’t see myself doing anything else, except maybe consular sometime in the very distant future if I dream up a concept. Characters you intend to use for command or have created for command. Include the job they will be taking.: Val Xiram - Chief Engineer I’m kind of envisioning them as a “skeleton-crew” kind of head that is slotted into a role above the usual responsibilities of a station engineer from time to time due to their current experience level when it comes to leadership, but I will have to see how things end up. Perhaps they’ll end up really coming into their own. I was interim in high-pop recently, and I would say that went pretty well. If this does get accepted, the trial may see an arc with them getting settled into the position, and then I would see if they stick with it or maintain being a station engineer. The latter would actually open up me playing another character in the department since I would still want to CE, just as someone else. How would you rate your own roleplaying?: I am not one for ratings, though maybe a seven out of ten. I try my best, and I think I've been improving. Making less mistakes. Do you understand your whitelist is not permanent, and may be stripped following continuous administrative action? Yep. Have you familiarize yourself with the wiki pages for the command roles? Yes. Extra notes: None.

Really, you just need to interact with Devil's characters in one round and you can already see they are a competent, capable roleplayer who fits the consular role perfectly. Suits their style just fine. I have no doubt they'll put the same amount of effort they do in other roles, into this position too. I would like to see them in action. +1

It does seem pretty difficult right now. You would expect a Skrell at least to get buzzed quicker too, but its difficult even with the species that is mechanically weaker to it.

Expanded the concept in the main post. I incorporated a lot of the info mentioned in my previous reply to make things easier to go through, there's new bits to read too.

Having personally experienced their contributions, both here and on Bay, it's hard not to support them. They'll do just fine. +1

I'll go through the battery of questions first and then expand on it through each one, though if you'd like more, do let me know. As for why Xion's were more cost effective. It really comes down to them being able to perform EVA without assistance (the cooler) while still being a strong and durable alternative, even if its raw power couldn't match a G2. Additionally, as an older model I would think they're less expensive at this point compared to the new super-duty frames when it comes down to it. Even if it's not by much. For the last question, I imagined the industrial units performing in an asteroid environment rife with carp and other undesirables. There would also be dangers with how stable the area was. This would be at the very start of the mining operation. Heph wants to stake their claims and get to work first, in a quick and timely manner before they're beaten to the punch by competitors. The Industrials leading the charge so to speak in this dangerous environment was good, because they could handle it and still provide results without the issues in providing safety for a weaker, fleshier counterpart. Eventually though, once the operation has been underway a while and Heph settled into the area, the environment no longer requires the G2's specialities and durability. The xenofauna is no longer as plentiful. Long-term deposits have been found. The mining crews are receiving proper support and equipment and they simply do not need to lean on the super-duty frames any longer. Expanding more on how they're predictable and how it differs from a human, integrated positrons in most cases, simply can't afford to be the opposite. They are expensive investments. Cause and effect is how they will make decisions, due to being logical synthetic minds. Sure a logical human can follow the same line of thought, but are they always going to maintain that? They are also so much more than a person when it comes to their duties, depending on the frame. Not even the strongest human is going to match a G2 pound for pound. The industrial was made for their work, the human was not. The fastest runner can't hope to beat a mobility frame, who can run for hours. Baselines are simple but very modular and can offer utility and disposability a human cannot match. Their positronic brains can be swapped into a different chassis, though that's not something done lightly of course. A synthetic can be a genuine friend, but it's probably for a reason an organic wouldn't really consider. A being programmed to be a worker will have a different set of values of course. It's a variable thing, but I'd imagine most would first, attempt to elevate their own position however they could. Whether that's working the hardest, performing better than their peers or simply saving up for lack of anything else to do. Different ways to pursue the same end. Once their own existence is "secure", it'd be time to look at the bigger picture. Perhaps assisting other integrated positrons in their plight fulfils their prime directive of self-preservation, because the more free IPCs there are the higher the standing they can collectively achieve and the better quality of life will be for the individual. Maybe a positron takes a different stance and attempts to collect as much wealth and power they can. That their existence will never be threatened. In the end they rise up, or they don't. Maybe some are content to stay owned. Freedom has its own costs too. It would have affected Sirius deeply. They know what they're capable of, and they never begrudged the human miners for not being up to the task. Some things needed a synthetic touch, and Sirius was programmed to provide that. In the dangerous environment they worked in, teamwork was essential, and so bonds were created between the various units. The industrials were all in it together, and every loss of a unit was going to weigh on Sirius and the group. The collective would become less efficient. They had to work harder to make up for it. Units that were in sync with each other might be left without a capable partner after an incident. Every single unit Sirius worked with was etched into their memory. They didn't have the luxury of forgetting like an organic could. As long as Sirius's positron was not wiped, they would be remembered. And they had to work hard to make sure they would still be "worth it" to the company. So Sirius survives beyond most of their original team of industrials. Ten years spent mining will take its toll, but as an "older" industrial positron they end up picking up new things. Logistics needs someone to lift the heavy things sometimes. Instead of mining, more time starts being spent in the warehouses. Facilities they wouldn't find out on a rock become accessible. Turns out even an industrial can grow plants in the communal hydroponics bay if they spend the time learning. The writing was always on the wall when it came to how soon Sirius's use would be deemed no longer needed. They had to make themselves wanted.

Devil really underrates themself when it comes to roleplaying ability. Whatever job they play, they dedicate themselves to it rather impressively. I'd be keen to see how they do a journalist, only really seen them as a chaplain and roboticist so far on Aurora. I know they'll do well in it though. As for the character, It's an interesting concept. As far as Aut'akh go it seems relatively in line with how one would come about. Hopefully I can get to see them in action. +1

BYOND Key: WickedCybs Character Names: Val Xiram, Vael Zuuxix, Ilirium Verana, Sylvaoo Quvu Species you are applying to play: IPC What color do you plan on making your first alien character: N/A Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes Why do you wish to play this specific race: Despite all my time playing SS13, I have never really given playing a synthetic a real shot. I’ve spent only a few hours at best as an IPC or borg across all my time on various servers, same for AI. It’s something I never did, and I never felt drawn to them versus the organic species. I’d like to give them a shot on Aurora due to the interesting lore and mechanics they have here. Additionally, synthetic characters can be quite a bit different, trying my hand at the different concepts I usually wouldn’t be able to do is something I’m interested in. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: Mechanically, IPCs are dealing with battery power and heat generation due to their synthetic nature, with some variance depending on the model. They don’t feel pain. Don’t need to contend with many things an organic would when it comes to maintaining function. The key things when it comes to integrated positrons though, is the will, or rather the directive to survive. They are more predictable, set in their ways and patterns. Plans are set to (hopefully) further their lives. Additionally, not everyone is comfortable with the idea of synthetic life. Integrated positrons still face great discrimination, even in an area like Tau Ceti. Being able to even enter command positions is a hard-won development that wasn’t always the case. Most are owned and few are free. Costs to maintain oneself are high. Even though many are built to emulate commonly seen emotions, synthetics can be seen as incredibly alien, more so than any "xeno". Those are really the most striking differences. Character concept Character Name: Sirius-70 Please provide a short backstory for this character: Sirius-70 was a Hephaestus G2 Industrial unit, in service for a little more than ten years. Commonly seen on mining crews, Sirius and their fellow industrial units undertook the more “risky” jobs that even their organic cohorts had second thoughts about. Jobs that would put their durability and skills to the test. Still, it was lucrative work. Well worth the spending of the Industrials. Sirius-70 served with distinction and remained operational despite the increasingly unfortunate but “acceptable” losses of the mining industrials. Even Sirius had their limits though, and that limit ended up being time. It wasn’t that profitable for the company to keep maintaining them for their intensive work. The G2’s were good for their specific purpose, but now more cost effective Xion Industrials could take over considering things just weren’t as dangerous as they used to be. Having served their purpose when it came to mining, it was high time to do something with the Industrials left. Most were dismantled, wiped and put to better uses. Sirius was not among those. The G2's still had some uses left, and that would be doing the heavy lifting and industrial work they were designed for, in a warehouse environment. Outperforming the Xion Industrials while turning a net profit was not simply not going to happen out on the rock, but indoors Sirius still retained their advantages. So began the second stage of their life. The tasks were repetitive and well suited for a synthetic, it was an easy enough to change to adjust to. As an owned IPC there would never really be much in the way of "free time", but there were enough moments to develop something along the lines of a hobby when it came to growing plants, even if it wasn't really something beneficial to a synthetic. The human colleagues they usually didn't work alongside before appreciated it too. Sirius settled into things, this would suit them just well for now... But like everything, warehouse work was not going to last forever for Sirius. The future tends to be uncertain for owned IPCs. Meeting your targets just wasn't enough sometimes. Another upheaval was in the cards. Hephaestus wanted to capitalize on their relationship with NanoTrasen and increase their influence in Tau Ceti, so the aging industrial was sent to the Aurora to work as a shaft miner and sometimes, cargo technician. They might not be as suitable for their old line of work anymore, but their skills will certainly carry them through on the Aurora… hopefully. They owed it to those who didn’t get the chance. The third stage of their life began. What do you like about this character? They’re simple. They mine and move heavy things around, it’s what they do. That’s not all there is to them though. The relationship between them and Hephaestus is something I’d like to explore with people IC. They’re still owned. They don’t necessarily see freedom as something worth working towards and I’d describe them as arrogant almost when it comes to how good they are at their job. They’re a survivor within the system essentially, and they’re quite used to it. I’ve tried a few characters in cargo too, but I haven’t really been able to settle on any good concepts. Recently, everything I’ve been thinking of has been IPC related, and so I wanted to give the whitelist a real shot. How would you rate your role-playing ability? I think I’m alright, though there’s always room for improvement. It’s been maybe a month and a half since I’ve been here I think, still settling in a bit. Notes: Thanks for reading.

I can't really speak for their OOC conduct, seeing little of it. Their IC conduct though is great and they're a competent, nice roleplayer. So in that regard I think they're fine. Ultimately OOC interactions are a big deciding factor I'd say, though. Good luck.

The only two I was in, which were the last two, was pretty fun to be in. Seeing the entire web of connections made throughout the event and being privy to virtually everything somehow, made things pretty interesting for me. There's just a few things I'm curious about. I read the outline and noticed there were Federation aligned endings. From the way the Federation conducted themselves on the Aurora, and them purposefully missing things or failing in other areas, it didn't seem like they ever actually had the means to win, and they alienated most, if not all Federation loyalists in the events as things went on. So those two endings had no chance of happening. It does make sense that a totalitarian regime is going to go to extremes, and the resulting impact is mostly in line with that, though their missteps seemed very exaggerated to prove they're "bad". I'm wondering if the rebel aligned endings were the intended path across the entire event. Second, more about the outline (not sure if things are still subject to change). I'm not the biggest fan of having "Glorsh was trying to prevent a tragedy all along" be a confirmed thing. Is there more to what they did than just that? Narratively, it's compelling I suppose. What tragedy would drive even a being without empathy to genocide and sterilize an entire species? Were there any other options you thought of, or was this always the end goal for the singularity? Anyway, good event. I'm really looking forward to what's next in Warble lore.

They make for a fine Chief Engineer and make for an interesting command member, considering the current lineup that usually plays. As a frequent engineer player, no complaints about their conduct.

Sleepy's Unathi has been pretty fun to roleplay with, though I would've thought it apparent they were more of a romeo archetype as Marlon said. The detective, CSI and another that I can't recall were referring to them as a sexual deviant, but really, you'd know better if you actually interacted with the character, and so my own character protested. Though that's speaking mainly ICly of course. I like the character, if they weren't possible to do anymore you lose more flavour. I don't really think setting a list of do's and do nots for traditionalists would do much good, or even be feasible. Structured "acceptable" sexism/discrimination is going to be very hard to outline and largely ambiguous. The rules in place seem to largely cover things, so it seems more a matter of sending tickets in and changing player culture by highlighting the unacceptable.

Echoing the above two. If it's a change that's made, they shouldn't be fried. Weakening the dynamic duo sounds pretty alright. I don't really hate the slugs though.

I have not been in the community long at all, so I may not be the best judge. That said, they're a fun player to interact with ICly. They're fine OOCly as well, displaying good conduct from what I've seen. Attitude is good. Essentially, they have the qualities that would make them a good moderator, and I like them already.

Is it really in the spirit of HRP to only abide roleplaying with people you know, or know are "vetted"? In the end, if you get a shitter you're not going to be seeing them much anyway, but it doesn't hurt at all to at least give them a chance. I never expected getting thralled seemingly randomly, or at roundstart. But I simply rolled with the punches, and have gotten some pretty good borer rounds already. If the borer sucks, there would be resistance. Luckily all the borers I've had have been quite alright. We worked together, and these are people I probably have never even interacted with much before. A paragon of perfection that can't get converted to cult, bribed, thralled, dominated, or whatever else, is a failure of roleplay already. I don't have too strong an opinion on whether borer hosts should be an option or not, but I'm leaning to no. I've actually never antagged until the borer gamemode "forced it", but I'll probably tick the option should it come to be.

I'm not the biggest fan of shells. That said, what you have in mind for the one you potentially play could be interesting. But I do trust it's not going to be an excuse to lapse into this over reliance of "reasonable force" when you deal with crew. Understanding seems well enough to me. Other than that. I do have experience with them from Bay. They put their heart into their roleplaying, and they do try. They don't cause issues either. Good, but there's always room for improvement. I think Aurora will be a good environment for them, and they've been doing well during their time here already. Hopefully we see what you can do with this. +1

They're a good roleplayer and a good sec player. It's something I first noticed when I began observing rounds a lot. Now that I actually play the game more than I observe, I really only have experience personally with their engineer, and it's been great interacting with them. They're the kind of player I think would do well in a head role and so I gotta show my support +1

It's always been a little surprising to me, just how useless the T-Ray scanner is. I get the idea behind the small range and pulses, but it ends up being bad enough that even a manifold one tile in front of you can appear as if there's nothing there, unless you look closely. Having a constant projection and wider range really won't harm anything. It's a good change to have the tool actually be used.

I like the Liason character. Echoing the poster above, it was nice to talk to someone at semi-length on a new character. Especially on low-pop. Would've liked to do something further, but the round was a bit hectic and I imagine being the only command not turned into a bird was something to deal with. Situation would've been rather different without your character, and they made a good difference. So +1, I'd like to see what else you do with the whitelist.

A pic from that. Very attainable, though this was a pretty long extended round. Getting material can take a bit sometimes, then you have the construction itself and station events that conspire to keep engineers away. I wouldn't mind a pre-constructed one on the Aurora to circumvent chance, though I suppose to some that's part of the charm.

I imagine they'd try keeping it under wraps to avoid more blunders, but that's not going to stop them from crossing their headtails, which is something I don't imagine other more distinguished Skrell are going to miss when it comes to setting the tone for their interactions. Being outright hostile is improper of course though. All in all, they'd be more prone to probing in the effort to find potential rivals and superiors, and one-upping by showing off artifacts and knowledge. As for current events. What happened with the Tzqul Archive is a large sore point fo Vael. They never got to see it in person, and the prospect of losing history that they by all rights should know is more than a bit painful. This led to a bigger focus on the Star Chanters and their words. Figures already very respected, even more important now that they could very well be some of the few to carry history with them. So right now the main thing on Vael's mind is the plot by Diam'ond to take the life of a Star Chanter... on the very same station they'll be working on in Tau Ceti soon. Vael is cautious to say the least.

I'll note you down! For now I can't dedicate much time, but I'll probably shoot a few questions your way after the new year once things open up for me.

I'll be reading the guide you post, for sure. Time and motivation willing, I've always wanted to contribute in some way. Reminds me I should give mapping a shot, again.

BYOND Key: WickedCybs Character Names: Just one, though they haven’t been used much outside of being my ideal ghost. Alex Adell. Species you are applying to play: Skrell What colour do you plan on making your first alien character: A light yellow or greyish white. Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: I have. Why do you wish to play this specific race: I really like them, and I like what can be done with Skrell characters. There are unique opportunities and concepts you can explore with them, and I’d like to do my part in adding to this server by doing so. The lore is very nice in this regard, what’s there to read is pretty interesting, especially what’s there in regards to their psionic ability, like being a listener or receiver, The Wake and The Srom. I’ve always gravitated to Skrell throughout my time in SS13, so there’s a bit of that old attraction too. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: A few big ones to note that I feel would affect pretty much every Skrell. Their nature as a psionic species is something that very drastically sets them apart from humanity. It’s a natural part of their lives, and their connections follow them into their dreams. Those outside the Federation will have another dynamic, where they may not be as proficient in using their natural abilities, lacking the education and know-how, perhaps they may be more closed off due to lacking peers, the distance from those adding to the Wake and nobody occupying dream bubbles. Next up, the Jargon Federation. An ever present entity in the lives of most Skrell inside its borders, and many outside of it. Idols are raised up, examples that citizens strive to match. Privacy is just not something guaranteed, or even expected. Unless you happen to be valuable enough to have secrets worth keeping… sleep will make your tongue loose, so to speak. After all. The trauma Glorsh inflicted influencing their policy on synthetics as well as their treatment of Skrellian children due to the singularity’s sterilization of the species, painstakingly undone to a certain degree, not completely. Third. They’re rather hard to read to non-Skrell. Doesn’t help that most aren’t going to be able to be able to understand and perceive Nral'Malic, which is where a bulk of the emotion is. Telepathy is a no-go (mostly). What certain headtail movements mean will be lost unless a guide is read or there’s experience with Skrellian colleagues. Bridging the gap and connecting with others is going to be a process, even for those with some experience among other species. It is a two-way street after all. Character Concept What do you like about this character? As much time I have in SS13, I’ve barely touched Science at all really. I suppose an Xenoarchaeologist is still a bit removed from “core” science things, but I’m considering it a gateway into the department! So I’ve envisioned them as a step into the puddle, so to speak. As for the character specifically. I just really enjoyed imagining their reactions to things. I could see them elaborating endlessly about some rusty old weapon they found wherever to someone. I could see their pridefulness getting them into trouble somehow, again. Their jealousy or awe at more accomplished Skrell they might end up working alongside. The high points, the stumbling. Putting this all into practice would be pretty fun. How would you rate your role-playing ability?: I like to think I can play believable characters that make sense with the setting well. I just lack spice in terms of good emoting and some dialogue. There’s always room for improvement. Notes: I realize I probably have too little time and reputation here. That said, I’ve really enjoyed reading the lore and the experiences I’ve had so far, so I just had to give this a shot.

It's really hard to do Vox well. While I can't say I have much time on Aurora, some of the issues others have mentioned (the behaviour, memes) seem to big and really, that's how it is on most other servers with Vox. Even just taking time to rethink things about them would do good, though something new would be neat. I'll be interested in seeing how things turn out, if they're removed.