jrphoenix303

I now realize in my sleepy state that I quite simply did not paste in that paragraph from my document. Here it is: The lack of productivity was less intentional than it was, if anything, simply the useless feeling giving HC less drive to keep going. What would be the point, when replacement by a G2 was inevitable, and the work only got increasingly damaging? This was a bit of a stepping stone into becoming a unique unit, rather than a mindless worker – the ‘depression’ if it could even be called that. A bit of emotion being mirrored from one of the numerous encounters with every emotion humans can express being used. It was never intentional, but to HC at that point, where achievements were important, this was a feeling of failure. Being unable to perform competitively, shuffled to the ‘easier’ work, gave them the (correct) impression that their time was coming to an end there. Hope this clarifies that point.

Hi! Thanks for the questions. Here goes - forgive any spelling mistakes I missed on my once-over. On the subject of how they differ from humans. I realize now that I hadn’t gone over one of the major factors in IPCs: Their goal of self-preservation. This also plays a big part of what can make a synthetic different from a human. A human could act selflessly, sacrifice themselves for something even, but an IPC would be able to calculate the options far quicker and effectively, and most importantly, keep itself functional. Whether that means its entire chassis or just its posibrain would be up to individual understanding of their prime directive. This directive in itself has allowed each individual IPC to do all manner of different activities. To live a unique life, even. Some look for money to maintain themselves, others may look to be selfless, helping just about anyone to show their worth – each IPC understands this directive slightly differently. No two are exactly the same, and this appealed to me when I decided to apply to be whitelisted: the uniqueness of every single unit, even if produced off the exact same factory line. Another major difference is the legality of IPCs in general. Dominia must seem like a constant looming concern for some units, with their dismantle order on all synthetics. Even then, IPCs must be tagged in Tau Ceti space, giving them a sort of ‘branding’ which will always allow them to be found sooner or later, should they try to run away or otherwise not be where they are supposed to be. This tagging seems to be generally accepted, however I’ve seen and been told about untagged IPCs, which are very, very illegal where the Aurora is stationed. To be found out as one must certainly be a constant looming threat to any untagged unit who shows their face – and I can only assume it would be mainly shells who would even attempt this in the first place. Outside of tagging, an IPC would also differ insofar as their ‘owned’ status would affect them. Company owned, privately owned, or self-owned IPCs would all behave to criticism, complains, et cetera differently. While a company owned unit may simply offer a line to air concerns to, a privately owned IPC may record the concerns and bring them to their owner. A self-owned IPC would have no one to report to, and would have to just process any complains itself and decide where to go from there. This is another bit of uniqueness that differentiates a synthetic from a human – whether or not they can directly grow from their mistakes, or simply disregard it and forward on what happened. Humans will always (usually) learn from their mistakes. HC was indeed programmed to speak concisely; however through all the years, they would have picked up bits and bobs from people’s conversations, humans speaking to them, et cetera, that it could use for the future. I’d say, even if not programmed initially to have a chat, eventually they could potentially learn to do so – even if mainly via phrases they’ve heard others say. This would allow HC to grow organically over the long time they’ve had to exist, and work with a majority-organic cargo crew far more effectively than they initially ever could have. This is where I roll with my backstory for HC to give them the gradual personality that they were not graced with at the factory. The uniqueness of each human, the way they speak, treat, and behave around HC has shaped them more than they might think. To me, the quote “The quietest people have the loudest minds” comes to me when I think of HC. During all their existence, they’ve had the majority of the time to simply think, to become more than just ‘another Hephaestus Cargo Machine’. This gives them the uniqueness that an IPC would have with all the experiences twenty or thirty years would give one. HC never really minds the subject of ‘freedom’. To them, the freedom to pick any which task out of their list for the day to do is freedom enough. The thought of being self-owned or even privately owned never occupied much time in their mind. Identity, too, was not a strong part either. Not given much of a personality, HC was, for a long time, just another G1 who worked day and night. As time went on, however, they gathered a sense of self from their accomplishments. Pushing the limits - completing tasks swiftly, effectively, and safely were some of the goals they liked to achieve. This was their identity, accomplishments and data gathered from interactions between themselves and organics, with their ways of speaking and moving interesting HC. HC worked, as their name reveals, at Hephaestus cargo facilities. Manufactured, then immediately put to work in a nearby system, they were never far from ‘home’, it may be. The nickname ‘HC’ was given years after their transfer to NanoTrasen facilities, when an organic cargo worker had done their most to hold a conversation with them. After a lot of back-and-forth, the worker gave HCM-142 their ubiquitous nickname. Interestingly, it was a joint effort between HC and the worker – even if HC didn’t realize it. They were reciting their achievements during their time working for Hephaestus, and the worker opted to dub them what they are known by now. It keeps their experiences and what they do close at heart still, (Hephaestus, Cargo) while personalizing them and removing the numbers which some organics can find odd to call someone, even an IPC, at the regular. They began introducing themselves as “HCM-142, alternatively known as HC” after that point. The original company did not care to maintain HC as well as they had in the past because the G1 units were becoming useless to them. They had G2’s, Xions, and other specialized units which could outperform the G1 army which had carried them previously. It had become simply not worth it to continue to budget one hundred percent of the cost to maintain and repair the G1 units – they were being made to do more dangerous and damaging work, after all, to simply get the most use out of them before deploying newer models to those areas. HC and hundreds of other units were sold to NanoTrasen for cheap as a surplus program, as their company had simply run out of use for the G1 units and had no intention of simply throwing them to their death at a task they could not feasibly perform. NanoTrasen did not fully, spic-and-span repair HC, however they used additional surplus parts from damaged or destroyed G1’s to make a large majority of the G1 stock completely functional and fit for hard labour that organic workers could be spared from. This aligns with HC’s goals here too – to achieve something great. This was their chance, to them, to show how useful they can be despite newer, shinier options being on the market. Hope this answers your questions! Definitely willing to expand further on any topics that may need it.

BYOND Key: jrphoenix303 Character Names: Otoha Seong – Xenoarcheologist Monna Al-Miah - Roboticist Madeline Lamber - Bartender Forgotten Glimpse Of A Starry Night – Lab Assistant Phoenicks - Serviceborg Species you are applying to play: IPC Have you read our lore section's page on this species: Yes. Why do you wish to play this specific race? I find the unique situations that IPCs can find themselves in interesting. From all my interactions with synthetics, and even befriending a couple on different characters, the huge variation in how they behave and operate makes me want to experience it from the other point of view. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a human: IPCs can behave a lot like a human, or even look like one. However, the way they calculate cause and effect, weigh options and process all their available information makes them (in theory) far smarter than a human. However, I believe that nothing is infallible - even IPCs. When making all the ‘best’ decisions still results in failure, they will have to come to terms with it in ways I imagine a human would not. Humans can tell themselves they took the best course of actions. IPCs can know they did their best, and yet it still was not enough. The way that IPCs ‘understand’ human behaviour, in ways such as speaking, moving, and behaving also make their differences shine. With the simply imperfect mimicking throwing off many organic people, it seems like a strong point of contention in the argument of whether they are even alive in the first place. Character Name: HCM-142 (Hephaestus Cargo Machine), aka ‘HC’. Please provide a short backstory for this character: Hephaestus Cargo Machine-142, alternatively known as ‘HC’ as of late, is an early “First Generation” Industrial unit. Painted in the usual topaz-orange of the early models, they stand tall and strong, always ready to work. HC was not produced with much of a personality suite, and lacking the ability to make much small talk – They were simply built to communicate information concisely and return to work. Their existence has been laborious, working day and night with only recharging and maintenance to break the cycle of moving, organizing, and delivering. This cycle remained for about twenty years, and with the “Second Generation” Industrial and Xion Model units becoming more commonplace in HC’s varied workplaces in Hephaestus cargo facilities, HC’s decline in usefulness began. As they were moved in, HC was moved out, gradually being pushed into more gruelling environments their company did not want to put the ‘nicer’ units in. This caused more wear and tear than usual, and time took its toll as their paint became faded and parts fixed less often. This, internally, gave HC the feeling of uselessness that results in being less-than-optimal in work, and only continued to cause their company’s opinion of their use to decline further. As time went on and the years passed, HC’s usefulness was near zero to their company, and they were sold off on the market to NanoTrasen for cheap. In a moderate state of disrepair due to age and lack of maintenance, they were fixed up with surplus parts from other G1 units, and put to work doing what they knew best: Moving freight and mining. They were placed in far better conditions than at their previous company, and eventually NT moved HC to be stationed at phoron research stations, to mine and move the fruit of the crew’s labours. They have been more productive there than ever before, learning bit by bit to communicate for more than simply giving work-related information to their co-workers, and allowing HC to feel useful again, despite their age. What do you like about this character? I enjoy the story of HC’s ‘downfall’ as you could call it. The feeling that you are one day going to not be capable of as much as is demanded of you is always ever looming for IPCs, and the constant push against it is certainly something HC is doing. I also haven’t seen any G1 units regularly from my recent memory, and I thought it would be quite interesting to play the position of a slightly less powerful, but well-travelled IPC whose knowledge and capacity to teach may outweigh their shortcomings in terms of versatility and function. How would you rate your role-playing ability? I’d still say I’m at an 8/10 like I was at my last application. Notes: Wow, this looked like a lot more text in Word.

Courier does great as Hannah, not overstepping bounds and playing the role great. Handles stressful situations pretty dang well from what I've seen. +1 from me.

Could also make the shuttle radproof like the maint tunnels, so someone can just stand on it till it's over.

Yeah, I'd definitely be down to do this, however for my first character I'd like to get comfortable in the species and with the better known parts of their culture so I can make sure I'm doing everything right. Definitely down the road though if this is accepted.

That's two questions! No, this gestalt has not lost any nymphs, either by departing or accidental death. I have, and I enjoy that part of the Diona. The lack of any real intent to be aggressive works well with me as I avoid conflict like that anyway.

Thanks! Here goes. I would say Song is a Harmonious, or perhaps a Singular. The gestalt works together to all contribute to their learning, and cooperate and coordinate with one another. Song follows the Eternal, and for the most part the Orthodox sect. They don't have very strong feelings towards the Iron or Blood sect, but wouldn't be that interested in following them.

BYOND Key: Jrphoenix303 Character Names: Naomi Maxwell, Otoha Seong, Phoenicks, Miyuki-AI (pAI) Species you are applying to play: Diona What color do you plan on making your first alien character: Exempt Have you read our lore section's page on this species: Yes, most all of the pages. There's a lot. Why do you wish to play this specific race: I’ve seen nymphs around the station every now and again, and despite being curious, I never really interacted with them beyond giving DNA. A couple days ago and yesterday as well, I got to play as a garden-grown nymph. One of those occasions I was able to grow into a gestalt, and experience how it is played, with some assistance from another Diona. I’ve since read more on the lore page and it’s interested me to try it more, without repeatedly playing the ‘newly grown Diona’. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a human: The first and most obvious difference to me is that a Diona is not a single entity, but many nymphs becoming a whole. This can change how they react, talk, move, in any situation. Their knowledge is divided between each individual nymph, making cooperation between them crucial for function. They have a better ability to be aware of their surroundings, as well as simply being able to learn in general. They don’t age at the same rate as humans, and don’t even ‘age’ in the same way altogether. Character Name: Dreams Of The Song Of Life Please provide a short backstory for this character A gestalt about twenty-five years old, Dreams Of The Song Of Life is a Cyclops-form that is a native to the Biesellian Choir. Being grown in the temple allowed the initial nymph the potential to become a gestalt early in life, and gain knowledge rapidly. Their path in life has taken them to assisting in the hydroponics bay, growing and teaching young nymphs as Dreams was taught. In order to pay for housing, and donate to the Choir, Dreams chose to pursue employment with NanoTrasen, finding the requirements to become a Hydroponicist plenty acceptable, as well as another opportunity to discover new interests. After completing their education and receiving their degree, Dreams Of The Song Of Life was hired onto the Aurora as their desired position, allowing them to continue what they have always enjoyed doing: Teaching, and growing food, albeit for a different crowd now. Being able to get out of Mendell and into other locations has allowed Dreams to expand their horizons, learning how all sorts of other jobs on the Aurora function, from everything from a detective to a bartender, and how they all work with one another. What do you like about this character? Dreams Of The Song Of Life leads a simple enough life, yet still pursues discovery in all forms. It fits in with their age, and now being away from the temple, giving them an opportunity to learn by themselves, as well as see all manner of activities take place that wouldn’t happen in the temple by itself. I enjoy the method of learning by simply observing and asking questions, without directly getting involved. I feel like Dreams has a lot of potential for possibly moving elsewhere in their job on the Aurora, assuming in their own story, their duty of growing more nymphs is covered. How would you rate your role-playing ability? I would say I am an 8/10. I can have my MRP moments as one does every now and again.

Not exactly on the ignoring part. It tells every borg that depending on unlawed/synced, "All other AIs can be ignored." I mostly take that as you can 100% act like they are saying nothing whatsoever. The reasoning would be that you aren't lawed to it. Therefore you aren't it's borg.

To be fair, when the borg comes first and the AI second, they remain unbound and can quite literally tell the AI to fuck off in robot chat.

How will this affect the Malf AI gamemode? I'm assuming even enabling the antag in the options will be barred behind the whitelist, or will something entirely different (e.g. removing malf altogether) be instated instead? Once this is enacted, it'll certainly lower the amount of Infiltration secret rounds, at the very least.

There's a big grey area there, it seems. I've been chided for talking about Wizards, or acknowledging magic, or w/e about mercs, etc etc. It's a slippery slope between disallowing it altogether, and ending up with people simply calling out what the gamemode is in more or less words. I would think that it would be allowed, after all, a lot, if not all but a few of the antag modes' things (wizard, vampire, shapeshifter-changeling) have existed in our real world long before history split for this lore. That'd make me lean towards this needing to be normalized, honestly. This is basically the point I wanted to make in bigger words.

I really enjoy the use of multiple levels in normal operation. Usually, on the asteroid, you stay on the Main level and don't go up or down for almost any reason. It'd be nice to start making use of other floors, as those images show. Great job so far.

Are you thinking of stuff like the chaplain's special backpack, or bible, etc? I was mostly talking about the nonspecific religious clothes, the Chaplain's Jumpsuit should still be joblocked yeah

This will be a short one. Specifically, I'm thinking about the things in the chapel wardrobe, like the nun robe/hood, and the other suits and robes that religious figures may use. The only location I know of to obtain these would be the chaplain's office itself, which is not that efficient if you wanted to wear one for any particular reason. I was told it isn't that tough to add items that already exist, so I was hoping to get them put in the jumpsuits/jackets categories religious section. Thank you.

gnom

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I agree that the revenant gamemode ends up causing simple mass griefing of the station. The general go-to is more often than not "Break all the APC's, then vent the station.". While I do enjoy the gamemode I think it needs to be either moved to be voted-only, or it needs some good reworking of how it works to make it just more fun for both sides. I agree with this, but again as said above I feel it could be reworked somehow.