Haydizzle

Alright. I finally managed to come back to give feedback on a whitelist application for once. I'm not one for simple +1's though, so I'm going to grill you a bit here with a few questions that came to mind as I went over your app. Nonetheless I am enthused you decided to apply for command because I figured you'd be top notch at it and be an exemplar example for people getting into the game Anyway, getting right into it, I hope you're ready for some grilling: 1) There was a lot of good things to read for your answer to this question. It paints a pretty good picture of why you haven't applied for (most) whitelists until now, but I feel as though the core of it went unanswered. Simply put, what drove you to apply to play Head of Personnel? Lack of command in the spot, a desire to play Paperwork Simulator™️, organize a usually open department, or some other reason(s)? 2) You seem to be cut from the same cloth as I in relation to why we both applied for command as we both enjoy a lot of heavy RP and shy away from antag related jobs and mechanics. I will warn you in advance though, that playing solo head of personnel can be very stressful, and often there isn't a lot of time to sit down and enjoy finer moments of RP due to being an almost de facto head of security. How do you think you will fare in these situations? 3) This is a really interesting take actually and caught my attention. I've always felt as though cargo and service were meant to be separate and have unique identities as separate departments. This said, I don't think I'm opposed to this idea, but could you explain on what you meant by this a little bit? Questions aside, I really enjoyed reading this: your understanding of the lore feels appreciable, you are extremely fun and pleasant to interact with in round and on the relay, and I feel as though you rated your RP-ability a lot lower than it actually is. Good luck with your application, and thanks for taking the time to apply!

Alright, popping in with another xeno, this time not a unathi! Did a quick ref sketch of my new tajara. Pokazli "Khaz" Tupoi'Rlakor

I haven't really gotten around to doing anything full, so I'm just keeping some of my sketches for posting periodically I guess. Also since this is a question I keep getting in DMs: yes I draw humans, I just have been taking to drawing out my own characters lately! Izsrls Kuizuh and Kar'skalzi Bollu

I think if you asked me this question a year ago (even before I was on Aurora), I definitely would have said no. Even just 6 months ago I would've been weird on the topic in regards to tajara. Given though how I've seen the playerbase and "culture" around it develop since then, I think now I am infinitely more comfortable with it than I would've been then. Pretty good question all in all though, to be honest. I had made no hesitations expressing my discomfort with applying for tajara in the past back when I was newer and my exposure to it was different, so it's pretty valid to reassert related concerns now. Thanks for reading the app!

These are some good points that I definitely glossed over, so let me just quickly give my thoughts on it off the top of my head. He tries to be optimistic, so I imagine that he is "saving face" by leaving the planet, hoping perhaps people and other tajara will be a little nicer away from home. This is reflected somewhat in his view of the party: pragmatically, he recognizes the opportunities and life he had as not perfect, but how it likely could've been worse elsewhere. I agree! I think their mirrors and similarities are more so in how they react to each other and the other factions, in tandem with how ideological they are. This is something I alluded to earlier with the Deep Lore™️ in my app. I will say briefly that his mixed biology causes some turmoil on that front, however, as perhaps a hint of some ideas I had in store for the character! (Lore devs are welcome to DM me if they actually want to hear more about this part.) I will try to simply my thoughts here as briefly as possible as there is a LOT to unpack here and I don't want to bury you in a handful of paragraphs. By and large, I think Khaz sees Adhomai as extremely flawed. He feels like an outsider for a myriad of reasons, only being reinforced by the events leading to Second Revolution. He struggles entirely with his identity or where he fits in; another thing to quickly allude to (that I want for other people to learn about) was his parents not agreeing about who they believe which faction is best. Part of him leaving the planet I'd say would be him trying to figure out who he is without the pressure of his people, the PRA "secret service," or even his mother keeping him from learning about the other factions. I wanted to present him as someone who has been duly afflicted by the conflict, but as a result of internal and external conflict, he doesn't know where to fit in. He's neutral to Hadiism currently. Again to tie back in with some earlier points, he sees them as having helped him, but due to his own experiences with life and how much their attempt at one homogeneous culture has failed him personally, Khaz is probably somewhat curious about the DPRA. I left him more impressionable than my other characters since I felt tajara as a species are often the most ideological, and thus it's a good chance for roleplay when you can impress your ideology onto others. Anyway apologies if that was still a little long winded. Hopefully that answers your questions!

BYOND Key: Haydizzle Character Names (most well known to least): Kar'skalzi Bollu, Aerkor Hri'zok, Dalask Caladius, Buhersiz As'zalth, Jakuvah Gawgaryn, Deimos Serraios, S'uzda Dhosu, Porter de-Abaros, MYRIAD, Morgan Andalhand Species you are applying to play: Tajara What color do you plan on making your first alien character? A shade pretty much dead split between blue-grey and dark grey (Zhan). Have you read our lore section's page on this species? Yes! Please provide well articulated answers to the following questions in a paragraph format. One paragraph minimum per question. Why do you wish to play this specific race? As a species, tajara have a couple of ideas in their lore that appeal to me. Perhaps that, like the real world, nobody is a clear cut hero; at best, people only conceal their unappealing traits, and at worst everyone is morally gray. I will admit that there was a long streak where I had major gripes with some ideas as they were portrayed in lore and then by the playerbase, though it seems that these have taken a turn towards being more tastefully done in game, and around that time is when I started seriously mulling over the idea of making a tajara application. In my unathi application, I outlined a "generational trauma" that the species had endured as a result of the Contact War. Some of the reasons that drew me towards unathi have undoubtedly drew me here: the revolutions on Adhomai caused scars that won't be healed for sometime, I feel. The main page even briefly mentions that arranged marriages fell out of practice solely because a generation of adults were essentially wiped out. Also because I want Alb to throw my character in the Zhan pit when NBT arrives. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: I think it would actually be a misnomer to say this species is extremely different from humans, in that their history is comparable to a lot our own. However, I'm not looking to play a furry human; there are still some notable discrepancies for this species. I think the most notable is most tajara were previously a species that lived largely in squalor. The first revolution ended a little more than 30 years ago from today's date in the setting. Most tajara as a result didn't have much experience with comfort or the things industrial reforms brought as that was gatekept by the nobility. Older tajara as a result could still remember a time when they were peasants, while also very likely fought in both wars. Additionally, I think tajara have the opportunity to present more pushback against mega-corporations than some other species, as they have factions that oppose their interference on Adhomai. Character Name: Pokazli Tupoi'Rlakor Please provide a short backstory for this character: Pokazli Tupoi'Rlakor, known simply as Khaz, was born to a rather promising collective of mixed ethnicity not too far from Nal'tor. A Zhan born of a similar father and Hrarar mother, Khaz was a spitting image of the monolithic society the Republic strived for. The tale's optimism stops there--the baby made no cries for help on such a cloudless, brisk morning as it entered into the world. A tongueless tajara was seen as a bad omen from the couple's interracial pairing. The small family became ostracized, even with the introduction of a younger brother a little over a year later. The family had some moderate hardship trying to get Khaz even a basic bearing of the world around him. Though education was scant in the countryside, he still needed to learn a more substantial way to communicate. It wasn't until he was about 7 or 8 when a more standardized practice of sign language became available thanks to NanoTrasen. Lessons remained expensive, regardless of the collective's proximity to the capital, due to the commute and human teachers. However, both parents knew it was worth it: being a Zhan in this world was already tough enough, but being unable to speak was just another obstacle hurdled in the child's path. The tajara chose simply to call himself 'Khaz,' partially for his human tutor, but also to truncate his name and make it easier to remember (Khaz being a part of the name of his ethnicity), which helped in turn with signing it out. Regardless of Khaz's unfortunate condition, the family plowed on, both literally and metaphorically. The collective provided as long as they tilled, and though Khaz wasn't much use in the fields, he found talents elsewhere. This group of farmers were used to simple, meager meals, and didn't really know much else. Khaz, however, had much time on his hand; he often experimented with his own portion of the food to try new recipes by hand. He was pushed towards limited success as his family saw mild improvement in the enjoy-ability of these meals. Nonetheless, improvement was improvement, and given the simple and small amount of ingredients to work with, it was nonetheless an impressive trait. The wordless child spent his days providing where he could around the house as he wasn't much use elsewhere. His family were all out in the fields when the fateful day came in 2451. To afford lessons, the family opted out of a television and instead for a radio; Khaz shuddered when he heard the gunshots and yells about Al'Mari. The timetable fast tracked as his brother and father were both sent off to fight in the Second Revolution while Khaz was being left behind with his mother. They spent years living together, not much word from them on the lines, and their only knowledge of their fates being a single document describing them as basically being missing in action. Recompense was given for their losses, but Khaz's mother recognized a chance where she saw one. The funds were used to purchase Khaz's education in nearby Nal'tor, where he studied to become a chef. Though his lineage proved troublesome in the countryside, it was compounded to worse degrees in urban territory. Haunted by the death of their leader, Khaz was lumped in with the same rebel that sparked this second war. He became an easy target of hatred around campus, as being unable to speak made it much harder to stand up for himself. Deciding that he was tired of his treatment in the Republic, he completed his education and signed on with NanoTrasen, hoping to one day come back to the planet he so loved and hated. What do you like about this character? All my characters have had it too nice for too long; someone needs to suffer for them. I enjoy that Khaz is a somewhat middle of the road character, not being boldly unique, flashy, or perhaps even outlandish as you may say like my other characters, while still retaining layers of complexity. He doesn't love the PRA, but he recognizes that his situation would have been likely remarkably worse elsewhere, and Khaz knows what the PRA has done for him. What inspired me with making a character mute was a desire to explore the difficulties and challenges of someone who isn't fully able-bodied during a time where most of our IRL tools to help accommodate these problems aren't readily accessible. There's also some Deep Lore™️ I have for the character that ties into tajara lore, but I didn't outline here to keep it as a thing for character development later on. How would you rate your role-playing ability? I like to think I have a lot to improve on still. A solid 8 out of 10. Notes: thanks for reading! Feel free to give me some feedback here or on Discord if you have any unrelated comments or suggestions about my roleplay.

Aut'akh has undergone a heavy rework to make them more palatable for play. This is the final version, so expect this draft to be the mainstay, aside from minor corrections and additions in the future. The Aut'akh page itself has undergone an update: https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Aut'akh Religion has also been updated to show their tenets and beliefs: https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Unathi_Religion The main page has been refitted to get a quick synopsis of what you need to know as a traditional, non-heathen: https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Unathi

In any regard, that is probably the last thing I have to post to explain my points. I'll answer more if asked to by staff, but I don't want to clog up the thread.

This entire thing still leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. Even on this thread, there are a lot of notable comments that strike me as bad faith due to the claim issued versus the behavior being displayed. Not knowing who the only acting command member was is definitely concerning. Command, like antags, exist to help drive the narrative; I was your narrative foil for the round, someone who helped arm the station, keep them safe, inform them of the antag's wearabouts. Knowing of command, especially during low pop and there is only one command member, is not hard. A simple shift-click or pausing to interact with people can help with this awareness. Even then this doesn't make sense- I was able to open and close the HoP office door and run inside before the blood drain spell could finish casting. The antag just beat me until I was dead, and there was no effort put into trying to figure out who I was, even after I was horizontal. Just kept on attacking until I was dead. I ended up a dead "validhunter" that was figured to be just trying to kill the antag. This is whataboutism and not relevant to the heart of the complaint. Except again, I never fought back. Ironically enough too, I was on my way to the HoP office to call the shuttle. Yet, even though the antag was immortal and more powerful than the HoP, there was still a procession to kill when the antag wasn't really in danger, and they didn't start anything. Claiming you don't play to win then turning around and claiming "you won" seems to me like bad mouthfeel. This is a roleplaying game, not Call of Duty 17. I apologize, I don't think I can believe that these were unavoidable accents. A particular mindset was framed for the round--the reason I'm making this complaint--a mindset that ultimately could be changed to avoid stuff like this in the future. I'm definitely not trying to claim the entire round was awful; however, there were many concerning moments of antag play from the middle to the end that I felt were warranted for a warning. It's not a singular incident of "well I died at the end so I'm going to report it." It was the end of the round anyway, at which point I wasn't really being removed from the round. Matter of fact-ly, all these "accidents" were why I wanted to put in this complaint.

Thanks! I was feeling a tad frustrated near the end, so Geiz’ outfit was also done more as imitating the style rather than my own thing. I hope to come back to that one when I get more energy for it, actually... Anyway! Small update since I’ve been a little quiet (forgot about this thread):

There was no indication the antag could be killed; they just kept respawning seemingly from nowhere. Sure, it is "smart" to play to win, but that isn't the goal of the antag: it's to help drive the round and create a narrative. Giving no signs or anything away about the source of your power keeping a lich alive isn't fun, it just allows the antag to go on a kill spree. In the end, it feels more like the antag played to win rather than to create fun for others.

Sure, but I shouldn't be thanking people for not committing to exceedingly poor play; it's the equivalent of thanking a cop for not beating the snot out of me for no reason, because they shouldn't be doing it anyway, that's not their job. Nonetheless the quote doesn't shed any good light on the situation. I can understand an accident or two, but everything feels awfully too convenient for all of it to be largely a misunderstanding or gaff on part of the antag. Yet before this, he was attacked with the blood drain spell outside of medical. The sprite was seen: how was the connection never made? I had many announcements in round, had a large presence over the common radio, and had been in the antag's general vicinity multiple times (the holodeck and kitchen to name a couple examples. Especially when security was fighting the wiz in medical when trying to kill the chaplain; I was there watching the fight too, without a weapon drawn I should add). Both against the HoP and the resident? The lichwiz attacked the head of personnel without any provocation, him talking into a headset, or even just a threat. Overall, there are a lot of issues with this idea of "sticking to the gimmick." It was largely inconsistent and rather vengeful; Mako Wu never tried a weapon on you, and given the chaplain's critical state you could have just killed them then and there in the surgery room rather than attacking the surgeon. Ganking him along with Riu was unfair--yes, an antag should drive a story, but taking people out of the round is unfun unless it's near the end anyway. Killing those two was unfair and unfounded in my eyes. "I received nothing but bigotry and insults"--probably happened after this lich made themselves known as an active threat to the station. My announcement about the antags was largely taken out of context, this was after I was told by security that the lich had assaulted the chaplain for lighting them on fire. My suggestion to security was charging anyone involved they deemed appropriate (including the chaplain, but since I didn't witness the event nor was I HoS I usually refrain from putting too much stake in bossing security around).

I was told the image I posted was too blurry. Apologies oof here's some better ones

BYOND Key: Haydizzle Game ID: b84-aFHL Player Byond Key/Character name: Lordnesh as Brand Staff involved: N/A Reason for complaint: Overall, the antag gimmick from what I stepped in on at the start of the round was interesting. It was interactive and enjoyable, and I think it was the cause of some good RP overall near the start of the round. However, that is where my praise ends, and later into the round as escalation ensued, things devolved into being a gankfest featuring a lichwiz that abused mechanics and punched people while they were down. I was playing my head of personnel that round, so I did my best to assist security and stay out of their way, yet escalate as appropriate by changing the alerts, calling for an emergency response team, and keeping the station informed. I never once drew my weapon first, even after the wizard attacked me the first time (without provocation, I should add--simply sucked out my blood and some gibs without any roleplay); I opted to run instead of try to fight the threat. The second time around, I was quite literally cornered with nowhere to go as I went into my office. The command blast doors came down, and the wizard proceeded to go on the offensive again without me having drawn my weapon yet aka without provocation again. Logs for quick ease: I didn't think this problematic at the time as it could've been a solo experience I faced, but other people were privy to this same ganking method that did nothing to tell a story, only add to the chaos and simply powergame summoning more skeletons, which is why I assume I was stabbed until dead and not left alone, even as the ERT were breaking down the walls. I heard anecdotally after dying that I was not the only one to experience this, but I will opt against putting words in other people's mouths and instead see if there are comments on this going forward. Did you attempt to adminhelp the issue at the time? If so, what was the known action taken by administration/moderation? I did not, the decision to make this complaint came after the round, in which I realized this might be an issue worthy of being looked at. Apologies for the inconvenience. Approximate Date/Time: September 8th, a little before 11 pm. Note: this is my first complaint done on the forums, so if I missed anything/something else is required of me, don't hesitate to ask.

Bonus round: a quick meme

Hey everyone! I've recently gotten back into graphic design as I go back to my roots and take up commissions for some cash on the side as I go to school. Largely my database is a little small since my old computer got wiped, but I'll be updating as I go and free time allows. If you want to do a commission, direct messaging on Discord is easier, 100% (@Petrichor#0098), but I will eventually reply to things here too. Ignore the fact that most of them are unathi, I've been largely drawing my own characters. Dalask Caladius, my Head of Personnel Aerkor Hri'zok, nonbinary cultist Hri'zok and Geiz (positioning and colors and theming largely done in reference) Hri'zok and the Sa'taks (rip Na'szar ;-;) A sketch and some fun emotes I did of one of my D&D characters Finally, the flirtatious bastard paramedic himself, Kars Bollu (done in a more experimental style than what I usually do)

This was very thorough, thank you for replying. We should have a decision for you soon.

It did! I will warn you that HoP/Captain are both almost de facto HoS when there isn’t one aboard, mostly due to the fact that they both can open the armory and have access to the channel. Depending on your other factors for taking a break from security, how involved these roles are may either be a deterrent for playing them, or conversely a very good spot for you to settle into. I strongly hope it is the latter! Again, thank you for your time, and I will keep an eye out for your characters so I can hopefully come back with positive feedback. ?

I can’t say I’ve had too much formative experience with your characters, however I will look to be more aware now that I see you’re applying for command. What inspired me to comment, however, was simple curiosity: what made you want to pick head of personnel over head of security? I feel as though I often see you on as security, so I figured I would ask. Good luck with your application!

Hello! I’ve managed to interact with you as you played Romeo before, though nothing too deep or long from what I can remember unfortunately. For opening remarks, I indeed have to reiterate Shen’s sentiments about your spin on unathi honor. I think it’s a great take on it and I’ve considered doing something similar for an old character concept. The application itself is solid and shows signs of a good roleplayer. While you show great understanding of the Empire of Dominia, I do have to confess that it is a bit odd to see an application character be Dominian. Due to being outside most of the unathi factions, I will be a little more rigorous with questioning to get a feel for your understanding on the species’ core themes, as well as the lore for unathi in general. I have faith that your answers will help me reach a favorable verdict. Consider your answers and why Sezrak does or doesn’t follow the norm for unathi or his faction. Should you not want to spoil backstory publicly, you can privately message any of the answers to me here or on Discord (I can be reached through the main and lore servers). 1) Generally speaking, a common way for unathi to explain events or phenomena would be through skepticism and religious explanation. How does this clash or even intersect with Sezrak’s profession as a scientist? How does his family view his job pursuit as a xenoarcheologist? 2) Sezrak would have been old enough to have lived on Moghes prior to First Contact. What caused his parents to move towards piracy and thus leave Moghes? 3) What are Sezrak’s thoughts on Not’zar? 4) What are Sezrak’s thoughts on synthetics? (Reasoning here is important!!!) Consider too getting feedback if you’re able! Not required if you are unable to, however. One last note, this gave me a good chuckle, largely because how Dominian unathi treat other unathi should look like this, but usually isn’t unfortunately: Thanks again for your time, and I look forward to seeing your replies! ?

Alright, to break this down a bit: Having people visit your application and comment on it is not actually a requirement, just recommended or talked about. For exceptional applications, you can get the whitelist without any verbal feedback. As for being new, you can still get denied due to being new to the server, but, same as not getting feedback, that alone isn’t why someone is denied. Think of either of these things as being supplements to your application, or perhaps alternative routes you can take when applying. You can be a three year old veteran on server with no outstanding notes and warnings from staff, thus gaining a reputation around the server that requires no feedback, or someone who gathered a lot of feedback due to being shiny and new to prove capacity to RP. If I recall, someone applied for a whitelist before even playing because they had a couple people who could vouch for their ability to RP well. In any case, you were not denied simply because of those factors; they just played into other valid concerns about the application itself, leading to a culmination of reasons focused into a verdict, if I’m understanding this correctly. This statement is a little ironic in and of itself. Not only did they actually ask questions, but there is a statement that is exasperated and accusatory, followed by "my behavior has been impeccable." I read both applications and I agree with Nienna’s reason citing some comments in the second application that were viewed as being somewhat concerning in tone, and this entire thread only validates these concerns in my eyes. I don’t think this is something in general that is done at the end of the forum, simply for the reason that the application is closed shortly after. People who wish to reapply can go to lore deputies or the maintainer of the respective species and ask for more clarity about finer points. I personally spoke to Nienna in DMs on Discord about IPCs before I sent out my whitelist, and they were extremely helpful and provided some insight I probably wouldn’t have gotten otherwise (due to my own misconception of the species). I will agree this could be an error, or maybe not. I’m unsure—I read this as "we were leaning towards denying your application, but wanted to give the benefit of the doubt by asking more questions to give you a chance." Strictly uncharitable if they had no intent of accepting it, but the synthetic lore team is quite frankly one of the most approachable and considerate lore teams, if not the most. I doubt that was done maliciously. In general, the original post trips over itself many times in message by claiming problems or fraudulent conduct while committing to and even underlining one of the reasons the second application was denied. Overall as some closing notes, species whitelists are difficult to get into because, as previously stated, the respective lore team carries some of the burden if an accepted player starts creating whitelist issues on station (like playing an IPC as beep beep android person that acts as if they don’t have a positronic). IPC whitelists as a result seem to be one of the most strict species to apply to due to this, in tandem with people applying and missing ideas about the species. In the way you’ve described, I sincerely doubt that whitelist requirements will be "relaxed."

oof

The above points on it sum up my own thoughts on it entirely honestly. The original document was hard to get through on its own merit because it felt like a chore and it didn’t inspire any character ideas for me. I do agree too that in a weird roundabout way now that I’ve given it some thought, Glorsh’s original lore served a much better purpose in the lore. It showed that, like all species, synthetics were capable of evil just as much as others, and was one of the biggest reasons why people distrusted synthetics. Saying that a synthetic is only as evil as its creator feels like a moot point. The early history lore does not serve an entirely useful purpose. It does highlight how skrell are the oldest and best at record keeping as feels natural, but the details are too heavy handed on eras that are hugely irrelevant on station. Tajara and unathi lore both have long histories which serve a somewhat better purpose (highlighting the constant strife of tajara or the tradition of the past + coming of the Hegemony), however even those I feel could use some trimming due to the earlier periods serving little purpose for on station play. Those feel a little more succinct at the very least. Anyway, apologies for word pasta, I understand that my opinion was given before when this document was handed to staff, but the points raised here I just wanted to signal too that I largely agree with, in addition to giving my own small contribution.

Thank you for the feedback! I realized my hiccup minutes after promoting the interim CMO, it was an awkward moment pfaha. Communication wise, keeping tabs on all the channels is probably my biggest hurdle if I am honest. I'm confident I'll get it on lock.

Hello! Thank you for the time taken to ask some questions. I find them particularly fascinating and would love to elaborate. 1. House Caladius by my knowledge is a house that is not only an administrative and banking superpower in the nation, but they also are one of the most religious houses due to incorporating clergy of the Tribunal into their ranks. Dalask, however, would be a "typical Dominian" by virtue of them being in line with their country's ideology. The major reason for such a haughty noble to be so far from home in my own eyes is they just aren't as much of a zealot as their fellow house members. While remaining religious and observing the Tribunal, they just felt a little uncomfortable with how devout their house was, so going to Biesel was a good way to avoid a constant battering of religion. 2. This is a very good question! I'm firmly of the belief that heads of staff should be putting aside their discrimination when dealing with other crew members. This would be a practice I follow OOCly as well as ICly for Dalask. There would still be resentment and hesitation towards synthetics, but it would manifest in ways outside of directly cursing out station crew, perhaps in a slight bias regarding different issues. EDIT: part of the reason I wanted to make a Dominian head of staff was to showcase a more well-made Dominian that doesn't draw much ire. (Perhaps also a noble who can chastise Dominians who are making their empire look bad too!)