La Villa Strangiato

-1. Just cryo if you're bored of the round.

A really fabulous roleplayer who plays wacky, interesting characters! +1

I don't like being "rah rah it was better back in the old days", but I really do feel like the new system map sprites are a big downgrade from the old ones. While the new system map sprites are certainly more customised and more detailed, they're also a lot smaller than the old sprites. In addition, given that they're meant to be little tiny representations of the ships and shuttles themselves, it can be hard to tell what direction the ships are actually going. Obviously, you can squint a bit and then determine "oh, the shuttle is bearing 90 degrees", but I think our system map should strive to have a more intuitive visual design where you can take a look at a sprite and immediately get an idea of what it is and what it does. This also applies, I think, to overmap hazards. On the old map, hazards were colour-coded and very visually distinctive; it was easy to tell an electrical storm and an asteroid field apart just by looking at their sprites. But the new overmap sprites for electrical storms and asteroid fields are pretty visually similar (even if the electrical storm sprites crackle with a little bit of electricity), as seen below. But the most egregious example of unintuitive design here is the planet sprites. Can you see the planet in this screenshot? I sure couldn't. And while it's certainly not as bad as the prior example, a lot of planets have a very low-contrast sprite on a dark background that can make seeing them very difficult if you've got a low brightness on your monitor or if you're just plain visually impaired. On the old system map, the planet sprites took up the entire tile, were brightly coloured against a dark background, and had varying colours depending on their type. This made them easy to see and visually distinct. Thus, I think we should retvrn to the old neon system map, or maybe modify the colours and designs on these sprites so that they stand out against a dark background and it's easy to tell what direction they're facing. I would be happy to contribute in this respect as well!

I already chipped in, but LARE was a fun and interesting ops manager who really tried to engage with the crew, esp. with promises of pizza.

Just going to append parts of the backstory here because it's simpler that way: Yuta is eight years old and was born on the K'lax hiveship in 2457. While the first two years of their existence, spent in VR, were rather typical, first contact with the Hegemony meant that a typical Vaurca existence was rather far from their sphere of experience. For Yuta, it's hard to remember when their alien masters weren't the norm, and their only real attachment to Sedantis I is through the obsessive nature that they and their broodmates have with uncovering its history. Most of their cultural perspective is something of a combination of Vaurca norms and Unathi norms, and they tend to display more respect for Unathi religion and culture, treating humanity and particularly Skrell as something distant and not quite "real" to them. It was in 2462 when Yuta decided to exit VR, and be transferred to Moghes to assist in unravelling the mysteries of the genome and assisting in the more scientific aspects of anti-radiation therapy. While they did their fair share of study in understanding the effects of radiation on Unathi, a good amount of Yuta's research was focused on mutations and birth defects caused by radiation in the fauna of Moghes, and how the K'lax could assist in genetically modifying animals to help them be more resilient against their new environment. Along the way, they met several Unathi (and a rare couple humans) that sparked Yuta's interest in alien culture, and contributed to their Ta believing that they were an excellent fit to work on board the SCC's pet project. Yuta's focus in biology and genetics made them an excellent fit for working with Zeng-Hu, and after their contract was finalised and their onboarding training complete, Yuta would board the Horizon. While they were made aware and trained for the eventuality that they'd encounter Vaurca from other hives (and even, gasp, Queenless), Yuta still finds it a little offputting to see Vaurcae in meatspace who don't smell like the broods of the K'lax Queens. While generally neutral and even favourable towards Zo'ra, disgruntled murmurings from their "cousins" have made them slightly wary of being the target of profit-based badmouthing, given that hive Zo'ra has helped to denounce Tret's industrial practices. C'thur, on the other hand, Yuta only cooperates with out of necessity; they see them with derision at best and outright avoids C'thur Vaurcae at worst.

BYOND Key: lavillastrangiato Character Names: Right now my most prominent are Rosalea Arrellanes, Zelda Zamora, Rei Patel, Gabriela Jacinto, Pala, and like seven more Species you are applying to play: Vaurca What color do you plan on making your first alien character: RGB 0, 80, 60 Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes. Why do you wish to play this specific race: Vaurca feel like a very "alien" alien race to me, with a lot of interesting lore than originates from actual biology and chemical theory. I was very charmed to learn that Vaurca getting drunk off toothpaste is because of a reaction from sulfur to fluoride, I thought that was so cool! I thought this attention to detail would mean I could make a really interesting character, while also having a lot of room for humour (givvvve me vvvhoron) and tension (factional and racial). I like how Vaurca are very intimately tied with other species' lore, with intermingling between factions so they don't exist in a vacuum as a species, and the lore on the personality of the lesser queens was what really inspired me to make an application because there's so much to delve into and enjoy about it. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: Vaurca are a species of insectoids that organise themselves into hive structures, based on the oversight of a Hive Queen. They exclusively consume the fungus called k'ois, originating from their doomed planet Sedantis I, and breathe a mixture of oxygen and phoron (though mechanically they only breathe phoron). They have a caste system built into their biology, each caste being specialised for general labour, war, leadership and breeding, information-storing, and most recently, hard labour in the harshest environments. Respectively, these castes are the Ka (Workers), Za (Warriors), Ta (Breeders), Cephalons, and Ra (Bulwarks). Their caste system also comes with a peculiar, disconcerting aside; Bound and Unbound. While Unbound Vaurca are sapient as any other human, Skrell, Unathi, Tajara, or Diona, Bound are essentially lobotomised drones that perform the repetitive, mindless tasks that Unbound are not content to perform themselves. Bound are augmented over the course of their maturation and lifespan, and casually culled once they can no longer work. They are simple-minded and have a very narrow scope of ability, mostly toiling away on their chosen task until the chemical augments in their brain inform them to eat or sleep. Vaurca throughout the Spur are heavily discriminated against, used for unskilled labour, and generally exploited by their wards. They are particularly hated in the Serene Republic of Elyra, where an attack by the Lii'dra (the one true hivemind of the Vaurca) caused many horrific losses. While they can integrate amongst the populace's workforce and military freely, their population centers are still poorer living conditions than the majority of citizens of their new homeland. They are paid less and oftentimes expected to do the harsher, more dangerous work for free. Character Name: Ka'Akaix'Yuta K'lax Please provide a short backstory for this character: Ka'Akaix'Yuta K'lax was nurtured a typical member of Leto'yaht'zor's brood, spending several years of their early lifespan in VR browsing the great libraries of their Queen. Yuta was particularly enthralled by biological mechanisms, particularly the way other species were just so different from Vaurca. In particular, they took their tutoring from other K'lax who had worked as members of gene therapy clinics on Moghes, dedicated to solving the mysteries of repairing the Unathi genome in the aftermath of the Contact War. Yuta was so keen to see theory put into practice that they often volunteered to leave the comfortable bubble of VR on their own, working along with their peers at the clinics for two years, before their Ta recommended they work on the SCCV Horizon as a xenobiologist. Yuta's genial (though a little overbearing) personality hopefully meant that humans and other species would find them a suitable ambassador for the K'lax species, while also gaining some knowledge to add to the archive when their time came to be reintegrated into VR. Eager to prove themselves and delve into a new world of theory among slimes, Yuta set off for new horizons, hoping for new discoveries. What do you like about this character?: What if...... eccentric scientist character...... but BUGE???? I like the idea of playing a Vaurca who is very quirky and passionate about their field, even if their lack of expression and inhuman manner of speech might make them initially eerie and distant to humans. I would love to do the bait and switch of them slowly turning to meet someone who greets them, then excitedly being like "HELLO YEZZZ HOW CAN I HELP YOU" How would you rate your role-playing ability?: I know I've answered this Very Seriously before but this question has become a little silly to me. I know, and you know that I know, that I'm not gonna self-deprecate by rating myself anything from a 1 to a 4, but you also know that I'm not gonna pat myself on the back too hard by rating myself a 10 out of 10. I have like three whitelists, I don't get yelled at for being LRP by staff or by players, I can string a sentence together, I think my roleplay ability speaks for itself. Notes: my character is not "quirky" when i plant k'ois in the public garden, i understand

I think Grazal plays very well-rounded, compelling characters, but I find he struggles with making their voices stand out amidst the crowd, and he might have trouble with making himself known over command. He is a very mechanically competent player, but sometimes is not always the fastest to act or make decisions. Nevertheless, I think he would benefit greatly from a trial and the opportunity to learn and show his stuff. +1

I like Eddy's roleplay and I think he would play a good Unathi, especially after I played with him on the Kataphract ship. However, I have a few questions to help flesh out your app; 1. What was Nkosana's relationship with his family like? How did they feel that he chose to leave his clan behind? 2. How does Nkosana treat other Unathi, particularly from Moghes and Ouerea, who might be more traditional? Does he avoid them or meet the conflict of ideals head on? 3. Unless I missed it like a brainlet, what's Nkosana's job?

Also, if you do want to rename XO, make them Head of Personnel again, or even First Officer (which is what they're generally called on airlines).

I'm only a command member on trial, but the funny thing is about the XO not officially being second-in-command is that everyone already treats me like I'm basically second-in-command. I try not to involve myself in the matters of other departments, except when the head of security gets conked and the department needs to know what's going on, but this doesn't really seem to bother people if I do step in and give my two cents. When you hang around as XO, your fellow command people look to you as the Captain's second-in-command because you're the one organising the bridge crew, trying to open communication lines between departments, and generally having rather limited duties apart from being the Captain's pet paper-pusher. Naturally, this opens you up to a lot of free time, and you become the Captain's secondary delegator, a person who acts as a second filter to the command channel. I have been elevated to acting Captain to back another head's decision, had my opinions considered on what to charge an aantag with if I added some extra information over the security channel, and generally been treated with a lot more authority than the XO's description implies. This is kind of how I'm used to it being on Bay, but I've been trying to reign in my Bay instincts when I play command because obviously we're a corporate structure and the XO doesn't have a military/governmental organisation rank on Aurora. But it was pretty funny to go in like "alright, I'm not a military commander, I just gotta boss the bridge crew around and be the HR guy-- wait, you wanna make me acting Captain?" I don't really have a definitive answer to this question, but this is just my experience as playing XO. It could be entirely different than someone else's experience playing XO!

I think Comoe was a pretty good, communicative, and sane + reasonable HoS. Camo always makes an effort to roleplay in their actions, too.

Camo is a very strong roleplayer who plays very well-rounded characters. Having seen glimpses of Comoe's warden play, I feel it is a safe bet they would make a good HoS. +1

I like SimpleMaroon because they're really cool and a good roleplayer. They really understand how to make a character and i would definitely support them playing doonr. +1

Counterpoint: It immediately marks someone with the scarlet letter if they really want to play an SRF sympathiser, so we should keep it as a sus detector.

I think so far Purple has played a pretty cool and interesting RD character, particularly in the round where Aelia became a horrible flesh creature. They had some cool mad scientist moments like deciding to do a live autopsy on a very uncooperative changeling and it was roleplayed well with good buildup IMO.

hey wait that's my schtick I am a known Sniblet Enjoyer:tm:, and I think they would play a really cool IPC. I also would like to see more Assunzioni characters being played and this seems like a pretty cool concept. +1

My first round playing alongside Hep as Captain was pretty fun; they made themselves known, didn't just hole up on the bridge, and generally tried to communicate. I think they escalated a little quickly with the antags but given the situation (the only two members of sec being slapped out of commission for a bit) it wasn't so bad.

I think UponASeaOfStars is a very enthusiastic roleplayer who puts a lot of effort into their characters. I think they would play a cool Taj.

BYOND key: lavillastrangiato Discord Username: la villa strangiato#9723 Character names: Rei Patel, Adelaide Hawk, Pala, Gabriela Jacinto, IRU-Hesse, Sesurka Sskedi How long have you been playing on Aurora?: Since September 2022. Have you received any administrative actions? And how serious were they?: I have been bwoinked once or twice for minor stuff but I have no warnings. Please provide well articulated answers to the following questions in a paragraph each. What do you think the OOC purpose of a Head of Staff is, ingame?: A head of staff has several OOC purposes. For one, they ensure that the captain and executive officer don't have to overextend or micromanage all of the departments, and that their underlings don't have to pester the captain and executive officer by being a liason between their department and command. They should also know their department well enough so that they can guide not just new players, but experienced members who need a helping hand in matters. A member of command is not only a leader, but a delegator; they are not the ultimate cop, doctor, box pusher, or engineer, but rather someone who knows what should be done and who should be doing it. What do you think the OOC responsibilities of Whitelisted players are to other players, and how would you strive to uphold them?: A head of staff is held to a higher standard of roleplay than others, simply because of the importance of their jobs. A command character should be a fully-realised character that strives to make the rounds of other characters better, not worse, and the onus is especially on a head of staff to facilitate roleplay, particularly when it comes to giving antagonists leeway. When you play a head of staff, you volunteer to help the characters of others ~blossom~, and guide roleplay to an acceptable (and fun!) standard. Explain how the recent events in the Spur changed your character and how they came to be employed on the SCCV Horizon: Life on Moghes has modernised rapidly; the Izweski Hegemony has made contact with several human megacorporations and other aliens, eager to expand Unathi influence across the galaxy. In years past, the conflict between progress and tradition escalated to nuclear levels, with the faction of Traditionalists being soundly defeated by the Hegemony and their allies, though an isolationist sentiment lingers. Sralza Kassak and Sesurka Sskedi's friends and family were on the opposites of this conflict, with clan Sskedi firmly siding with the Traditionalists and clinging to the ideology long after the war was over. Clan Kassak, on the other hand, was excited to ally with the Hegemony and recommend the children of their clan to study, so that they might eventually gain positions of power within the megacorporations. While it was expected Sralza would eventually become a doctor, Sesurka's departure from her clan was unexpected and taken with bitterness by her family. After Sralza worked on several NanoTrasen vessels over the years, and Sesurka worked as a miner and hangar technician with Hephaestus, both ended up on the Horizon. Meanwhile, in Sol space, the Collapse shattered Zelda Zamora's worldview. Violet Dawn had changed her once-strong faith in her government and authority, and her comfortable job as a first officer on a Zavodskoi shipping vessel was suddenly at risk after the Collapse. Uneasy, and desperately hoping for a way to feel useful in the rising unrest around the energy crisis, Zelda cashed in her goodwill with the company to board the Horizon and leave her dying nation behind. What roles do you plan on playing after the application is accepted?: Operations manager, executive officer, chief medical officer, and corporate liaison. Have you familiarized yourself with the wiki pages for the command roles?: Yes. Characters you intend to use for command or have created for command. Include the job they will be taking: Zelda Zamora, Executive Officer: A Jintarian Venusian woman, formerly an employee of NanoTrasen prior to the Collapse, she struggles with a sudden loss of faith in her previous patriotism and a work environment far more diverse than she is used to. Sralza Kassak, Chief Medical Officer: The eldest daughter from a noble family, Sralza was always keen to be a healer. With Clan Kassak always having been on the side of the Izweski Hegemony, it was only natural that she should take up employment with NanoTrasen, and after a great many years battling sexism and xenophobia alike, work her way up to Chief Medical Officer. Sesurka Sskedi, Operations Manager: Sskedi has long pushed for a promotion while working for Hephaestus, in the hopes that the money she earns could go towards her family and clan; a promotion may be just what she needs to return to her family with dignity. Do you understand your whitelist is not permanent, and may be stripped following continuous administrative action?: Yes. Have you linked your BYOND account to the Forums?: Yes. Extra notes: I probably won't promote Sskedi immediately but I would like to have her be OM eventually if my whitelist passes muster.

Most sane security officer (unironic). A very good roleplayer who I think would serve as a very good example of command! +1

Speshul thenks to Eddymakaveli, Syc, and Mini for the Spanish and Portuguese help. Lore Impact: Small to medium Species: Human (and Skrell) Short Description: Adds some more culture fluff to Mictlan, including the matón animal, common cuisine, and media. How will this be reflected on-ship?: More background development for Mictlani characters, additional entertainment properties and food for people to reference Does this addition do anything not achieved by what already exists?: I would say that it adds a bit more dimension to Mictlan, and now it's not just "funny space Mexico"; it's also space Brazil! Do you understand that the project may change over time in ways you may not foresee once it is handed over to the Lore Team?: Yes. Long Description: Flora and Fauna One of the most infamous animals in Mictlan's jungles is the matón (Quadcheire mictlani); a hulking, ape-like creature with a leathery hide of mottled green. Four-armed, four-eyed, and usually sitting around seven feet tall, matón males, or bulls, are highly aggressive and territorial. While their females, or sows, are generally calmer, they also become even more aggressive than males when their young is approached or threatened. Early on in Mictlan's colonisation, frequent attacks from matón led the settlers to wage an all-out extinction campaign against them. While they never did succeed, the matón has been pushed to the deeper jungles of Mictlan, with only the juveniles occasionally wandering out from their habitat. In recent years, the population of matón has recovered too well, meaning matón meat has come into vogue again. Cuisine Much like their ancestors, the staple foods of the Mictlani people are rice, corn, and beans. Black beans are the most common, though kidney beans, lentils, and other legumes find their way quite easily into other dishes. Usually rice is spiced or curried, or combined with tomatoes, hot peppers, and fish to make a casserole called jola (yo-la). Eggs on spiced rice can also be common street fare. Most outsiders associate Mictlan with food such as tacos, enchiladas, or burritos. While these are certainly common, especially with the street vendors of Arequipa and Saladas, a great deal of food on the planet tends to be imported from other planets with a twist. Burgers and pasta are much-beloved; a "Mictlani burger" will usually have a chicken or matón patty with toppings of mango, guava, or pineapple along with the works. Pasta al pastor can be dyed with Grumbo squid ink, turning it pink, blue, green, or black. Seafood is common pretty much everywhere, but particularly Lago de Abundacia and Sikunda. Shellfish skewers, spicy sashimi, and a stew called moqueca, which is served with rice and plantains, are very popular streetfood dishes. Barbeque also holds a special place in Mictlani cuisine, particularly in Arequipa. Meat is sprinkled with coarse salt, roasted over flames, and served with a sauce of finely chopped parsley, vinegar, oil, and garlic. Eating the internal organs of animals is not uncommon, with the hearts of chickens and matón being common. Tripe, liver, and beef tongue are also valued. Media Mictlan has a rich and diverse culture of music, from house to rock to electronica, but what most associate with the planet has become its soul and samba music. In some parts of the planet, Mictlani soul has started to mix with Skrellian methods, consisting of the harmonising and call-and-response typical to Skrell music. Tentáculos Ondulantes is perhaps the exemplar of this culture mix; a duo made up of Rivaldo Arcos and Xu'quwil Luu-qel, plus an ever-rotating backup band. Their style is most typically soul and samba-centric, but they've recently branched out into hip-hop style beats and jazzier melodies. Xavier Riviera is a pop crooner well-loved by women around the Spur, but often derided by men for his light, poppy lyrics. Telenovelas, live-action TV dramas or soap operas, are common on Mictlan and have gained some memetic recognition in other parts of the Spur. While some are quite high-budget and can be part of various genres, the ones that become popular are typically of the "so bad it's good" variety; overwrought acting, tangled plot threads, and high-energy scene transitions. Malena Santanas is one of the medium's most popular actresses; a film actress in her youth, she moved into playing mother or older villainess characters in modern telenovelas. Much-beloved for her ability to deliver humourously hammy performances in a low-budget drama, she's also well-respected for her rare serious performances in better-received productions such as Noche de Matanza, a psychological thriller series. Mictlan is also one of the biggest consumers of Konyang anime in the Spur besides Konyang itself. Bootleg merchandise of the anime is question is widespread, and it's even common for restaurant owners to paint murals of the characters on their walls for advertisement.

I agree with all of these things, actually. I find it very comfy to finish all of my chems 30~ min in and then just have chill roleplay/do miscellaneous stuff around the medbay/sometimes be an extra hand when things get really crazy, and I am very fond of my pharmacist character which makes it fun to roleplay! I do wish I had more mechanical stuff to do sometimes, which is why I wouldn't mind having some science access and a med-sci headset as a pharmacist. All the same, I don't need science to enjoy the role. I take pleasure in simple, rote tasks.

If I had one addition to make this post, it would be to keep the age requirements on Pharmacist and Gardener the same, just because there are definitely people out there who have pharmacists and gardeners younger than 30 that might get made odd by making a pharmacist or a gardener a pure science role. If you wanted to make pharmacist a med-sci role, I would suggest just giving pharmacist medical and science comms and allowing them to access the basic parts of science (the main lab, the chemistry hole, testing range, etc). As a pharmacist you're probably still going to be making medications and prescriptions and stuff, so it makes sense for you to have a main base in medical. But once you're done with most of the essentials, you can mosey back and forth between medical and science as you will. (Also gives a point to the crate of grenades on the pharmacist table that you're frowned on for actually using).