Girdio

BYOND key: Girdo Discord Username: Girdio Character names: Veronica Brax, Ramala Halaby, Fikra Zadeh How long have you been playing on Aurora? Over the entire time being on Aurora - it would be since early 2014. There has been extended periods of absence over the years though. Have you received any administrative actions? And how serious were they? I don't believe so, but I could be wrong. 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, in-game? A command member is, first and foremost, useful OOC as a way to drive the round through effective and engaging interactions. Giving their department both support when a character OOCly does not know the next steps for something, and also giving people ideas to engage with. A Head of Staff should, realistically, also be there to portray the ideals that the SCC wants for their crew - and help provide a (mostly) corporate-approved/corporate-aligned flavoring for their actions, which gives room for characters not as supportive of corporate ideals to contrast. Providing guidance also goes hand in hand with another utility aspect of Heads - helping teach. Learner roles are plentiful, and Heads of Staff should be trying to engage with them in a capacity (either taking them under their wing, or directing someone else to), as this not only helps player retention, but helps people learn the role they're trying to. What do you think the OOC responsibilities of Whitelisted players are to other players, and how would you strive to uphold them? On an OOC level, Command Whitelisted players are there to help encourage players to engage in roleplay, the setting of the server, and most importantly, acting in a manner that ensures the round goes smoothly. Command players at all levels have the ability to shut down a round for antags. In turn, OOCly whitelisted players need to act in good faith for their fellow server members and let gimmicks play out, within reason. Even cold and harsh Command characters should be approachable to a degree, and be engaged with roleplay to provide characters with avenues of interaction. Providing players and characters with opportunities to interact. On a roleplay side, whitelisted command characters should be expected to model good roleplay for new (or otherwise) players, to help people understand the expectations of a heavy roleplayer server. All in all, I think the biggest responsibility is to share the spotlight with other characters. As Command characters are commonly front and center in gimmicks and events, they should be trying to find ways to engage other players who aren't. Giving people different tasks to stay involved in an idea, or simply being communicative, goes a long way to help encourage player engagement. Explain how the recent events in the Spur changed your character and how they came to be employed on the SCCV Horizon. Raziya Umarova spent most of their life amongst their fellows, amongst a small Host- far from the comforts many in the Spur have come to expect. Vysoka was not kind to her, as it has taken and sculpted something different - someone who has learned how to continue, a survivor. Most importantly, though, Raziya has come to realize the importance of community - that they could not do things alone. Comradery not only keeps you alive, but it also helps you thrive when you’re competing with some of the larger Hosts around. Telling tales and building that community go in tandem with the more practical side of things. Helping people cook, to grow their own food - all vital skills when there's nobody else to help. These were things that came easily to them. She adapted and could help others, too. When their Host joined the Great Serpents, they thought it might have been forever. A new, slightly more impressive lot in life. They were put in charge of helping guide some of the Hosts within the Confederacy, giving people the understanding to pass on to others, while also keeping things reeled in, curbing potential frustrations. It was something she was good at for a time, something that people came to expect of her - keeping Hosts from leaving the crumpling Confederacy was something she thought could be pulled off. Maybe, just maybe - they could switch things up and return the Great Serpents to a place they were once, and she would not longer be just surviving - instead, thriving. Things change, though, and recognizing that your skills are underappreciated? Taken for granted? That's when you realize that you have to make a change; that's just survival. She left, or fled as some may put it, and decided that those who had left the planet to stake their own fortunes certainly had the right idea. They made their way to the city-states and laid it all out. Her experience and the skills on the table. No, she wasn't an expert pilot - but she had what mattered. The knowledge of how to lead a group through difficult times. How to get down and dirty her fingers to grow crops. To inspire through example. In different times, perhaps they wouldn't have made the cut. But these were anything but average, and unless an end came to the scarcity of phoron? A lot of people were going to have to change their ways to adapt. That? That was Raziya’s specialty. What roles do you plan on playing after the application is accepted? Executive Officer Consular Officer Corporate Liasion (Possibly) Head of Security 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: Raziya Umarova, Executive Officer 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? It should be, as far as I know. Extra notes: N/A

I'm a big fan of this in general. There's been a lot of times where I've set my pose to reflect reading/writing/using a console etc, but people aren't typically examining everyone constantly. It turns into having to keep an eye out for players approaching, and emoting that you're doing something so it doesn't look like you're doing nothing.

Lynx has been pretty invested in improving on their last application. I know Lynx reached out to myself and others for feedback and ways to incorporate more insight into their understanding of Tajara lore. Furthermore, their current characters have been a fun inclusion within the Horizon, and I don't have any worries with their roleplay ability. +1

Name: Fikra Zadeh Job: Investigator Content: During a routine shift, a navigation disk was located by members of the Horizon crew. After looking into it, it was determined to be a direct shot to the Starlight Lounge. The location was rimward of the ship's current location. This navigation disk has been put into evidence and would be vital for any efforts to investigate the casino.

This is something I was considering as well. On a similar point, people could still DM their friends and ask if they were playing a certain round.

I think this COULD work, but has to be implemented well. I don't know if flat out removing it is the move, but I don't know what is. I do agree that we have an issue with people wanting to play only when certain characters/players are on. I can understand why it happens, and why people might not want to hang around certain characters, but I don't think it's good for the server overall. It's how we get cliques, which has been severely determental to the server in the past, but it's been better recently. I say that as someone who tries to avoid it, but HAS had times of being "I can't think of any interactions with these characters so I won't join." Ideally, this would be cutting down on people not interacting with an array of characters. If you don't know who's playing you might just have to roleplay with someone new, or that you don't typically. An additional benefit is making things a little more secret. If you didn't know security was full, you can't guess it's merc now that the manifest is divided by half. The thing is, not everyone has the desire or energy to do that. There are some players that wouldn't simply want the stick around in the round, or might just hang around and wait for certain characters to join. At that point, I don't know if anything changed. That said, I feel like the manifest checker could be removed from the Discord bot without substantial loss, but I think having the round timer at the very least would be nice to keep around. I don't know how customizable the bot is though.

I'm a little confused as to what the suggestion is, to be honest. It feels like it's "give more OOC leeway to people to commit crimes," and as others mentioned it happens! We've even had the BSSB involved before. I'm leaving it at that, to repeat what everyone else is said. From your example, I can't entirely understand why your character would have done that to begin with. Obviously everyone has moments where afterwards they go "my character wouldn't have said/done that," but this kinda feels like your character doing something on OOC knowledge (which you mention). Why would your character be fine breaking into a workplace, and get negative marks on their record over this? I get where you're coming from, having more non-antag criminal behavior would be fun! At the same time, like Fyni mentioned, the reason you don't see it all that often is mainly people not wanting to lose characters (however that may be). That's the issue with a character building up a huge arrest record. It becomes less "oh that rascal" and more "why aren't you fired?" You mention trespassing as something minor (which sure, ICly it is), but I can't see the SCC wanting to keep someone KNOWN for breaking into places around. "How long until they break into something critical?" Sure, the SCC may employ really shady characters, but as long as they're not breaking regulations they're not screwing over the SCC. The same can't be said for Johnny, after he runs off from his job to get drunk, and gets arrested every shift.

Played a few rounds with them, have no complaints personally. They do well handling security, while still attempting to give antags necessary space to do their thing. +1

Ckey/BYOND Username: Girdio Position Being Applied For: Biesel/Megacorp Lore Deputy Have you read the Lore Team Rules and Regulations wiki page?: Yes. Past Experiences/Knowledge: While not having experience in any team, I have had experience with submitting works to small zines and magazines. Examples of Past Work: I am including an ongoing LCA proposal to provide support for having continued lore interest, and an interest in contributing to Aurora's worldbuilding. 1) Answer the following questions concerning the Republic of Biesel: What are your thoughts on the Republic of Biesel’s current politics, external and internal, and how would you like to see them develop? After returning, I've enjoyed the shift toward a heavier focus on the internal side of the Republic. I would love to see more happening in the Republic's internal politics that impacts the characters. The 2024 election arc was phenomenal for this, and I feel like there's opportunities to do more with this. Having the opportunity for characters to have more investment to Biesel would go a long way to making it feel lived in. Many of the planets under the banner of the Republic of Biesel have lagged behind in development and/or lack good pull-factors. Is there a particular planet you would like to help revise and do you have any suggestions in that regard?’ Valkyrie comes to mind, first and foremost. I believe it’s seen substantial improvements in recent years, as it was very limited and has seen its expansion. I think we can go even further, though, by developing an actual identity for Valkyrie. Currently, it has a segment literally listed as “blah blah blah, tl;dr”, and the crime segment basically implies the Republic doesn’t care that Valkyrie is just a den of criminal activity, which seems weird. Vaurca, Unathi, and Tajara are all on Valkyrie, but you could almost not even realize it because it almost seems like an off-handed remark. I think going into detail on how these citizens are seen on the planet by the humans would go a long way. After all, Biesel has a lot of “shining beacon of diversity and equality” on the surface, while prioritizing humans at the end of the day. I think Valkyrie could benefit from the concept of the “Valkyrian Dream” actually being defined and expanded outward. Perhaps the Valkyrian Dream isn’t just something for Sinta citizens, and instead refers to the self-determination that the Commonwealth of Valkyrie wants to instill in all its citizens, to put itself apart from Biesel. A dream that is at odds with the rampant crime on the planet. Having an ongoing effort to try and curb this corruption, leading to burnout and disillusionment, as it’s getting harder and harder to stop what has become so ingrained into the planet. Having subsets wanting to have honor in their home “planet”, while others just wanting to scrap by and not wanting to rock the boat, being at odds can provide conflict both within the planet and off the planet for Valkyrie-born residents. It also gives characters a reason to leave and seek off-world employment. Is there anything about Biesel's (the planet) lore you really like or really dislike? I considered Biesel to be the focus of "a planet I think needs revising", because, while I love Biesel, a substantial part of the draw to the planet is Mendell (for...very obvious reasons, of course). There's noted to be so much else on the planet, but the development of stuff outside Mendell is rather weak. I would love to see even just small, noted locations for characters in a city to reference, without it having to be headcanoned. Or, just in general, more reasons for characters to visit Biesel and go somewhere besides Mendell. That said, obviously, Mendell is a high point in both Aurora lore and for world-building, as each district is unique and offers a reason for characters to have a connection with or familiarity with. 2) Concerning the Megacorporations: Can you tier-list the megacorporations, graded by OOC characteristics (eg. characterisation, writing quality, contribution to the setting, relevance to played characters) with brief reasoning as to why they are graded such. Bonus points if you go the full mile with graphics (you don’t have to, that’s effort). A Idris starts it off. I’m always a fan of groups in media like Idris to begin with, but I appreciate the current angle of how they cultivate their image. The ability to, in some small ways, pull at more strings than one would expect ties the typical “deal with the devil” motif together. Then there is obviously conflict with Silversun that provides a direct show of the priorities of Idris, and the conflict their mere existence can cause. Being a source of conflict for characters, through their planet of origin, their horrible loans, or the uncanny nature of their IRUs is only rivaled by… Heph, another A ranker. Obviously, Himeo and N.H.P. come to mind regarding human lore and the negative influence that Heph has had on them. Providing the opportunities for characters to be opposed to a megacorp, to have tangible ties to the lore, is just as important as providing characters with reasons to support them. There is an argument to be made that, despite the harm Heph has caused, it still outweighs the alternative, which avoids it simply being the typical “evil” company. The final A-rank is Nanotrasen. Potentially due to being such a long-term staple, it's hard to see NT as anything BUT fleshed out and important. Hell, they have their hands in almost everything, in some form or fashion. Biesel and the SCC exist largely because of them. They're the top dogs in the room by a large margin, and the reach is felt. That said, it’s hard to nail down what their identity really is because they’re spread so far around. It’s hard to ignore their impact in both the long history of lore, though, and even without a strong identity, I feel so much of Aurora has been built with them in mind. B The first B-Rank is the PMCG. It does really well, providing a multifaceted “merc” group, and it provides at least (some) in for in for each species, although skrell lack something that is individually “theirs”. I think the biggest issue when it comes to the PMCG is that they feel pretty one-note. You play Eagle Corp if you wanna play an ex-criminal, you play Ringspire if your character loves killing, you play Freewater if you’re a Unathi, so forth. Not to say that is a bad thing, and there’s obviously nuance here. That said, I feel like these companies could be given more to them, to help further explain why someone may join them. The second B-Rank is Zeng-Hu. There’s so much cool stuff about Zeng-Hu, and a lot of it feels like “pushing the boundaries of science and medicine, even without caring what happens.” Hell, the focus on furthering oneself at the cost of personhood is a theme that rings pretty strong with quite a lot of characters - most obviously Galatea. The question of “does this company actually care about my well-being, or am I just another experiment?” I feel like the biggest issue, though, isthat I can’t remember the last time Zeng-Hu has really had a heavy focus. Obviously, there’s the current Mindblankers going around in lore, but it feels like there are opportunities to have Zeng-Hu drop in - there’s a ton of research-flavored arcs that can come about because of Zeng-Hu. The third B rank is Zavod. As someone who loves the thought of companies within the SCC not being all super friendly with each other, the long-term conflict with Heph provides a realistic look at things not being “peaceful” within the SCC. That said, outside of this…it’s kinda hard to figure out something to say about Zavod. They make guns, and they’re professional. I feel like Z.I.s could be expanded, since people love playing as them, but compared to ISUs or IRUs, there’s not much to figure out what makes them unique. Finally, is Orion. Initially, I had Orion down in C-Rank with Einstein, but the more I thought about it, the more I think Orion fills its niche. I don’t think Orion is bad; it’s just okay. I feel like, though, it being okay is okay. Given the fact that it’s the company that hires pretty much whoever, and the employees being just regular fodder instead of “the best of the best” that a lot of the other companies expect, provides a good contrast to the professionalism of the rest. I can’t really think of anything else to call Orion as “quick, easy, and cheap”, and I feel like that’s something the company would be proud of. C There’s only one company left. The first, and only, C-Rank is Einstein. I love the fact that Einstein is, all things considered, a pretty good workplace (if you’re not an IPC, but that’s a high ask anyways, sorry robots). For all the demonization and hatred the SCC wants people to believe, they’re just…typical people and not some big bad villain. That said, because Einstein is so much of a boogeyman, they rarely come up anytime, and it’s hard to really justify talking about them or mentioning them, making them something a lot of players may not even realize exists. 3) Write a small Google Docs proposal for any piece of Republic of Biesel or Megacorporate lore you are interested in for the current setting. The proposal can be a wiki lore addition or a stand-alone forum article, but must be >=2 okay-length paragraphs. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dyhXAm1pDOidTgsKywHiKX7KXxM_gZgQExloMnr9SQ4/edit?usp=sharing This is a proposal focusing on the concept of corporations trying to undermine each other. The intention is to BOTH provide players with ways to come up with traitor gimmicks and exploitables to interact with, and also provide flavoring in regards to the inner workings of the corporations. 4) Finally, what’s a piece of sci-fi you are most inspired by in your writings, be it a media franchise, novel, game or something else? Is it cliché to say The Expanse? In particular, the world-building and character development through the entire series were always really reminiscent of a good DnD party/setting, which I suppose makes sense given its origins. The Alien franchise is huge, and I love the aesthetic and overall worldbuilding in it's setting, along with the character relations (most) of the entries have, and whenever I think of good sci-fi horror - it typically comes back to Alien. The Children of Time series, along with the Wayfarers series, are also pretty big inspirations that I look back at whenever I’m writing something.

I like the general idea. Someone with training being able to discern how long it's been there, or a body getting picked up just by a chance notice feels reasonable and could add a good deal.

I have only now realized my grave mistake. It didn't click with me at the moment that this was NOT including deputy applications (user brain error). I'm not quite sure why I didn't make the connection, I think the "new team" aspect just made me forget. I don't think I have the experience enough to lead an entire new team. My intention was to apply for lore deputy, and I will withdraw the application until a point that occurs. Really sorry about that, I should have double checked, I feel like a goofball now.

I did - part of that was because I worried about the application going on for too long (which in hindsight, was probably a non-issue), and also partly due to, admittedly, my ideas for Biesel being more vague and areas that needed more improvement/ironing out. For example, something I've always thought of when I view Biesel is the idea that it lacks the character pull that makes people say "oh, yeah, that person really feels like they're from Biesel," or similar traits of solidarity you could have, as you can from Sol, Eridani, or Dominian. The influence of corporations on Biesel is ingrained within itself at its core, and that's a biggie - as is its status as a "melting pot" faction, but there is more than can be pulled through here. The only issue is that I don't know what that direction is at the moment. Another element of Biesel that I feel like has more to dive into is the immigrant experience as a whole, and what Biesel is currently going for it that keeps this status. Something that underlies a lot of Biesel lore is this projected image of a unified, successful home for so many, while underneath it is a crust of lesser privileged groups being ignored and oftentimes taken advantage of. Taking a light to both the positives that Biesel has accomplished, and bringing forth the negatives into more detail, gives players the opportunity to engage with this, and to express either their disdain or love for Biesel. Outside of just the "it gives me my job, and I don't get shot for being different" avenue. While I haven't worked with creative teams such as Aurora's lore writing team, I have worked extensively with teams in the workplace. In these settings, this is a requirement quite often. Should it be recognizing when you are wrong, or reaching out for assistance, or even checking in with different people to make sure you aren't misunderstanding or misremembering something? I will be the first to admit that I haven't memorized all of Aurora's lore. I also acknowledge that I have a lot of improvement as a writer and being able to work with people more experienced in Aurora's writing style is, in my belief, a boon. Being able to work with people who have a clear set vision and more experience in the setting's writing will provide a good set of guideline for what the lore side of Aurora wants for the future. Working towards this is not anything a person can do alone, and therefore, takes everyone being willing to take steps to meet each other in the middle. In regard to this situation, at the moment, I was representing myself solely, and therefore did not have the motivation or desire to keep communication with someone responding combatively to what I saw as my genuine attempts to engage with lore. When representing a team, there is the acknowledgement that players have a driven motivation to engage with the lore, and when disagreements occur in good faith, then it's important to engage with them. Not doing so leads to a disconnect between the community and player base, where people do not enjoy the lore presented, and can feel as if the story and universe no longer matter. As a lore writer, I feel it's vital - regardless of the team- to be at least open and communicative with a community and be willing to listen to constructive feedback from any player.

- What is your BYOND username?: Girdio - Have you read the Lore Team Rules and Regulations wiki page? Yes. - Do you have any past experience or knowledge working in a writing team or similar? While not having experience in any team, I have had experience with submitting works to small zines and magazines. - Do you have any examples of past work?: I am including an ongoing LCA proposal to provide support for having continued lore interest, and an interest in contributing to Aurora's worldbuilding. - What do you think you can bring to the setting as the megacorporation lore writer?: Experience writing outside of Aurora has provided me with opportunities to write in a variety of settings, and for a plethora of themes, which I feel like can translate well into Aurora's setting as a whole. - What are megacorporations and Biesel lore lacking the most in your opinion? Do you have any ideas on how to rectify such? I feel like there's not enough stuff directly tied to the megacorps for characters to interact with. There are tons and tons of lore about the families and their history, but not a lot of stuff that a character would realistically be able to discuss. This kinda turns something really fleshed out, into hitting only a few repeated notes (Zavod likes guns and does their employees, Heph screws planets over, Idris smile etc). I think there's a multitude of ways to expand this, with one being tackling the roles of non-humans/skrell in each corporation. We already know they get paid less, and that often times non-humans are looked down upon, but how does this play into each corporation? Are certain species being seen as more disposable by certain corporations, perhaps vaurca are less often hired for service-facing jobs from Idris, or something similar. In short, expanding what working for the SCC actually means for each species may better solidify why a character would work for the SCC and their feelings on the SCC, privately or otherwise. Something that Stripes mentioned that I requested to steal, as I believe it's a really good idea, is adding company mascots as a small and simple way to help expand the megacorp's brand identity, while also being something players and characters could latch onto. It is undeniable that corporations today (and likely in the future) love something cute and innocent to market themselves with, and each corporation having a personification of itself in a mascot would be a clear attempt to look "cleaner". After all, there are still a lot of factions within the Aurora universe that despise or distrust the megacorporations, and taking any steps (in universe) to make themselves look like "just a friendly little guy with a cute mascot" makes realistic sense, I feel. Finally, intercorporate warfare is something I feel would help put in the necessary underlying competition between the corporations themselves. Currently in lore, most of the corporations (besides Heph and Zavod, I want to say) have pretty passable, if not outright pleasant, relationships. Which makes sense, to keep the SCC afloat. That said, pulling from real-life examples, many organizations and groups that are still on friendly terms with each other continue to work to undermine the other. I feel like this would be even more true for megacorporations that are always searching for more and more, and I feel like this would tie in nicely with the eventual outcome of Anabasis. - On the other hand, what do you think is the strongest point of our megacorporation lore? The megacorporations are, currently, blended very well into every character's daily lives. For better or for worse (typically, worse), every character has some part of their existence impacted. If a character doesn't want to be involved in a megacorporation, they're still indirectly impacted by one, as the alternatives are direct responses to actions taken by the megacorporations. The influence and pull of the corporations has done a great job fleshing out the universe of Aurora, and has provided an opportunity where it's all-encompassing, while still providing a semblance of normalcy. Compare this to, for example, the Cyberpunk franchise. Megacorporations hold an all-encompassing amount of control of everyone, and life is shown as generally horrid for those outside the corporate elite. Aurora's ability to avoid this has continued to be a boon. Furthermore, the distinct areas that each corporation covers has provided a well-rounded and believable explanation as to how corporate takeover even works in the universe. - Based on what has been revealed so far about Anabasis, what are your thoughts on the corporations' place in the new setting, and what ideas do you have about them, if any? I am a very big fan of megacorporations being shown as a transient establishment, and I believe it can (and will) lead to a lot of interesting resentment from characters following into the new setting. Furthermore, it's interesting that despite the fall of the SCC and "galaxy spanning" megacorps, you still see something similar in it's wake - Avarizia. So the question to the characters becomes - is it much different from the megacorporations of a few decades prior?

I wonder if this suggestion came from an episode of The Pitt, in which they (slap bracelets) are used for an event needing triage, even past the normal urgency. Apparently, certain real-life fire departments already use them for similar situations to be able to process. A regular, adjustable hospital bracelet would take time to apply, realistically. If a situation where a large number of crew were hurt, it would end up taking time away.

I had always assumed that Aurora had a “roleplay” guide of some sort, but after checking the wiki and the forums, I realized that this isn’t the case. While Aurora is a heavy roleplay server, and we assume players would be aware of how to roleplay to begin with, I feel like a lot of times this isn’t the case. There will sometimes be those who are new to roleplaying stumbling into the server - or even people who may have experience but still need a little extra help! Ideally, this could be used as a resource for those new to roleplaying - but please let me know if this feels incomplete! Off the top of my head I feel like there's a bunch I'm forgetting to mention, that may help. _________________________________ What is roleplaying? Roleplaying is pretending to be someone you’re not. You’re quite literally playing a role. If you’ve ever played a game where you create a character’s appearance and pick choices for them, it’s quite similar. Here on Aurora, you’re being asked to take it one step further by putting yourself in the mindset of this crafted character. Are there different levels of roleplaying? In the Space Station 13 community, there are a few universally accepted levels of “roleplay”. Aurora is considered a heavy roleplay server. LRP (aka, Low Roleplay) Low roleplay servers put the least emphasis on roleplay, if any at all. These servers will typically still enforce limited rules, but not impose a barrier on what characters are allowed to do. Servers of this style will usually emphasize the combat or mechanical side of Space Station 13. MRP (aka, Medium Roleplay) Medium roleplay servers put a heavy emphasis on remaining in character at all times, but may have looser rules regarding what characters can do. For example, a medium roleplay server may be fine with the Chef setting up the power. HRP (aka, Heavy Roleplay) Heavy roleplay servers put the most restrictions on what characters can know and can do - for the sake of immersing players into the created setting. Those in their assigned roles can only do their job’s duties (within reason), for example. Basic Roleplaying Terms IC (aka, In Character) - This is what happens in-game. It reflects the world that your character exists in. Your character is not aware that they are in a video game. Events that occur during any round are considered IC actions. OOC (aka, Out of Character) - This refers to anything outside the game, in our real world. This is what the player can interact with, and the knowledge that you have of both our world and the game. OOC matters cannot be discussed IC, and you cannot discuss (current) round IC information in OOC discussions. IC in OOC - While it may seem self-explanatory, IC in OOC refers to talking about IC matters in OOC. This could be something such as "help I'm being killed by mining!" or "lol we have no medical on shift". The opposite should not happen either, such as talking about "Dropout just released a new episode of GameChangers!" or "I've been scrolling through Youtube this whole round." LOOC (aka, Local Out of Character) - This is a localized form of OOC chat for your immediate area. This can be used commonly to alert nearby players that you are taking a break for a moment, have questions, or need help. SSD (aka, Space Sleeping Disorder) - This is the IC explanation as to why characters will suddenly fall asleep if a player disconnects. You will see a "ZZZ"/sleeping bubble appear next to a character if they have disconnected (gone SSD). During this time, do not try to interact with them and wait until the bubble is gone and the character is reactive again. Ground Rules for Roleplaying on Aurora When you start in any roleplay community, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. Firstly, remain in character! As mentioned in the roleplaying terms, you should NOT bring up real-world matters of any kind, ICly. You should, as much as you are able, act in the way your character would act. You must also play realistically. While the server rules cover a lot of this, the simple rundown is this: act as if you were out at work or school. This means that playing a character bashing their head into the wall for fun, or threatening to shoot everyone, is not the behavior someone would realistically do. Maintain a division between the player and the character. No matter if a character insults, befriends, assaults, or romances your character, it is critical to remember this is not reflective of the player’s feelings of you as a player. While it is great to become friends with other players, it can lead to uncomfortable encounters if you assume a player is angry with you just because their character is. Ask for help! Roleplaying can be daunting starting out, and it’s something that’s always a learning experience. You should never feel ashamed for being a new player, as everyone starts somewhere. If you vocalize being unsure on what to do, someone will reach out to assist. This can be as small as helping you pick out a character’s mannerisms, or as big as helping create a character idea to get you started. __________________ Okay, I won’t IC in OOC. What’s next? After learning the basics, you have the fun stuff! Creating your character. Firstly, you will need a small understanding of Aurora’s lore. It’s not expected for you to memorize this. Aurora’s lore can be very daunting and very intimidating. A quick skim over the New Player Lore Guide can give you a basic understanding, but the wiki itself is a very handy resource, from your first day on Aurora to your tenth year. Avoid creating a self-insert! A self-insert is any character that’s a stand-in for you, the player. They act as you do, they talk as you do, and they may even look as you do. While you’re surely a lovely person, we don’t want you to play yourself - you need to be someone entirely different! If you start creating a character, and you realize it’s more of your own opinions or behaviors than something you’ve created, start over! While it’s fine to have some elements of yourself in your character, it should never be a carbon copy. When you are trying to consider what sort of character you would like, think about other characters you’ve seen in media and enjoyed! While you cannot play these characters directly, you can create characters with many of their traits! Consider what your characters act like. Think about how those characters in your favorite media act. Are they brave, kind, and courteous? Or are they cunning, rude, and cowardly? You can even pull from people you see in your everyday life - what does it look like when someone is self-confident? How do they carry themselves? How do they interact with others? These traits can be shown off in your own character, and thinking of how they show up in others is a perfect way to illustrate it yourself! Think about how your character talks. Maybe they have an accent? Maybe their sentences are really long and run on because they ramble a lot, and you just know they’re running out of breath. Or not. They might talk less. Waste little words. Whatever the case, finding out how your character talks can yet them apart, just as much as how they act around others! Feel free to observe a round or two, to get a general idea of how other players have made their characters. Many times, you can pick up elements of experienced roleplayers and have a better understanding of what makes a character work well. Of course, even experienced roleplayers learn from each other too! ________________________________ The Basics Are Down, What Now? Once you feel comfortable with your general idea of a character, you can join a round at any time! Being able to start playing and getting a feel for how your character acts and behaves, and can help immerse you into the community and the universe of Aurora. With that in mind, if you would like, you can also use the opportunity to further develop your character. This is not a requirement, and some players may never engage in something like this, or in this format. That said, this may help you further understand your character’s headspace and enjoy playing them more. Developing a backstory is a perfect way to let your character feel alive, once you have established their personality. A backstory can be completed a multitude of ways, but something that works well is remembering the “Five Ws” you may have learned in school - who, what, when, where, and why. An example is attached: My character is generally timid and soft-spoken, but loyal and quick to stand up for their friends. You could ask, “why are they timid and soft-spoken?” The answer may be: they were bullied and targeted as a kid, so they don't feel like they can speak up. But, because of this, they're loyal and don't want their friends to go through the same thing. From this, you could ask a variety of questions. Perhaps you could ask who bullied them (they may have unsolved grudges), why they were bullied (maybe this is something they still have as an adult), or anything else you can think of. Do not be afraid to play a backstory someone else has already. Something writers often struggle with is the old saying - "nothing is original - everything has been created already." This can apply to creating a backstory, too. You may want to avoid creating a backstory because it doesn't seem original. Simply put - backstories are ideas, and everyone has ideas. The way you execute a backstory is what's important, and what is truly unique to you. Nobody else will be able to play a character with the same backstory as you, and this means you will always be providing a unique experience to the game and community. You can also always refer to the lore. The lore of Aurora is, as stated previously, overwhelming and a lot to go through sometimes. It is also the perfect way to help build a character's backstory. Not only does the lore give you an understanding of a planet, but it also helps give you things your character may be aware of, and things they may or may not like. Give your character likes and dislikes. These don't have to be very strong likes and dislikes, but there should be something. Maybe they don't like a certain planet in the lore because they saw an article one day. Maybe they don't like a certain show because it seems boring. Maybe they love the color teal, and are obsessed with finding everything teal for their room. Whatever the case, have things that the character can realistically weigh in on. Similarly, give your character hobbies. This can provide you with another thing for a character to talk about. Maybe your character knits during their off-shifts, or maybe they're a really good cook. They could love producing music, and they might even make songs from their dorm. These all bring life to your character, give your character something to talk about, and help provide things for other characters to talk about to your character. ___________________________________ Advanced Roleplaying Terms Meta Knowledge: Similar to metagaming (which is directly forbidden in the rules), meta knowledge is anything going on out of character, and using that in character. In a roleplay situation, meta knowledge refers to knowing information about a character through out-of-character means, and acting on it. Perhaps a player mentions their character is a criminal or has been stealing secrets from the SCC. If your character does not know this, and you discuss it in character, this is acting on meta knowledge and should not occur. Metagruding: Another 'meta' form, metagruding consists of targeting a player out of character, due to actions commited in character. This can be anything from insulting/attacking a player in LOOC or OOC chat due to actions done by their character. It can also include creating characters specifically designed to harass or inconvenience another player due to actions their character has done to you. If you ever feel like you are wronged by a player on an OOC level, metagruding is not the answer - and either discussing the issue with the player (or staff member) is ideal.

Lore Impact: Small Team Purview: Human (Potentially Synthetic, for one section.) Short Description: This is adding four new entries to the entertainment section. How will this be reflected on-station?: This provides more opportunities to talk about shows and games people both like and don't like. By having things canonical on the wiki, players can also add it their character's list of knowledge - and headcanon their own additions as well. Does this addition do anything not achieved by what already exists?: No, it simply provides more options and helps flesh things out. 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: Blood and Ash Putting players into the shoes of a Mendell City Police Department homicide detective, Blood and Ash is a popular combat-light, puzzle-heavy game. The main character is set loose in a linear story to uncover a sinister plot tied across all of Mendell’s districts. For many players, the story is the largest draw, with a small cast (though impressive) of characters, with the different races of the Spur having at least some presence in the game, even if very minor. Although the gameplay has been criticized for being unremarkable. Blood and Ash has also been noted for both looking at the idealized image of Mendell, where so many can come together and prosper under the guiding hand of Biesel’s government and the SCC, and also where Mendell has failed its people. District 14 and District 9 get a substantial section in the game as the character and their partner discover more clues rooted in these areas, with effort going to portray these districts in a bleak and neglected experience. Love in a Vacuum While many reality shows out there exist from Venus, Love in a Vacuum has managed to churn through the years where others have failed. Contestants are flown off to an undisclosed Ferry-class ship, where they are locked out from all outside contact for the filming period. The goal of the show is for characters to form romantic relationships with limited privacy on the ship, along with trying to overcome challenges for prizes (in the form of additional resources on the ship, more alone time with another contestant, or, in rare cases, actual credits). While all the challenges are faked by the crew and designed to foster the budding relationships, they are intended to replicate real emergencies out in space - low resources, electronic malfunctions, and gravity difficulty. Elimination from the show means a contestant is shot out of an “escape pod”, which is simply a redecorated shuttle. The show has a huge fanbase that will commonly pair contestants together during a season and will follow them even after the season’s finale. It has obtained some feedback that the representation of life out in space is not representative of reality, although the show runners have attested that they're "not going for realistic, and going for entertaining." Neon Dreams A recent visual novel coming from Konyang, Neon Dreams, tackles the subject of the Rampancy Virus from the eyes of a shell affected by it. Taking place a year after the Rampancy Virus, it features a rebuilding Konyang climbing from the ashes of a disaster. Throughout the story, Ember finds themself attempting to integrate back into their daily life, and spends much of the visual novel trying their best to pretend that everything is the same as always. Players go through most of the game as Ember, having fun, hanging out with their friends. While there are occasional indications of one of Ember’s friends being missing, most everything seems normal. Until the halfway point. At this point, one of the friends asks if they are “not going to acknowledge what happened”, at which point the art direction, text style, and mood drastically shift. The remainder of the visual novel is set through flashbacks that Ember is noted to not entirely remember, with the gist being that Ember was affected by the Rampancy Virus and killed one of their friends during this period. The game’s ending is something heavily discussed, as it has been left open for interpretation. Some view it as Ember shutting out what happened and pretending nothing has changed, while others view it as Ember dying in either a symbolic or literal manner. Interestingly, it’s been noted that small elements in the game have been included that IPC players (and those willing to really dig into the visual novel’s files) are able to pick up that a non-synthetic would be unable to. The Quiet Deep One of the more controversial video games to come out of Sol, is a horror game set on Europa. The player starts out with the knowledge that they’re a long-time Zeng-Hu employee who has been on countless expeditions into the depths of Europa. Given the character’s experience and skill, they (along with a few other characters) are sent down one of the megacorp’s most advanced submarines, with the goal of reaching a depth nobody had yet, and returning with as much information as possible. As players soon find out, though, all of the supposed comforts offered is just there to lure them into a false sense of security. It doesn’t take long for things to go wrong in the game, and the character and their crew begin suffering from hearing noises, to swearing they saw one of Europa’s many cryptids. The vast majority of the game is trying to manage both the crew’s sanity and reach the goal that Zeng-Hu wanted, and getting out alive. Due to the dark nature of the game, its difficulty is notorious, and getting through it with the entire crew alive is unlikely on a first playthrough. That said, the game does have multiple endings depending on how many (if any) return and what findings they have brought with them. The game has received scathing feedback, claiming that it takes the matter of High-Depth Antisocial Personality Syndrome too lightly, while also presenting sufferers as cartoonish and exaggerated. On the other hand, though, players have noted that the game is very terrifying, and the multiple endings result in a high level of replay value.

Been away for about a year, but had been thinking about Aurora and spied this. On the whole this looks like a really interesting change of pace. The server has for the last decade, and despite lore changes, overall been "megacorp focused". As mentioned elsewhere, I don't think the current setting lines up with the attitude or beliefs I've seen IC regarding the corporations. There has been a significant detachment of "this is a pretty bad setting to live in" from the lore, to how characters interact with the setting. Making the lore and gameplay interwoven hopefully will fix that significantly. The twenty-or-so year time skip seems pretty short for something of this impact, but I understand the necessity to avoid a complete reboot of the setting, and to let people keep their characters if wanted. Personally, I believe that the lack of new players is a difficult-to-fix situation. It's been going on for years. I feel like it was a discussion even back in 2014-2015, with F_Sphere and everyone. The primary (or only) people know about the server is through word of mouth, for example. As much as I love the idea of an Aurora YouTube channel or Tiktok, I also know that's pretty unrealistic, as is paying for ad space without donations (and avoiding attracting TOO many people). That said, I'm hopeful that this will fix a significant portion of the issues of cliques/chair-RP that has established itself again. I can see a more engaging game mode being a good way to have established characters naturally interact with new players. It would incentive for established players to talk to new players as well. My biggest concern is that with everything being persistent, new players won't be getting the same experience as players here for the initial change. While obviously the setting being largely "the same" gets stale, it does prevent players feeling like they've missed crucial points. Like yes, the events are always fun and rewarding but you can survive not seeing them. From what's described here, it seems like everyone is working towards a goal of improving their lot in life. Making the ship look better, their overall situation better or whatever. How long does it take for that to go from the "we're struggling together" aesthetic to "we are comfortable and can relax". I feel like if there's no meaningful change to life on the ship, we're right back here talking about how everything is stale and nothing canon. But then, a new player joins and they've missed out on all this. Sure, they have the goal of "you see what we've done, we can do even more!" and that's fun itself. How long would it be until new players were coming into a setting they couldn't influence anymore though? My overarching question is that, I think. Are there plans to address both letting the ship improve and change with time, but also preventing a situation where new players don't feel like they've missed out for not joining at an arbitrary date? Outside of "oopsie an asteroid crashed into the ship and now everything you worked for is moot, rebuild it, hehe"? Also, I didn't see anything in regards to a timeline. I wasn't active when the server went from the Aurora Station to Horizon, so I don't know if a timeline was presented there. I see mentions of this being a several-years-in-the-making situation. Is there a current rough estimate of when everything would begin shifting over?