UponASeaOfStars

BYOND Key: UponASeaOfStars Staff BYOND Key: Melariara Game ID: cme-chln Reason for complaint: Prelude First, a little context so things aren't entirely confusing for people without access to asay: As Security Officer Si'raya Mratiirr, I took a briefcase in the loadout, which spawned inside my backpack. I put my gear inside my briefcase. I was then bwoinked, told "that's a bug", and given an indefinite server ban when I expressed surprise and offered to fix the bug. My case here hinges on three main points: I object to the premise of the ban, the procedure that was followed, and the principle of taking such an approach. There's a TL;DR at the bottom. Premise When I say that I disagree with the premise of the ban, I mean, quite simply, that this isn't something anyone should be banned for. We shall discard the, quote, 'rather large history of powergaming' (an assessment which I strongly disagree with, and will address later) and instead focus on the incident itself - spawning with a briefcase, and putting things inside it. Melariara, an administrator and thus a senior representative of the Aurora staff team, would have us believe that this is, quote, 'bug abuse [and] extremely powergamey'. The definition of bug abuse is simple: knowingly abusing a glitch or bug to gain an advantage. An example of this might be putting a bucket over a merchant's head in Skyrim to blind them while you steal their stuff. It's a glitch or bug (you really shouldn't be able to do that), and you're abusing it to gain an advantage (free stuff). This can, and must, be contrasted with game design as a result of system quirks - to use Skyrim as an example again, sneak-attacking invincible NPCs to level your sneak skill without killing anyone. This example is an overlap of two aspects of the system: sneak attacks (which grant levels when attacking from stealth), and invincible NPCs (who cannot be killed). To return to the main point, the overlap of 'loadout items' (which spawn in your bag) and 'briefcases' (which are a loadout item) results in briefcases spawning in your bag. I personally know of at least five people who do this exact thing (which doesn't sound like a lot until you remember we're lucky to have 20 people on the manifest in highpop), and it's hardly a secret - this functionality has existed since the loadout system has existed, and the fact that it's gone this long without anyone complaining, suggests that it is (until now, at least) accepted as another quirk of SS13. It's like how putting four loose pills in your bag takes up the same space as a combat medical kit, which contains 40 pills, or how you can put a gas mask in your internals box because they're a subtype of breath mask. So what about powergaming? Is it powergaming to spawn with a briefcase? The fact that it's an option actively provided to us suggests no. The fact that it provides no tangible advantage (since you're unable to put the briefcase back in the bag, it doesn't expand your storage capacity, and since you're unable to withdraw from it while it's in the bag, it actively hinders you by taking up bag space) suggests no. The fact that I've shown this to other players and received the overwhelming response of "you should appeal that" suggests no. But let's check the rules to be sure. We're defining powergaming in our rules as the following: Does having a briefcase in your bag fall under any of those? No. It doesn't help complete objectives or kill antagonists. It doesn't bring victory. It's not a 'oh, just in case'. It's not knowledge that our characters shouldn't have. And since we've already demonstrated it provides no tangible advantage (in fact, I daresay it's a disadvantage given that being able to actually take things out of your bag and put them back in is kind of an important part of the storage system), it's certainly not 'playing to win'. So what about ignoring RP? Is it failRP to put a slightly smaller bag in your regular bag so you can have a bag in your bag? The existence of boxes suggests otherwise, but let's roll with it.... I have seen actual, genuine HRP roleplay (yes, high roleplay roleplay!) regarding the quirks of the SS13 storage system. I've seen people talk to each other about how it's weird that four pills take up the same size as a full medkit, and find ways to explain it IC. I've personally taken part in a RP scene where it was explained as "I spent half an hour this morning trying to shove this thing in there", which anyone who's ever gone to school with fifteen textbooks will be able to attest to the reality and truth of. So no, it's not powergaming, and it's certainly not worth an indefinite ban. Procedure I call into question now the actions of the administrator in handling the ticket; the first question I was asked (past the 'hi, got a moment?') was "Are you aware that spawning with a briefcase [in your backpack] at spawn is a bug, and thus you putting things in it to be extracted later on is bug abuse, on top of being extremely powergamey?". We'll put aside the fact that it's intentional game design and provides no advantage, and accept arguendo that putting objects inside objects at spawn, as ReadThisNamePlz puts it, is, quote, 'bug abuse [and] extremely powergamey'. That is to say: "Sure, okay, let's roll with it. Was the procedure correct?". And looking at the evidence provided, I'm going to go ahead and say no, it wasn't. There is no missing context, no edited screenshots to hide the rest of the bwoink. That's it. I was asked 'are you aware that this is bad?', answered with surprise (note that I disagreed with the administrator's opinion, but obviously saying that when bwoinked is a one-way ticket to ban-town) and offered to fix the bug for everyone using my knowledge of the code and github... and was then told "no, you won't fix it, you're getting banned instead". That's correct. When I was told of the existence of a bug, I offered to fix the bug myself on the spot. I was then indefinitely banned. The response of 'no, I had no idea, but I'll do my best to fix it for everyone' resulted in an indefinite ban, on the spot. I question, then, what response would have been 'acceptable'; to me, this suggests that the administrator's mind was already made up the moment I was messaged. I was treated with the same ruthless efficiency that is, or should be, reserved exclusively for engineers starting phoron leaks in central primary, assistants wordlessly bashing people's skulls in with fire extinguishers, people spawning in as Boe Jiden the triple-amputee afroed Lab Assistant. I was approached not with an open hand, but a closed fist. As someone who has been on the administration team of multiple servers myself, I'm not going to say a closed fist should never be used. If someone is egregiously and unquestionably griefing, then yeah, take them out back and crack their knees with the banhammer. But spawning with a briefcase, an option provided to us in the loadout, and putting things inside the briefcase, an option provided to us by the storage system? It is patently absurd to suggest that this is equivalent to Boe Jiden, especially when the 'suspect' expressed a desire to immediately improve the server through fixing the alleged bug. And unless the administration team is prepared to stand their ground and claim that spawning with a briefcase is worthy of an indefinite ban (a stance to which I'm not sure many would agree, from my own canvassing of the community), then I think one fact has been made crystal-clear. This was never about the briefcase. Principle That's right. It's not about the briefcase at all. It's about this alleged 'large history of powergaming' that the administrator claims I have; it's about the reputation that I have gathered among certain members of the staff team. The briefcase was merely a pretense for removing me from Aurora: if it had not been the briefcase, it would have been something else... like that time I was told 'yeah, you can make the basic chems as physician' and then given a formal warning for making the basic chems as physician (which I successfully appealed). Or that time I was given a dayban and an indefinite medical jobban for helping an overwhelmed and understaffed medical team while off-duty (which I successfully appealed). Or that time I was grilled over wearing sandals, the default footwear for Tajaran security cadets, as a security cadet. I get it. You don't like me. (And by 'you' I mean certain members of the staff team, not the entire team as a whole - I know I'm on good terms with most of them, and I appreciate that.) And I get it, when you don't like someone, you assume the worst of them. And I get it, when you assume the worst of someone and you have a hammer with which to ban them with... it's an easy hole to fall into. You ever heard of the Texas sharpshooter fallacy? Shoot a hundred bullets at the side of a barn, then paint a target around the tightest cluster and claim to be a sharpshooter? Yeah, this is that. This is one of those instances where the conclusion ("Stars is a powergamer, and thus, should not be on Aurora") leads to the evidence ("see, here's proof, she put things in her briefcase!"), rather than the other way around. So let's see. I don't kill antagonists, ever, even when they're outright hostile. The role of an antagonist is to bring a little spice to the round, and it's kind of hard to do that if they're dead. Even in situations where the "optimal" route would simply be locking the door, throwing in a teargas grenade, and handcuffing everyone... I don't do that, because that's unfun. It is a net loss of fun to the round. I don't ignore pain or torture, and I'll actively go out of my way to roleplay it even when it's not mechanically supported. Mechanically, after surgery ends, you're totally fine five seconds later. Mechanically, if you hurt yourself, you're still able to just shrug it off and keep playing the game, maybe slap a band-aid on it so it doesn't get infected. But I don't do that either, because that's unfun. It makes the round less enjoyable. I don't charge into fights alone against overwhelming odds or robust people with the basics of CQC. I could, mind you - I've been playing SS13 for years, and I know enough about the combat system to be able to exploit it in ways that would bring me victory and bring others loss - but I don't, because that's unfun. It's not about winning. It's not about getting the most frags and the highest K/D and the biggest internet clout for having 360 noscoped the Technomancer with a burst rifle. It's about creating a good round, a good community, and a good experience. It's about maximising happiness. I don't bring gear that my character would have no reason to have, like a medic carrying around a stunprod and hacking tools. I don't bring gear that I would have a reason to have, but that takes away from other people's enjoyment of the rounds, like nanopaste for characters with prosthetic limbs (objectively useful for healing your own limbs, but it takes away the RP you'd get with the machinist). I was given a warning for making basic chems as a physician, yes, but that wasn't for 'just in case' powergaming - that was because it was determined that it's not something my character would've been able to do (and I haven't done it since). I don't metagame antag capabilities or know things about their gear that my characters wouldn't. If I see someone with an armblade, I won't suggest cutting off their head and force-borging them so they don't revive, because that's not something my character would know. If I see a technomancer, I won't go 'alright, let's take your backpack to R&D for deconstruction', because that's not something my character would know. If an antag gets arrested and their PDA uplink is open, I will actively close the uplink so they can use it later for a chance to escape. Once again, I prioritise fun and the enjoyment of the community and the players in the round. That has always been my priority. And if you'll forgive me for soapboxing for a moment-- that should be the priority of the staff team as well. Whenever a disciplinary action is taken, the question should first be asked: "Does this bring more good or bad to Aurora?". "Does this make Aurora a better community?". "Does this increase the enjoyment of the Aurora playerbase?". Administration is much like security, in that the correct approach is the approach that uses the minimum force required. Now, I've been here for two months. In that time, I've made contributions to the wiki and the codebase. (The R&D guide that the wiki uses? Yeah, that's me.) I've taken on a coding project (the sign-to-speech gloves) and collaborated with several prolific community members. All these moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. I'm not going to pull the 'I did some cool things so I get immunity' card. I'm going to pull the 'I'm very obviously not here to be a LRP shitter, so please don't treat me like one' card. I believe that this ban, and the treatment I have received, is indicative of a larger problem with the staff team. I believe it is indicative of a 'shoot first, ask questions later, no mercy' approach - an approach that prioritises winning at all costs over creating a good experience, an approach that ignores RP in favor of maximising killcount. Banning someone for having a briefcase in their bag is like permabrigging someone for having a techno backpack: it's powergaming, plain and simple. So where do we go from here? Proposition The rules on staff complaints are simple: peanut-galleries aren't allowed. Only those who were involved in the incident, who have direct evidence, or who can testify regarding staff behavior or player claims... or people on the staff team. I'm not going to ask people to chime in with their own thoughts; instead, I'm going to ask you, dear reader, to substantiate my claims. My aim here is to prove two things: Firstly, that I'm actually not a terrible roleplayer, and that me being on Aurora improves things, at least a little. Am I a presence that you enjoy seeing in a round? Have I made you smile, even once? Mind you, this isn't a horn-tooting bragging statement; I believe that nearly every player contributes something to the community, and brings more than they take, and that people who make the community better, have a home here. Do you agree? And if so, do you think I'm someone who belongs here? If you think I'm an okay roleplayer and an okay person, and I deserve to stay... I ask you to leave a 👍. And secondly, that this is not an isolated incident. This is not a one-time mistake from a member of the staff team making an oopsie, slipping and falling on the 'indefinite ban' button. This is one part of a consistent pattern of behavior, and that some members of the staff team could do with being a little less forceful. I know several people who have stories of being subjected to similar approaches, who have had negative experiences and have lost faith in individuals (or worse, in the team as a whole, though I must stress that the vast majority of the staff team do not abuse their power). Are you one of these people? If you have witnessed or been subject to a disproportionate or heavy-handed response from the staff team... I also ask you to leave a 👍. Incidentally, the reason the emoji is shared between both is so you don't have to disclose which one you agree with. I'm not asking people to start a revolution here. But it's worth noting that, even if this ban is reversed, it won't make it go away. I'll still be persona non grata, viewed with extreme suspicion. It won't remove the reputation I've been sullied with, and it won't make certain members of the staff team like me. But I don't care about that. As long as I can be a part of the community that I love, as long as I can continue to contribute and make positive improvements and bring joy to people's rounds, I'm fine with being on the watchlist... but I don't want anyone else to have to go through the same treatment. This isn't about the briefcase... and it's not about me either. It's about the role of the staff team in improving the server, and whether or not there is a place for such responses. Evidence/logs/etc: Cited already. Additional remarks: The TL;DR, as promised. - I was banned for powergaming, for putting things in a briefcase that spawned inside my bag. This isn't powergaming, this is how the inventory system works. - After I offered to code in a solution and adjust the inventory system to prevent others from being targeted for the same thing, I was banned indefinitely on the spot. - This isn't the first time certain members of the staff team have been trigger-happy, with me or with others. This kind of treatment is just going to scare people away. - Had good experiences with me? Toss a 👍. It's not about the briefcase, it's about if I belong on Aurora. You be the judge. - Had bad experiences with someone on staff? Toss a 👍. I mean, hey, maybe I'm the only one who thinks there's a problem. You tell me, chief.

I've had nothing but memorable and overwhelmingly positive experiences with every single one of Bobbob's characters, even though they're all varied enough that I had no idea up until this moment that they all shared the same player. It takes a lot to earn respect as a Captain and XO, and Bobbob has done this twice over with Rebecca and Amara respectively; they're both command staff that have a way of using just the right amount of authority at just the right moments - not overly stern, but serious when it counts. My interactions with Yesfir have been equally positive; a lab assistant that's not only interested in science and adaptable enough to be able to keep up with Sci-RP, but one that I actively look forward to seeing on the manifest. And last but definitely not least, Nasya, who does an absolutely stellar job of tutoring cadets in Security and welcoming new players to the Horizon, and has consistently shown roleplay ability to the highest degree; it's no exaggeration at all to say that Bobbob's characters not just set the bar, but exceed it. They're the kind of player that any moderation team needs more of - people who are approachable, welcoming, and take power with the intent to make a positive change rather than use the harmbaton of authority. +1

Slight update on the code for these- it works perfectly without radio integration. With radio integration, it's tricky. Oh, and +1 this is a great idea and if anyone deserves them, it's Lyric.

"This one has already sent in her application to the Kazarrhaldiye Operations Group, with a specific request to be stationed on a Conglomerate vessel. The Kazarrhaldiye ask few questions and contract to the PMCG, which Si'raya believes has a security team stationed on the Horizon? She intends to join this team, one officer among many. There are two reasons for this, in truth: the first is that this one has few marketable skills that would appeal to the mega-corporations, aside from her marksmanship and coolness under pressure. She had no formal education in scientific processes; she knows little of construction and thrusters and turbines; and her knowledge of anatomy extends only to her fellow Tajara. But security work, that is simply being professional and memorising regulations. It is something Si'raya is capable of." "The second reason, and this one is between you and Si'raya and her handlers, is because a great deal of trust is placed in security teams. This one is under no illusions that she will be trusted-- for her kind are sneered upon by the interstellar community, and she cannot change this-- but there is at least some privilege afforded to the position. People see the uniform, not the Tajara wearing it, and that on its own is of great value; Si'raya will be professional, and courteous, and beneath notice. Just one officer among many, as she said." "With conflicting opinions, in truth. Ras'nrr is her home, and always will be; she has bled for it, and bled others for it, and she would do so again. And to see it broken into pieces, shattered by the crimes of the People's Republic... you know, her little village in Northern Ras'nrr, with the bell tower and the hunting lodge and the bonfire that we would all eat around? She went back, not long ago, and found nothing. The tower had fallen; the lodge had been shelled; the bonfire was nothing but ash beside the ruins of her home. So when she says that Ras'nrr needs stability, she means it. Kah'nrir is... well, there are many terms to describe him, but Si'raya is not sure 'stable' is every one of them." "Kah'nrir is loyal to Al'mari, yes, and for that she has some respect for him; but of his treatment of her people, of the factories where her free and proud kin suffer? What else would one expect from a former noble, if not the innate desire to rule? Si'raya understands, yes, for this peace will not last-- but she does not approve. She cannot approve. It is as if we are slaves once more, toiling for the profit of our betters; it is as if all Al'mari believed in, had been cast aside. And yes, she says believed past-tense; he was a great man, a great leader, but he is with Messa now. And, as far as Si'raya is concerned-- the sooner Kah'nrir joins him, the better... and yet. And yet, there is no solution to this, no answer that results in a perfect ending. We must band together to resist the People's Republic; we cannot afford to fracture ourselves further. So for now, we tolerate Kah'nrir and his lunacy, because we must." "That is... a difficult question to answer, for she sees merit and flaws in all. And then she remembers Razin, and she revises her statement - Si'raya sees merit and flaws in most, and Razin is just as deranged as Kah'nrir. But let her tell you of her thoughts, from the perspective of a hunter. From the sharp eyes and sharp claws of one who has fought for her people, for her homeland, and knows better than most that things are not as black-and-white as many claim. Let her tell you what this one thinks, and what she would do were Si'raya in the position of power." "We begin with our goals: we wish for a free Adhomai. Nothing more, nothing less. Free from tyranny, free from oppression, free from the claw of the elite slicing open our veins to harvest our blood for profit. Free from the mega-corporations that expand into our lands and steal our harvests, and free from those who would enforce their will. This does not mean free from aliens entirely, mind you-- simply from their rule. If they wish to visit Adhomai, if they wish to experience the beauty of our dawns, they are welcome to, Si'raya thinks-- as long as they are kind, and respectful, and do not pretend to place themselves above us. Si'raya is not a xenophobe, do not accuse her of this: she simply thinks the planet of Tajara belongs to the Tajara. Guests are welcome, but they are guests even so." "So a free Adhomai. This means democracy, this means stability, this means the state exists to serve the people, not to control them. So Si'raya shares the thoughts of President Harrlala, you say? No, not quite. Harrlala is wise, and Si'raya has a great admiration for her... but she is naive, innocent. A politician, not a warrior; she reminds her of Al'mari, in truth. Someone whose innocence and naivete was a blessing to us all, but still resulted in tragedy-- she suspects that one day, Harrlala's gun will also be on stun. And wars are not won by words and handshakes, but by blood and bullets." "So Nated's protege Alnadruskiy, then, or Hotak? He who acknowledges the need for a strong military, who knows that we as a species cannot ever be weak, that we must push back against our oppressors through force if need be; and he who champions this force, wishing to bring the war back to our people to destroy our foes and free us from our shackles? No, not them either. Harrlala is well-intentioned but naive, but Nated, Alnadruskiy and Hotak-- they are neither. They know that force is necessary, but they mistake their targets. We should not be serving the corporations, we should not be giving them our lands and our treasures... but we can coexist. We must, if we wish to survive, or we will be wiped from our planet." "Then what? Razin's beliefs, worshipping the ground Nated walks on as if he is not just another Tajara, flawed like the rest of us; determined to destroy those who come to us from afar, even those with good intentions? No. Mirzakhani, who wishes to seal us off from the galaxy, and pretend to un-see that which we have seen, who thinks we can turn back the clocks and forget our tragedies? No. Then what? What would Si'raya do? It... is a complicated question. Harrlala has the right heart, but the wrong fist. Alnadruskiy has the right fist, but the wrong heart. And we cannot fight among each other, we cannot fracture ourselves further, for the more weaknesses we create, the more easily it is for the People's Republic to crush us, for the mega-corporations to exploit us. So perhaps they work together, the pen and the sword combined... or perhaps that is simply the dream of a foolish hunter."

The kind of player we need more of in command positions - someone approachable and knowledgeable. Strangiato brings a sense of stability to the rounds I've seen them in, and I don't have any doubts whatsoever about their capacity as a head of staff. +1

In this house, we love and appreciate Rectangular Advertisement Shines Bright and their player, who has a consistent tendency to make every single round better just by joining. That's gonna be a +1 from me!

Synthetic vocal cords are a replacement for a damaged larynx, which would work for verbal apraxia and vocal cord paresis, but would not benefit characters with aphasia (muteness caused by brain damage or neurodegenerative diseases), auditory processing disorder (neurodevelopmental disorder that can often render speech difficult), or other similar conditions. Plus, not everyone is 100% down to be implanted with something; it's the same reason that amputees exist even in 2465, when prosthetic limbs are commonplace. Perhaps there's ethical, cultural, or religious reasons to choose not to take the synthetic route, or perhaps it's simply unaffordable for that character, or perhaps they want to but can't because their body rejects the implantation. We don't know, because it's the future and it's all made up, but more variety is rarely a bad thing, especially when it allows us to represent real-life marginalised groups. TL;DR: Yes, it's not full and perfect replication. And that's okay.

I just woke up so I'm too tired to give good feedback right now but Casimir is S+, absolute pleasure to interact with, and I'd honestly love to see how Khazarir plays on the Horizon. +1 from me.

Right now, if you want to play a mute character, your options are as follows: Play a service job or Hangar Technician. If your character is in any of the other departments, go to 2. Use a made-up implant that lets you speak, quote, "quickly and properly" at a minimum. If that's not something you or your character would do, go to 3. Get bwoinked, because you're breaking the job accessibility requirements rules. If you want to play a mute character that isn't in Service (or Hangar Tech), your only option if you don't like being banned, is this: Which, for clarity, is a bad thing. It sucks to have to erase a major character trait like that, and even if you try and find workarounds like "oh, it's just a fancy TTS circuit", most people won't be able to tell the difference, just like they won't notice the difference between your lab-grown limb and a regular organic limb. Admittedly, that's more a problem with the job accessibility requirements, but I think adding translator gloves is a very good first step, as it'd allow people who communicate primarily with sign language to speak to at least 'speech impediment' level. As far as I see it, the only valid argument for "why should these be a thing?" is "why would someone IC create them?", which is already being answered because IC it's actively being worked on by several members of Horizon staff. As for "who's going to make them OOC?"... well, I've been trying. We're already halfway there.

Which demonstrates perfectly that it's absolutely fine to play a mute character in most positions as long as they're able to communicate effectively to the needs of their job.

That's like saying playing a character that wears glasses is 'ignoring' the disability of poor eyesight... which many don't consider to be a 'true' disability specifically because society has advanced to a point where it's a lot easier to overcome than it used to be. Being an amputee is a disability in 2023, but in 2465 you can get a prosthetic limb that functions as well as, if not better than, a normal limb. Can the same not be said for muteness, something that is impactful today but could very easily be overcome using the technology of the future?

BYOND Key: UponASeaOfStars Character Names: Aveline LaCroix, Physician; Marinette Fourier, Scientist Species you are applying to play: Tajara What color do you plan on making your first alien character Silver (M'sai; hexcode #C0C0C0, hair #B2B2B2) Have you read our lore section's page on this species? It took me several days, but yes! Why do you wish to play this specific race: I mean, I want to play all of them at some point- the lore here is absolutely astounding and I'd love to be a part of this community long-term - but if we're talking Tajara specifically? It's not even the "catpeople go brr", it's the sheer breadth and depth of lore and the themes displayed in it- it's the kind of lore that makes for a damn good story, one where it's not black-and-white (regardless of what Si'raya thinks - she's biased!), where there's always more to it than surface-level. A lot of servers have Tajara (or equivalent) as just "oh, they're just space cats", but not here. Here we've got twenty-five articles of indepth lore about why they're not just space cats, and that appeals to me far more than any cookie-cutter catpeople. I won't say the catpeople aspect didn't play into it a little - I love the idea of being able to express my character's emotions through tails, ears, more subtle body language cues and expressions that aren't human - but the primary appeal really is the incredible stories that can be told using the themes of the Tajaran people. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: It'd be quicker to list the similarities - because beyond 'bipedal sapient creatures', they're remarkably different. The obvious one is the physiology, of course; I touched on it a little earlier but there's a lot of really unique factors to playing a character that isn't human, not least because they're not human. Physiologically, you're looking at a completely different method of expression with ears and tails, a completely different way of experiencing the world through heightened senses and extended circadian rhythms, and even things as minor as temperature preferences can be a lovely way to express "this is a Tajara, not a human in a fursuit". And then when you dive into the culture-- well, saying 'human culture' is incredibly vague, but it's a safe bet to say that Tajaran culture is unique to Tajara, because first and foremost it's shaped by their collective experiences; from things as simple as the climate affecting their community values (such as community meals around bonfires) to as politically intricate as the dynamics between the three primary factions (of which Si'raya absolutely has strong opinions on-- we're not playing humans in fursuits here, after all). It's also worth considering how they're perceived by other races-- they've been on the interstellar stage for a relatively short time, so they're not starting out with the same advantages as other races (especially humans and skrell), and arguably they'd be viewed with even more suspicion given their pre-spaceflight origins. They don't just need to be as good as humans; they need to be better, because the deck is stacked against them to begin with; doubly so for DPRA like Si'raya, meaning she's forced to pretend to belong to a Republic that she detests in order to so much as be glanced at by a megacorporation. Character Name: Si'raya Mratiirr It's short for S'rayyakhasarha, but have fun pronouncing that if you don't speak Siik'maas. Please provide a short backstory for this character: "Step aside, please; Si'raya will answer this one, for the only person who can share the truth about Si'raya is herself. She divides it into four parts, so you may know all of who Si'raya is, from her birth until the current day. You have promised her discretion, if you recall? She will hold you to this." "The story begins, as many do, in sil'nryy-aysaif. Greater-summer, when the crops flourish, and we dance beneath the twin suns, and all is well. It is twenty-four-thirty-six, in a little village in Northern Ras'nrr, and the revolution is just five years done. And Adhomai bleeds. She does not remember before this point- for Si'raya remembers nothing from before her birth, of course- so take this all with some reservations. Father told her tales of before, of the dynasties pushing their claws down upon the throat of the people, of the flames of revolution smoldering even before the humans; tales of discontent, of whisperings, and then of a spark, some forty-five years ago-- long before Si'raya's time, but this matters still, for it sets the scene. The spark of D'as'ral, and the flame that burned Adhomai to the ground. Almost a hundred million dead. And yes, that was before her time, but how can it not affect her? Si'raya is born in twenty-four-thirty-six, in the first generation to grow unhindered by the cruelty of the elite-- and as she grows, father tells her a great many things of the past, of the warning signs; he tells her that the fires have not died down, not truly. He tells her of his time in the military, of his friends who kept peace beside him, who are loyal to the people, and to Al'mari, for Al'mari's will is the will of the people. He tells her that ever since the humans came, they have sought only to colonise, to exploit, to pillage our resources- and that Adhomai belongs to its people. And he asks if Si'raya understands. She does not understand at all." "We move now to menshe-rhazzimy. Lesser-winter, when the harvest comes, and the snow begins to fall, and we prepare for the coming cold; the last moments of peace we are granted. This little village in Northern Ras'nrr-- let her tell you about it. About the bell-tower standing tall above the houses, ringing each dawn so we may see the suns. About the food we would share around the fire each day, trading tales and basking in the warmth while we still could. About the little hunting lodge a mile north by the radio tower, where father would take Si'raya to hunt, to teach her the ways of the M'sai. He had a way, his own way of hunting - with a bolt action rifle, five rounds plus one in the chamber, we would head out to hunt nav'twir. He taught Si'raya to aim for the snow-striders' legs, for they are fast and flighty, and likely to escape if shot in center-mass. One shot to the leg to slow, father said, then one to the head to kill - and then pray, for taking the life of another creature is not to be done without asking forgiveness, for they have done no wrong and cast no sin. For the role of a hunter, her father tells her, is not simply to kill and provide meat for the village, but to hunt - and that means patience. It means knowing your target, and their weaknesses. Camouflaging yourself, appearing to be beneath notice, until the right moment to strike. And father tells her that some day, she may find herself applying these lessons in other means, and he asks if Si'raya understands. She understands a little." "To sil'nryy-rhazzimy, then, greater-winter. When the storm hits hardest, and we are tested by Messa, and we must do all we can to weather the storm and survive until the coming dawn. The year is twenty-four-fifty-one, in this little village in Northern Ras'nrr; and we are by the radio, listening to the parade, when the traitor strikes. President Al'mari, may he rest with Messa, cut down for turning away from the influence of the interstellar elite, just as he had stood firm against the Adhomai elite some twenty years prior. Father told her of Al'mari, and how he had saved Adhomai; and then when he fell, and when Malik Hadii pressed his claw to our throats... we did what all Tajara would do. But that comes later. Let her tell you of the so-called 'People's' Republic that defiled Al'mari's legacy, that sent a legion of troops to our village to enforce the undisputable will of tyrants, just like the nobility of old. Let her tell you of the soldiers inviting themselves into our homes, taking what little food we have, beating those who refuse them access. There were three 'guests' in our home- the tall one, the dark one, and the scarred one. Let her tell you of father visiting the radio tower each night to send a signal to his old army friends, asking them to send help, telling them the patrol routes and the patterns and calling in every favor he still had. And let her tell you of when the same three soldiers found father at the radio tower one night, while Si'raya watched from the lodge; of how they pressed their gun to his chin and fired, and though she wanted to scream and to cry, she did not, for a hunter has patience. And let her tell you of when the scarred one came to her house that night, cap in hand, and told her that father had taken his own life, that the stress of the years had finally caught up to him; and the scarred one, he asks if Si'raya understands. And Si'raya understands well." "And finally, to lesser-summer, when we pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off and continue our work. When we take up our rifles and we begin to hunt, and we construct for ourselves a new life out of the frozen ashes of the old. It is twenty-four-fifty-two when the Adhomai Liberation Army arrives to save us, and Si'raya has been planning for this moment. So when they come, she is not at home, but high up in the bell-tower; she enters with father's rifle. Five rounds, plus one in the chamber. And she recalls how he taught her to hunt animals - one to the leg, one to the head. And a few hours later, the army finds her there, her rifle empty, praying for forgiveness. Si'raya tells them of the tall one, the dark one, and the scarred one; and she tells them of father, and how he died for the cause; and she tells them that he can rest well in Messa's grace now he is avenged. And they nod, and they look to each other, and they tell her to fight the oppressors, just as father once did. And for the next nine years, she hunts with them, her unit of irregulars, praying over the bodies of the animals that ravaged her lands. Until the Armistice, and her partisans join the newly-formed Joint Intelligence Committee - for we must go somewhere, yes? And they ask Si'raya, what would she do to serve her people, the free peoples of Adhomai, the Democratic People's Republic? She tells them, 'Anything'. So they teach her to act as a Hadiist, to hide her revolutionary ways and be the model citizen, and they give her papers and documents that certify her as belonging to the Haadists. And they tell Si'raya that they wish for her to travel to the stars, to integrate herself into the workforce of the corporations that now rule Adhomai in all but name (for Malik is a puppet, and we all know this), and to send intelligence back that could help her people. And they ask if Si'raya understands... and Si'raya understands perfectly." What do you like about this character? (Describe what you like about this character) The way Si'raya is as a person -- someone who lives a double life, someone razor-sharp and hardened by her years, loyal and patriotic to a fault, fueled by a cold anger and a drive to do right by her people -- is entirely different to my current characters, or even anyone I've played in a long time. Si'raya isn't rash and impulsive like Aveline, she's not whimsical and carefree like Marinette; she's a Tajara, born in a snowstorm of a planet and exposed to the cruelty of sapient species from birth. Si'raya allows me to explore themes I've always wanted to; ones of politics and war, ones of a frozen heart slowly warming as she's exposed to actual good people, as she realises that maybe not all aliens are bad. Taking a character like Si'raya and tossing her onto the Horizon... I feel bad for her, but at the same time, it's what she needs in order to heal. Si'raya is someone who has her own agenda, her own motives, and is far more than she pretends to be; at face value, she's just a M'sai space mall cop, a little rigid and by-the-books, someone with milquetoast political views who's endlessly thankful to the corporations for giving her a chance to ~see the stars~. Actually, though? A hunter, a predator, someone who needs to push down her instincts to pretend to be just another face in the crowd, because if people begin to suspect she's more than that, then she's useless to her people, and serving the free people of Adhomai is what she's about. Above all things, the theme of loyalty runs through Si'raya's backstory and her blood - above all things, she is loyal to her people, to her family, to her planet. What happens when that loyalty comes into conflict with her loyalty to her friends, the people she'll meet and grow to love on the Horizon? That dichotomy, and the overall dichotomy of Si'raya being two halves of an incomplete whole, is what appeals most. How would you rate your role-playing ability? I wrote Si'raya's whole backstory in-character just now so... hopefully I'm okay? Notes: I'm more than happy to answer questions, and I expect I'll have to! I'll answer them as Si'raya where I can, but if it's an OOC thing it'll be Stars talking. Thank you for taking the time to read this!

Every time I've interacted with Pineapple's characters has been an absolute pleasure, and I can't emphasise enough that this is the kind of quality we need in heads of staff - people who set a good example for other players, especially new ones. Big +1 from me.

Suggesting that mute characters are "cringe" is in itself kinda cringe. I know of two (and I play one of them!), and neither is treated as an epic meme. I support this 100%, and I'm happy to brush off my programming socks and code it myself if need be. As for why gloves: why not? It makes the most sense that way; they're easy to activate or deactivate (your fingers are right there, after all), fairly unimportant with regards to mechanics (aside from insulated gloves, but that's a tradeoff engineers would have to make), and it's an idea that's been floated already by several people IC.

Very chill, very nice to be around; I've had nothing but positive experiences with Hepatica and her characters. +1 from me!

Actually a top tier player. Great characters, great vibes, I'm always happy when I see Ruben on the manifest; he's not only a solid leader for security (someone who knows how to delegate, manage a department, and act as a beacon of inspiration for others), but a fun character to vibe with. +1

BYOND Key: UponASeaOfStars Total Ban Length: Permanent (medical) Banning staff member's Key: WickedCybs Reason of Ban: Reason for Appeal: When I successfully appealed the dayban, I requested the medical ban be kept in place until I was able to refine my character enough to fit Aurora. I was also asked a few questions, which I'm going to answer as succinctly as I can- let's keep it brief this time! Nobody knows everything; nobody can do everything. That's just bad RP. Staying in your lane is important because it gives other people a chance to shine as well, and because it breaks immersion to have one person running around doing everything. When other people choose a role, they want to do that role- taking those opportunities from them is a dick move. And when nobody has that role, then that's just as good, because it'll push the situation more towards "something is happening and nobody can fix it", which is just as interesting (and arguably even more interesting than "something is happening and it has been fixed so now nothing is happening"). Really, all of this just sums up to "doing these things is bad RP and makes for a bad experience for everyone", and we're all here for good RP and a good experience. (This one's from me.) New Aveline, TL;DR, go. Retcon: her combined medicine speciality doesn't involve chemistry at all. She's never been especially skilled at it; chemistry is a much more sedentary profession than she's used to, and although her previous mentor did attempt to teach her, Aveline was only able to learn stuff like "water, inaprovaline and dylovene makes tricord". She's a very active person, and sitting down at a dispenser for half an hour pushing arbitrary buttons isn't something that really fits her-- and she knows it. She's much more of a hands-on Actual Medicine person. New developments: After her workplace accident that resulted in the loss of her right arm (and the subsequent recovery time), Aveline had little choice but to reflect on her life up to that point, and the choices she'd made. It was the first time that her willingness to help had actually resulted in serious harm to herself. Maybe if she'd been more careful, less hasty, she'd have noticed the falling elevator in time. Maybe if she'd waited for just a few more seconds. She learned an incredibly valuable lesson from this, though just a few moments too late. Aveline still detests sitting around and waiting while people get hurt... but she's no longer the type to throw herself on the cross blindly. She just wishes she'd learned that a little sooner, and she'll carry the weight of that failure with her for the rest of her life, a synthetic reminder of a lesson that all professionals learn eventually. "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast." (If it's deemed necessary, I'll also be happy to get a few character references- other players that can testify 'yeah, Stars is good, she won't fuck up again'.)

obligatory "merge pharmacist and physician" comment here

No further questions, your honor, I'll let you know when I've got a better Aveline! ❤️

I'm back, and... I misunderstood the assignment. The answer to "if your character can do this thing, why shouldn't they be able to do it if nobody else can and it needs doing?" isn't relevant, because in Aveline's specific instance, she shouldn't be able to anyway; although the backstory is plausible for an exceptional character (such as one might see in D&D), it's not plausible for an average everyday spessman, because that's the kind of character we play here. As a result, that means I'll need to rewrite Aveline's backstory heavily-- although her current iteration is trained in basic pharmaceutical synthesis, she shouldn't be, so I'll need to do some serious thinking and shelve her until there's a version of her that works for both me and Aurora. I'm actually going to request the medical ban stay until I've been able to finalise the new Aveline. In-character, this is represented by her being placed on paid medical leave while she adjusts to her new limb. In the meantime, I'll see about exploring other departments.

Hi! Okay, in the interests of brevity I'll just answer the questions directly, so here we go... Because my first instinct was to play a character whose abilities are represented mechanically rather than in the lore, since I migrated from /tg/'s Manuel (MRP) and Dungeons and Dragons (where the PCs are all protagonists, and as a result are kind of expected to be exceptional). I talked about it with some folks in the discord, and realised "oh, yeah, okay, that's not a good idea here, let's adjust Aveline" but then I tried to log in and that's when I discovered the ban -- that is to say, I made the necessary changes too late. My question of how to make amends wasn't just "how can I stay out of trouble", it was "how can I actively give back to the community and make up for the damage I've caused"; if you punch someone in the face and then apologise and don't do it again, the broken nose doesn't go away. The least you can do is pay the medical bills and clean their house or something. Because nobody knows everything, that's just not realistic. There is no human being alive who is capable of doing everything to perfection even in one field, because skill requires practice, and practice requires time. If you spend twenty years of your life studying to become an expert brain surgeon, you can't then also be an expert in biochemistry and trauma medicine at the same time. There's only so much one person can do, after all! That, and from a ludological standpoint it's honestly kinda lame to have one person do everything to perfection. Not only does it set a bad precedent and encourage others to do the same, but it removes the need for teamwork and cooperation, which- in a multiplayer game- is the whole point. I've always been insistent that this isn't kosher -- sure, it might be against regs IC, but far more importantly, it's a dick move OOC. If you play a Bartender and then the Engineer comes up and starts serving drinks, they're taking your job from you, meaning you don't really have anything to do - which isn't fun. And I think we all agree we're here to have fun, right? The same thing goes to ordering people around; there's a fine line between coordinating a department and being a boots-too-big butterbar, and that line is when it stops being enjoyable. In the end, we're here to have a good time, and taking people's jobs and going "respect my authoritah!!" isn't a good time for anyone. This one, I admit I have more trouble answering. The easy OOC answer is "because the staff team doesn't like it", but then that just reroutes the question to why it is disliked, and I'm not the best at filling in the blanks there. If it's something your character wouldn't be able to do, the answer is simple-- it's bad roleplay. Even if there's no engineer, you probably shouldn't be setting up the engine as a security cadet, and if you have the OOC knowledge and it needs doing IC... just swap characters, because your current character wouldn't know how. And even if your character would know, IC, the answer is just "corporate regs won't insure you for it, so you'd be fired", but then that still raises the question of why OOC. So rather than answer a question I don't know the answer to, I'm going to use a lifeline: Ask the Audience. I'll be back.

BYOND Key: UponASeaOfStars Total Ban Length: 24 hours (server) / Permanent (medical) Banning staff member's Key: wickedcybs Reason of Ban: Reason for Appeal: Hi! So, uh. I'm Stars (she/they, hi, nice to meet you), player of Aveline LaCroix, MD-- the one with the cool glasses. And I've been here for about a week and I'm banned which probably isn't the best start, and I know you're going to be a little skeptical of letting me back in because you have no guarantees that I'm not a shitter and so far my track record isn't great? But I've been told I'm overthinking things a bit and if I appeal it should be fine so this is that! Thank you for taking the time to read this. So here we go... I've been playing SS13 for a little while, but it's my first week on Aurora; before this, I played on /tg/station's Manuel, the closest thing they have to a "medium" RP server, but I still found it to be pretty light on the RP, if that makes sense? I like playing my spacemans and giving them cool character arcs and seeing them grow over time and stuff, and I'm not really so big on being stunprodded by assistants who want my character's ID... so I came here, because this is the big HRP server on the hub that everyone's talking about, and I read through all the rules and then I read through all the rules again just to be sure and I thought "Oh, hey, perfect! This is my place!". And-- okay, just a quick background, before SS13 I played a lot of dungeons and dragons. And I mean a lot. I was in four games a week at one point but they all kinda fell apart because everyone else just drifted away from it and I was the only one who always showed up on time? But-- I mention that because it's proof that I take roleplay very seriously and it's a really special thing for me. So I promise I'm not one of the stunprod assistants I mentioned. So I'm here, and I start making my first character. I don't know too much about HRP servers, so I think "okay, let's base her on a character I already know"-- Leonard 'Bones' McCoy, from Star Trek. You know the one, the doctor who's great at their job, very blunt and plain-spoken - hot-headed, passionate, dedicated, someone who respects all life regardless of its origin. And then because I didn't want to just play a Bones expy, I decided she should really have a flaw-- someone who's so dedicated to her job, someone so passionate, probably doesn't have the best work-life balance. And thus Aveline LaCroix was born, the doctor who doesn't know how to switch off. I've only had her for a week, but she's already one of my most favorite characters I've ever played-- the way she carries herself and the way she interacts with people is honestly great roleplay fuel, and her mindset of "I must help everyone, I must be prepared for if something happens, I cannot relax for one minute" makes for an absolutely incredible character arc possibility. The character arc in question-- at the time, this was what I had in mind-- was that, although she possesses all the medical skills of a top-tier Chief Medical Officer - she's a very capable physician in the GTR, and besides that, she's qualified enough in surgery and pharmaceutics to assist the team wherever they need help (although she lacks the more advanced surgical skills of a Surgeon or the pharmaceutical expertise of a Pharmacist, because nobody's perfect) - she lacks the officer skills. Rather than being someone who sits back, delegates, and leaves the job at the job when she goes home, she's someone who dives head-first into any situation to help; her biggest fear is someone dying under her care (which has happened before, and still impacts her to this day), and she takes all the steps she can to avoid that, from going above and beyond while preparing (along with Pharmacist Karen Stahl, she helped adapt an old chemical formula created by her previous mentor, who was very much the same way) to refusing to sit on the sidelines while people are being hurt (which recently caused IC tension with First Responder Solveig Vilhjalmsdottir when Aveline moved to assist the FR team on the front lines rather than staying put during a firefight). And that quality - her inability to switch off - is what's holding her back from being promoted, which she's struggling with currently. The ideal endpoint of this arc, of course, is her learning to overcome that flaw, and becoming someone who is able to sit back, coordinate medical and rescue efforts, and not involve herself despite her drive to help out-- someone who's capable of delegation, management, and being more than just "the combined medicine generalist" -- being someone worthy of Mjolnir, so to speak. With the greatest irony in her arc being that the moment she's actually able to be a CMO superdoc who goes around saving everyone single-handed... she won't need to, because she'll have overcome that voice inside her screaming "you need to do more, you need to help, you are not enough". I've always been very interested in seeing characters start out as flawed and slowly grow and become better, and I had a lot of ideas in mind for Aveline on how she might do this. It's worth noting through all this, though, that I never have any intention of replacing other people's jobs-- if there's someone else who exists who can do a thing, they should do the thing, because it's not fair to them for Aveline to be doing everything. When there's a Surgeon, she doesn't do even basic surgery; when there's a Pharmacist, she doesn't step in the pharmacy at all. But when there isn't, Aveline steps up! But, then we run into problems, because although it's a wonderful character idea, it also clashes with the way things are: in the lore Aveline specialises in combined medicine, so she's capable of basic pharmaceutical synthesis (which is reflected in her records and the certification badge she carries), but in the game it's against the rules for people to act outside of their job duties regardless of if it's something the character would be able to do. So I get bwoinked, because of course I do; and after a few mixed messages (I've been told all of 'you can use the lab, but only as a physician', 'you can, but only the basics', 'you can, but only in an emergency', 'you can, but only if you're a pharmacist or an (interim) CMO' and finally 'you can't, stop trying'), I decide maybe it's not the best idea to represent that. Eventually I handwave it as "okay, although she can, she's not insured for it because corporate regulations, and she'd rather not lose her job". On the surgical front, I run into no issues, because she spends a lot of her time teaching Damian Dylan (Surgical Intern) how to perform the more complex surgeries without actually doing them herself, taking on what she sees as a kind of mentor role (whether Damian sees it that way, I have no idea!). But then we get issue two: remember how I said Aveline's mindset is "I must be prepared for if something happens", because if something happens and she's not prepared for it, another of her patients will die? That means she's the kind of person to go to extra lengths to prepare-- she'll carry a GPS unit so she can locate the first responders more quickly if she needs to help them, and she uses a custom-made hypospray mixture (combining tricordrazine, butazoline, dermaline, dylovene, inaprovaline and dexalin-plus in very specific ratios) even though it never sees use, Just In Case. She's the medical equivalent of a survival prepper, which honestly never becomes useful. But on one round, I give a few hyposprays to Security filled with stabilizers, because there's armed gunmen running around shooting people -- totally fine, right? Wrong, because hyposprays are actually complex medical equipment. The examine text refers to them as comparable to autoinjectors, so I assumed they had the same complexity as autoinjectors. Since I'm new here, I had no idea that was the case (in hindsight, autoinjectors would've been much more suitable), and I suspect this is what WickedCybs refers to as 'powergaming' in the ban. I haven't done that again since I was told about it, of course. And finally, Aveline's inability to switch off; during a recent round, she was crushed by a falling lift, which I decided to adjust to her losing her right arm (rather than her entire life since I'm rather attached to her!); the following shift, she's off-duty for obvious reasons, and the shift's medical team- who she's on a first-name basis with- offers to let her stay in medical, since she'll "always have a home there" (which both Aveline and I teared up a little at). Then when a hivebot swarm attacks and the GTR is overwhelmed with critical patients, Aveline does all she can to help out without getting in the way. The medical team has no problem with her being there, but the staff team does: if she's off-duty, she's meant to be off-duty, and "my character would do this" is not a good excuse. In-character, I rationalise this as "corporate will fire her if she's working off-duty because insurance" (which further feeds into her distaste for regulations, holding her back from her dream job of CMO - it all ties together!). At around the same time, someone else in the Discord is talking about their own off-duty experiences (as an off-duty Security Officer that had to grab a gun and blast away a murderer because nobody else could do it), and I made a joke about that person being bwoinked for "You're not on-duty!" -- which, unfortunately, was interpreted as a 'snarky post about an admin decision'. Although I can promise I didn't mean it in a snarky way at all and I was trying to make a funny meme about someone else's experience, I understand that it might not have been interpreted that way-- I'm not the best at reading social cues or phrasing things in ways that go down well. I talked with the staff member in question and we cleared it up very shortly after - we realised it was a misunderstanding, and I decided not to appeal it because escalating it into a whole staff complaint would seem really absurd for something as minor as a joke landing the wrong way. Now, by this point I've realised there's a slight flaw with Aveline - that is to say, the way I intend to portray her doesn't mesh well with the rules. So I decide to ask in the discord's serious-chat about how to best approach this and how to portray her in a way that's realistic to the kind of character she is, while also taking into account the wishes of the staff team; you know how I mentioned earlier that I came from /tg/'s Manuel? Well, they're a lot more focused on mechanics than we are here, and it didn't even occur to me to just... have her be Aveline in lore without representing that in mechanics. Several people made some really good suggestions (IC regulations would stop her from working off-duty or acting outside her role even if she's certified for it, and there's ways to portray her as kind of an over-the-top workaholic with no chill without involving mechanics at all - like mentioning how it's her sixth shift in a row, or how she needs Yet Another Coffee, or fretting about her job even when things are peaceful), and I decided to adapt Aveline to fit those suggestions and make her into a character more worthy of Aurora as a server. ... and then I try and log in and play her and I realise I've been banned. This is my first ban on Aurora, and in fact my first ban on any server, and it's something I'm taking very seriously-- although I never intended to break the OOC rules (it was always intended that Aveline toe the IC line, which creates consequences for her that she can learn from, but I never meant to do that OOC) I still ended up upsetting at least one person, and that's one person too many-- and for that, I'm genuinely sorry. I fucked up. There's no ifs or buts about it, and redemption is something I'll have to earn, not just be given. I understand if you decide you'd rather not have me in medical any more, or in your community at all - and if that's the case, I'll respect that and find somewhere else to make my home. And if this appeal is somehow accepted, I'd like to try and actively make amends to improve things and make things right; I don't know what there is that I can do that'll undo what I've done, and I don't think there really is anything, but I can at least try and contribute all I can to make up for my failures. I studied computer science and I know a fair bit about wiki formatting, so maybe I can beautify a few pages to set things right, but that's not up to me. The most I can do right now, in this appeal, is tell you my intentions for if I am allowed back, and if I am given permission to play Aveline again (because I still love her dearly, even though I acknowledge she'll need a little tweaking) -- first of all, although she's established as certified in the lore for certain things, that in no way will reflect how she acts mechanically. With corporate regulations being very strict regarding access permissions and who does what, I can have her go "corporate won't let me help" (which honestly provides a really good antag hook - what if she gets so frustrated with the regulations that she takes things into her own hands and does something antagonistic as a result?) and play up her desire to be the Bones McCoy of the team without actually having her do that, if that makes any sense. That also applies to her being off-duty, of course; corp-regs dictate that she can't help out off-duty, which gives her something to grumble about without actually impacting the round in any way. I'll just have to play her as someone who goes "okay, ugh, fine" and obeys those regulations to the letter, which honestly, that's not too huge of a change and I'm absolutely fine with making her a little more by-the-book. I can also explore her skills through teaching others and sharing her knowledge, which honestly ties in really well to her career path and her drive to eventually become Chief Medical Officer (a role that would involve a lot of mentoring). Finally, there's a lot of things I can portray through her personality - having her be stressed off-duty, pursue interim positions whenever possible, get restless when things are quiet, that kind of thing. Suit sensor reminders, that kind of thing. This appeal isn't about making my case or trying to prove my innocence; although I promise my intentions were never bad, and I never meant to mock or make fun of the admin team (I have a lot of respect and a lot of fear for you all, and Machiavelli says that's a sign of a good leader, to be both feared and loved), I accept that I've fucked up terribly and I can do better. I must do better. I'm sorry. I mentioned it earlier, but if you decide you don't want me around, just say the word; and if you are okay with keeping me on the server and in the medical department, please let me know what I can do to make things right and give back to the community I've taken so much from. Thank you. UponASeaOfStars / Aveline LaCroix