dessysalta

Completely agree with Comet, I like the proposed changes, although I have to say that bioshells/organic reactors are a novel concept and should absolutely be explored/implemented if not soon then on a long enough timeline. I think we'd be the only server to approach them with a degree of seriousness, one that isn't just "robots but human bodies". (And please do not limit them to a single frame.) As a suggestion, I recommend the parts that can be swapped out not be too restrictive mechanically but instead ICly. There would be some exceptions, but for instance having some kind of Zavodskoi patented design only for use in Z.I.s or particularly custom or expensive off-brand posis I think would add to the depth of a lot of characters without leading to a FOMO moment of having not picked the "cool" or "meta" frame for whatever's trying to be accomplished. Or maybe having certain parts cost loadout points a la the augment system? Baselines being able to mix and match is an okay start, but I fear this will run into situations where it's only baselines with strange limbs or parts inside of them. In fact I think it would neuter some existing scrapper characters that rely off the gimmick of not being constructed correctly or being jury-rigged to function. Part of the appeal of being able to mix and match is the justification behind it, and having the freedom to have a certain trait or belief or whatever (see: Unathi's gender roles and religion) so long as you can reasonably justify it makes for very interesting and diverse characters. I wouldn't like to see too many instances of a megacorp having an interesting system or unorthodox piece of tech just for the sake of giving it to them. I'm sort of torn between the two spectrums—realistically most of what could be suggested for unusual or nonstandard power sources and components would already be available and experimented upon in the public market, and so restricting them to frame or megacorp would suck in a lot of instances (and then you'd have to draw a line about what "is" or "isn't" too complex/available for a certain frame, etc.) I'd also like to echo what's been said about untagged shells. They exist and there should be some safety precautions in place to make sure they aren't outed so easily. Personally I'd suggest additional ways to repair themselves in private without risking being seen as what they are, as the nebulous warning message for trying to repair yourself seems to not make much sense for the three-decades-self-owned synthetic with a degree in engineering. As far as radiation immunity, I'd make it a visual thing like we saw on Konyang iirc. The more radiation they absorb, the harder it becomes to see things until they either decon or visit a machinist (or rest for awhile). Goes hand in hand with how radiation affects cameras IRL without being too disruptive and still enforcing their superiority over the organic dude in a radstorm.

I've played a few rounds both as command and not, as well as an antag and Derrick is a great character, with Toomie having the skill to back it up. I like the way they approach situations, and they have a habit of having thing done before you're even done asking. +1

Seconding Goolie. I love the characters Lenny writes and among other things like being inspired to make a pirate, and having our two Sinta have an official duel on the Horizon, I can't imagine anyone else as a better pick for Vaurca. +1. Let's see it. P.S. VEDHRA SWEEP!!

I'll be the first to say that Goolie's writing capabilities are off the charts; he's able to make realistic, believable, and to a degree hateable (hey, you did this to yourself) characters that have just an inane amount of depth to them. I love being on the receiving end of his more popular characters like Ska'zaszhk because of the charm interlaced with deep sensibilities and motives. +1. Shaken, not stirred.

The relay was different in that it was wholly IC shenanigans and not necessarily "integral" to anything so much as it was just fun to have. The lorecord, I imagine, has a lot of channels behind the scenes for organizing stuff and whatnot. A dev can chime in and tell me if I'm wrong, but if it is the case that would be losing a lot for not much gain.

This is cool as hell!! +1 Also obligatory "I think Hazel is a good writer but I'm busy rn so just imagine this is a giant paragraph of text abt how they play IPCs/characters in general/etc"

I once asked if I could be spawned in as a survivor deep inside the Grem-infested hideout on an Extended round and staff was nice enough to approve it, which led to the away team at the time gunning their way in and saving my life. I'm not sure how many people remember this if any at all, but this sort of thing stuck with me as a player and I'm sure gave those involved a much more tangible goal than "loot this space ruin." Frankly I think this should already have been a thing. Staff know how these tools work and with the upcoming Odyssey it'll be even more commonplace, and I doubt there's going to be many if any situations where they just throw mobs or guns at the away team.

I'll keep it only on those two, yeah. Especially because swapping between armors would just mean dropping my existing carrier and grabbing the specialized one for the sake of speed (and I understand readability is important).

Spectated Fletcher recently and liked Fabian's approach to antagonists and his department. Works with their gimmicks, not against them. +1

Was just brought to my attention that plates work by overlaying the sprite over the carrier itself, which hides the design. If there isn't a way to get around that it would be prudent to make the carrier I sprited into an accessory that can be applied to the HOS carrier. I tested it in the program I used to sprite and just added a few pixels to cover up what would be the normal HOS rig; the name can stay the same since the only two instances where I would take it off would be if I'm cryoing mid-round or if someone looting me for whatever reason can't take the entire rig (which would be hard to believe). E: Clem also suggested naming the item "Mictlani plate carrier conversion kit" if we take that route etc etc.

BYOND Key: Dessysalta Discord Username: rem_ratsuken Character Name: Kira Vazquez Item Name: deep beige plate carrier Item Function(s): Holds plates, SAPI or otherwise. Plates not included. Item Description: A custom-made Mictlani plate carrier with a smooth cotton under layer and aramid exterior. It has various notes scrawled along it in permanent marker, mostly in Tradeband and Spanish, such as the verse of Ephesians 6:13 and, "Wishing you well!" The SCC's logo has been woven around the left arm flap, and Mictlan's flag around the right. The back reads K. VAZQUEZ in bold text. Ephesians 6:13 - Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Why is your character bringing this item to work?: Kira has grown tired of the same corporate standard and was expecting more than flashy stripes to adorn her plate carrier as a Head of Security. Spending hours in plates that chafe her if she isn't wearing a long shirt, or make her turn weird ways just to stop the hook-and-loop fasteners from biting into her is a great way to make her bare her teeth and get even more irritable than she tends to be. Sure, plate carriers are a necessity and don't have to be comfortable—but why should that stop her? How did your character obtain this item?: Kira was born and raised on a trade ship that frequented around Mictlan and occasionally greater space. Her parents in particular were ripe to pick for this job, as between mister and missus Vazquez there were family friends, siblings, and the occasional xeno compatriot who offered produce to sell or artisan goods. Working with the Wildlands Squadron also taught her a lot about how corporate and military issued gear is synonymous; that is to say cheap and right on the cusp of functional. She didn't have many unique places of work prior to the Horizon, but the ones she did she recommended homebrew suppliers from her world that could get you something better for even less. Kira's been waiting on this import for several months, having stopped by last-minute during her wedding trip with her wife and faxed Central Command several months before that about custom-made anything so long as it was recognizable and subdued. She asked for something simple, nondescript, and maybe just a bit flashy. Now that it's here, she wants to put it to the test and put an end to teeth-grinding annoyances when she isn't in active combat. What value does this item have to your character, and what story does it tell?: Kira is a fan of her heritage, and takes any excuse to talk about her friends and family back home, from her previous jobs, or when she was a little kid. Mictlan being an almost all-encompassing melting pot of culture and love leads her to have many connections and ways to solve problems. Having something made just for you with a nod to all of that behind it is a great way to show and not tell, as well references a practical but personal way of dealing with anything. Sprites: kira_carrier.dmi Additional Comments: I know the HOS carrier has the stripes on it as an accessory—I wasn't sure whether or not the carrier should be blank so I can put the stripes on them in-game, or if it should just have them in by default a la the black and gold Medinan Mercenary plate carrier Faye got awhile back. Either way, you get both.

obama putting medal on himself image btw. sue me im so funny all of the time

third post in a row!!

Basic Information Byond Account: Dessysalta Character Name(s): I have a lot. I'm most known for Kira Vazquez (formerly Vasquez), GEVURAH, Sadie, Kasa'an, and most recently Camille Lancaster. AI Name(s): N/A Discord username + tag: remratsuken (rem_ratsuken) Age: 20 Timezone: PDT When are you on Aurora?: I have a pretty open schedule, but I'm most online from around 5 PM - 5 AM EST. Experience How long have you played SS13?: 2-3 years now, I think. How long have you played on Aurora: 1.5 years. How much do you know about SS13 (Baystation build) game mechanics?: I'm about as well-acquainted as it gets when it comes to anything service, ops, or security related (and some science/engineering stuff). I have an idea of how medical works but not to much depth. In regards to admin tools, I've not touched any outside of build mode a very select handful of times on /TG/. I also have every species whitelist but Skrell so I have a good idea of how each species works and how to fix certain (minor) bugs (in theory). Do you have any experience moderating for an SS13 server?: Not yet. Have you read through the criteria thread and believe that you mark off all the criteria?: Yeah! I think I hit most if not all of it, and I'm more than willing to learn in any case. Have you ever been banned, and if so, how long and why?: Never banned! Warned once back in I think April last year. Personality Why do you play SS13?: I have to do an "as the Earth cooled" length of explanation just to sate my own giddiness. ^ tl;dr I discovered something that's totally unlike any other roleplaying game out there and it changed my life forever. Now I can't stay away from it. Why do you play on Aurora?: I didn't want to play on Aurora initially for the same reasons I didn't want to play on Bay, which was because of the whole "canonicity" thing. I had just transferred from /TG/'s MRP where basically anything goes and all past rounds are canon no matter how weird or unrealistic they may be. Bay in particular left a bad taste in my mouth when an admin ran an event which was only clarified after the fact to be non-canon and left me to find it out in game talking with another player. Then I got over that. I realized that it existed for the same reason that reloading your save does in a video game. If the Horizon or any other ship and setting was constantly getting bombarded, boarded, or outright demolished it wouldn't make any sense for it to just poof back into existence the day after. Aurora has a lot of things that do it for me, first and foremost being holy fuck that's a lot of lore and the second being antagonist items that you can actually acknowledge and study ICly (again, on Bay energy swords "don't exist" or whatever). I like the feeling of working and contributing to a real setting, seeing my character(s) grow or shrivel up and die as they're left to the whims of the narrative and greater Conglomerate (did I ever tell you Kira lost her fucking leg? THAT WAS INSANE!!). I like the due diligence it takes to be able to write and portray an alien character, or the sportsmanship and technical skill required to be part of the command whitelist. I like asking admins for things and occasionally getting "HRGHRGHRGHHRGH" as a response to goofs when there's no one else on or while we're setting up an antagonist gimmick. I like coming together with players to make a clique that feels special (see GEVURAH/CHESED/BINAH, clan Drek'za, I made a group chat for and tried to canonize the 104th Fleet's marine attachment once lmao). I just like everything Aurora brings that other servers don't. Sure, it gets tiring sometimes, but Aurora is dynamic, ever-shifting. If I'm upset I can take a break for a few months and come back with a clearer head and more things to do or discover. (More on that later, too.) What do moderators do?: "Moderator" is a catch-all term for someone who moderates something (I know that's a book answer, stay with me here), but in the context of anything administrative and online it generally means someone who ensures quality inside and out of the game, which means handing out warnings to people who break or misinterpret the rules or more commonly answering questions from the day one player (or even other staff members). Moderators are the real-life equivalent of the command whitelist to me; they interpret and apply the rules accordingly, act as a role model for the rest of the community, and keep everything in-game (and sometimes out of it) running like clockwork. They're important for the same reason teaching aides are important: while the professors are making and maintaining the material, the aide is passing it out and sorting it. Obviously I could keep word-sandwiching this but the moderator role in a vacuum is fairly straight forward. What does it mean to be a moderator for our server?: Like I said, interpret and apply the rules, act as a role model, keep things running smoothly and morale high, and ideally take work off the other branches where able. Interacting with the community, offering ideas, giving criticism and encouraging everyone (and I do mean everyone) around them, stuff like that. I think of Aurora's moderators specifically as your good classmate/friend who knows more about the material than you do during a lesson. Tap them on the shoulder and ask for help, watch them assist the teacher, quiet others down if they're making it hard to focus. To date I have literally never had a bad interaction with a moderator, and I chalk that up to the passive but very important role they fulfill in the staff hierarchy. (In my eyes, moderators deal with rule breaks and questions, admins deal with bans and gimmicks, headmins deal with the process/policies, and game masters/devs deal with the raw development of the game itself. Take any of those roles out and the rest are in shambles). Why do you want to be a moderator?: I want to try it out. Seriously, I know that seems like a very barren and noncommittal answer—but I really mean it when I say I wanna know what goes on behind the scenes. I made several long-winded, defiant, argumentative and petty rants some months ago that were the culmination of seeing people break the rules and not understanding what led to their excision from the server. I didn't seek first to understand and I let my past bias of other administrative figures (see: my mentioning of GMod Dark RP and text format RP) blind me such that I was almost willing to go on a frustration-fueled tirade just to prove a point. The complaints I made then were some of the most egregious I've ever written and were the product of a lack of sleep, sense, and comradery. Apologizing to the people I offended and taking a good two going on three months away from Aurora was the first step, and I think dipping my toes into what administration is on SS13 is a fine enough second step. Besides, I know even if nothing else I'll come out with some more knowledge under my belt. Hohkay. That out of the way, I also want to give back to the community for all the times they helped me. All the questions I've asked, all the IRs I've filed, all the mods and admins who've ever drop-kicked the nearest assistant named "Karl Marx" into the Living Quarters Lift and gave me advice on how to roleplay or approach situations in the future (Evandorf, Noble Row, and Comrade Batman are all great examples of players-made-moderator, with an extra shoutout to Lent as a lore dep). I want to answer questions, I want to make it easier for people to enjoy this game, because there just isn't anything else like it. I've made sprites for this server on more than one occasion and I've fantasized about being a dedicated spriter here more than once. I could go on and on. What qualities do you possess that would make you a good moderator?: I think that if you give me a limited set of tools and a goal to accomplish I will basically die on the hill that is getting that thing done. I have an open schedule, and when talking to new players I find it easy to imagine myself in their position granted I've been in it before (I've asked staff to put up with some bizarre gimmick or character attribute on so many other text format/discord roleplays so many times that you could probably fill an encyclopedia with all of the borderline unreasonable (and more than ambitious) requests or ideas for plotlines or gear I've submitted). Show me a nine foot wall and I'll give you a ten foot ladder. My last reason is that I'm plainly just new blood. I've never moderated something on this scale before and I've only experienced SS13 from a player's perspective, so I'm ripe to offer my opinions on that sort of thing if that's any help. How well do you handle stress, anger, or insults?: On a professional level, that is to say in similar administrative roles I've been in or around over the years, all three of these things are a constant and can be difficult for me to manage without a proper support system. If I had to name one, I'd say stress is the most difficult for me; being angry just means I have to take a step back, and being insulted means I just ignore the part of their concern that has an insult in it (and ideally remind them that it doesn't do them any good). Stress however is a long-term thing that requires a lot of careful management that I'm frankly still constructing as a process, but that I think would be made much easier by having people to relate and vent to (in this instance, administration/other mods/etc). As you all no doubt have seen, I'm not perfect, but I'm a very different player than I am a moderator; there's an adjustment period before I get going. I learn from my mistakes and I don't let lightning strike twice. I like the term "fear of God" in reference to making enemies, because I don't want to make enemies. It's what stopped me from snowballing into another banned player. Anything Else You Want to Add: Also I have no clue if mod applications are actually open. I think they are, because the main subforum says "OPENED" and I checked how many mods have stepped up/down since a call for them went out a year ago, but worst case scenario I resubmit this in however long when they actually are.

The only thing I'd like to add here is that in mentioning consuls it was more to emphasize both roles are a lore position and have things to do, such that giving them more or less toys or power could potentially detract from that. Other than that, you make good points. My fear comes from a worst case scenario wherein the execs ordering people around comes across as too comically evil or unrealistic.

I have mixed feelings on this. In no particular order: A representative is a liaison/big voice for the employee/little guy and they shouldn't have an OOC right to play games with the workforce—not everything needs to be codified like this IMO. You can make the argument that Representatives can't fire/order you (officially) despite the superior status because they operate on a wholly different level; Jane from accounting has no say over John from the Big Gun Division because that sort of thing would be way too outside their bounds such that it would be stepping on the toes of whoever is directly above John in that instance (corporate dystopia or not, if that happens enough it would really anger a lot of hard-working folk in the lower ranks of command). The most important thing against this that comes to mind is that reps (and consuls) exist especially to get you into the lore and play a big part in character arcs and changes. Without them you would have people begging normal employees to answer whatever a Moghes or Zawvawdskoy is and there would be zero recourse outside of HR (CCIA) to get things done on an individual basis. If you put them into the chain of command you give them less opportunities to do that and more to just mess with whoever works for their corporation (or worse, department). I also think that being part of the command whitelist (which is predominantly leading and communicating) isn't necessarily indicative of how well you do in an executive position like the consular officer or corporate rep. There's overlap, but there's enough different that I would say they shouldn't be compared—but this is neither here nor there and errs on policy discussion. With all of that said, and how I've noticed that bosses that are assholes are surprisingly hard to come by in the dog-eat-dog dystopia Aurora is set in (love you Sasha Kaiser and Karl Voigt), I feel like when you play in the aforementioned setting that has said in no uncertain terms that the employees are cattle and the ranks of command are pets, you're automatically opting into being told what to do and having your character made miserable. It actually annoys the hell out of me (half joking) that consuls and execs fall to the wayside more often than not because the players (both command and not) don't understand just how much power they wield and don't want to exert it on anyone else, paired with the numerous employees that get away with badmouthing their parent corporation (even command badmouths them in some instances). TL;DR Ultimately I'm all for more things that emphasize the dreary nature and attitude of the Auroraverse, but I think that codifying representatives into the chain of command doesn't really do that. What about this: instead of giving reps physical authority in the COC, we give them more corporate authority? Leniency to create IRs over slights and, while not issue direct orders, the ability to strongarm either their "employees" or the supervising command figure (i.e. a PMCG rep talks to the PMCG HOS and gives them a very good reason to make that employee do what they say). This makes it more low-key and could be argued is more realistic due to the underhanded nature of it all, and it would encourage socialization on all fronts (ICly and OOCly) rather than purely ICly or between the rep and employees (rather than also including command). It's also so much more scummy feeling than if you were to actually put them in SOP.

I've been playing alongside Jasorn for the better part of 1.5 years, having seen both antag and non-antag versions of each character they play (to my knowledge; my memory isn't perfect), and to be honest I don't know how much I support their command app. I've mostly seen Barnes than anything, who strikes me as a character you can have a conversation with for several hours and still not have discussed anything worthwhile or meaningful. Antagonist gimmicks that Jasorn is a part of have him in a supporting role (which, while not necessarily bad, leaves him as feeling somewhat one-note and lacking initiative when done so much) or deferring to bland and uninspired attempts at driving conflict (for instance, I've only ever seen Barnes behave in a gung-ho, loud and violent manner as a traitor with emotionally unattached motives or as a vampire or changeling who always plays the part of a captivating miscreant who instantly kills and eats whoever is on the other end of their wrath). I don't mean this as a personal attack, and maybe I'm wrong (I took some months off as a break quite recently, so the disconnect could very well be there.); I would need to see them play in a command position for awhile. I fear with the gimmicks they promote, a lack of security play (from what I've seen, but Jasorn can reply if they've given the role a chance), and the characters they write that they would abuse command privilege and shut down antagonist gimmicks.

I disagree that it should be outwardly "allowed" for captains to order an execution. I would rather see anything along the lines of a precedent or special circumstances blurb just to clarify how the SCC cares about executions and whatnot (because obviously they don't with enough reason behind it and they've found many ways to say "it was an accident/they died from their injuries/etcetc" rather than "Yeah we killed the hell out of that guy. Killed the Christ out of him.") That said, "Captain Authority" has always been a thing and the captain specifically is exempt from otherwise normal rules or regulations that have to be followed during crises. It says basically no matter what the captain says you should follow it and only question them after the fact. Obviously OOCly it's still a struggle but it's always going to be a struggle because character death whether on-ship or not is a complex thing that shouldn't be decided for funsies. I also think the HoS should have the ability to order everything short of an execution but that's neither here nor there.

Lore Impact (Small/Medium/Large): Small Species: Unathi, with some general bits since it deals with xeno-Zandis Short Description: Blurb about gender in the ZZ Games and how it applies to xenos/non-sk'akh/etc. How will this be reflected on-station?: It won't be for the most part, but could add some additional conversational depth to Zandi fans. Does this addition do anything not achieved by what already exists?: I think adding more depth and history to why the ZZ Games places such a strong emphasis on gender and the like would be beneficial, but obviously the ZZ Games went years without much in the way of history and outside of its core principles it deserves to be otherwise vague for the sake of automatic canonicity/etc. Also because the whole "healer Zandi" thing was removed with my initial LCA from awhile back. 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?: The lore team could use me as a Nar'sien sacrifice and I wouldn't care. (yes lmao) Long Description: