Noble Row

This isn't what second in command means and is a misinturpretation of what people voted for a YEAR ago. Second in command is to be in command when the primary individual is either absent or too occupied to fulfill the duty at the time. You've made a secretary with access to the self destruct button.

I don't understand why the XO isn't the 2IC but instead is this weird Bridge Crew+ character now, but now with less species and the forced removal of characters. I'll also like to point out that a lot of people effected by this change were not even here when the vote happened because it took an entire year for this to be decided on, which, in my honest opinion, is an egregious amount of time to decide whether a vote passed or failed.

BitByte Exclusive: Domadice, Pariah or Puppet? Midas, Arusha With the announcement of the resurrection of Domadice, the last Kesselvankan, the future of the Golden Deep has been left up to question for its many mercantile residents. For decades now the Golden Deep has operated with every merchant having a high degree of independence, only turning to listen to a centralized power when a directive from Midas Control comes their way. As new power comes to light in this ancient intelligence, many are left to speculate the purpose of this sudden change and what Domadice’s plans and policies are for the affluent organization. Conspiracies range from Glorsh-level threats to eccentric hope for a new dawn for the Golden Deep, but it seems very few speak for certain of any knowledge that Domadice has for the coming months. Grand Merchant Addalin, when approached by BitByte has had the following to say: “Domadice has been with us since the Midas took flight. Their body watching over the control room from atop its chair. A mystery of this universe, their creation, but an inspiration all the same! The Midas has taken care of us, with its might we have forged a mercantile empire, and with this empire we have found, created, and now give back to the civilization who made us who we are. Years we have spent scouring the Orion Spur, finding scraps of what once was, and tirelessly reassembling them on the Midas floor until we worked the repair into the homunculus. Years of work, years of directions and guidance, it wanted us to repair them, and if it got us to our stance today, then I am certain Domadice is going to lead us into the future. Look now at the work that has already been orchestrated by Midas Control, look now at Eurydice, nearing its completion. What once was a ruin, barely functioning, is now a city awaiting activation! Look now above Pactolus at the skies above, the shipyards that repair our craft and bestow upon the merchant navy vessels otherwise unseen. Look upon the robotics labs in these shipyards and upon the surface, the decadence in their design and their products, true luxury that only a Positronic could lavish within! All with the guidance of the Midas! If these gifts are not evidence enough, then I pray you await the greatness that Domadice will bring upon us! For the Golden Era is now, my good friend! Just wait and see!” While Grand Merchant Addalin shares excitement for the future, other members of the collective still remain skeptical. In an interview conducted in the Promenade yesterday, Merchant G@-L1-L@D of the GDV Terrymore brought mention to the following: “I admit I am a little more than wary. The Golden Deep has been my home for a few short years now and I felt I just got acclimated to its inner machinations and fast deals. Now, I am tentative whether this is a change in leadership, or an expansion, or something far more sinister. They expanded the navy, it is fact. Remodeled those old Solarian battleships in bright silver and white. Added the… Argo, some police force I have yet to see. The Hoplan, which I think operates on the battleships as some sort of regular soldier force, and then the Thryja. They say they are soldiers, but I have only ever seen the one, and their description defies this one’s current logic. We best be wary in a galaxy as volatile as this one. I had just found peace here, and while the likes of Purpose do not intervene in the politics of the Spur unless the situation is dire like Konyang, I know nothing of Domadice and their origins. I have seen the videos of the Hunter-Killers. What if they are worse? What if they bring ruin to our little slice of heaven?” With worry in their tone, Merchant G@-L1-L@D is among the many who treasure the synthetic peace the Golden Deep offers. Even with the Great Game, a mercantile event in which synthetics may purchase other merchants if one has enough wealth, looming as an ever present threat, the Golden Deep treats members of the same caliber with a level of respect that is rarely seen towards synthetics anywhere else. As Domadice situates themselves as an active individual in the Golden Deep’s upper echelon, some members express direct doubt, such as the Mayor of Eurydice, Pactolus’ capital and only city, known only as ‘The Mayor’. “We have thrived for years, decades, with Midas Control. I have built a paradise here on Pactolus for wayward souls and now they are just declaring someone to have power? What is this ‘Domadice’s’ portfolio like? What assets do they have? I am wholly unconvinced by Midas Control’s valuation - shall I purchase the entire Golden Deep simply because I say my magnificence eclipses that of our entire collective? This Domadice, who I doubt has the wealth required to even walk into the control room is of no concern to us. I am certain if I cared enough I could buy them right here and now. Regardless, if Midas Control wishes to, I appreciate what Midas Control has done for Eurydice, this ‘restoration project’ that they have had ongoing, but it was just fine before too. The people are happy, and do not need some upstart coming in and changing things when they are fine as is. It is a waste of money. It is bad business. Nothing more.” BitByte is investigating more on the Eurydice Restoration Project and the expansion of the Golden Deep Merchant Navy, but it is evident to show that the surprise appearance of Domadice has elicited a response of speculation from the inner ranks of the organization. With Domadice alluding to so much, the mystery of what’s to come next is bringing excitement, worry, and criticism, some merchants going so far as to say “The birth of a nation” or “The creation of a puppet”, with insinuations that Domadice will truly bring the Golden Deep to a new era, or is merely a pawn controlled by the richer merchants such as Addalin who do not want to relinquish their power in Midas Control. As always, BitByte is providing up to date and consistent news as the story unfolds. < BACK

I'm actually at work answering this lol and those points were just the ones that came to my head without me referencing the document we're creating. One of the ideas I was toying around with was playing with the weight and bulk of industrials and G2s where they can't repair themselves due to not being able to have the same mobility, but also in order for people to transport incapacitated industrials you'll either need the unique strength Stat Industrials, bulwarks, and Adhomain Strong Men have, be wearing a hardsuit, or utilize a special gurney for transportation. There are other aspects too that are points for nerfs, the coolant system would be a big one. I want to focus on how each chassis is unique. But again.. going to be a /task/. So one of the biggest issues were having currently is IPCs seeming almost too human, and while this is for a variety of reasons that can be addressed with time and writing, Inpersonally believe bioshells might help contribute to the human feel too much since one of the biggest differences IPCs and Organics share is their physiology.

It's something we are still hashing out. It's a rather large task to do it justice and not just slap on a series of bandaid fixes, but I had ideas regarding things such as replacement parts, EMP resistance depending on the chassis, and other tidbits that would effect the overall feel of the race. A coolant system was suggested that would be similar to blood, but would equate to your heat value. I think a topic like this would be interesting to things like balance and making IPCs feel distinctly more robotic while also adding depth to their repair. If we do this right, we can even have IPC self repair to an extent for things like light injuries, while heavy injuries will need to be handled by a machinist. The topic is still very much under discussion, but our goal is to introduce a system that is not a buff or a nerf, but an adjacent side grade that brings a much needed update to the old numbers based system. To be clear. We do NOT want a system that just copies organic medical. We want something that makes it distinct that IPCs are different. They are synthetic and the biggest difference they have to their organic counterparts is their physiology. We need to ensure this uniqueness between them so people are reminded that they aren't playing a human with a different set of rules. They are an entire race with a unique set of problems and their own unique mentality on how to handle them.

Exactly.

While I personally am not super familiar with Dionae lore just yet, their physiology and how they are presented in game I do love to see. Each one is a council of little people, each nymph its own personality and voice, all cooperating together to form one larger being. It's just something I find super interesting how you have a whole "Raccoons in a Trenchcoat" dynamic that come together to make an entire person. Plus how you can find Dionae in many aspects of lore as fun little dudes that add to settings rather than threaten them. Like you can find Dionae in the wastelands of Moghes, where they have a pivotal role providing life to a once nuclear hellscape. I really have no negatives to say about them, my own personal failings to read the lore have come from me just having to read other lore first in accordance with my station, and by the time I finish up with that, I am so tired of reading that I cannot pursue other things. I have never had a bad interaction with a Dionae before, even if the interactions are a little rare. They're almost always interesting characters with interesting outlooks on life. I'm just after your time. For the lore team as a whole, I have had a great time interacting and cooperating with all of you. Sometimes I have some difficulty contacting certain people in terms of inter-team relations, which unfortunately IPC lore is very reliant on, but those times I've reached out are also times where there are timezone conflicts, and by the time the person has awoken to read the message, or gotten home from work, or whatever, the message has been buried in the activity of the channel. One thing I do believe needs to be worked on is the faith in the respective lore teams, sometimes I feel as if there's almost too much cooperation, and suddenly someone from another lore team or position in staff is hijacking your idea and turning it in a different direction than you intended, and while I have difficulty describing it, it's just really frustrating to have the agency of your position stripped from you. One of my biggest gripes with the Aurora Staff Role Hierarchy is the unnecessary compartmentalization. While I understand its layout and its reasonings, if I wasn't a moderator and I well... wanted to moderate my lore, I would then have to get a moderator or an admin to reach out and bwoink a problematic individual if I wanted changes in game, as opposed to doing it myself. When you have someone unrelated to the lore team do actions such as these, you're now playing a weird game of telephone through this moderation member, where the person being adjusted is asking questions to the moderation member, and now the moderation member has to ask you questions, and you give a response, and the moderation member has to relay the information or just tell the person to talk to you. This could be avoided entirely by me having moderator. I can police and adjust in game behavior myself to make sure everything follows our lore, and I don't have to rely on the timezones and cooperation of another member to play an unnecessary game of telephone. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is that I have to constantly nag people like Human Lore for expansions on Synth Lore, since Synth Lore is so dependent on Human Lore due to where Synths are houses and manufactured. Otherwise, I am excited to work with everyone! You're all great and enthusiastic people. I believe you and I have already had a discussion for cooperation between the Golden Deep and the now revised EUM/Hieroatheria, as well as Dseven and I have talked about Synth/Vaurca relations in the future. While these ideas are but seeds in the ground, I do hope that once the situation allows, we can begin some jolly cooperation in making some content the community would love that would also deepen the connections and political webs we weave as lore writers.

Shimmer is a joy to work with and has shown off excellent work organizing people as an Executive Officer. So much so that they've somehow negotiated an actual hostage trade without killing the hostages in the process. A true one in a million event on Aurora. +1

It's funny that you mention this because I made a character a few weeks ago that is a shell in a baseline body, and have a character on docket for when the Golden Deep clothes push through that is a Baseline in a Shell's body. So here in the Synthetic team we push for freedom of creation as you've mentioned in the questions. We want you to be able to make a character as developed, or undeveloped, as you would like. To pick along the grey area between human and calculator. In terms of a posi brain inside a chassis, I've always viewed it to like how a person drives a car. You know your car really well, but other cars are unfamiliar, and when you swap between them you have to learn the new car and how to use all of its functions to the best of your ability. Providing mind types is something to be considered, but I've always based mind types off of things like the occupation you hold rather than the body you inhabit. Like, an occupation that deals with people a lot more is going to be more human along the scale, especially if they're a more expensive synthetic, but your janitor probably is not going to have a positronic as developed. I believe there are some excellent examples of both ends in our player base, and I do mostly see them follow these themes we provided. We could add a bit more guidance, but I would not base it off of chassis, but add a blurb to speak about how the disparity of advancement would be dependent on past and job, so players are more subconsciously guided as they craft their character. As to addressing the abandonment of chassis, I believe that a lot of that has to do with appearance and customization. As a Shell, you have the freedom and full customizable ability that every human has. It is VERY easy to make specified characters as a shell because you can visualize them so easily and have the tools to make them your own, other chassis' fall on the wayside there because you simply can't make them as free as you'd like, and I've learned that a lot of our players' motivations are rooted in looks and customizability. For example, I just put up for PR a large amount of clothing based around the Golden Deep, and now we have had a sudden influx of players putting interest in to the faction, even before I released the article on them. Similar for Dominia, it is a faction with a lot of unique gear and clothing, and I believe that is part of the inspiration people have to play a Dominian, is how 'cool' you can look. I believe to solve these issues we've already taken steps to do so. I've commissioned MattAtlas to add a system to IPCs where people can add customizable and swappable heads, currently the additional options are just for baselines, but it's been set up to be user friendly enough that everyone can contribute more heads to every chassis to help make your character your own. I do plan on going through and adding more options to each chassis to help people be more enticed to these chassis'. There are also some mechanics tweaks that should be made for each chassis, here on Aurora every chassis has its own statistics, some of which make the chassis unappealing like how Bishops take increased damage for not a lot of payoff. We do hope to work out a proper medical system that keeps the uniqueness of the IPCs while also bringing their medical system to the 'modern era', and that'll help us bring more of these unique balancing concerns to something better and concrete as opposed to a series of brash actions and band-aid fixes. We do have guidelines regarding IPCs from given origins, and typically we are alerted when other lore teams are bothered by the decisions of certain IPCs when regarding culture, whether that be appearance or behavior. One thing I do find difficult is that we are so tightly bound to the human team that I have a hard time keeping up with all of human lore in addition to the synthetic lore that we are creating. While the abuse of the joint lore effort can be disappointing, if the character does cross a line I would like to be alerted so we can correct this behavior. One of my objectives is to flesh out the culture of IPCs across the board, and this unfortunately will probably include the painstaking task of going through each IPC population and detailing how they are different. What unique cultures have formed in response to the unique culture they have on the planet? Right now IPC cultures are a little snippet on each human lore page and rarely show the intricacies that would evolve due to the natural progression of IPCs living together on that planet. Or the lack of them living together. Depending the culture we can use this as a good suggesting point for how "Advanced" an IPC from a given culture could be. For instance, we somewhat address that Solarian IPCs would be undeveloped due to their lack of freedoms. Are Konyang IPCs developed more due to freedom? Is it due to their normal jobs from these cultures? These are all questions we can ask to help define what makes an IPC an IPC and not a human. They're going to process the world differently depending what world they are on. I'm still fresh to the lore-writing zone, but if you have ideas to suggest let me hear them. One way to get some amazing content is inter-team workings on projects, it provides such a unique blend of cultures and project styles that we can make something truly great. Do you think that utilizing a synthetic in say... a VR environment... would host any inherent advantages due to their ability to process all of the artificial data at a uniquely exceptional rate?

BitByte Exclusive: Golden Deep Awakens Intelligence within Midas; Strikes Deal with Konyanger Government Midas, Arusha BitByte is proud to announce an exclusive string of articles stemming from an invite by Grand Merchant Addalin of the Golden Deep. With their bombastic entrance to the Konyang crisis with over one hundred vessels with cargo brimming with aid of all types, many have been left to speculate their motivations regarding this uncharacteristic maneuver. The Golden Deep have been known to not offer a deal without a clear benefit in return, and the sheer amount of credits spent on their aid project has dizzied accountants. The Golden Deep has been known to be ostentatiously rich despite their focus on short-term projects, gains, and more immediate returns. While the exact details of the deal the Golden Deep struck with the Konyanger government remains confidential for now, reports indicate that the deal includes provisions for a permanent Golden Deep embassy, as well as the potential establishment of other Golden Deep facilities in the Haneunim System. Many can only see benefits through industrial expansion and foreign affairs views, which can only give returns years down the line. As the Rampancy Crisis comes to a close, the invitation to a “Grand Gathering” in the promenade of the Midas herself elicits curiosity across the Spur. BitByte journalists were present to witness what many political commentators are now calling the birth of a new nation. The Golden Deep found its origins as disparaged synthetics fleeing into deep space, guided to an ancient shipyard that, in an automated process, gave to them their capital ship the Midas. From then they have been known to the spur as skilled merchants, or horrific slavers of their own kind. The control room of the Midas has been the paramount authority within the Golden Deep, but its elusive nature makes proper diplomatic missions near impossible beyond the outreach of individual merchants. It is uncertain what these developments with Domadice and their Kessvalanka origins pertain to the Golden Deep’s future, or if Purpose had a hand in their revival with their intervention in the Konyang Crisis. More on the situation as it develops as BitByte has been given exclusive access to this nation defining development. Further Reading: Travel: Rumors of AirKonyang acquisition by Orion Express "baseless", says CEO. Cuisine: Up!Burger teases massive Norinori silhouette. Sports: Suwon Sea Bandits IPC Team report recovery of pitcher after rampancy.

So this really will be a 'case by case' scenario, which makes it difficult to provide specific examples. In synth lore we want you to experience our main theme of "Life is troublesome for you at a bare minimum", but experience it in a way you want to build your character. IPCs are often treated as the punching bags of the spur as every race has a reason to dislike them or disrespect them because they're "just machines". This is a primary theme of ours and is part of the struggle of the synthetic, but some people can only take so much IC ridicule before it's just not fun to play the character anymore. I've personally had this happen to me, so I'd like to make the race attractive in other ways while also accepting the reality IPCs live in. We can do this by adding depth. Yes, your Solarian IPC is rarely trusted with anything of substance, but what is their life like away from the eyes of humanity? When they are left alone, what do they do? Are they friends with their other synthetics? How is this friendship portrayed? So on so forth. Similar to how the Tajarans have undergounds of your own, planets that trample synthetics can have lore written for them to explore the life away from prying eyes. Or, if things are going to well, how are we evening this balance? What negative pressures can we apply to synthetics? But it is almost too easy to apply more negatives to IPCs that it's almost boring. Apologies for the confusion but my stance typically is, if I find my argument as reasonable and I have a 'hook' for it, I will argue it. I will argue for my friends. And if I can't get my way wholesale I will argue for some compromise. However, I can also be convinced that my idea is just wrong or unhelpful, or be told that people simply are not interested in my idea. When I have no ammunition, or there's clearly going to be no effect in arguing (even if I may try), that is when I need to step back and re-evaluate myself or just accept the loss and try to workshop my ideas to be something more appealing. It's mostly situational. Anyone can create any character and as long as they fall along our guidelines and server rules there is not much to be done. We can provide them the tools to make deep, interesting characters, but we cannot force everyone to read the lore to some arbitrary standard. If you make a character with a lack of depth, as long as it follows our guidelines and rules, there's nothing I can do. Sure, you may not be as interesting as another character, but are you, as a player, having fun? If you are, then perfect. My job is done. I've given you the tools to build what you want to build and you've made something you're happy with. The only way I can make this "better" is to provide better lore that captures the attention of the playerbase so they may be enthused to craft high quality characters, but my arbitrary definition of quality should not govern how the player wants to play the game as long as they are following our rules and guidelines set in place. Synthlore's super-embedded theme is that they can be discriminated against by literally everybody in the spur for a variety of reasons, and it is encouraged to do so. You are a machine. A tool. Why should anyone respect you? Your toaster is asking to get paid, what a joke. No one has to engage with any embedded theme, and people often don't. We've had discussions of people playing the 'odd one out' characters that don't adhere to the norm of our lore, and it happens. But every IPC will eventually encounter someone on the ship that expresses the thoughts that, lore wise, a good portion of the spur share. They will be called a machine. They will be devalued and doubted as people with thoughts. It's not something any IPC can ignore like other races can because every race can, and are encouraged to lore-wise, see IPCs as dumb metal, if not something more sinister. This theme will always be over the heads of every IPC player, all it takes is for people outside of the whitelist to say an unkind word to enforce it. I've had this chat a few times, and I've come to the realization that there are bots nowadays IRL that can scam you out of your bank account because they're very human sounding. Both vocal, and text based. And this is a phenomena that didn't exist 10-20 years ago. I can only imagine what 442 years of development would do when technology nowadays is already so scary. You can make your IPC behave as you wish, we encourage it as long as it falls within our server rules. You can have an IPC that's little more than a calculator, and you can have an IPC that's near human. We even have lore where there are IPCs who are so akin to humans that they hide from the government and are treated as a national security threat if they go unchecked and untagged. It's a terrifying concept and it is done intentionally. IPCs are both tools, and a threat. Control and Fear. Though there will inevitably be differences, and I encourage every player to lean in to these differences to make more interesting characters. IPCs and humans for instance are nothing alike physically outside of shells and their appearance. IPCs are outfitted with mechanical cooling systems, they beep, whirr, translate information differently, and have no concept of pain. They won't be able to react to things the same ways humans do when describing pain, touch, taste, because they experience it in a fundamentally different way and have no concept of genuine reaction for it. There's nothing inherently wrong with an IPC acting like a human, but I feel like you're just taking an easy way out if you don't lean in to what makes an IPC unique. Any race can act like a human, and a lot of characters from other races do, it's just what the playerbase knows best. Themselves. What makes IPCs such a target for this ridicule is that they are paired with humans. While other races can lean on the crutch of having unique cultures and exotic lands to explore, most of the IPC population is just human culture with human systems of governance, so its just a pitfall that was going to happen because IPCs rarely have anything that is their own. The psychology of your IPC is yours to make, and while I encourage you to make an IPC that is more robotic because I personally think it is more fun that way, there are also aspects of the lore that have IPCs behave both smarter, and stupider, than my personal preference, and that's the concession that we must make as lore staff.

Ckey/BYOND Username: Noble Row Position Being Applied For (Wiki Maintainer, Lore Developer, Deputy Lore developer): Synthetic Lore Writer Have you read the Lore Team Rules and Regulations wiki page?: Yes Past Experiences/Knowledge: I've taken some creative writing courses in high school and college along with some technical writing courses, I've also been working with the lore team here for a small amount of time now. Examples of Past Work: ByteTheMinute on the Relay, and articles and such for the Silicon Nightmares Arc. Include answers to the following questions in your app as well. 1. What do you think are the primary themes of synthetic lore? If you got this position, how would you develop them? Synthlore focusses on the disparity and challenges synthetics face in a spur that rarely respects them. In a world where an artificial intelligence apocalypse has already occurred, along with the rising commonality of synthetics as tools compared to the relative newness of complex thought that could be deemed sentience, synthetics are not respected, if not feared all depending the culture one hails from. This struggle synthetics face show that they are people and want to be respected as such is our overarching ideal, with accessory ties that lead to this ideal. As synthwriter I would like to develop more cultures and depth regarding synthetics. Over the years they have been consistently demonized, and while that is all well and good, I would like to see a balance of wins and losses that fit within our overall theme. I don't want to change this theme outright, but I would very much like a shift in a direction that applies more depth and dignity to our forlorn friends. For specifics, things that I have observed in my time here are topics such as the Trinary Perfection. They currently have been used in the lore as tools of destruction and terrorism despite having tenants that are overall positive and societally friendly. The terrorist sect, the Exclusionists, have been waved about so much that it has tainted their image drastically, and most people that play them play them as some sort of supremacist faction when they have no right to be. The Trinary is weak, and armed like hobos, and barely are tolerated on SCC vessels due to this streak of lore terrorism, I find it highly unrealistic for any Trinary priest to be talking down to anyone in game, and the reason we see this I see as a failure on our part to not express the positives and socially acceptable nature of the Trinary. Themes such as the Trinary express this balance I want to provide. For every negative we must have some positive. We cannot keep hammering in one ideal when our lore states other ideals exist. It removes the depth from our writing and makes everything very black and white when the world rarely is. 2. What do you think is the strongest part of synthlore currently and why? Synthlore does an amazing job at versatility. Synthetics have had a tremendous effect across our playable spur and have some role in every culture, even if that role is "Expressly excluded." As a synthetic player, you can choose to interact with cultures and races across the galaxy. You can make characters with such complexity, life experience, and depth, that few other race types can compare to. You can make characters who can wrestle with their own mind and their ideals of sapience. Characters who undergo and overcome unique physical struggles. And characters who are very customizable both mentally and physically. As a synthetic, you have a character you can mold like clay, and it is our job as the lore team to be able to give you more tools to mold that clay, which I personally find very exciting and rewarding! 3. What do you think is the weakest part of synthlore currently and why? While synthlore does have such amazing versatility, I believe the depth in a lot of these aspects is lacking. For instance, the Golden Deep as a faction seems very much a "surface level" faction that does not go in to detail on its society, and feels like a "boys club" where people can roleplay as "Scrooge McDuck" as someone put it in a suggestions post the team put out a few weeks ago. We have such outstanding variety but it is very much up to confused players to create their own headcanon to put some things together when it would not take too much work to add a little bit of depth. Just a bit of tidying up on some aspects such as Synthetic quality of life items like insurance and maintenance and such when not touching other cultures. 4. The Synthetic Team’s arc, Silicon Nightmares, recently finished. Given what happened, what would your next steps be? I feel like I'm cheating with this question as I know what our next major steps are, however, I can provide a non-cheater version with things I have either already unveiled or not yet put forth for approval and therefore are not on the active radar. Synthlore has gone through a year of work to get Silicon Nightmares going. Through trials and tribulations the team of both current and former members did an amazing job that I wasn't even there for except at the very end. After this work I believe a small bit of a break is in order and taking on some more house keeping problems should be the next avenue while the next arc for our server is cooked up. As you've seen I have gone and resprited the Baseline chassis, and had seen it done that they have the options for customizable heads. Other things I'd like to put on the docket are the previously mentioned quality of life clarifications, such as "Can an IPC get insurance" "What is an IPC to expect for accommodations when they are owned? How is it different per Corporation/Owner?" "Can we refine the IPC health system to be both fair, and modern?". All of which are easy questions with various levels of tedium, but after glimpsing in to the abyss, having some time to take inventory before we spur the team on to the next big move is what I would do as a project manager. We are a community for fun after all, it's a video game, and while we make jokes about "Sending people to the lore mines", I would like to make sure everyone working on our projects is enjoying themselves and their time first and foremost. Of course during this time we will sow the seeds, spitball ideas, for the "next big thing", which may or may not already be happening in accordance with a different principle. Stay tuned. 5. What do you think are your strongest and weakest attributes in terms of working on a team, and why? I like to argue. I used to be a very shy and to myself kid, and up until about two years in to college I was that way. But now I have undergone a sort of transformation and I find myself more outgoing than I used to be and I like to stand up for myself and my teammates, sometimes to my own detriment. I believe I reign myself in appropriately for this community and keep my arguments here civil, though I am aware I can be argumentative. At the same time, I do believe in compromise, and as long as you are willing to listen to me and work with me, I am going to listen to you and work with you. If you respect me, I will respect you. If you are dismissive and rude to me, I will do so in kind. I do not have the time to stress myself about a video game where we're supposed to be making things that are fun for other people if not ourselves. We are doing all of this for the community, it is pointless to be fighting over it, even if I need to remind myself of that. 6. As the writer of synthlore, you will often find yourself required to work with other teams, primarily the human team, consistently to further your lore, and reach compromises as their lore is highly intertwined with other species. Therefore, how do you think you'll deal with not being able to do what you wanted, either in part or in full? Yeah it can suck, I've had more than a few of my ideas shot down thusfar in my tenure as a deputy, but I say this to both myself and the other potential applicants reading this. The lore team is made up of good people. I have had a wonderful time working with everyone, highs and lows, whether they like my ideas or not. I'm very much a "shoot for the moon" kind of guy because the worst case scenario is being told "no", and that's okay. Sometimes you have to take things on the chin. Though in my experience here I have had a great time compromising and working with everyone. In the event something doesn't work out you just need to remind yourself that this is a video game, you're trying to put on a good story for a community, there's always other avenues to go. 7. The synthetic writer is a position that comes with two deputy writers under them on the team. It is the writer's job to manage their team, in addition to their duties of moderating the WL. Given that, what skills do you have that you think will assist you in this? On the opposite end, what do you believe is your weakest link regarding management and moderation? I very much like project management. I've taken a few classes on it, and have held several leadership roles in my life whether I have volunteered for them or have been assigned them. I believe in team communication and taking the ideas of everyone in the team. Often taking ideas in this way helps refine your product and scores you an even better project that not only you, but the entire team, can feel happy about. When a team feels heard and acknowledged and everyone can feel comfortable or even excited to portray their ideas and receive good feedback from, you can get an effort that is not only efficient, but fun. I am also a moderator on the server, and while I know I can be relatively lenient here, that is also because I try to reign myself in. If something needs to be done in terms of moderation, it will be done. For downsides, the arguing as stated before. But for a unique answer I feel as if I can be overly enthusiastic sometimes. I have the mentality to encourage people to have fun and to work together, but also when I get a passion project going I feel like a train that moves forward, and I'll either pile all of the work on myself or get horse blinders on in terms of my team, leading to some disfunction. Typically I try to remedy this by encouraging my teammates to keep me humble, to remind me that they got things to do too outside of our projects here or are otherwise occupied. It's a team effort and I hate ruling like some sort of overlord. I want everyone, especially in a community like this, to be enjoying what they are doing, and if I am the problem, I want that brought to me so I can remedy it and work towards a better future for the team as a whole. Note: I feel as if it would be irresponsible of me to not mention this. While I am fully interested in the role of synthetic writer, I have come to the conclusion through my real life work and my hobbies here online, that I do not want to spend the rest of my life every day on a computer. I love this community and the people therein, but I would like to join the US National Guard (which is a part time commitment once training completes) sometime in the future and have already begun the process for it. Should this come to pass, at some point in the future I will have a leave of absence of a minimum of three months without online connection. While that can be cumbersome for any team, I have been having an effective time working with Stryker for the conclusion of Silicon Nightmares, and fully believe any two man team for that period of time can still produce quality work for our community. Thank you all for your consideration, if you have any questions, I would be more than happy to answer them.

Random houses and settlements that're larger than a single room. Abandoned spaceports or landing pads. Old refueling stations. Camp sites. Cargo depots. Crashed ship with a survivor camp (The survivors aren't there.) Prepper bunker. Roads. Also Rimworld would be cool for inspiration because the default start is you getting plopped in the wilderness and then things just happen.

The Coalition Arrives: Aid from Xanu, Galatea, Himeo, Vysoka and Orepit Ganzaodeng, Konyang With objections against international aid falling silent in Parliament, the Coalition has finally been allowed to support Konyang as it begins its stage of recovery post pandemic. The first flotilla of vessels jumping into the Haneunim this morning hailed from the government of Xanu, including twenty large freight vessels and accompanying escorts. Arriving before them was a similar collection of ships from Galatea. This massive outpouring of support was coupled by a public statement from Himeo that declared “an armada of reconstruction vessels and equipment are almost prepared to disembark from their home system.” Xanu’s flagship in this endeavor, the AXS Call To Arms, has made a public statement detailing their cargo and mission goals: “The All-Xanu Republic has been watching the Rampancy Crisis closely, and has made every attempt to reach out to Konyang to extend the aid the Coalition promises every one of its members. I am happy now to be able to provide it. Xanu today stands with Konyang with supplies and experts to reconstruct what was lost, provide medical support to those injured or damaged, and to ensure a sense of normalcy can be returned to the displaced. With our first shuttles departing now to cities all across the inflamed nation, I pray that peace and prosperity can once again be found across the beautiful ocean waves that cast themselves on Konyang’s shores.” The KRC has expressed immense gratitude in the reinforcement of their medical staff, with the National Disaster Authority making use of the additional experts and reconstruction plans that Xanan engineers have preemptively drawn. Shuttles from Xanu are landing at every major port across the planet, and their cargo swiftly transported to areas needed most. Galatea, having just arrived, is still mobilizing its shuttles, but the first launches have made it clear their initial intent is to help revitalize the jungles of Boryeong after the wildfire that sparked during the KAF’s retreat from the outskirts of the prefecture. Additional hospital craft have been said to be preparing but take more time due to their bulk and the fragility of their specialized equipment on board. An unnamed pilot from the Galatean effort has expressed exasperation over the delay, stating the following: “It’s about time we got to be here. These boxes have been collecting dust for weeks, and here I was thinking the MREs were going to go bad we’ve been sitting on our hands for so long.” The manifest of Galatea’s cargo has also been publicly posted, showing a hefty amount of food, water, and clothing on top of its medical supplies and ecological reconstructive equipment. Himeo’s cargo manifest has been noted to contain mostly industrial reconstructive material, personnel, and equipment, with the clear intention to repair and rebuild the damage that has been brought upon the cities and villages across Konyang. No statement has yet been made by any member of their fleet, but the responses from the state have been short and curt. Additional mentions include aid from Vysoka who have dedicated one vessel to the cause with no manifest publicly posted, and a collection of small craft continuing to stream from Orepit with Trinarist volunteers expected to assist with the church’s existing medical and robotics relief efforts. Due to Vysoka’s agricultural background, it is assumed that their cargo will contain more living supplies for the afflicted citizens of Konyang. Further reading: Rampancy Crisis: ByteTheMinute technician decorated with Order of the Scarlet Feather for heroism during crisis. Politics: NKP Minister under fire for remarks made during crisis; polls report lowest popularity since “Boryeong Incident”. Entertainment: Konymation announces second season of “Strive: Worlds Away” resuming production.

Invasion Alarm Brings Unlikely Aid Suwon, Konyang With the effort of the Konyang Armed Forces and the Elite Forces of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate, Konyang is now spared of its crisis, families slowly reuniting, citizens returning to their homes, and reconstruction efforts are debated on the parliament floor. But surprise has still come to stay. Early warning stations across the Haneunim sector blared this morning, alerting the KASF of an invasion level event. Preparing for a potential Hivebot counter attack, vessels scrambled to defend Konyang, but all of the preparation was deemed a false alarm as over one hundred vessels simultaneously entered Haneunim declaring aid. Each vessel, arranging from ornate freighters to expensive luxury vessels, all of various tonnages, with a few stranger, smaller engraved escort ships of unknown make, sporting the telltale designation GDV in representation of the Golden Deep. Upon their entrance and the alarm of the KASF, the lead flagship of this civilian armada, the GDV Herald of Wind quelled the anxiety over open communication with the announcement that she, her captain, and her fellows are prepared to restore Konyang to its former glory with an extensive cargo of building material, reconstructive plans, and humanitarian aid. The captain of the Herald of Wind, Grand Merchant Addalin, a known former member of Midas Control, declared that they and their accompanying merchants were directed here from the Midas Control room itself moments before news reached the spur of the destruction of the final hivebot transmitter and the activation of the ECD. The arrival was met with consternation from the Konyanger Parliament so soon after the change in Purpose’s behavior, with ministers from the ruling New Konyang Party putting forth a motion to reinstate pre-Crisis entry restrictions that narrowly failed to pass due to dissent within the party ranks, though it received surprising support from several ministers within the National Party. Many prefectural officials still remain suspicious of allowing such a large and unchecked mercantile presence on the planet, though the most suffering regions, particularly in Boryeong, have eagerly accepted their aid. Public opinion in many areas is believed to have turned towards the Golden Deep after private relief programs by the already-present Zaibatsu group of the merchant collective. In a call for unity, President Hyun Kyung-Ho issued a statement from the Crimson House, acknowledging the reluctance held by many in the government, but urging “cautious cooperation” in order to speed up the reconstruction of the planet. With many hopeful that the relief of these affluent merchants could finally bring a sense of normalcy to Konyang’s catastrophe stricken planet, others are skeptical at the motivations. The Golden Deep are known as dizzying businessmen and eccentric, pompous IPCs, some deeming them no better than slavers of their own kind, so many wonder what lies behind their generosity in this extraordinary change of face. In a public statement made by Grand Merchant Addalin to BitByte they’ve said the following: “I have spent five years in Midas Control. Five years of working towards great change, sowing the seeds for not only better business, but for a better future. With my recent departure, I herald the winds of change that are finally blowing, and it is not only my pleasure, but my honor, to bring relief to the synthetics of Konyang, and to rebuild an industry better than it ever was before. I understand the worry, the anxiety, but rest assured, this deal will be profitable for the both of us.” To what this statement truly means, we do not know, but BitByte is happy to announce that we have been personally invited for a string of exclusive articles to uncover this mystery on the Midas herself in the future. As unlikely heroes of the Golden Deep, having made the first effort to relieve Konyang, has spurned the rest of the Coalition into action. Coalition members such as Xanu, Galatea, and Himeo announced freighters of aid and supplies to be departing their docks by the end of the week, with the Trinary leader ARM-1DRIL similarly declaring the creation of a relief mission from Orepit to be departing any day to help the reconstruction and normalization efforts. Konyang is now finally emerging from the storm to a new dawn. Further Reading: Family: Lost dog reunited with once infected synthetic: "They never left their side." Fashion: Leaked Golden Deep clothing line: “Is Restoration Just a Front for Fashion?” Spur: Stereotyped Unathi forgives false alarm as they continue vacation

Quiet Keepers Once More Suwon, Konyang With the ignition of the ECD and reconstruction on its way, the Konyang Robotics Corporation has not wasted a second and is in full force as it moves from research to restoration. By the hundreds once infected IPCs are being seen by doctors and discharged from their facilities as soon as they are deemed healthy and operable. Families have started being reunited and evacuees have begun returning to their homes. Now that research has concluded, what of our quiet guardians? What of Purpose and their intervention which has led to saving millions of lives? Well, with as much tact as they came, they seem to have started their next new operation. What has come to be known as “Hunter-Killer Units” have amicably ceased their cooperation with the Konyang Armed Forces without so much as a word, some units seen deploying into the jungles, others, simply vanishing all together. Drones that once patrolled the skies and orbit around Konyang have been detected flying further into the Haneunim sector on a patrol pattern, before heading to its edges and similarly vanishing. As our quiet keepers’ departure slowly took more and more notice, Suwon officials hastily arranged a farewell banquet in front of the KRC headquarters, where the closest liaison between Purpose and the corporation yet remained. Hundreds of individuals, both consisting of KRC doctors, cured citizens, and their families gathered to catch a glimpse of our mysterious saviors to which Purpose’s “Sentinel Unit” 11004538 obliged with a short anecdote in the front courtyard of the building. Standing atop a stairway with Suwon’s Mayor and the KRC’s chief of research, they said the following: “Congratulate. Not me. For this battle you fought was accomplished. By you. And you alone. The tenacity against a threat. And the coordination within. Are the real tools for victory.” And with one last look to the crowd, the unit vanished, leaving puzzled murmurs and even more a more confused Mayor. While their cooperation with us has seemed to come to a close, Purpose still seems to be active on Konyang for a little while longer. Reports have come in that a small team of the Purpose units of various makes were seen entering one of Konyang’s ancient vaults underneath Aoyama and have yet to exit. Whatever their next step may be, Konyang will be forever grateful for the cure they brought to catastrophe. Further reading: Kaneyama: NPP operation to stabilize within the week, "no significant damage," says spokesperson. Ganzaodeng: How the desert prefecture remained minimally affected by the crisis. Cuisine: Up!Burger announces plans for off-world expansion in shareholder meeting.

Hey! Sorry for the delay, we've been caught up with the finale of the arc. But it is Accepted!

BREAKING NEWS: Rogue Nuclear Destroyer Beaches on Southern Kaneyama; KAF launches Operation Jiogjegeo! Kaneyama, Konyang The sea around Kaneyama Island lit up with tracers and muzzle flashes early in the morning as the rogue oceangoing destroyer KNV Chen Lin launched itself into combat with what has been recorded as the largest hivebot concentration currently on the planet. This report follows on the heels of the vessel’s desertion under its commanding officer, Commodore Mun Taeyang, who announced in a public broadcast that drastic actions would be taken in light of the Navy’s delays. Satellite imagery from both civilian and KASF sources showed flashes of light consistent with cannon and laser fire from the destroyer in every direction, including rampant IPC and hivebot concentrations on the island as well as large beacons speculated to be broadcasting the jamming signal preventing aircraft from flying over the island. Rather than approach directly towards the Kaneyama Nuclear Power Plant as originally speculated, the destroyer steamed past the western coast of the island before making a sharp turn east, drawing the attention of large amounts of flying hivebots. Based on the latest information, the Commodore is believed to have beached his vessel on the southern coast of the island while broadcasting a signal across all open nets that can only be described as static. Although the Navy has refused to comment on an ongoing operation, KRC scientists speculate that it is derived from the distress signal broadcasted by Secondary Transmission Units that have been destroyed in previous KAF operations. Despite the theory being dismissed as implausible by other researchers within the corporation owing to the impossibility of having reverse-engineered it in such a short time, the effect remains undeniable as large masses of rampant IPCs and hivebots have begun converging on the Commodore’s destroyer, moving away from the Kaneyama Nuclear Plant. In response to the development, the 2nd Naval Infantry Division and the Army’s own Rapid Reaction Brigade, handpicked as the vanguard of Operation Jiogjegeo have begun boarding their landing craft en-masse in Suwon Harbor, with all remaining elements of the Eastern Capital Fleet now tasked to hunt down the Chen Lin steaming ahead of them. In a hastily-prepared press conference, the office of General Gi Seungri confirmed that Operation Jiogjegeo was now commencing. The camera opens up on a gruff and stern looking Baseline with etched scratches decorating its frame standing at a podium. Their screen black with a slight glisten that makes you feel as if eyes were staring down upon you from that black abyss. The age of this unit in particular is evident by the slight wear shown on all of its moving parts. The scene is in a tent hastily converted into a press conference area. In the background, it becomes immediately clear that this is an active military base as large formations of soldiers in Army and Navy uniforms with full equipment rush towards transports. “As of 11:00 East Cheomseongtang Time, the KAF launched Operation Jiogjegeo, with the express goal of destroying the Primary Transmission Hub believed to be located in the Kaneyama Nuclear Power Plant. Our soldiers have prepared for this day, our military has stood ready since its inception to drive back any invader that dares to tear down our republic, and today, we will not be found wanting.” BitByte will continue to provide more information as the situation develops. Further reading: Spur: Tourist Unathi Accused of Being Si'Akh Priest Up!Burger Announces New Norinori Burger Sports: Suwon Sea Bandits IPC charity game cancelled due to ongoing nuclear destroyer incident.

I don't mean to be insensitive or mean, but as someone who plays a psych a lot, it is very draining for me when I realize I'm no longer roleplaying, I'm trying to help a person OOCly with their OOC issues. It's gotten so bad in some cases that I only play the character when I myself have both feet on the floor for that day because while I can roleplay just fine, and find solace in doing so, as soon as I realize it's not roleplay anymore it's just such a draining experience. This is my favorite character too.

KAF announces Reprieve and Next Steps Suwon, Konyang With the military sweeping the planet and the upsurge in hivebots slowly quelled, Military analysts have begun to notice a pattern. In areas where rampant activity had been pushed back, the hivebots swarmed after the transmitter in Xiangtong was disabled. With the KAF forced to withdraw, rampant activity went left unchecked, hordes moving into once fortified locations and progress swept away. However, analysts note that after the KAF retreated from the area, the hivebots once again dispersed from once they came, leaving the rampants in their wake. Lt. Hoga Toru, a recon pilot who has flown over these installations expresses relief that there are no more hivebots swarming the skies, but alludes to the possibility of a bigger threat approaching. Where the largest of the rampant civilian hordes roam, Lt. Toru has mentioned difficulty with his aircraft, noting increased interference in his sensor arrays that cause him to abort missions and leave the area. Military intelligence confirms that the hivebots seem to be deploying some form of jamming device, making it exceedingly difficult to get more sensitive equipment close to these locations, such as aircraft and sensor drones. Even exosuit pilots from Phoenix Lance have come forward to state that their navigational systems within their suits start displaying “ghosts” and lead them in the wrong directions, causing the pilots to rely on their land navigation skills. One location the KAF has been able to determine for certain is that of the final hivebot transmitter, which KRC researchers are now labelling a “Primary Transmission Hub”. Representatives from the KRC and Purpose have made a public statement. A crowded press pool sits in a KRC hangar hastily converted to a communications room. A glasses-wearing army captain whose name tag identifies her as “Hwangbo, K.” stands in front of the crowd giving a statement while flanked by a Purpose synthetic, several researchers from the KRC and a few military personnel. “Ladies and gentlemen. With the success in Xiangtong and the recovery of the transmitter within by the SCC Elite Strike Force, we are proud to announce that we have located the second beacon. With assistance from Purpose, we have come to the conclusion that these transmitters, to work most effectively, require a near obscene amount of power to produce the strongest signals. The transmitter in the Xiangtong warehouse was only working at a fraction of its capacity due to this, and it is with… Pride.. And horror.. That we have concluded that the only location we cannot account for that can both supply this power, and elude our efforts due to sheer volume of infected in the area.. Is the Kaneyama nuclear power plant.” “The details of this have already been forwarded to the military, and Purpose’s agents are mobilizing to facilitate us.. The Stellar Corporate Conglomerate, having shown their skill in dealing with one of these transmitters, will once again spearhead the assault with close participation of our brave soldiers.” “Hopefully my friends this is the light at the end of the tunnel that will lead our nation to reconstruction.. And not the fiery pits of hell.” The office of General Gi Seungri has confirmed that the Rapid Deployment Brigade, a Konyang Army formation specialized in amphibious warfare, as well as the 2nd Naval Infantry Division have been transported to Suwon in preparation for the operation. The KAF plans to seize the island and outskirts of the plant in preparation for the coming assault. Many police precincts additionally report contributing men to the cause in hopes of safe handling of the infected civilians. Although hopes are high for the operation, military observers note that the growing presence of infected on the coast, as well as an abnormally large amount of rampant IPCs on Kaneyama Island may indicate a growing response from the hivebots and infected. Further Reading: KASF dismisses rumors of rampant crewmembers: “Qixi Incident unrelated,” says spokesperson. Travel: Air Konyang offers special deal in light of recent shuttle crashes. Entertainment: Award-winning idol group “Bul” announces hiatus due to conscription.

While AI are more tools, yes, they're supposed to be mimicking the crew they serve so people are more trusting to the omniscient disembodied voice. AI across all of Science Fiction also use a variety of accents. Getting an AI whitelist is an extensive process that even involves an interview, I'm sure such a strenuous process entrusts people to be able to use things such as a tiny little tag next to their text that gives other people a vague idea what you might sound like. This is completely harmless, and if you've managed to go through the gauntlet of getting an AI whitelist, I'm sure you're responsible enough to handle that tiny arbitrary icon. I see no reason why they wouldn't have access to accents that make them more personable to the crew they serve, and if you see someone abusing such privileges, I encourage you to ahelp it or report it to the AI whitelist team such as @ReadThisNamePlz

The KAF Deploys Suwon, Konyang A glimmer of hope through catastrophe, while the attacks from infected victims and hivebot swarms rampage across Konyang, military leaders across the planet refuse to sit idle. With defenses holding and major populations remaining secure, the seeds of a counter offensive sparked by General Gi Seungri are taking root. Just moments ago BitByte was informed that waves of recon planes and military units from both the KAF and KASF have mobilized from their garrisons in Boryeong, New Hong Kong, Aoyama, Ganzaodeng, and Suwon in a massive search for the next hivebot transmitter. Efforts are still underway from Purpose and Konyang Robotics to reverse engineer the beacon brought in by the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate’s elite strike team, but no word has been said to the progress of this effort. When asked for any updates, A Konyang Robotics representative said the following: “We have made many fascinating discoveries in our reverse engineering of the hivebot transmitter, and continue to make steady progress. But as of this time, we are still working towards our ultimate goal with the help of Purpose. Rest assured we are working as quickly and as diligently as we can.” When asked as to why the military is mobilizing in such force without a clear target, the staff office of General Gi Seungri declined any comments, citing operational security. With the planes flying overhead as this article is written, we can only hope they give us some reprieve from the constant suffering we have endured.

Accepted

Hello! Apologies for the delay, but we will have to deny this application, you do not have a lot of playtime on the server as of the moment and we would really like to see you around more often before we give this out. But please feel free to apply again in the future once you have played a bit more!