hazelmouse

Have an Idris Day!

The idea of a solo ghostrole set on a tiny ship that can do diverse things is actually very engaging, and I intend to give it a shot. These are all excellent ideas and I absolutely concur that more dynamic ghostroles have immense potential, especially since we have submaps with which we can randomise elements of maps now.

Could a brief description of how it works be provided, or linked if it already exists? I wasn't an engineer or an observer during the test round, so I'm not certain of how the mechanics work right now. A few things: How hard would it be to implement the same bluespace effect as is used in round-ending bluespace jumps, like before we had transfers, into the drive? The effect in the mini-event was a lot more rudimentary, I'd love to see the same effect as the old jumps implemented if it's not impractical. I absolutely love that atmos techs have a part to play with the drive, it's a wonderful bone to throw to an otherwise very limited role and it creates a nice trifecta of engineers, bridge crew, and atmos tech collaboration that I expect to find very enjoyable. For placement, I personally think that the gap on deck two between the supermatter and fusion reactors is the best place. It's in engineering, and it's in a strongly central point aligned to the spine of the ship. Failing that, either wing has a lot of spare space which I think could be made to work, especially if there's any appetite to add another drive to the other wing. A few ideas for mechanics: We need phoron to be obligatory to run the drive, but we also want complex atmospherics mechanics. You could design the machine to have two atmos inputs, one of which is obligatory phoron, and the other of which is a gas from atmospherics to act as some kind of supplement? Maybe the supplement could prompt the drive to engage a different kind of jump - so, chlorine causes one kind of jump, nitrous oxide another, etc, or each gas otherwise influences the final jump in a particular way? Maybe one gas makes it more accurate, another makes it drastically more accurate at the cost of distance, another makes it go drastically further at the cost of accuracy, so engineers can cook up their own mixes for different situations. If a dynamic system could be innovated that gives you a little more to do with managing the drive than simply finding the gasses with the best modifiers and sticking them in, that would be very inspired.

I like this idea! The machinist focusing on producing more relatively mundane, practical things, while research makes the funny stuff that requires research levels to access, feels like a strong distinction. The only thing I'd question is whether this would step a little on the toes of the cargo shuttle, which I'd imagine is used for largely the same thing?

I'd second this, I honestly think it's quite well used - very few people want to run all the way down to the remote deck one closet just to fetch some space cleaner. Janitor is already a fairly scarcely played job, removing the auxiliary closet wouldn't do it or service any favours. Security doesn't need any help staying well populated, I'd rather any expansions to it didn't come to the expense of less overwhelmingly popular roles.

This is totally fair, completely down to preference. I will note that the wiper gives the wiped IPC the option to ghost as soon as it's complete for what I assume is exactly this reason - if you took that option, and the antagonist complained that you didn't stick around, I'd say that's very bad sportsmanship from the antagonist. There is a built-in opt out if you don't want to play a near non-character, you can explain it away in-character as the wipe having rendered the IPC unresponsive.

I honestly never quite understood the angle for it not being in the uplink for those reasons, being as this is a server with vampire thralls, cultists, etcetera. I don't see the harm in wiping as a routine matter of maintenance being delegated down to machinists on-ship. I think the more stuff that can occur in the actual game rather than offscreen, the better. Failing it being given to machinists, though, I agree with Wevil that it'd fit far better with the OM than the RD. If it were at least in the same department as the machinists it might see a little more acknowledgement and use.

Captains can already order for someone to be marooned on a hostile planet or shoved into a cyborg, being able to order for the deletion of memories isn't so drastic. I strongly doubt it's ever been or will ever be used outside of antagonist shenanigans, but I like that it's on the ship. On note of the wiper, I'd question why we don't just outright give it to machinists? They're the people you'd intuitively expect to have it, they already have the equipment to borg someone, why wouldn't they have the equipment to wipe someone? They can't do either without the Captain's approval and I've never seen someone stick someone into an MMI without approval short of being an antagonist. It'd save the OM or Captain the hassle of having to deliver the machinist the equipment.

I've been around for every event in this arc, and by far the most impressive part to me has been how well it's involved every department. At no point did I feel that any department in particular had nothing to do or was forgotten about, and I'm especially glad that none of them - even the high intensity bloodbath - felt as if it were a security-exclusive occasion. I really, really like the idea of the Horizon performing more humanitarian aid. I played a service character for every event, which is typically not a department that has much at all to do in canon events, but I'm pleased to say that even service was kept quite busy in every humanitarian event. The first humanitarian aid mission was a little clunky on the service side for reasons I did push feedback for, and I'm glad to say that the two events after that were both insanely well supplied for service. The new event shuttle used for them was especially good, the current version of it contains absolutely everything I feel service could possibly need, as well as quite probably everything any other department could need too. The mapping for the arc was generally phenomenal. The first and last events were both full of an abundance of intriguing stuff to roleplay over, and the other three - particularly Mudki - were beautifully made. I feel a little sad that maps so well made as them might not see the light of day again. I'm also personally very happy with how the pacing was handled for the Izilukh event. I played a non-combatant character in the heat of the fighting, and in my experience it felt like there was a serious, real risk of death without it feeling as if the event handlers were trying to get people killed without their input. With the exception of the possibility of security failing, I never felt that there wasn't a good way for me to survive the fighting. Narratively, the betrayal by Izaku felt strongly like the crux of the arc, and it worked well for that. It produced a lot of interest from the crew with the vitriol aimed towards Izaku, and gave everyone a lot to talk about between events. A part of me does wish we got to play a support role in the campaign against Izaku, but I think there's very good reasons why the Horizon shouldn't have been involved at all, even if it were far from the fighting.

https://github.com/Aurorastation/Aurora.3/pull/19741 If this change is accepted, it may also resolve the problem by simply reducing the length of the conveyor belts so that each machine can pretty much instantaneously accept materials.

I don't have much to contribute for discussion, but the idea of this kind of ship is extremely compelling to me. It's been striking how much more freedom, and how many more origins and concepts, I can explore when spawning into an ship like the freighter than I could ever with a Horizon character. The setting of an independent vessel with no particular allegiances or significance seems like it might fit a ship setting better than a gigantic corporate power projection that needs to be carefully slotted into the lore to go anywhere or do anything.

I'd absolutely love more fluff diseases. Right now, the breadth of ailments you can actually inflict on your characters that have any mechanical representation is extremely thin. If someone wanted to attempt to tackle more complex disabilities, like making asthma more mechanically complicated or introducing more illnesses like diabetes and pulmonary fibrosis, I'd absolutely love to see what they could come up with. Think pre-existing conditions that may proc off certain things, may require particular treatments, may require medical oversight during recovery, but aren't particularly lethal. If they did that, another thing I do believe is that the recovery ward should be less remote. It's never used right now because of how far away it is from everything and everyone, if we ever want to push more low-intensity medical roleplay with some mechanical backing then it'd be best if recovery facilities were readily available and understood to be in the domain of physicians. None of this gets added until someone actually puts the time in to code it, though.

For the record, I intend to push for a fix for the Spark airlock woes. Once the map freeze is over I want to make it work identically to the Intrepid, with a separate pressure tank for airlock air supply at a lower pressure, with a pump connecting it to the distro tank rather than a valve. Pressure tanks have insane volume, so more moles, so it should be able to readily survive being forced.

As a miner, I've had really good experiences with Armand Gessler! He's been very proactive and very interested in what I've been doing, not to mention just a plain interesting character I'd love to see more of. +1

Last round, 80:20 proactively reached out to work on freezers in service for the synthetic service staff to lounge in, including transforming the back of the bar into a freezer. It was super cute and made me smile, I adore Chief Engineers that involve the crew in their projects. +1

I've had nothing but good experiences, especially with Tsi Jho. They're a very competent roleplayer with a very good sense for pacing arcs and character development, and I think they'd be an excellent addition to command. +1

Nyström has been nothing but well played, receptive to gimmicks, and competent with managing her department in my experience. I particularly like how well she seems able to push back against antagonists without invalidating what they're trying to do, and how much attention she pays to her department. +1

This sounds interesting! I feel the titles might give something more of an air of legitimacy for actual departmental staff to humour them, more than they do right now.

BYOND Ckey: hazelmouse Discord username: rattydew Character names: Hazel #S-H9.09 (Bartender) Reem Faladay (Atmospheric Technician) Vafthrudnir (AI) Jackdaw (Chief Engineer) Eve Caelestius (Machinist) Species you are applying to play: Vaurcae ------------------------------ General Whitelist Requirements What colour do you plan on making your first alien character?: 0B2B1B, the colour of the unbound members of Zkaii's brood. Have you read the lore pages for the species you wish to be whitelisted for?: Yes! Please provide well articulated answers to the following questions in a paragraph format. One paragraph minimum per question. Why do you wish to play this species?: Out of all the alien species in the Aurora setting, Vaurcae strike me as the most unique, novel, and downright foreign. They're utterly unlike humans in almost every way - their eusocial nature, the sheer timescales on which they operate both as individuals and as a species, and their seamless incorporation of the digital world into their societies, personal lives, and religions all particularly stand out as being utterly unlike anything else in the setting. They're a fallen civilisation of staggering heights and damning lows, as astounding in their achievements as they are harrowing in their hardships and mistakes. Some of their most terrible catastrophes appear totally mundane in a way I find wonderfully realistic. They're morally complicated and internally diverse, feuding with other hives and broods and inventing philosophies totally at odds with all their others, with a long history providing them a wealth of reason for conflict with other members of their own species. I want to play them because I find them fascinatingly written and rife with potential for interesting roleplay. What makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a human?: Vaurcae, with the exception of Ta, are not socially adept in a manner familiar to humans, and struggle with their newly found obligations to acclimate to the temperaments of their host species. They lack the capacity for facial expressions a human possesses, and things as mundane to a human as spoken language are an alien novelty to them, having only become a part of their species in the last decade or so - spoken language is awkward to a species acclimated to the seamless transferral of thought possible via hivenet. Social interaction with other species, generally, is a hard-learned art that does not come intuitively in any capacity, and individual Vaurca may welcome integration or sharply oppose it. Their conceptions of reality and their own lives are also radically different - a Vaurca lives with the expectation of ascendance to the Aether upon their death, and knows that their time spent in the material world is only the beginning of an incredibly long life ahead of them. ------------------------------ Character Application Character Name: Ka'Akaix'Kiiz K'lax Write a backstory for your character. This may include their origin, education, personality and how they arrived to the SCCV Horizon. Ka'Akaix'Kiiz K'lax was spawned in 2463, belonging to the the brood of Zkaii, imaged via Imagotis to serve as a menial logistical worker for the hive's operations on the planet of Tret. It was entered as a novice apprentice to the Tretian guild for the duration of its training in Virtual Reality, in which it was taught the histories of Hive K'lax and Sedantis, necessary skills in the fields of logistics and supply, an introductory understanding of the wonders of technology and mechanical engineering, and a substantial degree of knowledge on the Mother Dream religion. It was particularly enthused by its religious education, finding a great degree of fascination in the conception of nested simulations stacked upon eachother, and taking comfort in the image of Mother K'lax presiding over them. It developed a deep, longing craving to join K'lax in the real world, and found itself immeasurably pleased to be racked by constant bouts of dramatic somnambulism. It deeply admires the theology of Xakat'kl'atan Ka’Akaix’Vhixok K’lax, having developed an admiration generally for all ancient Vaurcae that have spent long periods in the Mother Dream. It believes firmly that the Ny’tatyk is closer to the mind of Mother K'lax than is the material world, and more closely represents the unimaginable splendour of the real world than does the material world. Upon the conclusion of its training, Kiiz became a true apprentice within the Tretian Guild, practicing its craft on the factory-planet. The dreary sights and sounds of the dark volcanic landscape of Tret, plumed with showers of ash and the distant lights of shuttles impossible to see through the clouds, sharply contrasted the shining jewel that is Zkaii's realm, and strongly reinforced Kiiz's already dour views on the material world. It saw that this was a dreary, dirty reality, that K'lax has sent it to endure only so it could prove it held the endurance and self-discipline to be worthy to join her in a truer, more beautiful reality. It endured with that image in its mind, despite its disillusionment with what it found in the world, knowing that this was all for a good reason. It regularly devalues and derides the material world, falling into a very gnostic sensibility that the only value to be found in it is to secure itself a place in a better world through its actions within it. While it has been faced with the notion of the death of Mother K'lax, it has concluded that the question is irrelevant and that K'lax must survive in some capacity for her dream to have continued. To it, her survival seems blindingly obvious, in whatever form she does. Recently, Kiiz found itself subcontracted to Hephaestus Industries by the Tretian Guild to continue its apprenticeship elsewhere, serving as a hangar technician. It will be its first time leaving Tret, assigned to some human corporate vessel in the area organizing humanitarian aid to Moghes. It found itself pleased it could assist this effort, certain that through this new duty it can inch its way closer to the real world, and equally certain that nothing it could see in this material place could astound or impress it. How has the recent events of the Orion Spur impacted your character? Events such as the Phoron Scarcity, the Solarian Collapse or even the Invasions of Biesel for interstellar-wide affairs, while region-specific events such as the Peacekeeper Mandate, The Titan Rises or even Cold Dawn may impact your character. Most notably, the news of the War in Heaven has badly shaken Kiiz. Politically, it adheres to Pious Integrationism; it is alarmed and confused by the infighting within its own hive, and the hostility shown to the Mother Dream by the other broods therein. While it naturally admires figures such as Ka'Akaix'Udon K'lax for their close relationship with the Mother Dream and similarly finds an elegance in the idea of the beautiful war, it is also quietly horrified by the voiding of consciousness in the Xathul Xon. Its belief in the closeness of the Mother Dream to the intelligence of the real Mother K'lax tempts it to view these acts as sacrilegious in nature, tainting a holy place with death and conflict imported from a filthy material world. It does not speak out of turn, however, and is careful to avoid the topic when asked. How does your character view the megacorporation they work for? Kiiz is weakly positive towards the machinations of Hephaestus Industries. It views the corporation as a stepping stone in a nested virtual reality, informed in its nature by its utility to the children of Mother K'lax to ascend to reality to meet her again. Given its support to the Izweski Hegemony and Hive K'lax, it can only imagine that its purpose as mandated by K'lax is to help, not to hinder, and it is pleased to have found a new avenue to practice its duty.

This would be especially helpful for colourblind players. If I need to come up with a colour on the spot without taking the colour from an existing object or turf, eyeballing the right colour from a colour wheel is extremely challenging.

This would badly disrupt numerous character concepts that depend on the indistinguishability of the line to work. The narrative thrust of a Hazel is that they're identical, and the character has to process what that means to them and what they're going to do about it. Forcing a change of name dulls that quite horribly. Imperial Great Houses are major political institutions, I don't see nearly as much IC impetus for an IPC manufacturing corporation to care what a self-owned unit calls itself.

ATG is a very competent and communicative roleplayer that knows how to create fun, satisfying interactions. I'd be quite confident in their ability to play command. +1

This is a cool idea! You could also use it for two way communications - on Moghes you could make a device with a large screen that translates both to TCB and Sinta'Unathi, for instance. I do have half a mind that the 'TCB' produced by circuits isn't actually subject to known language and may be legible to everyone, though I haven't tested that, though.

I'm honestly already getting used to it. At first it really jumped out to me, but I find my brain is just filtering it out now that it's been in for a few days.