Five-Oh

Misconception. No one here implied there isn't any roleplay to be had during extended rounds. I've experienced outstanding roleplay on extended rounds, but I've also had many, many more rounds during extended where I just couldn't get anything going for my characters. The culmination of statements is that antags tend to give the crew a common enemy and cause, and therefor have an arguably higher chance of getting everyone involved to a certain extent as opposed to extended rounds. Extended rounds rely heavily, arguably solely on player-created content, which isn't at all an easy task. It can work out beautifully when everyone's on the same page and up to the challenge, can go terribly wrong when a solid number of players have an off-night and/or find themselves in an environment where they feel they can't properly utilize their characters. I'm not at all suggesting to get rid of extended rounds in their entirety, they do make for a welcome change of pace every now and then. The notion however, that they're a main contribution to the quality of roleplay is false.

My assumption is, that your character's past will highly influence the way you portray him towards others. The assumption's based on past experience with people who've set their mind on roleplaying characters that have such a vast amount of experience and command respect to such a degree, despite not having done anything towards earning either. Like I pointed out, I don't necessarily expect you to be that naive in how you portray your character to others, but the bio alone is a red flag extraordinaire. Furthermore, a character such as yours, one that's so pre-defined by his past, is likely to collide egos with others. And there's simply an abundance of (mean spirited) egos on this station, egos that for the most part also seem to be sourced from events that haven't actually taken place in-game, but instead in the imagination of players. I'm not a fan of that, and I'd go as far as arguing that it's generally frowned upon to introduce a new character with such a background. The rough equivalent of that would be for me to create a character, who's been in a military unit, rose to the top, commanded the respect of his entire unit, wiped out foes left & right and then signed up for duty on the Aurora, fitting in rather nicely with all the other characters that have a surprisingly similar background. Either way, they don't necessarily fit in well with the remainder of the crew and that's something to take into account as well. I see what you're saying in regards to Tony, but I've been meaning to get at 2 major points; mean doesn't equate to interesting or innovative (which you've kinda covered) and more importantly, Tony only worked as a character because he was the story's main protagonist (not in the literal sense, but you get what I mean). There's no such thing on multiplayer RP sessions and if people don't take that into consideration when they roll their characters, they're fixing to create a nasty imbalance and issues. Like how many times have we endured through some hotshot character's reciting their jaw-droppingly amazing past and held back from either a.) walking the fuck off to avoid the cringes or b.) challenged the story to the end of a childish argument? Usually a fairly common thing on just about any free-form RP platform. In any case, you're absolutely making sense, I just don't really agree with your view on things. That said, it's your application and your character. If you feel you're onto something, I'll reserve further (constructive) criticism until after I've seen you utilize your character ingame. Best of luck!

I'm inclined to concur with this statement. An antag, as long as they're not roleplayed overly overboard, can provide a source of interaction for all departments. Security gets to hunt the antag and protect their crew, medbay sees after the people that come to harm due to the antag's actions, engineers will have to clean up behind the antag - the other departments will generally have to give it a little more effort to get involved as they're not spoon-fed roleplay as much, but they too have more opportunities to get their share of the round generally speaking. Extended rounds, I feel like, serve more for people to push their personal agendas, e.g. roleplay within their known circle of friends and keep it that way. Those without an established group to interact with, will usually complete their obligatory to-do lists and depart from the round when they realize the round doesn't have much in store for them. Personal opinion obviously, I just don't think extended rounds have any positive effect whatsoever on the quality of roleplay.

Would you care to elaborate on that notion? I mean granted, there's not much of an opportunity to interact with each other when laser beams are non-stop zipping past our heads, but there's usually a significant amount of downtime in just about any round, no? Ample time to go around and interact with people, if players so desire. And I haven't been around for too long on this particular server, but even with that in mind there are some consistencies across servers that I've noticed; e.g. what usually happens when it takes too long for (intriguing) things to unfold? People start hitting the cryo bay, implying they make it that far instead of spontaneous fainting out in the hallways. I'm not opposed to slower paced RP, not by any means. Past experience playing SS13 however, has taught me that antags are a pretty useful catalyst for all sorts of character interaction.

I find it questionable that you went ahead and created an already well established character, as in a highly respected and feared a mob-boss. That usually creates a number of issues. Such as one player wanting to dictate the course of events, due to expectations that're based on their characters predefined past. To me, it's basically on par to players creating the typical run of the mill ex-military hero type characters and their usual anticipations of other players and their characters trembling in fear or admiration. My point is, I'd much prefer if players earn their character's reputation through their actual actions, especially if it's as significant as is the case with yours. I'm gonna go ahead in presuming that you won't go around parading your character's past and present status, but it still irks me. As for your notion of how fun it might be to play a mean character? Bear in mind that he won't be the first big meanie to come aboard, on the contrary; he'll be one of many, some of them irrationally mean, meaning you'll likely face off with characters that are, at the very least, equal in terms of badassery and spirit. It's usually then when people realize that the concept isn't as entertaining as it first seemed and instead turns out to be somewhat stale without a cast of supporting characters that'll play into the idea behind your character - players usually don't enjoy the passive, dominated role, so don't keep your hopes up in that respect. Summarizing my thoughts: - roll a character that isn't as predefined and established as the one you listed. Criminal is perfectly fine, but maybe one that isn't at the very top of the food chain. - mean isn't necessarily good or innovative. Tony Soprano didn't consider himself evil, the fact that so many people could relate to him on many levels enforces that notion. If anything, he's a regular dude, who's done some very bad things. There are many facets to characters, people are rarely just outright mean, bad or evil, whatever you wanna call. As is, I'd probably not sign off on this. Not for a lack of roleplaying skills (they're sufficient) or effort, but for the bio and the concept of the character.

I'll separate my post in two sections, addressing staff and community respectively. Staff I've literally no complaints on that front and while my current status as a newcomer could serve as grounds to dismiss my view on things, I believe an unbiased, fresh opinion can be quite helpful at times. I've personally gone through a number of scenarios in which I, myself, saw fit to contact staff to clear up inconsistencies, misunderstandings or to request aid in regards to server specific etiquette and rules. My a-help handlers were generally friendly, on point and questions were addressed in a timely manner. Like indicated earlier, I wouldn't be surprised if people who share a history with certain staff-members have a different POV, but that's to be expected on any platform. No position in the world'll exempt human beings from taking past experiences into consideration when dealing with others. Delivering an a-grade performance wouldn't shield any group of people controlling the fates of others from complaints either, at least not in my experience. Point being; be as good at your job as you may, there'll always be someone who's frustrated with the course of events. In any case, as a new member of the community I can only say that I feel welcomed in that respect. Community As indicated previously, in a different post, I'm not new to roleplay, nor to SS13, though I have to admit that I still haven't nearly grasped all of SS13's mechanics and intricacies. A couple of things I've noticed, things that aren't necessarily SS13 RP related; 1.) people like to form cliques. Quite naturally so both IC and OOC, and on just about any platform dedicated to serious roleplay (and other genres, but that's besides the point). The big difference I noticed in regards to SS13, speaking from personal experience this seems to be the case on Aurora as well, is that players/characters will consistently outright ignore your attempts at interaction. Sophisticated as they may be, it don't matter (apparently). Could never quite wrap my head around that fact, admittedly it's my #1 motivation killer. Weirdly enough, it doesn't need to be a hectic situation for this to take place, nor does it seem to matter whether you're interacting with a newbie or experienced member. The only thing that'll seemingly have an effect is your position on station, meaning people'll have to interact with your character if you're a head, but even then players seem likely to voluntarily limit their vocabulary to one, or two word sentences. 2.) seems to be the case that the line between IC and OOC's very blurry at times and things get mixed up to a generally speaking unacceptable extent. I'll be specific in that regard, as it I find it an important factor to how enjoyable a round'll turn out to be. - your character's an employee on a research facility. Act like one, even if you're not happy with your peers, especially if you're not happy with your superiors. Think of your actual job, implying you're old enough. Actual people, employees do what their told, if they want to keep their job. If you have complaints, bring em forth through the proper channels. The public radio channel isn't included on that list. It's just an immersion breaker whenever there's a lengthy proverbial battle going on about who's actually dumber than who, and why. Granted, some people will always slip through the cracks, despite the company being of the multi-billion dollar types, but there's a fine line between being unprofessional, somewhat inept, deliberately corrupt OR just outright retarded. - nobody likes smartasses. I swear, I can't count the number of arguments I've seen in which there's a back and forth about section Y, paragraph X in regards to dealing with situation Z. People don't walk about with SOPs written on the palms of their hands. It's generally not an IC thing, not in a majority of cases anyway. I get that certain characters'll always be finicky, especially if it suits their role, but if you're a janitor and you happen to have the wikipage up in case of emergency, don't knock an engineer for setting up the engine and skipping a step. If it doesn't concern you, don't let your ego get the best of you and let the standard of communication decline to the level of a petty schoolyard argument. - harm-batoning. I really, really don't know where this whole misconception came from, but allow me to set things straight on that front; yes, whipping someone over and over with a baton (or any other weapon for that matter) is unnecessary and certainly warrants the label and the SS13 specific category shit-curity, especially if it's done for little to no reason. Regardless, I'd like to ask you to do some research on actual police-related video footage. Resistance leading to scuffles, usually results in bruises, and additional injuries depending on the severity of the offense and resistance put forth by the opposition. My main point is: if you happen to see someone get whacked with a baton, and the blood sprite shows, it's utterly unrealistic and irrational to call that out and address it (worst case scenario) as using the "harm" intent. Doesn't need to be that exact wording, the concept alone is just stupid. Playing an aggressive and/or unprofessional (security) officer does not warrant the label "bad roleplayer". Make sure you understand the reasoning behind a character's actions before judging them. And do me a personal favor; bear in mind that I'm not including anyone in this explanation, who figures that clubbing everyone half to death is fine because their character's a hardass aaaaall the god damn time. - lastly, roleplaying an (antisocial) asshole is perfectly fine in my books. Just bear in mind that even the biggest jerks in the world will abide to a limited number of social rules when in an professional environment. You can lose your job! I know persistence between rounds isn't exactly SS13's strong suit, but have some decency and take into consideration that, realistically speaking, your character would be done in all regards if he legit pokes someone up with a screwdriver at his job. So if you're adamant about not giving your character up after such potentially life altering incidents, at least update your character records accordingly and maybe pick a position befitting of such a character. Meaning don't simply sign up for jobs that require a higher security clearance (or even security itself!) if your character's done things that would realistically prevent him from going down that path. Don't just consider yourself but also others, it's immersion breaking to see someone who's completely flipped his shit in the previous round, only to sign up as the warden in the following shift. That's all I got for now, like I said it should be taken with a grain of salt as not all of the above applies to this server and/or platform only. Some of these are almost a given with unscripted, free-flow roleplay, but they can be altered for the better with a little bit of individual effort from all parties involved.

I'm utterly aware of Floyd's shortcomings and the limitations I've imposed on myself by choosing to roleplay him the way that I do - my intentions weren't to take him places though. He's supposed to be more of a supportive cast to other players and their departments. Security, depending on how strict they are, will be more than able to pull him to the side and have a chat over him hopping the bar for a drink or even chuck him in a cell for what could be argued to an extent as harassment. Mind you, I try to take special care that his advances on female colleagues are at worst somewhat out of the ordinary, and though persistent, more of a source of finger-pointing amusement than anything beyond that. Others can use him as a source of entertainment and have him do things you'd normally not recommend to people with the ability of sound decision making. Or if all else fails, smash a bottle over his head. I feel that, within the rules of roleplay and everyone (myself included) having their favorite (usually more serious and capable) characters, it can sometimes be a breeze of fresh air to have that one goofball that'll mess up and keep the ball rolling when things are slow. I figured I could contribute by having a character that falls into that category, at the cost of said character not ever advancing beyond lower tier roles and rightfully so. I appreciate the feedback.

BYOND key: Five-Oh Character names: Frank Stokes, Paul Huerta, Floyd Poindexter (and whoever else I might come up later on) How long have you been playing on Aurora?: 6 days. Why do you wish to be on the whitelist?: Predominantly because I've witnessed a rather surprising lack of head personnel. I say surprising because the server sports respectable numbers on all other fronts, filled by capable people. I consider the heads an important factor of SS13 roleplay, they have the ability to (sometimes very subtly) guide a round from various angles, and if applicable across several departments. Why did you come to Aurora?: Been looking for a more populated heavy roleplay server, seeing as my former go-to server (seemingly) took a greater hit to its member base. Have you read the BS12 wiki on the head roles you plan on playing?: Sure have, but speaking from experience, particularly so in regards to SS13, a lot can only be learned by jumping into the cold water. Please provide well articulated answers to the following questions in a paragraph each. Give a definition of what you think roleplay is, and should be about: I tend to split roleplay into 2 main categories, scripted roleplay excluded; 1's to project your real-life persona onto a character and use it as an avatar to convey your thoughts and morals to others. I'd argue that this method appears to be the preferred method to go about it, but I'd also note it as a beginner's mistake as this road'll likely take you down the path where you'll mix IC and OOC, sometimes to the effect of taking up a real grudge over events that shouldn't be taken to heart. Option number 2's to create a character, unrelated to one's own persona, traits, thoughts and opinions, and instead replace those with fictional ones. Often times these'll be based on a character from a TV show, movie, or literature. Perhaps not entirely, but very likely to a certain degree and especially when a player's new to the whole environment of serious roleplay. I prefer roleplaying using the 2nd option, but as indicated I started out using the former. Roleplay should generally be about creating an environment in which different characters can come together and interact with each other. It's not, or rather it should not be about winning or losing (people get carried away, myself included. it's in our nature), instead it should be about the shared experience. Enjoyable (multiplaer) roleplay requires a good degree of common courtesy, sense and maturity - as opposed to singleplayer roleplay there generally won't be any one person who'll rise above all. There's no room for "the one", be that the cliche hero or villain. What do you think the OOC purpose of a Head of Staff is, ingame?: To deliver a noteworthy contribution to the roleplay overall, but especially within his own department (as far as applicable). He/she should lead by example and preferably encourage everyone else to roleplay to their best abilities. A head should be approachable, visible - consider that I'm not implying there can't be mean, rude, or somewhat antisocial heads, but there has got to be a reason for someone to be employed as a head, whether that's charisma, capability, combination of both, or what have you, otherwise the whole deal doesn't seem very logical. What do you think the OOC responsibilities of Whitelisted players are to other players, and how would you strive to uphold them?: I'd say the answer coincides with the above - encourage roleplay in general and lead by example. Players new and old will be sure to pick up on the effort, thus making things more enjoyable for all parties involved. That's it, really. I believe that everyone should strive to deliver the best roleplay they can, but heads especially so because they are able to influence their respective areas to a greater degree and thus in a position to enhance OR potentially ruin everyone's experience. Please pick one of your characters for this section, and provide well articulated responses to the following questions. Character name: Saul Hernandez Character age: 45 Please provide a short biography of this character (approx 2 paragraphs): (Disclaimer: I really, really dislike writing bios. I've done a few in the past, but I generally don't enjoy the process much and don't consider myself a great writer.) Saul's been employed by NanoTrasen since the age of 36. Not much is known in regards to Mr. Hernandez's prior history, earliest records pinpoint him on some backwater colony within the Tau Ceti system. Due to the subject's questionable credentials, the company's offer did not extend beyond an entry-level position as a cargo technician on of NT's lower profile research facilities. Mr. Hernadnez henceforth operated within said perimeters efficiently for an estimated 5 years, before the station revealed a vacant Quartmaster's slot. A severe lack of promising candidates in combination with a respectable effort on Herhandez's behalf, led to an (initially) temporary try-out for the candidate. ------------------ Candidate sufficiently manned the post for an approximate duration of 2 years, before being considered for the position of HoP. This can mostly be attributed to Mr. Hernandez self-earned/made qualities and outlook, in addition his firm ruling over the cargo bay, which seldom came at the cost of a loss in morale. Obligatory Inspections conducted in these 2 years have come up short in terms of exposing discrepancies in accounting and/or inventory as well, as such the company's Internal Affair's bureau forfeit their right to veto on the matter. (*Note to self: Re-evaluate said agents in charge of inspections) ------------------ Mr. Hernadez's probationary HoP period on station hereby concluded. Final notes as follows; Loyalty to the company is out of the question. HR skills sufficient. Delegation skills respectable. Protocols followed accordingly to company instructions. Books in order. Notable incidents: x1 viral outbreak on station. Surviving personnel noted Mr. Hernandez's prompt withdrawal from station comms. Later roundup reports indicate that subject prematurely withdrew from station to avoid potential risks. Investigations confirmed previous notion; subject evacuated shortly after outbreak announcement, arguably resulting in the deaths of an additonal 6 crew members. (*Note to self; Cut pay by 40% duration 1 month) Recommend transfer to N.S.S. Aurora immediately in light of current vacancies. What do you dislike about this character?: Nothing. But here's what I picture people would dislike about him; - Cowardly at times where one would hope for the exact opposite - Overly loyal - Stern - Does things by the book (this does not include telling someone to go fetch a signature for a X form from a position that's not even filled to begin with.) - Concerning technical and complete combat ineptitude What do you think makes this character fit to be a head of staff?: Guy's delegation skills. He's approachable, firm but fair, and doesn't fall in the category of HoP's that'll have you running from back and forth between entities in a vain effort of trying to get enough signatures to get the most crucial things done. He strikes a good balance between conducting business according to protocol and situation circumstances. Please provide well articulated answers to the following questions. How would you rate your own roleplaying?: Sufficient enough to become a functional part on any platform, given that I'm somewhat educated on the lore. I think it's very difficult to put an exact number on it. I can say that I'm fairly experienced, roleplayed in a plethora of environments ranging from law enforcement to criminals, to legal characters, military, or completely fictional things. I've done this both on video games and forums. I can say that I'm willing to roleplay with just about anybody, seperate IC from OOC, stay true to my characters and that I'm experienced enough to bring up potential misunderstandings in a mature manner. If I had to note one thing I didn't like about my roleplay, it'd have to be that it highly depends on my mood. If I'm not in the mood for it, I'll likely fall back into sort of a routine, may become more passive and just roleplay accordingly to what's going on around, as opposed to being imaginative and taking the initiative. Then again, I've learned it's better to take a break at that point. Extra notes: I don't run a lot of characters, I usually prefer to focus my efforts on 1, maybe 2 at a time. I'm currently in a position where I haven't figured out which ones that'd be. I'm sure I'll dedicate 1 character to security (once I'm not literally locked out at every other turn, as in the cadet phase wears off) and 1 to the HoP position, implying this goes through. I suppose I'm mostly seen on Floyd Poindexter at the moment, which I consider a bit of an idiot (some might even say creep), although a slightly adorable one(?)! Just having fun with him, getting to know people and their characters. Lastly, I realize this app may come a bit early seeing as I've only joined the community, I could easily see it being denied, I'd absolutely understand why and I wouldn't mind postponing my HoP endeavors to a later date.