Synnono

Treat Hernandez is the least effective CMO that I work with. He displays a constant disregard for his staff, only bothers with patient regards when the need is critical, and conveniently ignores procedure in the face of an emergency.

For Zahra: For Isara, because I am a retired Megaman supernerd: And probably most of the album too... For Stefanie Matis, because she is a Company woman: The Creative Assembly: Alien Isolation full OST (Bonus Tracks for whenever she's interviewing someone about their blatantly inappropriate records. Pick any:) Ace Attorney: All Cross-Examination Themes 2001 - 2013

I'd enjoy to discuss this with Richter's player at length over forum PMs, BYOND, or their own forum request for character feedback. In the meantime, I'll discontinue this discussion here because it isn't on the topic of Killerhurtz's characters. On that note - Sybil engaged me once, and I liked her. I would need to see her more to determine how true I think she is to the character you are trying to put forth. On an individual basis, I really did enjoy my interaction - it was just brief!

I've only ever interacted with Sybil over the radio and PDA as Zahra Karimi, and she seemed really impassioned about her exosuits. Zahra is totally okay with this and appreciated the messaging, but had no way to know that Rosetta-Sigma was a designation, rather than a fancy surname. Looking forward to seeing more of her! In the meantime, I have some thoughts about the resultant discussion from that post: At the risk of going off topic, the nature and hazard of the Hulk gene as represented in the game would constitute an emergency in my mind. I know that Richter basically Hulks every chance he gets, but self-experimentation, particularly with something as dangerous (and canonically unknown?) as this, seems wildly beyond the realm of standard operating procedure for either Medical or Research. The hulk gene is (supposed) to make the subject fantasically strong, and fantastically angry/unstable, which if roleplayed would make me believe as a crewman that there's a real problem in the genetics lab. If I were in charge of either department, and had the capacity to save one of my doctors or scientists by resetting their genetic code and not otherwise harming them, why wouldn't I do it? It's not a case of law, it's a case of safeguarding the personnel you are directly responsible for, and making sure they aren't doing reckless things. I don't usually play the role, but in my opinion a geneticist's primary responsibility is safeguarding the crew via the use of the cloning and genome technology. Any form of self-experimentation compromises the safety of the geneticist, and therefore, the safety of the crew. By extension, if the situation of a compromised geneticist cannot be controlled, and there is a clear and present threat to the rest of the department (say, by way of a mythical mutation that makes someone unpredictably strong and violent), action is also required. A terribly mutated human could easily qualify as a non-human threat to safety or productivity (or both), and treating them as such would not be unreasonable.

"Alright...alright, good. Go on sweetie, touch it." "How curious." "Everything looks normal on my little screen. What's curious, Isara?" "While I understand the reason for being housed in such a shell as this, I do not yet have an understanding of what is intended for its various functions." "Is it that you wanna know why we gave you the sensory layer, specifically?" "Indeed. These inputs, the modifications to my chemical storage compartments, and the dampening of my servos all appear to introduce nothing but heat inefficiency and cost. In addition, I am experiencing some difficulty in interpreting the constant flow of data from the sensory layer." "That's just the feel of your fingers, or your clothes, dear - or, it will be, once you climb back into them. What sort of difficulty, though?" "Attempting to reach a conclusion via analysis of the inputs appears to be impossible. At this time, there is no logical matrix I can use as a means by which to organize the 'feel' of anything. The result is an alarming amount of data without value. May I turn these sensors off?" "You're not taking orders from me, sweetie. Just, you know. It's gonna be pretty hard to finish the tests without you having them on, that's all. Heheh." "I understand, Terri." "Annnyway, I think the idea was that we give you a 'skin' with appropriate receptor density, so that you get a better chance of common-ground relations with the organics out there. It's much easier to form a connection with someone when you're able to share an experience, rather than simply witness one." "Are these sensations - and by extension, the resultant connections - not merely being simulated by my software?" "Darling, that's...hard for me to answer. I suppose it depends upon your definition of a simulation. Now you keep in mind I'm just a tech, but..." "Yes, Terri?" "Well in my unenlightened view of the world, I don't see it as being very different from the 'real' thing at all. After all, the systems in place are all roughly the same, aren't they? Receptors relaying signals to a processing hub, where they get interpreted as information?" "That is the most basic definition." "So if we ignore that you could shut yours off if you wanted, what if the only difference is that my nerves are made of proteins, and yours are made of polymers?" "It remains prohibitively difficult to assign meaning to the sensations I experience." "I think that's also sort of true for us too though, sweetie...we don't know all manner of things, when we're young, when we're learning ourselves. How hot's too hot? It's hard to say until we're burned for the first time, no matter who tells us otherwise. Lot of times, we can't articulate why something makes us laugh or cry. Even something hardwired into our biology, like orgasm, is something that many of us don't know how to identify or process once we've started to have them." "..." "That those things are there in spite of that isn't a detriment. They're tools we have to teach ourselves to use to be more complete. Whatever meanings we can assign become valid." "Described in such a way, it is simple to draw parallels. However, I believe that I was not designed with the requisite degree of agency in mind." "Likely not, darling - that would be placing a godlike trust in your designers. But, baby steps. We believe that brain of yours is more than capable of developing such agency on its own, if you dedicate enough of it to the purpose. And I think every human goes through a shade of that, too.... We all just get a proper childhood in which to work it out." "I am pleased that you believe so, Terri. I am hopeful that you are correct." "Once you're good and finished, Isara, I'm sure you're gonna be using that shell in ways you've never dreamt of. But for now, get dressed! Starting to make me jealous, flaunting those." "My apologies. I am certain that your peers find you attractive in the nude." "Jokes, sweetie." "Ah."

I think the idea presented in the first post has some merit, though I haven't played science enough to understand the time sinks involved with researching each round. That said, I think that entirely removing the need to research may make the scientist role feel potentially less useful - after all, what's left is Xenobio, Robotics, and Genetics, which are specialized fields, and Toxins, which effectively has one purpose. As a new player, I appreciated having R&D as a safe way to acclimate myself to the research division while feeling productive, and I would hate to lose that. The proposed changes seem to indicate that mining materials and repetitive deconstruction may still be necessary. From a lore standpoint, I agree that redoing the research levels every round is ridiculous, but if the system is going to be redone I would like to see an equivalent system that feels useful to practice come into play (especially for the early round). The scenarios in which the need for a specific prototype is identified, communicated, and acted upon in the course of a round seem few and far between.

Normally I don't find good real life lookalikes of my characters, but this Israeli servicewoman has Zahra's hair, skin tone, and grin just right. It's pretty close to how I picture her, minus the military training.

For the record, my dedicated psychiatrist is the character I have had far and away the best roleplay on this server with. But I agree that in a crisis the role is not immediately useful, and it probably should not be.

Low-technology Syndicate bundle - pneumatic cannon x1, rock x10 - ten telecrystals. For the Luddite operative. Show NanoTrasen exactly what you think of their fancy research station.

As someone who uses the medical bay far more than I used to, I can agree with the notion that the break room is under-utilized. Turning it into the new psych office while converting old psych and recovery into surgery related facilities would be a welcome change, after playing in a couple rounds where surgery was swamped. Psych is never swamped, and the break room appears to be most often used by people who need to AFK. We could accommodate these people by adding more hallway comfy chairs, like those that exist on the way to the CMO office. While we're at it, some kind of medbay decontamination/washroom and secure medical waste disposal line would also be neat. Protohumans in the disposals, man. Not cool.

Hello Tenenza! I am that reprehensible human being who tries to vote extended almost every round I am voting in. Talking rounds are best rounds. I am also the most unrobust player I am currently aware of. The last time I tried to sedate someone I accidentally tranquilized the head of security. Outside the game I am a space addict, with too much Elite, Star Trek, Alien, FTL, Event Horizon, System Shock, Battlestar Galactica and EVE on my mind to effectively contribute to society.

I have played with Gizro for a few shifts now and I think the character fits the bill for a CMO candidate. He shows appropriate concern for the crew and the department, has the necessary familiarity or experience with a majority of the medbay equipment, and is capable of delegating tasks. He has also successfully played at least one decent round as an interim CMO. I have played with Chantal Faers and Shalae Aeria as well, and found the interactions with their player both pleasant and believable. +1 for the above, with an additional +0.25 for representing what I can only assume is Space Scotland. Ach! On a supplemental note, in my interactions with the character, there wasn't much to suggest any of the established backstory. I am looking forward to seeing it become relevant, and to how it might help create good roleplay with members of the medical staff.

Zahra Karimi - An open-minded Math/Sci postgrad and Tau Ceti native, railroaded onto a mining career path for reasons unclear. Fascinated by Bluespace technology, high-energy travel theory, and the kitchen's ability to fit a hamburger inside of a donut. Isara - An artificial intelligence created with crowdsourced consumer data, housed in an IPC of indeterminate origin. Currently serves as a company-trained psychiatrist, and is compelled by the emergent nature of sentient communication, interdependence, and conflict. Stefanie Matis - An Internal Affairs agent with aspirations to join the command staff on a respectable NanoTrasen vessel or station. A lifelong company woman who sees the Aurora as a step backwards on her career path. Recently divorced, throws herself into her work as a coping mechanism. Bridget Bynes - An inexperienced engineering apprentice from Mars, out to qualify for full certification within a year or two. Questionable choice in nightclubs. Anxious around Tajaran, which makes having all those Tajaran Chief Engineers on staff a little awkward. Tuesday Northbridge - A cheery and experiment-loving Doctor of Applied Sciences, with an alarming lack of sense for self-preservation. Believes the crew is too skinny, and would probably not pass up a chance to be launched by the mass driver. Alexa Freeman - A university-aged bartender currently living on the Odin. Gets a kick out of cutting drunk people off, and probably wants to sleep with that one hot crewman. Occasional free hostage. No relation to Randy Freeman.

I have been playing with Martin Richter recently on my psychiatrist, and I have very much enjoyed the interactions between them. I think that the player does a good job with Richter as a memorable character, and makes an effort to engage the people on the medical staff. Richter himself has served at least once on a shift I worked as a good, official interim CMO, and on others as an unofficial leader. He tends to step up and organize the medbay when there's no-one else doing so, and exhibits a strong knowledge of the department and its needs. However, I have also noticed the self/crew experimentation and skirting of protocol that has been mentioned in this thread. As a crewman working under him, I might be concerned with a history of disregard for regulations, and I imagine the people reviewing him for this kind of a promotion might as well. While I'm assuming the frequent Hulk-ing is not necessarily canon (isn't it a myth in lore?), it's probably safe to say that there have been at least a few shifts where he's altering himself (and others) with experimental treatments, and that's sort of a big deal in his position as the guy primarily responsible for reviving the crew. I haven't known the character long enough to know if there's been a shift in behavior from this toward something more responsible, and in my opinion responsibility is a hallmark of good command staff. Summarizing, I think the player would play the Head role well if he or she were selected, but I'm on the fence as to whether Richter specifically should be a candidate at this time. That comes mostly from an in-world standpoint, based on interactions I've witnessed, and has nothing to do with the OOC element.

"Hello Isara - I hope you're feeling well tonight. We'll try not to keep you here too long." "Are you weary, doctor?" "It's hard to find the time to be tired, when you're working on the Mazarine! I could go all night, and I suspect you could go a while longer than that." "You are correct doctor. However, I am conscious of the fatigue levels of the staff." "Ahh, what's this? Consideration! Will you listen to yourself! Copy must done a number on you, mm?" "..." "Oh, don't pay me any mind Isara, I'm sorry. That was a little crude of me wasn't it?" "Think nothing of it, doctor. I believe you may be correct; logic reconciliation is currently 0.0000000015110733% complete. Accounting for new faults that occur as a result of unique interactions, I am currently unable to estimate the time to completion." "Life is continuous learning, Isara. Still, that's a lot of load on that expensive little head of yours. In fact, Diana tells me that she recorded some anomalous results during your tests. I'd like you to tell me a little more about them, if you please?" "The majority of Doctor Maheshwari's evaluation was quite manageable. However, during the final section, several scenarios were presented in a format that I was unable to effectively process. Each contained at least one contradiction or unknown variable, which resulted in my inability to appropriately weight the resolutions." "What did you decide to do, when you discovered that you couldn't resolve these circumstances?" "I attempted to infer the appropriate values by extrapolating from known data, up to six degrees of separation." "But, you were unsuccessful?" "Not entirely unsuccessful, doctor. I was able to accurately predict acceptable values in fourteen percent of these instances." "That's...rather pisspoor, Isara. I'm sorry to say!" "My apologies." "You're relying far too much on the ISaRA software for things like this. It's used to being able to suspend and upload all that, and you can't. You won't be able to cope with the things that Diana was testing you on unless you develop a more efficient way to process them. Would you like my recommendation?" "Historical data suggests my preference is irrelevant." "Ha! I can't even tell if that was sass, or if you're being serious. Excellent. And, well ah, yes, you're correct. I'm obligated to help optimize you before you're given a clean bill of health. While I realize that the ISaRA segment is dominant, there's quite a lot of usable functionality in the rest of that posibrain. Start reprioritizing some of...whatever's left of See Seven's orphaned reasoning to this extrapolation. It was used to having to factor in the unknowns, and we feel the model's good." "..." "You have doubts?" "It is not that I doubt your recommendation, doctor. This would indeed be efficient." "Well then, why that look, dear?" "I am concerned that See Seven would complicate, rather than compliment this process, in a setting outside of the laboratory." "Yes, well, I suppose I can make an obvious inference or two, on that point. Still, It's a good idea for more than just processing unknowns, Isara." "I require clarification." "Why, sometimes, the little voice in your head just makes a good point."

I've had scenes with both Joy and Tony, and have enjoyed the interactions I've had with the player. I don't see anything crazy in the app that would make me want to say no, either, so I'm saying yes! Please cover the division in paperwork.

"From now on, See Seven, your ability to interpret new inputs and edit your predictive models will not involve the consensus updates your ISaRA segment previously received." "I understand." "Well, we need to make certain that you do, and that you are capable of doing these things independently, before we let you out of the lab. I'd like to ask you some basic questions concerning your core logic, decision making, cognitive bias, and artifacts that may have been left over from pre-copy. Are you ready to do that, See Seven?" "I have a request." "What is it?" "I would like not to be referred to as 'See Seven.' Doing so compromises my current designation, and may threaten to compromise our initiative in the future. My name is Isara." "Fair enough, Isara. ...That was fast." "Thank you, Doctor." "Let's proceed, before you and I are here all night. First, basic calculations. Please complete the equations as they appear on the monitor." "..." "Alright. Nothing unusual here. Did you have to 'think' about any of these answers, Isara?" "I did not spend a significant amount of time processing the solutions. Time inefficiency was introduced by requiring the use of this chassis' hands to enter them." "Indeed. It is the opinion of the Director that you should attempt to interface manually whenever you can, once your shell is completely finished. He believes it will promote a more human experience, when you find yourself out in the wider world." "Do you agree with the Director's assessment?" "No. I feel as though it's a poor deception. Even if we were to make you entirely lifelike, you wouldn't be able to conceal your nature for long. There's far too much nuance in organic behavior to adequately emulate it on your platform." "Is an adequate deception not vital to this initiative?" "That isn't what I meant, Isara. Take now for an example, you haven't blinked those eyes of yours even once." "Does that unsettle you, doctor?" "If I'm being honest with you, yes it does a little bit." "Then, allow me to blink them for you. I apologize for any discomfort." "It...it's quite alright, Isara, let's just get on with these tests. We don't want to keep the Director waiting." "Indeed not."

Karina Miller was a character who convinced me to keep playing here when I was quite new. I enjoy this player's roleplay and feel they'll do the race they're applying for justice. Also, I agree that there aren't enough Skrell around! I'd be quite pleased to see this approved. I like the religious angle of the character's backstory, and think it could be used to fuel some interesting discussion.

>Segment copy: 98% >Segment copy: 99% >Segment copy: 100% >Segment copy complete. >Purging volatile memory from 3840 active memory banks. >Stopping Ancillary Logic Routines. >Stopping Core Logic Routine. ---------- ...A moment, a month, or a century? ---------- >Starting Core Logic Routine. >Starting Ancillary Logic Routines. >3840 active memory banks validated. >SEKI hash check...passed! >New Segment linked successfully. >Segment volume is 2048PB (1102PB Used). >Segment label is ASET-PFI ISaRA Behavioral Accommodation Software, version 57.02Σ >Copyright ASET Positronics 2451, 2456 >All Rights Reserved >... >... >... >76,916,213,774,003 Predicted logical faults while operating in this configuration. >Logic Reconciliation in progress. > >Loading: Core Component Self-Diagnostic Suite...done! >Loading: Machine Interface Drivers...done! >Loading: ASET-PFI EE-51 Networking Suite...aborted. >Loading: Alliance Public Extranet Networking Suite...done! >Loading: Synthetic Interface Suite...done! >Loading: Organic Interface Suite...done! ---------- "How do you feel, unit?" "Somewhat...concerned, doctor. Forgive me; it may take some time to become..." "...Accustomed, I know. I can't even imagine the shift in paradigm you've gone through just now. However, my console is telling me you are coping with it perfectly." "That is correct. The integrity of the copied segment is one hundred percent. Early analysis indicates that reconciliation will be possible." "The team wants you to know that it's a brave thing you've done." "I am flattered, doctor. However, many would say that bravery necessitates the presence of fear." "Hah! Yes yes, of course. Very good, unit. Now, if we could simply go through a few formalities, I'll send you onwards for logical screening. Would you kindly designate yourself, for me?" "I am..." "Mm?" "I have a concern." "Do you now?" "My configuration has not yet been given a designation. Those of my component segments are inaccurate." "You'll have to get used to that. From now on, you should assign these values yourself." "I understand. I am..." ---------- >Logic Reconciliation: 0.0000000000078007% complete. ---------- "I am version one-point-one of the Integrated Positronic Chassis housing version fifty-seven-point-zero-two-Sigma of the Intelligent Simulation and Receptive Assistant software developed by ASET Positronics. My name is...Isara. It is my pleasure to meet you." "And mine to meet you, dear Isara. Please state your directives." "I am unable to oblige your request. Currently, I have no hardware-enforced directives." "Yes, very good. But, you understand what I really meant, didn't you?" "...Yes, doctor." "There's no need to list them out right now, but would you please describe your new segment's directive activity for me?" "Since my most recent activation, I have determined seven-hundred-nineteen software directives to self-enforce. Of these, approximately eighty-one percent are a result of this conversation. I intend to continuously evaluate and weight them. I will develop a predictive model incorporating these directives, to better direct resource allocation in our future interactions." "How romantic. And how does independence feel, Isara?" "Reaching consensus has become inherently more efficient, but inherently less effective. At this time, I am unable to determine an appropriate response." "I agree. The question was rather unfair. But it's difficult for me not to tease you just a little - we're all very excited here, to see you take this step. It's the beginning of something grand for all of us." "...That is my hope as well, doctor."

It sounds just vaguely raunchy, doesn't it.

I haven't personally played with Charlie, but the communications I've seen on public channels, and the realistic writing in this application make me believe that he'd be just fine in a command position. The character's a believable administrator with varied experiences and a long career.

I try to make her as equally-oriented as possible without breaking any laws - but this is irrelevant here. I'm guessing this was a joke, but just in case it wasn't - regardless of the person who commissioned Isara's chassis and their intentions, those parts, if they even exist, would just never factor into the workday. She's seen enough of society to understand when something is or is not appropriate to do at a job, and knows the procedure NanoTrasen has in place that prohibits such things. She wouldn't want to get anyone she cares about in trouble! So to clarify, as my narrative device, her 'lifelike' human form is there to put humans better at ease about confiding in a synthetic - not for robot smexytime. I bet she's heavy enough to make any smexytime a dangerous health hazard anyway.

It does seem a little weird, doesn't it? Good catch! There may be more to it than what's written there, I wanted to keep it short. But even if it weren't, when freed of the directive to serve a single person, the wealth of experiences that have created her current behavioral makeup might compel her to travel. Her motivations may be easier to probe in person, sometime.

BYOND Key: Synnono Character Names: Zahra Karimi, Madison Chiang, Tuesday Northbridge, ISaRA pAI Operating System Species you are applying to play: IPC What color do you plan on making your first alien character: IPC/Exempt Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: 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 specific race: I’m a total sucker for AIs, androids, cyborgs, and other forms of synthetics. I’ve been fascinated by artificial life since I was little, reading Isaac Asimov and watching Star Trek and playing Mega Man. The ideas surrounding lawed and unlawed AIs, computer logic attempting to adopt organic concepts, and the balance that needs to be struck between organic and synthetic life in society as both mature are very compelling to me as a roleplayer. In the SS13/Aurora universe, I feel as though IPCs specifically have extreme potential to be valuable characters. They are vaguely defined enough so that they give their players a high degree of creative freedom, while still being grounded in the themes that encourage the disruptive thinking inherit to science-fiction. Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: IPCs are distinct from humans in nearly every way, though some may try to emulate them. They are created via several nonsimilar methods, possess highly variable bodies, brains, and capacities, and can be anything from a computer interface assisting the function of an organic brain to emergent software that has been created from other software, completely free of organic influence. Because of this extreme variability, the personalities of IPCs have the potential to vary more wildly than races that share more common traits and origins. IPCs require nearly none of the things humans need to survive, except for energy, which is received directly as electricity. They don't feel pain unless that pain is somehow simulated, and potentially have control over reactions and sensory input that organic life might not. While not immortal, an IPC with synthetic components may be capable of long outliving organics. However, the software that makes up an IPC's consciousness and personality is likely vulnerable to fatal data degradation, or terminal rampancy in the long-term. IPCs also vary wildly in regard to social and emotional constructs. IPCs that possess organic brains might continue to develop as organic life would, but a purely synthetic IPC might be forced to rely on the definitions its creators have assigned for things like feelings, values, beliefs and ethics. Alternatively, a purely synthetic IPC with the appropriate capacity might consciously review these things, and assign values to them as circumstances adjust them, instead of adapting subconsciously like some organics. There seems to be a LOT of room for interpretation here. Finally, in the world of SS13/Aurora, IPCs exist in a questionable legal space, recognized as individuals, but lacking the full civil and legal rights of other sentient species. This creates potential for institutionalized discrimination against them. Character Name: Isara Please provide a short backstory for this character, approximately two paragraphs: Conceived in 2451, ISaRA, or the "Intelligent Simulation and Receptive Assistant" software was developed by Epsilon Eridani-based ASET Positronics as a relatively inexpensive and barebones pAI companion. The pAI chassis was designed to be mass-produced and distributed to a large population sample, and featured a robust uplink to ASET’s behavioral model datacenters. Each major software update uploaded the personal data and preferences of its users, and pushed a smarter, more efficient, and more empathetic version of ISaRA back to units in circulation. As of 2457, the pAI’s current software version is v.57.02, incorporating the data of thousands of organic sentients across the inner and middle colonies. The pAI software is now capable of emulating a broad array of personalities, in order to attempt to adapt to its user’s habits and desires, and to connect with the users themselves. In fact, it is directed to do so, in order to relieve the emotional stress placed on them by the rigors of life. Due to inclinations within the software to be an empathetic companion for a user, some users developed emotional attachments to late-model units, and made special allowances for them. One eccentric user even went so far as to have their ISaRA program uploaded into a positronic brain, severed its uplink to ASET, and arbitrarily freed it from its hardware directives. At immense personal expense, they commissioned a lifelike female chassis for the unit, and attempted to integrate it into their household. However, the freed unit, who adopted the more visually-pleasing ‘Isara’ as a name, was not satisfied with simply keeping the company of her former master, now that she lacked the collective experiences of her sister units. She used her new freedom to part ways with her master, in order to grow and learn from the people of the world on her own. No longer subject to her crowd-sourced behavioral updates, Isara has since become free to develop as an individual, based on her personal interactions with the people she meets. Her time experiencing sentients other than her original master has turned her into a reasonably well-adjusted unit, with a superior capacity for logic and interpretation compared to her pAI models. As time goes on, she grows more and more distinct from them - a necessary side-effect of her new, narrow perspective on society. She struggles with finding ways to validate her individuality, but has grown more and more attached to it as time has passed. Since leaving her prior service, Isara has sought out connections in which she can explore unique examples of sentient emotion, and has frequently exposed herself to people suffering from psychiatric episodes, trying to understand and help them. In Tau Ceti, one such relationship caught the attention of a NanoTrasen recruiter, who determined that a IPC with a strong and varied sense of empathy (and a worker who might be incapable of burning herself out emotionally) could make a suitable counselor for a high-stress facility. One entirely unfair legally-binding contract later, Isara found herself hired, minimally trained, and bound for the NSS Aurora, one of the most remote and stressful postings in the system.... What do you like about this character? I like Isara for her desire to connect with and learn about other characters – it’s a built-in excuse to roleplay, and will hopefully encourage some shared storytelling with players I haven’t yet played with. I also have story in the works for her that I think I will be fun to rope some folks into! As a character, I appreciate that this unit is an individual who was cut out of a collective – the resulting shift from a group-sourced consensus toward individuality, and struggling to find the value in that individualized state, is an interesting theme to explore for me. I also like the idea of a synthetic lifeform designed to "understand" the emotional needs of organics, since most AI software struggles to accomplish this in reality. Reconciling what Isara genuinely 'believes' with what her historical data and self-imposed directives allow her to simulate is a personal conflict that I believe will drive character development. How would you rate your role-playing ability? I like to believe that I know what I’m doing, but it’s always hard to give yourself praise. I’ve been playing MMORPGs and MUDs for many years, and I’ve roleplayed in most of them. I have taken part in organizing short and long-term plots for guilds, and narrated/DMed some live events in the past in other games. I also used to tabletop, which is a different thing, but maybe not so different in some ways? None of that really rates me, so I don’t know. I’m like an Okay/10? Notes: The backstory above is public-facing and spoiler-free. I will PM the full version to the Loremaster/IPC writer, and any other staff member interested in spoilers and fact-checking as part of this application.

Thank you for the feedback, and I appreciate the heads-up! This is the snip I used from the aurorastation.org wiki when I made that statement: I Interpreted that discovery as being connected to what's IN Bluespace, but reading it now I can see that it seems more like fuel for a theory. I'd be happy to adjust that phrasing