[Accepted] Shenaanigans' Command Application

[Shenaanigans]

BYOND Key: Shenaanigans

Character Names: (ranked in rough order from most to least played)
- Valeriya Samsara (Quartermaster)
- Lusula Kazhkz (Nurse)
- Halkikijr Zaydan (Cook)
- Sreznai Guwan (Shaft Miner)
- Sloane Goldhirsch (Security Officer)
- Nasrin Knezevic (Gardener)
- Tae Su-Yeongseon (Engineering Apprentice)
- Eveleen Pawgi (Janitor)

How long have you been playing on Aurora?: Forum account was created October 14th, so almost 5 months!

Why do you wish to be on the whitelist?: I want to get a command whitelist primarily because I see it as the sort of "next step" in becoming more involved in the Aurora server, this time from an in-game stance rather than the out of game one becoming a lore deputy allowed me. I've spent the last few months slowly branching out into different departments, getting to know some of the playerbase, and generally becoming more and more comfortable with SS13 mechanics as a whole-- now I feel I've reached the point where I'm both experienced and knowledgeable enough to take that leap up to command. I think playing as command will really do wonders for helping me to expand my knowledge into the niches I've missed so far, such as what it's like to deal with antags up close and personal and coordinating how the station responds, which will only improve my abilities as a player. It's for personal improvement, and also because I love becoming involved in the coordination aspect of a hobby when I enjoy it as much as I do SS13.

Why did you come to Aurora?: I was coerced gently persuaded to by my lovely girlfriend Doxxmedearly. I'd never even heard of SS13 until being introduced to it by her, and it took a few months of watching rounds over her shoulder before I finally decided to try it out and attempt to satisfy my craving for a consistent, engaging RP platform. In my time here I've had little to no interest in branching out to other servers because the Aurora fits my wants pretty much perfectly, as filled with creative players creating engaging character as it is.

Have you read the Aurora wiki on the head roles and qualifications you plan on playing?: Multiple times!

Have you received any administrative actions? And how serious were they?: To my knowledge I don't have any notes, warnings, or bans to speak of.

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've found that the simplest way I can describe roleplay is to call it "collaborative storytelling". Like writing a book with many authors simultaneously, each one bringing their characters and stories into the world to interact with each other and create the whole together. It's an extremely social and cooperative hobby, functioning only when the people participating are willing to both work with each other and value each other's enjoyment equally, which means that no one person is ever more important than another and it can easily grind to a halt if there's a breakdown in that communication between players. Roleplaying may not generate as neat or cohesive a story as you might find in a novel all written by one person, but I've come across the most fascinating plots and engaging character interactions IN roleplay. It can be massive amounts of fun, bringing stories to life that no one person could have created alone, yet without participants who are open minded, flexible, and considerate of each other's fun it's never going to get very far.

What do you think the OOC purpose of a Head of Staff is, ingame?: A Head of Staff is, first and foremost, meant to be a role model and source of information for new players to look to. When someone joins a department as a learning role, their first inclination is going to be to look to the head of their department for advice on where to start and the experience they have in engaging with their Head can quite easily color both their entire experience as well as whether or not they are going to bother continuing to learn. Are they welcoming? Patient? Clear in their explanations? If not, a new player can easily grow discouraged and, in the worst case, bad behavior from a Head runs the likelihood of rubbing off onto other players who see this and internalize that the behavior is okay. In addition to guiding newbies, a Head of Staff coordinates large portions of the entire station's response to antags, meaning that they can often easily shift the tone of a round one way or the other and run the risk of harming other players' fun if they react poorly or try to self-spotlight instead of engaging others.

What do you think the OOC responsibilities of Whitelisted players are to other players, and how would you strive to uphold them?: Similarly to what I said above, I think that the biggest responsibility of a whitelisted player is to be a good role model and source of information for other players. They have been given a special privilege in holding a command whitelist and should always be showing, both in their play and interactions OOC, what sort of positive, rule-abiding behavior you have to have in order to be recognized and rewarded in that way and that it also does not give you the right to break rules or flaunt your power over them. Following the rules and being a positive presence among the community is something I naturally strive for, so I would only hold myself to those principles even more strictly if I was given a whitelist. I would also make a point of going out of my way to guide players who seem new or confused, answering questions and guiding them to the resources the server has to help, so that I can do my part in fostering a welcoming environment for people to learn in.

Could you give us the gist of what is currently happening in Tau ceti and how it affected your character and their career?: Tau Ceti has been at the center of much of the Orion Spur's most severe changes since its secession from the Sol Alliance, and in present day this trend is far from faded. The darkest truths of the Jargon Federation recently surfaced when criminals, sought after for their use of an AI in one of the skrell's most important technological events, fled to Tau Ceti space and one in particular hid their creation aboard the NSS Aurora, prompting squads of TUP enforcers to descend and begin a vigorous search. Whole departments were turned over, employees were strong-armed, and gradually the true depths that the Federation would go to to both control its populace and ensure compliance came out in shocking relief. Right on the heels of this bold action by the Federation, shifts in the Unathi and Tajara political scene alike happened in rapid succession with the Rebellion of the False Heir and the Shastar Armistice, respectively. Sharp divisions are obviously still drawn within both of these races, despite the fact that all fighting has now cooled, and the potential for peace to once again shatter in favor of bloody, violent war looms at all times-- reflected in new distrust forged between Skrell and those harmed in the investigations, as well as the ongoing, behind the scenes struggle of the Tajara governments for power. 

My focus for how all this has affected my character is on Valeriya: staunch supporter of the New Kingdom of Adhomai, survivor of both Rebellions, sole remainder of her family line, and bitter enemy to all who align with the Republic. Nursing a deep, burning hatred toward the Hadii, it goes without saying that a cease fire was not nearly enough to quell her anger or stop her from seeking ways to make the Kingdom come out on top in the ongoing power struggle. She outright refuses to coexist in a friendly manner with supporters of either of the other two governments and, in addition to continuing to serve the Crown while off Adhomai, she holds her own keen ambition to rise up the ranks within NanoTrasen to gain the power and influence she one day needs to reclaim a suitable domain for her family's lineage back on her home planet. To her, the recent developments within Tau Ceti have simply been opportunities, allowing her to gain the tools and allies she needs to make her goals reality. 

What roles do you plan on playing after the application is accepted?: Head of Personnel and Chief Medical Officer, primarily. Maaaaybe I'll eventually try Captain or, long after that, Head of Security as well, but right now my interests are solely in HoP and CMO.

Characters you intend to use for command or have created for command. Include the job they will be taking: 
- Valeriya Samsara (currently Quartermaster): Head of Personnel
- Aisha Viswan (new character): Chief Medical Officer

How would you rate your own roleplaying?: I've been bumping this up by 0.5 each time I make a whitelist application, so I suppose it's time to say 8/10. I am much more comfortable with SS13 now than I was months ago and that's allowed me to really lean into my characters, fleshing them out into living, breathing entities that are both distinct from each other and complex enough to seem real. Or at least I hope they do.

Do you understand your whitelist is not permanent, and may be stripped following continuous administrative action?: Absolutely.

Have you familiarize yourself with the wiki pages for the command roles?: Yes!

Extra notes: Valeriya will be my primary focus during a trial, as I'm still not so sure how much I'm going to enjoy Aisha, but I plan to play both. I would also request that a trial (if given to me) starts no earlier than March 16th.

Edited March 20, 2020 by ReadThisNamePlz

[TealPinniped]

While I only really interacted with Valeriya, I can safely say that they are a phenomenal player and would make a fine addition to the command roster. +1

[ShadowGabe23]

Personally, not only do I believe that it is criminal that Shen doesn't have a command app, I also think its criminal they haven't been playing here for much longer than five months, their player and IC interaction is a pure joy to have in the aurora community and they are honestly in my TOP 5 PEOPLE IN THE SERVER EVER, in all seriousness, Valeriya is a detailed and well put together character who manages cargo well, and well enough for me to believe that Shen would suit any command role in future, their answers are solid and I look forward to seeing them play as command but will dearly miss the QM position they held. Also remove dominia.

BIG +1

[Bear]

Was surprised to hear shenanigans doesn't have their app! An easy plus one. They're a calm and collected player who is always a pleasure to play with. Interacts with new players and roleplays extremely well. I enjoy interacting with them very much.  Give them the triiiaaaaaal.

+1 

[Doxxmedearly]

Bias disclaimer, etc.

Yeah, I think Shen's stepped up pretty quick in her time here. From flailing at hydroponics mechanics to lore deputy in five months. I can attest to her passion for making the round fun for everyone involved, and I think giving her a command whitelist would help her facilitate better rounds. If I had a critique or worry, it would be that sometimes you tend to glaze over and miss things in the chat, but that doesn't happen often enough for me to worry. A trial would be a great test. 

Normally it's something of a meme to have an established character promoted to Head, but you've established as far back as your Taj whitelist app that this was the end goal for Valeriya and have foreshadowed it in-game. Nicely done.

Shamelessly copying Schwann here and would like to hear your response on scenarios.

1. Four people dock at the yellow dock, claiming to be from X faction and that their ship ran out of fuel. They're asking to board for R&R and to barter for fuel. They refuse to relinquish their weapons for 'their personal safety, you know how it is' but are otherwise communicative and receptive. You're the only command member, as HoP. Security is, as usual, frothing at the bit and treating them like they're enemies. How do you handle this?

2. You're CMO. Someone comes in asking for their prescription of 10u oxycodone and 15u hyperzine. Somehow they had the foresight to add this to their medical records, which are filled out completely. What do you do? You have a chemist who is somewhat new, but can do their job. 

3. You are the CMO. There's a CC announcement that there are rogue shells among the crew, and that mandatory surgeries must be performed. Naturally, some crew are rebelling against this idea, though nonviolently for now. Some of your staff expresses concerns about this ethics violation. You have full command staff except a captain, and command channel is blowing up in a heated discussion about it. How do you proceed, and how do you address your fellow command as well as your team? How would you proceed if you were a loyalist in this situation? If you were a rev?

4. You're good at making reasonable characters, so I assume Aisha Viswan has limitations in her training. You're in a skeleton-crew medbay with only a nurse and paramedic. Some injuries occur and they require treatment that is out of the scope of Aisha and your staff (Such as advanced medications, psychiatric help, etc.). You're getting shit IC for not being qualified to be CMO because you can't do X Y Z by some friends of the injured, even threats of IRs, and LOOC is urging you to do it/telling you how to do things OOCly. Assume you have a HoS and CE as fellow command. It's clear the injured person(s) will not be fully recovered with what you CAN do, but they can be made stable. How do you handle this?

5. Some raiders are chilling with your supply staff, and have been friendly with them the whole time. You get called by your QM on the radio saying that security is trying to force their way in to arrest the raiders for trespassing and stealing from other departments (Which you have not been informed of). Security officers are demanding you let them in. There is a HoS who just got back from a short AFK. It's code blue. How do you proceed?

6. You're up for a hostage negotiation at 1:30 in the round, as the only command, at the yellow dock. Security outnumbers them and wants to rush in and gun them down, citing that medical will help the injured crew because OOCly they know it's possible to survive a few gunshots. ISD will definitely win this engagement. The demands are for 50k and they'll leave. The hostage is a human bartender and an unathi engineer. Throughout the round the mercs have injured a few crew and set off two bombs. How do you proceed? How would you proceed if the hostage was a single bound vaurca worker?

Edited March 10, 2020 by Doxxmedearly

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Youre nice and i like your characters that ive seen and youre super smart and your answers are great therefore i support this app. +1

[Shenaanigans]

4 hours ago, Doxxmedearly said:

Shamelessly copying Schwann here and would like to hear your response on scenarios.

Thank you as always for the kind words. ❤️ Now scenario time.

1. I would be very firm and clear with security that these visitors are NOT to be treated with hostility and to keep all weapons stowed unless expressly instructed otherwise, because the last thing we need is to have a friendly, communicative group of people turned into enemies solely because someone couldn't keep their pistol in its holster. That said, I would also do my best to try and negotiate a bit with the newcomers, seeing if I could persuade them to leave all but one smaller firearm per person behind on their ship and likewise keep them stowed. For the sake of the rest of the crew's peace of mind. I would do my best to have their need for fuel and rest seen to, treating them politely yet with a watchful eye, and step in to discourage any aggression or blocking of interaction with the rest of the crew on security's part. Keeping creative gimmicks from being forced into becoming combat based or limited only to interacting with security is something very important to me that I want to make a point of pursuing if I get to play command.
    
2. React with plentiful skepticism, that's for sure. The fact that it's in their records means that I can't just straight up deny them as I would some rando asking for space drugs, but I can exercise my common sense enough to question the person a bit as to why they have been prescribed these things. That's a potent depressant AND stimulant being taken at the same time which, realistically speaking, makes very little sense. If there's no reason given at all or it's obviously fabricated I would apologize, deny it, and suggest that they have an explanation put into their records in the future, but if they have something reasonable to say I would likely give them just one of the drugs and, again, ask that they see whatever doctor it is that prescribed this to re-evaluate how safe that is for them.
    
3. Whew, well the character I played during THAT particular scenario reacted very differently than Aisha would, as she is someone who does not have a rabid hate of IPCs and values ethics quite highly. This said, my first response would be to explore other, non-invasive possibilities for discovering these hidden shells (scans, blood tests, reaction to EMPs) with my medical staff and robotics. I would also refuse to carry out the exploratory surgeries without express permission from each crew member and make it clear to both the rest of command and medical that I'm assuming full responsibility for disobeying Central's order, likewise telling the rest of the crew so they don't have to worry about being dragged in for surgery. This would only change if I were a loyalist, since then my responsibility to progress the round as an antag takes precedent and would lead me to tweak my response to react with more paranoia and willingness to operate. If I were a revolutionary, instead of taking all responsibility and potential punishment on myself I could instead rile up the crew to stand with me on my refusal.
    
4. Indeed Aisha does. She is not a psychiatrist, meaning she cannot effectively deal with mentally disturbed crew or produce medication for mental disorders, nor is she a virologist capable of dealing with outbreaks. She's a surgeon by trade with enough training to produce the essentials in chemistry, so if a shift happens to be lacking an actual Chemist and Psychiatrist there will be gaps in our capabilities as a medical department to deal with things. Which is okay! I plan to stick to my guns on not making Aisha into a medical juggernaut capable of anything and everything, because that's just not realistic, and if I have to explain that IC or OOC I will. That said, given she is a Surgeon capable of making basic medicines and possesses a medical degree, I should be plenty able to make patients stable and, if no one is around fully heal them, we'll just have to get them to the transfer shuttle so they can get the help they need on the ODIN. 
    
5. First and foremost, tell security to cut that shit out. It's obvious that I'm missing some information on the situation and, with a HoS who just got back and is ALSO probably out of the loop, it's time to get everyone to settle down and explain what's going on. What did they steal? Who witnessed this? Are the intruders giving out any demands? Have they hurt or threatened anyone? At the very least we do have trespassers, but there are plenty of other variables that determine just how serious this situation is and whether or not busting in guns blazing is actually necessary. Talking should ALWAYS come first. I would mostly default to the HoS on making the final decision on this, since dealing with protection of the station is their job first and foremost, but if there's any room for negotiation and de-escalation I would prefer that and make my opinion known.
    
6. My two command characters would likely react differently to this, since they have very different temperaments and morals, but I know in both cases my decision is very much not going to be "bust on in and whatever happens happens". Security might be plenty capable of steamrolling this, with their weapons and armor, but the presence of hostages means that recklessly diving in is going to endanger innocent crew which is, well, the exact opposite of what security is meant for. It just takes one well placed bomb and you're beyond what medical can do unless you fancy having your brain shoved in a MMI. Aisha, bleeding heart that she is, would go for securing them the money without hesitation and make good on her promise to deliver it in exchange for the crew and the merc's departure, demanding that security stand down all the while. Valeriya, on the other hand, would likely employ a hefty dose of intimidation to make it clear that security CAN decimate them if she so much as gives them the go-ahead, so they'd best let the hostages go and cut their losses while they can. The presence of just a bound worker hostage would also be interesting, since Aisha is extremely uncomfortable with Vaurca and Valeriya knows enough about them to recognize that they're barely a person, more like a tool. In that case, I think letting security flex their muscles would be allowable so long as they have some sort of plan and have come with EVA protection in case of explosive breaching. I'd just back up and make sure medical is ready to roll.

[Doxxmedearly]

Very cool. I feel that these answers display a willingness to be lenient with allowing antagonists to flex their creative muscles without giving them any and all freedoms. That's very important as a command member, second to communication, which again, you show you're really aware of. I particularly like your answer to 6, as you show the difference in characters while understanding when it's time to flex and when it's time to give in (And understanding that bound vaurca are probably the dumbest hostage you can take). And communicating with the HoS and allowing them control of their team instead of stepping in for number 5 is what I was hoping you'd say; the importance of command-to-command communication is something often overlooked. For the second question, don't be afraid to ahelp in those ridiculous instances; I like your reaction ICly while having OOC knowledge to know something's weird. I'm glad you're willing to stand up to people demanding that you, as a CMO, are not a super-person who has working knowledge of all aspects of medical, which is something I feel like we need to see more examples of.

Situations will be stressful and not as clear-cut as the scenarios, but I think you can handle the craziness well after you acclimate to command. I also think you're knowledgeable about the departments you plan to play and are willing to instruct others who may be new to the game or the job. Easy +1. Good luck!

[NewOriginalSchwann]

11 hours ago, Doxxmedearly said:

Shamelessly copying Schwann [...]

Bereft of my normal opportunity to play Twenty Questions with the applicant, I will simply have to state that your response are good and this has my support. Best of luck!

+1

[VisVirific]

Having interacted with Lusula Kazhkr and Valeriya Samsara, as well as observing them (especially during the current Tajara Cold War Arc), Sheenanigans is an amazing roleplayer with a great conduct as well. That 8/10 is fully and well deserved.

I am curious how Valeriya Samsara will adapt to her new position and the new interactions she'll both receive and provide, and I am lowkey looking forward to seeing your new CMO going through the Absolute Heck that is medical. Plus, those stellar answers certainly solidifies my support for this app.

1+

[WickedCybs]

I have not really done any in-depth interactions with their characters, but they seem to be a fairly competent roleplayer based on the few IC interactions I've had with them and most of the interactions I've witnessed while a ghost. They are one of the few notable QM's, in my eyes and there's really no doubt I think that HoP will suit them well.

+1 

[Zer0Winds]

Valeriya is a great character, and I've seen Lusula around. I agree with everyone else that Valeriya is indeed a wonderful candidate for HoP.

+1, for sure.

[ReadThisNamePlz]

Hello, you've been granted a whitelist trial. The Trial will end MAR/20/20. 

Be sure to be active, and play well during your trial. Thank you, good luck. 

[Shenaanigans]

2 hours ago, ReadThisNamePlz said:

Hello, you've been granted a whitelist trial. The Trial will end MAR/20/20. 

Be sure to be active, and play well during your trial. Thank you, good luck. 

Thank you! Could I request that the start date be moved to Monday, March 16th though? I'm going to be a bit too busy this weekend to really put in the time to starting a trial.

[Ozob_Korolenko]

Great RP, in all the shifts i had the pleasure to encounter i had a really good experience, i don't have any doubt in giving my full support for this opportunity!

+1 with all my heart

[Zundy]

I've got to say it's looking good so far. After joining the round as a trainee Medical Officer Aisha (Shenaaigans Chief Medical Officer) showed my newbie the ropes, successfully utilising in character methods and in character lore knowledge allowing my character to not only learn the role in character but also allow me to learn some hints and tips out of character, improving the state of my medical roleplay and mechanical efficiency. Afterwards we hopped into DMs through discord and discussed lore in great detail. They went through human lore in depth and I have to say, I'm think I'm 100% behind the soon to be human reshuffle, reduced factions and mega corporations alongside so remove of inappropriate lore (Dominia, Eridani etc). We talked a lot about the future and travelling in the wake of the Corona virus outbreak and though your trip down Khwai in Botswana was cancelled (for obvious reasons) I'd highly recommend as I've been there myself and it was extremely nice. I think what you've done with your work life is brilliant and personally I'm taking on board the Five Bases of Influence (thanks again, Gareth Morgan's book "Images of Organisation" was amazing). Sorry for getting a bit creepy on the DMs, you were quite the word Smith and I must say I was quite smitten with you (in a friendly way ). All in all an absolute +1 from me!

[TG_Griffin]

I have seen and roleplayed with many of your characters and always enjoyed them. You seem to know what you're doing so I have no doubt you'll have no trouble with this either. 

Plooooose Juan from me (+1)

[NewOriginalSchwann]

Quote

Matilde De Curiel-Falkenstein says, "I will see if I am able to put in a good word with the Odin, then - you handled that well."

As per my in-character promise, I am now here. Over several rounds I have both observed and played in - both as command staff and regular staff - Shen has proven herself time and time again to be an effective and engaging head of personnel. It's fascinating to see a head of personnel that has come up from the ranks of cargo in a fairly organic manner. I hope to see Samsara as a head of personnel for months to come, and fully believe that Shen has what is needed to pass her trial with flying colors.

 

+1

[ReadThisNamePlz]

On 13/03/2020 at 21:48, Shenaanigans said:

Thank you! Could I request that the start date be moved to Monday, March 16th though? I'm going to be a bit too busy this weekend to really put in the time to starting a trial.

I didn't see this until now, but, you have passed regardless. I have seen nothing but good play from you and Valeriya. Excellent job. Too bad you're NKA garbage. 

Hadii's grace.