Dessysalta - Command Whitelist Application

[dessysalta]

BYOND key: Dessysalta

Discord Username: remratsuken#1578

Character names:

• Sherrie Scott 
• Ashlyn Rushine
• Kira Vasquez (my main and reason for the app I'll try for a Kira HoS again in the future.)
• GOLD-ALECTO
• (soon-to-be) Eimhir Fenella

How long have you been playing on Aurora?
I've been off and on since about late January/early February, but I've been playing almost nonstop for the past couple of months.

Have you received any administrative actions? And how serious were they?
I received a warning by Wickedcybs on the 10th of this month regarding escalation and killing of antagonists. It wasn't so serious that it warranted a ban of any kind (even after I self-requested one afterwards), but it was worth noting. I might request an edit to this note later down the line because of circumstances that I think should have been taken into consideration.

What do you think the OOC purpose of a Head of Staff is, ingame?
I think of Heads of Staff the way I view the general of an army or the president of a nation; even if they're only one person with limited skills specific to one thing or another, their goal is to act not only as an employee and be part of the workforce but to act as a unifying figure and spearhead for the department that they manage and oversee, someone who bridges the gap between new threats and the people assigned to them. A Head of Staff or Captain is obligated not only to do the job that they are assigned, but to ensure the safety, cooperation, communication and efficiency of all their subordinates and how each action they make affects the people around them, inter-department or not. Generally speaking, a Head is meant to a glorified assistant, almost--specific to the department (or the entire ship if Captain) and there to act as insurance and a mentor to experienced and inexperienced employees alike.

I think Heads of Staff solve the problem of otherwise being an uncoordinated group under a vague cause instead of an individual and objectives; project managers in real life jobs have such high paygrades and responsibilities due to the amount of effort it takes to coordinate and educate a mass of people, check their work, ensure that the machine that they run is well-oiled and efficient, and overall make sure that whatever objectives their team (or company, etc.) are meant to accomplish are succeeded in at the end of the day.

Put simply, you can't have shoes without laces, and a Head of Staff is meant to be that driving, educational, and leading example of force and communication for everyone who wishes to achieve something in their department.

What do you think the OOC responsibilities of Whitelisted players are to other players, and how would you strive to uphold them?
I think the responsibilities of a Whitelisted player is roughly the same to their Head of Staff counterpart; they're supposed to help new players learn the job or department, ensure that the playerbase at large benefits from it, and to be a guiding force or name that players follow the lead of to be successful. A Whitelisted player should have greater knowledge and experience than their non-Whitelisted counterparts and be able to offer advice and training for those who aren't or don't yet wish be part of the Whitelist. In a way, they're like admins, being there to coach and enforce quality and potentially inspire future players to apply for a Whitelist.

Before I joined Aurorastation as a whole, I didn't actually think I had any place in security. I had about ~2100 living hours on /TG/ before I swapped over, because as fun and goofy as some things were over there, the roleplay quality versus the amount of content versus how the game is fundamentally played on their codebase contributed to a lack of interest altogether. After I started playing on Aurora, I realized that security wasn't meant to be the fun police or a role that will almost always end in your death and I found that it was incredibly fun to play and coordinate with other players in character, especially given how high the standard is for writing on this server. I realized that I liked being the common enemy of antagonists, and working either alone or with my team to ensure the safety of the Horizon. It was new to me.

All that's to say that I really like the idea of being the leading force/mentor figure to other players and I want to teach people how to play security, even if I only get the chance to teach them the fundamentals. I would put myself forward in the community as a Head of Security player that is equal parts efficiency, no-nonsense, and above all else, fun and informative.

Explain how the recent events in the Spur changed your character and how they came to be employed on the SCCV Horizon.
Eimhir Fenella is a Himean who found herself associating with hard workers during her upbringing on Himeo and almost immediately gravitated towards making money for her efforts. Initially starting off small by acquiring and occasionally writing her own material bounties, she grew further and further away from that line of work as her self-fulfillment needs had both dropped and not been met; fueling her to take up more difficult jobs, such as security and bounties regarding people and their capture or location. Many-a night was spent by Eimhir pushing her limits as a person and enduring the freezing chill of the atmosphere all while trying to cash out by tipping off those interested to the location of (or sometimes the individuals themselves) someone with a price tag on them.

It wasn't very long until they decided they were bad at what they did. Not in quality--but in pay, surely. They knew there were far better positions, either on Himeo or among the stars, that would make her feel and act more successful as someone who prided themselves on the work they did. With trade and supply ships coming and going, she thought to get a job aboard them before she quickly changed her mind and realized that after having focused on human targets and threats for so long that she would be much better off joining something that had a much more active role in that regard. With Xanu Defense Services flying to and fro across the Coalition of Colonies' bodies, it wasn't particularly difficult to get accepted and ship off.

The years that passed with this employment showed her that she was good at what she did, and the pay said so now. Once the Horizon was mentioned, she had half a mind to join them. Something about managerial roles made her feel excited, almost, ready to take on whatever threats would arise and command her own team of security specialists.

...If it wasn't for her Himean citizenship, that is.

Eimhir has no ill-will to Himeo--she loves her family and friends, most of which have good standing with the many syndicates--but after well over a decade of security work and living with what she felt was a dream job, she just didn't see the substance of being barred from such a position due to its ties with Hephaestus, as deplorable and scummy they are. Offered the choice between a position aboard one of the most prestigious ships and corporations, and staying in good terms with Himeo and not risking being arrested should she come anywhere near the planet, she gave in and made a choice that would change her life radically--for better or worse.

"So it's treason, then!" She can hear her father shout in the back of her mind, even now. Whether or not this would be worth it, only time can tell.

What roles do you plan on playing after the application is accepted?
Head of Security, mainly. I'm considering making a Liaison character in the long run, but I'd like to wait until I have a better idea of how to properly represent an interest group before I do so.

Have you familiarized yourself with the wiki pages for the command roles?
Yup yup! I feel confident in my ability to play a command role and I feel as though I can demonstrate professionalism in and out of character (of course with some trial and error).

Characters you intend to use for command or have created for command. Include the job they will be taking:
Kira Vasquez - Head of Security

Eimhir Fenella - Head of Security

Do you understand your whitelist is not permanent, and may be stripped following continuous administrative action?
I completely understand, and think that I'm both not above admin action and should be held to a higher standard than other players.

Have you linked your BYOND account to the Forums?
I should have! Let me know if I haven't.

Extra notes:
YES SIR OORAH!! 

Edited June 1, 2023 by dessysalta
Kira was denied, so I should make a new character who I can use in the HoS position until I can submit Kira again. Minor spelling edit!

[SpookyCactus]

+1 from me!

I play an investigator and have worked with Kira a ton. They do great in tough situations, and have shown good leadership when it was needed. They also are just super fun to play with, and RP well.

[N8-Toe]

+1 from me. they're fun to play with, stay in character, and are a great team player. I think they'd be a good command player for sure

[Lly2]

Not a + or -1 either way, because I haven't had the chance to interact with you much yet, but I just wondered about Kira Vasquez's change in jobs over time. Was her earlier stuff retconned at some point, or was her changing jobs canon? With this being accepted, I'll have seen her go from Bartender -> Security Officer -> Head of Security in a month or two, which feels a bit odd.

[dessysalta]

9 minutes ago, Lly2 said:

Not a + or -1 either way, because I haven't had the chance to interact with you much yet, but I just wondered about Kira Vasquez's change in jobs over time. Was her earlier stuff retconned at some point, or was her changing jobs canon? With this being accepted, I'll have seen her go from Bartender -> Security Officer -> Head of Security in a month or two, which feels a bit odd.

Half-retconned? She was a bartender aboard the Horizon at some point, but I figure with her current experience and job that you can just assume the initial impressions of Kira being a bartender were just for reference--she can be assumed as a secoff for the past 2-3 months.

[Peppermint]

Heya,

We'll chat about your WL a bit. However I have to concur with Lly2 that the jump to bartender to HoS is far too sudden, and she's played enough rounds as said bartender that it'll be something of a hard sell to hand wave. I'd really suggest applying with a different character

[Fluffy]

Kira is fun to interact with, so I am in support for the trial (+1)

[RyverStyx]

I’m inclined to agree with what Peppermint and Lly2 said here. It’s a bit strange to go from Bartender to Security to HoS so soon.

On the side, I feel that Kira can get rather aggressive when it’s unwarranted. I’m not sure if the character has proper restraint for the HOS role (although I don’t mind being proven wrong)!
 

I would have to give it a -1 for Kira -> HOS but a +1 if another character is utilized for command.

[dessysalta]

If this ultimately gets denied, what would be a better time to resubmit my application (i.e. next month, a couple months, etc. assuming I'm playing consistently)? I'm hearing a lot of "too sudden" and want to know how long I should wait with Kira should this turn up flat.

Also, I'm considering making another character for the HoS position but I'm worried that with my intent for Kira to be a HoS that I would accidentally create Kira: 2 instead of a character I can reasonably and faithfully play as that position.

[Peppermint]

Spoke to the WL team and come to the conclusion that bartender to hos is really just too much of a jump. You'd need to apply with a new character, and that likely goes for any period of time. It's just a bit too much of a stretch to go from a low level service role to a command role like that. Are you okay with that?

[dessysalta]

21 minutes ago, Peppermint said:

Spoke to the WL team and come to the conclusion that bartender to hos is really just too much of a jump. You'd need to apply with a new character, and that likely goes for any period of time. It's just a bit too much of a stretch to go from a low level service role to a command role like that. Are you okay with that?

I would be really upset if Kira was barred entirely from HoS due to her experience as a bartender, and I mean it when I say I am willing to do whatever it takes to change that--I want Kira to get somewhere more than her current position. That being said, if that decision is final, I'll make a new character for the HoS position.

[Melteshonok]

During the rounds, it always was a pleasure to interact with Kira Vasquez; too bad I didn't have a chance to meet other characters. Dessy's really capable of creating believable, charismatic characters and react to whatever happens in a reasonable, and sometimes fun, manner; they are also demonstrating it every now and then.

Steel solid +1, keep it up!

Edited May 31, 2023 by Melteshonok

[Peppermint]

2 hours ago, dessysalta said:

I would be really upset if Kira was barred entirely from HoS due to her experience as a bartender, and I mean it when I say I am willing to do whatever it takes to change that--I want Kira to get somewhere more than her current position. That being said, if that decision is final, I'll make a new character for the HoS position.

You might be able to revisit it, though I somewhat doubt it. Would need a WL decision. That said, for this application, it's going to be a no for a Kira HoS.

[dessysalta]

53 minutes ago, Peppermint said:

You might be able to revisit it, though I somewhat doubt it. Would need a WL decision. That said, for this application, it's going to be a no for a Kira HoS.

I'll revisit a Kira HoS in the future. In the meantime, give me some time (should take less than a week) to make a character that I think would both work as a HoS and allow me to be as creatively expressive.

[dessysalta]

I've edited my app to reflect my new character, I made them specifically for the HoS role.

[Flpfs]

With your bartender, I have seen you several rounds act like an extra sec officer, and this includes beating antags, chasing them with the bar shotgun, dislocating their joints and more. 

As others have said, start with an entirely new character for HoS. I guess my biggest feedback for you is to stay in your lane and make sure to read up on proper regulations about arrest procedure and such. The app itself is well written and I don't have anything to criticize about it. I'll watch out for your trial and I will have a +1 or -1.

[Peppermint]

On trial until 09/06/2023. Please read the feedback here for what I'll be looking out for.

Likewise you just need some feedback. Don't burn yourself out playing two dozen rounds as command. It's supposed to be fun, and a lot of people make that mistake. Hit me up on discord if you need anything.

[Peppermint]

Heya. Trial is ending soon. How's it going with getting feedback?

[dessysalta]

On 07/06/2023 at 16:59, Peppermint said:

Heya. Trial is ending soon. How's it going with getting feedback?

I've played about a round a day (two or three on some of them, since I had to skip a couple days for various reasons) and I advertise my whitelist at the end of each round, but I'm struggling to get any feedback at all. Not sure what I can do past advertise it more rigorously.

[TeslaBeam]

+1

I've played a couple of rounds with this HoS now, so I feel comfortable leaving this. As someone who had the pleasure of playing security under Eimhir, they were very on the ball with managing the officers, and made sure to include each member in call-outs. I never felt left out of the situation while they were HoS, and I found them incredibly helpful. Would definitely like to see more of this HoS around.

[Peppermint]

Accepted.