[Accepted] Lore Developer Application: VileFault

[VileFault]

Ckey/BYOND Username: VileFault

Position Being Applied For: Lore Developer

Past Experiences/Knowledge: I write a lot, and think a decent amount. I have read a ton of sci-fi (though not Gibson, who's writing it seems like a fair bit of humanity was based on), so this will inform my work a fair amount of the time. I have a limited background in biology and computer science, and generally enjoy the sciences. I have never made many very serious contributions to SS13 servers in the past, though I have drifted through several.

Examples of Past Work: Well, I just posted an unfinished (and notably unedited) lore submission which can be found here: (http://forums.aurorastation.org/viewtopic.php?p=71608#p71608). That is probably pretty typical of my writing style when it comes to lore, though I am always struggling to be more readable. I could also post some old novice scientific review I wrote, but I doubt you would all find that a very enthralling read.

Preferred Mode of Communication: I am happy to talk through Discord (Pyrrhic#8695) and I can do Skype, though I would prefer not to. In all honesty, talking by phone for longer or more complex things would be great, though I might be a bit old fashion in that regard.

Additional Comments: Although the recent openings are all for human and corporate lore, I really am interested in a great deal of things. I think synthetics and humans are in need of the most attention, but skrell include some interesting themes that I would hate to pass up. It might be a good idea to give you a rundown of what I would do if I were accepted here. Since I haven't been on the server, much less the staff, for all that long I would steer clear of large alterations. For the moment, I would really like to give a few of the races more three-dimensional cultures. If you really think about it, you may be surprised by how much of our current culture in the West derives from either past or present physical realities. Though it is a bit of a truism, it is easy to forget that culture comes from and returns to a society in which individuals actually do things in their spare time and contend with certain facets of everyday life. The point I am trying to make here is that, by expanding upon the entertainment, religion, and employment of a people you can really give them a lot of depth. This would lead me to answer questions like:

 

• "How have human holodecks impacted everyday life in the Inner Colonies?"
• "What is life like in the underwater cities of Jargon IV?"
• "What religions exist in Terran space, and how do they interact with technology and recently discovered xenoforms?"
• "What do modern day cities (outside of Mars) look like?"
• "How does the reign of megacorporations affect the lives of everyday people in the Colonies and on the Frontier?"
• "What are the procedures for designing and building synthetics, and in what ways are most designed synthetics similar?"

 

Now, to some this might look like pointless trivia, but I would argue that it is essential for characters to have this sort of background. Questions like these shape the feelings that define ages, and humanity in the 25th century feels an awful lot like humanity in the 21st century. Why be that, when you can instead imagine a new society that poses new sorts of problems and provides a different framework for human stories. I am a man of details, and I would definitely make an effort to begin by making humanity today feel more tangible and unique.

[Killerhurtz]

I have one question: Are you willing to switch from "phone convos" to "discord voice chats"?

I'll start aggregating the documents you'll want to peruse, Dr. Steel.

[VileFault]

I am willing - but it depends on the timeframe. In the past, I have been perfectly happy to talk over Discord during my day (EST). Doing so after, say, five hours ago would be less-than-considerate to my mates, however. Normally I would set it up on my phone so I can take a stroll instead, but my phone is 7 years old... I am sure I can manage. If worst comes to worst, I can get a new phone. It is high time anyhow.

 

I have become the Man with a Plan;

.................With an Army of Toys and a Mechanical Band.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Hello!

I missed this application somehow, and I forwarded it to my staff yesterday for overview.

There's been no objections from anyone on the possibility of you joining staff as a loredev, but I'm going to let this sit for the rest of the day at minimum to get any possible stragglers who wouldn't otherwise have the possibility of raising objections.

We've talked in-depth over discord PM's about your plans, but I want to re-hash what we've discussed or debated in order to give everyone else an idea of your plans and goals, so I'll run through the major themes and issues.

1) Standardizing human religion is a major undertaking. I attempted previously to do such things, and there was resistance from the community. What sort of standardization are you looking for, why, and in what form will it take in a way that is applicable on station?

2) I know by "what do holodecks mean" you are saying "I want to focus on culture". This fits well with a little effort of mine to add more 'slice of life', which started with the major universities being listed. What else, in your mind, can we do to flesh out the pop culture of 2458 humanity?

3) You have a favored aesthetic of grim, dystopic corporatism. However, it's been a goal of mine to ensure a balance between the whimsy of our setting. Is this something you can agree with and keep at?

4) Boiling our humanity all down to the most basic, foundation elements:

Tau Ceti is a small bubble of 'the bright side'. It's a little patch of utopia in the vast ocean of the Sol Alliances' more dystopic bent. It has deep undertones of corruption and a struggle to find its identity, but Biesel is meant to be held up as a place for a better future - that's why we all choose to work here. Elyra is the same, but on a smaller scale because it's not a location where we find ourselves in. The Sol Alliance is the juggernaut, but life there is meant to carry more militaristic or xeno/synth-phobia.

How do you feel about the relationship between the human factions, and what are your plans for them?

5) Are you able to accept the inferiority of humanity to the glory of the sinta'unathi race?

[VileFault]

Aha. Tricky questions, in a way, but I can take a stab at them.

 

2. Humanity's religious side is something I am going to have to spend a lot of time nailing down. I saw your outline for your Idealist Movement some time ago, and that seems somewhat different than what I would like to do. Perhaps it would be beneficial here to state my aesthetic preferences here. I like secretive, ritualistic, and powerful religious organizations. Strange and arcane groups with their hands poised over the levers of power. Of course, I have no desire to make something too cliche. As I mentioned, I think most ideas succeed or fail based on how cleverly their details have been filled in. But remember that this is only my personal creative vision. I am willing to accept compromise, especially if it is competently argued for. As far as my actual plans, I intend to be careful to allow people options - nothing should be so prevalent that it squashes people's ability to pursue something they find really interesting. My discussion of religions would be, explicitly, far from exhaustive.
   
   
   
   I try to be very aware of how my decisions and suggestion affect the game itself and the potential for storytelling it creates. Therefore, my goal with this whole religion thing is to make a character's religion a more interesting and consequential choice. At the moment, most (human) characters seem to be atheistic or just religious in a vaguely Christian sort of way - this is because they haven't been given good tools for building religious characters or stories. Any additions I put in this direction would really be geared towards making religion a plausible and important part of people's stories that can help to add complexity and interest. This would, consequentially, give our dear Chaplain more to talk about and allow them to tap into a tradition the rest of the playerbase is familiar with, which will allow them to play with some more impressive concepts. Most of what is currently around is floppy lore and gives people nothing. I want to create something with complex tenants and structures of power that interesting situations can fall out of. I think that is the goal of most lore, really. Make the rules, the outline, then if it is sufficiently alive its rules will precipitate interesting ideas. But I digress.
   
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4. As I mentioned, a neat idea I had recently involved little pieces of flash fiction attached to as many human planets as I can muster. I think that is more than enough work to start with.
   
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6. I can... deal with it? Managing creative interests other than my own is fine - interesting, even. But I can't deny that this will be a point of contention. When I go dark, I go real dark. And the closest I traditionally get to "whimsy" is awe at the supreme beauty/terror of the universe in its infinite complexity. I know that rather serious take on things doesn't totally jive with the feeling of SS13, though, so I can adapt. One permutation of "whimsy" I might be able to muster is "neatness." Ah, by that I mean making stories or systems that are kind of surprising, and deliberately play with a reader's expectations. Maybe that surprise and amusement can pass for "whimsy?" Besides, people are more than capable of making the game funny and lighthearted on their own. Complexity and gravitas, on the other hand, are more difficult to conjure up round-to-round. Making situations feel impactful is something the lore can help with.
   
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8. I tend to find this model mostly acceptable. In a roleplaying game of any sort, the setting needs to be in flux - or else its characters are too limited in their movements. Biesel does this well enough as the budding republic which is, as you say, "struggling to find its identity." I have been thinking for a while about how to change the tone of this slightly to be a little more agreeable to me. I would, especially with the aforementioned flash fiction, like to stress how unforgiving most Alliance systems are. Similarly, members of the Alliance are bound to strict rules (and maybe soon subject to the manipulation of certain religious institutions?). Life under the ASSN could easily appear oppressive and authoritarian - especially to outsiders like the citizens of the Republic. Biesel appears to be a stark contrast, right, and I agree that it should be held up as an example of a "better future." In the moment, the wealth from the plasma boom has kept the system-state afloat. Its citizens enjoy relative prosperity, one of the only earth-like planets with a stable biosphere, and freedom from the control of the ASSN. In my mind, however, this is but a thin veneer covering a society that is slowly rotting down to its core. In a sense, the citizens of my Republic of Biesel have skipped out of the frying pan towards the fire - but they are still hanging in the momentary reprieve between the two. You mention the Frontier briefly - the general gist of my interaction with the Frontier (though I think the region is generally best left to the players) would be to hint at the evils megacorporations can perpetrate in the name of profit, when freed from their bonds.

 

5. "We representatives of ATLAS submit this to the floor as a further testament to the barbarism of the Unathi race. They don't want to integrate - they hate us, and they detest our culture! This great Alliance was build with human hands and human blood has been split in its defense! I, for one, will not allow the memory of our mighty civilization to be defiled by such spiteful and cowardly attacks!"

[Zundy]

Vile you stud muffin, how do you feel about delta's human timeline? Are you planning on changing any of that? Could we also get an example of what you are going to add/change? You mentioned you like it grim-dark, can you give an Aurora lore example of the levels off grim-dark we'll be dealing with if you're manning humanities 'helm'

[VileFault]

Vile you stud muffin', how do you feel about delta's human timeline? Are you planning on changing any of that?

Changing, maybe. Radically rewriting, no. That would be horrendously difficult and also utterly pointless, as it is fine. I don't want to rework 100s of years of geopolitical nonsense, either. That sounds like a tedious few weeks right there. I may, however, add bits and pieces where I think it make everything flow more sensibly or brings out a theme I want to play with. But expect the vast majority of my changes to be date movements and additions. Subtracting things that other people have already been built on is something that should be done pretty infrequently and quite carefully, lest people be left stranded in a LRP creek of general confusion without even a wiki page for a paddle.

 

You mentioned you like it grim-dark, can you give an Aurora lore example of the levels off grim-dark we'll be dealing with if you're manning humanities 'helm?'

What do unrestricted sci-fi corporations ever involve? Mistreated underclasses, unlawful experiments, wage slaves, unsafe working conditions, propaganda (especially in the form of sponsored educational initiatives), controlling both the news media and entertainment... the list goes on. The way I see it, this trade embargo may also help Nanotrasen embark on a project it has likely been considering for some time: the establishment of a nearly complete monopoly in Biesel. The system-state has been cut off from most other corporate entities - Nanotrasen can grow to fill more of the market, and supplement the Republic with funds acquired from the sale of plasma (and what they fund, they can control)... I mean, when you think about it, if they were to rig up a fleet of bluespace-capable freighters, they would form one of the few ways for goods to enter or leave the system. With that kind of power, they could easily move to seize further control of the Republic. By cutting Biesel off from the rest of the universe, the Federation and Alliance may have just given Nanotrasen an interesting opportunity. That is the way things would go.

 

The Hive Switch is tripped, and the Machine marches ever forward.

[Shadow]

Vile has shown a consistant and repeated inabillity to competently read and interpret dates and times. This kind of behavior is not what we should encourage or permit in any member of the staff, even the lore department.

Good guy, has my support.

+1.

[Loow]

Hello. This is Loow. I'm a member of the lore team and I tend to err on the sides of caution and critique.

I appreciate criticism as well as interest, and it is because of this that I choose to comment on this application.

Cooperation is an essential factor of any team or dynamic, and it seems you have interests that overlap the chosen areas of expertise or interest of several other team members. First and foremost, I am concerned about how things could be made awkward if all of us happy cogs don't mesh well. One could almost say that I'm shouting that the sky is falling in more than a few of my worries, but I digress.

You are applying to be a lore dev who takes interest in humanity. At some point in the past, someone used the phrase "human overseer" and I could see the clouds plummeting to the ground. I tend to see Humanity as a strong unifying topic for not only our players, but our team as well. To assert that there would be a single lore dev assigned or allowed to write about the people of Earth and all her colonies would be a far step over the edge in my eyes. Should you be added to the team, it would be my hope beyond all hopes that you would "play nice" with all of our fine writers and realize that Humanity is a connection we all share.

You also take an interest in synthetic lore, but we already have two lore developers who have chosen synthetic lore as either their specialty or downright only topic of activity. Some might even say we have two too many. What's more, one of the more interesting bits of lore I ever saw regarding artificial beings came from our Diona Overseer. This is not exactly a position we are looking to fill, as we already have an entire team who has touched on the subject at one point or another.

You also mention openings in corporations, which is something of a Cake which already has a slice cut out. We have Cake himself who has sliced that cake, actually. He's eating it as well as having it just now, and I don't think he's planning on giving up the topic he has shown the most interest in. Then there's your interest in the Skrell which, is always pleasant to see. In watching how people react to certain themes or take interest in aspects of the Skrell, I attempt to form a fair opinion of what topics people may enjoy seeing touched on. I love seeing your interest and I love that you have a passion. You sought to begin a correspondence with me some time before this, but my own scheduling (as well as the age old excuse of "i forgot") kept me quite distracted during that interval. I would love to hear any questions and even chat about the Skrell. There something of a favorite of mine. While I may enjoy discussing them, I would likely not enjoy seeing a second or third red pen scratching its way through the details of Nralakk.

I would like to point out that Jackboot was not entirely correct when he claimed there were no objections to adding you to the team. Please do not take it personally. My first reaction to any lore developer application is to be dubious, doubtful, and claim that the roster is already too crowded. It's only with some time and thought that I begin to consider the possibility of adding yet another member to our "already too crowded" roster. As much as I appreciate Jackboot's passion and work ethic, I would be rather miffed if I let him try to add still another member to the team while asserting that the clouds have parted.

I would be more than happy to critique your canonization application, but I am not won over toward seeing you on the team just yet. As much as I love and respect our dear Co-Head-Admin Shadow, he would not necessarily be the one to work with you, or any prospective lore developer, pending acceptance. We one or more developers for every topic on your list. In the case of humanity, we have an as many possible writers as we have members of the team. We have no "vacancies" per say as the roster has been somewhat fluid with fluctuations here and there.

I appreciate the polite nature of your Out Of Character writing and I hope you will not take offense that I am attempting to convey my respectful disapproval of your application. You have a wonderful attitude and wonderful intentions.

At this moment, I do not approve of your application and see the idea of "hiring" a new lore developer to dip their feet in a wide pool as unnecessary.

However.

Should you be added to the team for your interest in Humanity, I would be inclined to work with you to some extent. I consider the idea of a "Human dev" to be silly, but this has not stopped me from endorsing some developers who happen to have an interest in humanity in the past. If you really are planning on filling in blanks and fleshing out details, then you'd likely fit in fine. Still, you did apply to do the jobs of several existing lore developers. This did not inspire initial confidence.

In summation: Vile, I may not necessarily be enthusiastic about the idea of you joining the team, but I am more than capable of biting the bullet if the magnanimous boot has decided his word is law. I am willing to speak with you about your canonization application, but its content and existence along with your vocal interest in several themes has left me concerned. I am slightly concerned that you would be hired with Team Members hoping to see Human content shortly before swerving out of your lane.

I also don't appreciate what you've been putting in spoilers. It's "cute" but it does absolutely nothing to inspire confidence. Could you please explain what you're trying to say by the following?

I have become the Man with a Plan;

.................With an Army of Toys and a Mechanical Band.

The Hive Switch is tripped, and the Machine marches ever forward.

Because I'm fairly certain I have an idea. It began shortly after our very own Hurtz said he would pass along relevant files. If you're going down this road, then I have to say I'm still quite entrenched in my belief that adding you to the team is not exactly necessary. The themes are already in the mind of the writer who gave them to you and are fairly easy to guess. Or perhaps see coming a mile away.

Thank you for your interest, but I disapprove of this application presently.

[VileFault]

Vile, I may not necessarily be enthusiastic about the idea of you joining the team, but I am more than capable of biting the bullet.

I think this may be a feeling we share on a number of the issues you put forward. You have correctly ascertained that my interests in the lore are not incredibly directed. With enough effort, however, I can become interested in most things. I want to help, and I am ready to acknowledge that the lore team has certain dynamics already in place. It isn't my intention to pointlessly annoy other developers by making changes where it isn't requested. When it comes to curators of other species, I would like to suggest ideas and provide feedback, not try to edit in other people's jurisdictions, as it were. Respecting the boundaries of my position is a task I am perfectly capable of. If "Human Lore Developer" is the space I need to inhabit, inhabit it I will.

 

We one or more developers for every topic on your list. In the case of humanity, we have an as many possible writers as we have members of the team [...] Should you be added to the team for your interest in Humanity, I would be inclined to work with you to some extent. I consider the idea of a "Human dev" to be silly, but this has not stopped me from endorsing some developers who happen to have an interest in humanity in the past. [...] I tend to see Humanity as a strong unifying topic for not only our players, but our team as well. To assert that there would be a single lore dev assigned or allowed to write about the people of Earth and all her colonies would be a far step over the edge in my eyes.

I understand what you are saying here, and I am happy to see any work I do on humanity face to more scrutiny from within the lore team and the general player base than work on other topics might. Most people are human, the station is run by humans, and the star system it whizzes around in is administered by humans. Humanity and its tone certainly has a lot of impact on the general atmosphere of the game. That said, I am not quite happy with your characterization of humanity as the universe's glue here. It can be (and is) far more than a "unifying" element that everyone can manipulate at will. You were just talking about the dangers of having too many cooks in the kitchen, and the way I see it the danger of too many conflicting edits is even more pressing when we talk about humanity. I think a unifying vision would be helpful in making humanity stick out less as a default race with limited detail and more as a collection of societies very different from those of the 21st century.

That all said, I am hardly a purist. If I want people to take seriously my suggestions, I should give serious thought to theirs. At the moment, my personal bar for adding some details of limited scope to the lore based on a suggestion from other team members or the general player base is fairly low. I don't need to absolutely love a thing to add it, and I promise to actively try to like other people's suggestions and fit them into what exists. A genuine interest in helping other people's visions be realized is something I would like to maintain here. As you say, everyone has a stake in humanity. I want to provide a unifying vision, not lord over humanity with rigid strictures.

 

It began shortly after our very own Hurtz said he would pass along relevant files. If you're going down this road, then I have to say I'm still quite entrenched in my belief that adding you to the team is not exactly necessary. The themes are already in the mind of the writer who gave them to you and are fairly easy to guess. Or perhaps see coming a mile away.

Ouch. Out of all your critiques here, this one is certainly the most cutting (even though [or perhaps because] you seem to add it as an afterthought).

I would briefly defend my little cutsie addendum's here, though. One was a silly nod to a guy who knows a musician I am fond of and the other is a collection of terms from a book on the neuroscience of morality I have been reading that I thought sounded kinda amusing mashed together. Definitely not the most professional, but then again they weren't really the bulk of my replies.

Now, on to the serious bit. I am cliche! Looking back at this particular thread, I haven't done a whole lot to disprove you. Bit cringeworthy, really, a lot of the drab anti-corporation talking points shambled together into futuristic lore. However, hopefully I can demonstrate that I am cognizant how easy it is to rely on tropes and predictable thinking, and seek to actively avoid this in my work. Few thoughts are more painful to me than that anything I write is bound to be the derivative, uninspired, and recycled product of other people's stuff. Hopefully, when I finish that lore canonization application and go through it, I can get across an idea I consider decidedly more original. Also, if we ever get to talking, I believe I can show you that my thinking is deeper than I have shown it to be here. I swear I am creative! Ah!

[Skull132]

Had a chat with him about ECF/EE lore a few days ago. Understands that dry wiki stuff is just that -- dry. Considers slice-of-life important.

Though, I'm curious. With the fact that lore developers are not granted automagical event manager position (ergo, their ability to influence gameplay remains through constant movement/changes in code, and through other means), how would you do better on bringing the slice-of-life stuff you were referring to back then?

[VileFault]

Hiya, Skull. I don't think much of what I want to do initially really involves in-game events much at all. Instead, it is more about highlighting certain details that give players more to work with when building characters. Especially good details about societies in my mind should be things that have some real impact on the station for characters with backgrounds that involve these places. What hardships shape residents, what social systems shape their expectations, what institutions contribute to their reasoning? Did my character become accustomed to the fierce electrical storms of [x] - are they unflappable in the face of disaster? Did they grow up on [y], where political corruption and military domination was the norm? Or, perhaps, did they begin their life on [z], where conceptions of property are looser and unlike those we are familiar with?

These are just general examples of how I would try to make the lore more suitable to the creation of characters with tangible lives off the station. Other, more directly related (if less interesting) ways would include clarifying the area immediately surrounding the station, like the Odin. Or discussing what bluespace travel looks like or feels like - the little things you might find in a book that make you feel like a world could really be inhabited by real people. Also holodecks, in case I haven't said that enough. Obviously there is a balance between not having enough interesting information and making your wiki read like a lengthy encyclopedia, but I think for the moment we are safely on the former side of things.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

This application sat for two extra days while a lore developer voiced concern and wanted to speak more with OP. There's been no further contention on the application, so I'll be happy to accept it.