[Accepted] SHODAN's Head of Staff Whitelist Application

[Rushodan]

BYOND key: SHODAN43893

Character names:

Sophie Rifler,

Sadie

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How long have you been playing on Aurora?:

Roughly a couple of months

Why do you wish to be on the whitelist?:

I wish to be on the whitelist as I am willing to take on a role that carries a greater sense of responsibility to both the department you are the head of, and the round. I believe I have enough experience within the department roles I am interested in heading (Security) to the point where I have enough knowledge to be the head of the department, and how the roles under that head are supposed to function.

Why did you come to Aurora?:

I came to Aurora after spending time on lower RP servers and not enjoying how...silly things were? I wanted to roleplay working on a space station to overcome problems and work in a team, not to witness a clown farting explosively and other things such as. Aurora was one of the more populated servers that advertised themselves as heavy RP.

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

Yes, I have read the wiki pages.

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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 believe that roleplay is about filling the shoes of a character to create and tell a story for entertainment of all parties involved. You may be placed into situations which you are unsure of how to handle, you may be forced to make difficult decisions and you may even have to overcome huge obstacles in order to complete an objective. The possibilities truly are endless, which is part of the draw for me and others. Its also about developing your characters to create their personality through interactions with others, depending on how you treat people and the decisions you make.

What do you think the OOC purpose of a Head of Staff is, ingame?:

Heads of Staff serve a few purposes, the first of which is driving the round forward. In rounds heads can be expected to make decisions regarding possible situations thrown at them, such as antags or station-wide disasters. The affect these decisions can have on the round are there to move the round forwards and to keep the RP flowing. An example of this could be a wizard appearing on station, heads would have to decide what to do about them (do they try to arrest the wizard, let them go around under guard etc). Another purpose they serve is to assist newer players when needed, without taking control themselves. Its more enjoyable for people if you teach them what they are supposed to do in various situations and let them get on with it, rather than just doing it yourself.

What do you think the OOC responsibilities of Whitelisted players are to other players, and how would you strive to uphold them?:

This relates to the decision making, but the main responsibility they have is to make attempts to keep the round flowing, and as fun for as many people as possible. Do not form a barrier to other peoples RP 'just because you can'. They should also work to give antags a chance within rounds if the situations allow it, as removing certain elements from the round very early on just makes it boring for most departments. Yes you may be able to arrest/kill off the antags within the first hour, but it means that the rest of round will be boring for most players (medical having no injuries to treat, cargo not having to order in equipment to deal with the situation, security not having to work against the threat, research not having anything to contain etc).

The important thing to remember is the round isn't about winning or losing, its about having fun.

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Please pick one of your characters for this section, and provide well articulated responses to the following questions.

Character name: Sophie Jane Rifler

Character age: 30

Please provide a short biography of this character (approx 2 paragraphs):

Sophie was born in 2429 within a smaller hospital in the European Union on Earth, and had a fairly standard childhood with no sicknesses or serious notable issues. Her mother was an old fashioned 'stay-at-home' mum, while her father was a sergeant in the Sol Marines. She was the middle child of three sisters and kind of suffered the lack of attention that the 'middle child' usually receives - often feeling left out. Early and middle levels of education went fairly well with Sophie receiving slightly higher than average grades once she had finished her schooling. Her elder sister had already signed up with the Sol Marines and Sophie was being pressured by her father to do the same, it was the "Family Tradition" he told her time and time again. She was constantly fed information about how higher education wasn't for people like her and that she should follow in her sisters footsteps. Sophie however disagreed and over time started to develop a resentment of her parents controlling nature, deciding that she would carve her own path in life, internally deciding that she would like to become a police officer. Once she had reached eighteen years of age she took a summer course to become a security guard so that she could pay her own way, her parents becoming more and more angry with her for not doing as they requested. She was 'throwing her life away' according to them. Once she had completed her training she worked as a private security contractor for one of the larger corporations within the city, working nights. She found herself suitable for the work, being a night owl and rather fit. When it came to deciding on a degree Sophie came to the conclusion that she would like to work within the criminal investigation field, Forensic Science being the most interesting subject to her. So she carried on like this - working nights and going to University in the day for her degree for the next four years. She barely had any free time to herself.

She graduated in 2451 with a BSC (hons) in Forensic Science, proving to herself and her parents that degrees WERE for people like her. Well, it would have been proven to her parents if they bothered to show up to the graduation ceremony. They were saddened and ashamed with Sophie for refusing to join the Marines and breaking the family tradition - not really wanting much contact with her. Sophie was unable to find work immediately in the forensics field and instead enlisted with the London Metropolitan Police Force as a trainee officer for the first year, always having to stick with a partner. A couple years later, patrolling the same streets again and again Sophie was finding herself very much bored, her parents leaving her the odd hint from time to time that they were not happy did not exactly make her life any easier either. She wanted to explore - get away from her parents and so researched about jobs off-planet. She found a few opportunities and NanoTrasen seemed like the best offer. They provided training and possibilities to develop through the company though hard work - something she was never afraid of. She did not even bother saying goodbye, handing in her notice and getting a shining reference from the station sergeant before she left for the stars, a new life and a new start.

What do you like about this character?:

I like that she is steadfast, confident and very supportive of others work (even if she doesnt make it obvious). She tries to do what she thinks is right for the crew in her actions, even if it means annoying command now and again.

What do you dislike about this character?:

Sometimes she can be quite confrontational with command staff (has been toned down since people commented on it) which can be annoying for people playing those roles.

What do you think makes this character fit to be a head of staff?:

I think that she would make a good member of command as she is confident and always acts within the crews interests (and NTs when implanted), even putting herself at risk when the situation calls for it.

 

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Please provide well articulated answers to the following questions.

How would you rate your own roleplaying?:

I would give it a solid 8 or 7/10. It has definitely improved in my time within Aurora, and I believe it can continue to improve the more I RP. There are times where I can get a little frustrated with things OOCly, which can impact ICly however which is why I will not give myself a higher rating.

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Extra notes:

I know that when I first joined the server I did a couple of shitty things on this character that could have seemed (and were) validhunty, and therefore made a feedback thread to address peoples concerns before I made this App.

https://forums.aurorastation.org/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=8265

Since then I have played antag roles a hell of a lot less and have done my best to remedy issues highlighted in the thread. I believe this shows I am receptive to criticism at least.

As a final note, I thank you for reading over my application and am ready, willing and able to respond to any criticisms or comments!

[AllyBearsley]

Sophie Rifler is a hard character for me to just give a +1 as a Head of Security. Many of the early mistakes were simply caused because you were new and adjusting to the Heavy RP standards and rules of the server/regulations a security officer must maintain. I've seen you make some slip ups and hiccups before and after your feedback thread was made; however, I must admit I've seen a general improvement from your character. They generally stay within guidelines and regulations (in my recent experience).

However, I think I want to see more from the character before I give you a solid recommendation. I'm really just getting back into the server and previously I haven't personally seen Sophie grow into a character that I feel comfortable in the HoS position. I would also like to see other's opinions on this as well. So I say just keep working on improving your roleplaying you'll get there in no time.

[AmoryBlaine]

Good player, takes initiative. Would enjoy seeing them as HoS.

[Stauto]

Follows rules, actually acts like a person, and would be great as a head. +1!

[Synnono]

SHODAN has a good idea of (what I feel) the point of Command staff is from an OOC standpoint, and when playing they tend to help drive the round regardless of what position they're playing in. While Sophie Rifler has caused some issues in the past, the player is committed to improving her, and handles criticism very well as I noticed in this thread.

Overall, I think they would make a good player to whitelist for these reasons. Not actually knowing the letter of all protocol is not as important as creating an engaging story in a round, and this player is usually trying to drive that somehow.

One question for the applicant: Sophie's shown rebellious tendencies toward Command, protocol, and the company in the past. Do you imagine that playing her with a loyalty implant would significantly affect her personality? If so, how?

[Superiorform]

I have played with Sophie Rifler quite a bit, and, while at the start it was obvious the player was used to LRP, I noticed a rapid increase the in the quality of the character, and I really enjoy playing with Rifler now.

The feedback thread is amazing. It shows that Shodan can take criticism maturely and confidently, and actually use it to improve, she definitely has after the thread.

Finally, I really love your answer about OOC responsibility: driving the round, not immediately shutting down antags, and making it fun for everyone with your power. I think you answered it perfectly.

I do have one concern, and that is... why Sophie? From what I have seen of her, I wouldn't have thought of her as the type to accept a loyalty implant, or to be first in line for promotion. So I would like to know, how would she feel about literally being forced to benefit NT, rather than necessarily the crew (resources), her friends (resources), and herself (resource). Sometimes sacrifices must be made... for NanoTrasen. And why was she up for promotion first, given her past behaviour and young age, and seeming lack of much time with NT (You don't give a number on her years with NT, but it seems like she wouldn't have much time with them, according to the backstory.)

Overall, definite +1 from me, but I'd like to see my questions answered please.

[Rushodan]

Right, I appreciate the rather quick delivery of feedback to my application, and allow me to address some of the concerns raised in one wall of text.

 

However, I think I want to see more from the character before I give you a solid recommendation. I'm really just getting back into the server and previously I haven't personally seen Sophie grow into a character that I feel comfortable in the HoS position.

 

That is understandable, I assure you I have improved dramatically since the feedback thread, and I believe that if you do begin to interact with my character a little more you would agree. I think we both understand that Head of Security more than other heads can make a massive impact on the round based on how they get their department to operate.

 

One question for the applicant: Sophie's shown rebellious tendencies toward Command, protocol, and the company in the past. Do you imagine that playing her with a loyalty implant would significantly affect her personality? If so, how?

 

I do not believe that it would seriously affect her personality, I think it would however change some of the decisions she makes to be more beneficial for NT rather than the crew, which could lead to her seriously re-evaluating her moral compass. She understands the risks and changes that can happen with implantation after chatting with some members of command staff - however she believes that she is able to balance the needs of the company and the crew so that both parties end up happy. If she is actually able to do this...time will tell. Remember that the implant is to ensure she makes decisions suitable for NT, not other members of command. She is still going to argue when she believes that injustice and immoral actions are being carried out by other members of command (less with the captain however, he is trusted to make the right decisions).

 

I do have one concern, and that is... why Sophie? From what I have seen of her, I wouldn't have thought of her as the type to accept a loyalty implant, or to be first in line for promotion. So I would like to know, how would she feel about literally being forced to benefit NT, rather than necessarily the crew (resources), her friends (resources), and herself (resource). Sometimes sacrifices must be made... for NanoTrasen. And why was she up for promotion first, given her past behaviour and young age, and seeming lack of much time with NT (You don't give a number on her years with NT, but it seems like she wouldn't have much time with them, according to the backstory.)

Overall, definite +1 from me, but I'd like to see my questions answered please.

 

Right, some very good points listed here - Allow me to answer them one by one.

Sophie is supposed to be seen as a shining example of an officer back when she worked within the police force, and generally performs their job to a high standard while working on the station. She has also filled out Interim roles before (most notable being on an extended round with Sharp as the captain) which she seemed to handle well, allowing the department enough freedom so they were able to carry out their roles without feeling watched or having their hands being held while still keeping them under a tight enough leash so that any inter-department conflict was able to be solved relatively quickly. Most of her notable 'rebellious' streaks against command were while dealing with antags such as lings and vampires - not exactly going to be cannon if you want to think about her on a strict IC level. For the times when she has spoken out against command it is normally to deal with any injustice or unfair decisions made - she isn't one to just stand by and allow bad things to happen to her colleagues if she believes there isnt a valid reason.

I believe NT are ICly quite a manipulative bunch, and Sophie Rifler would probably be viewed as having a lot of potential if she was kept (to re-use the phrase) on a tight leash via implantation. You can say what you like about Sophie but she is most definitely dedicated to her role in security. Someone that has that level of dedication could be very useful to NanoTrasen so long as she was making choices beneficial to them. Therefore I believe that NT would look at the list of potential applicants that could fill this role, see someone with her level of passion and weigh up that she could be a very useful member of command staff; she knows what she is doing, she acts based on her beliefs of fair judgement for all and ultimately has one major goal. Keeping her friends and colleagues safe.

Now, moving on to whether Sophie would personally accept the implant is a matter of working out what is important to her. She is extremely confident to the point where she can be cocky and believes that she would be able to do the role much better than a lot of the heads she has served under. She could ensure that people were given fair treatment and that priorities were being kept in check - as well as making sure that her own team were not being to harsh on the crew (encouraging warnings and parole when applicable). Ultimately she thinks that she will be able to 'sort out' the department that she works within if elevated to such a position, even if that means giving up a piece of herself to NanoTrasen via the implant.

On the time spent with NT, she has spent around seven years (ish) working within the company in some way shape or form, and most of the time she has been employed at an elevated role (detective/warden). She has the required amount of experience within security related fields however (10+ years) meaning there are not really any hard barriers preventing her from entering such a role

[Elohi Adanvdo]

Normally, I'd like to wait for a player to play at least a year on this server when they're new to HRP. However, in the times that I have played with them as Sid- they, as a character and player, show a lot of positive things. As a character, Sophie cares for her crew, and is always fair and dedicated to her job. She stops by to say hi and immediately cuts the visit short when a situation pops up elsewhere. And, she always gets all the information, both sides of the story, before making an unbiased decision, always leaning for fairness, and when it happens, a quick decision that's safest for those involved. These are the marks of a good head of staff: looking over the safety of the crew and caring for their charges, and keeping tempers at bay by making fair choices and quickly dissipating any fights. When everyone's happy, they're all working. And when everyone's working, they're all making profits for the company they work for. But, like everyone, she shows negative traits too: strong-headed, bold, stubborn, and daring, but they always try to do things that would be best for the crew instead of putting herself first.

As a player, SHADAON shows excellent roleplay abilities, and follow the Aurora RP 'rules'. They take turns, don't take control over other's actions, and try to put in as much detail as they can to make the experience more enjoyable. I haven't notices much IC/OOC overlap, and show a relatively calm personality. Yes, there was some validhunting, but I haven't noticed too much as of late. I've been stuck playing away from Security and Sophie, so of course there are going to be things I don't see. However, they have admitted to their mistakes and are attempting to make changes- Rome wasn't built in a night. It will take time to see the results.

All in all, I see no harm in giving them a try. I'm always one to give someone a chance. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, and can have the whitelist removed and try again for it at a later date. However, I feel more positive than skeptical about this whitelist application.

[Faris]

I just want to say that Shodan as a player and the character Sophie Rifler has come a long way from when they first came. This shows by just how often they've been getting interim position along with the fact they are so open and receptive to criticism along with advise, which they implement. My only gripe about people that only play security is that they don't really have much of an OOC perspective on other departments, but that's about it from me. I have full confidence that Shodan will be able to ease themselves into a full fledged command member as opposed to interims.

So my final verdict, +1.

[Superiorform]

The answers that you gave to my questions were exactly the answers I expected, and, in my opinion, the perfect answers. I look forwards to seeing SHODAN as a HoS, and working under and alongside Sophie.

[stickydragon]

I haven't seen much of Shodan as Sofie but what i have seen was pretty good +1

[Superballs]

Well.

In my experience with SHODAN and their character in question, there were definitely some flaws in the beginning when interacting with other crewmembers, but of course, given time SHODAN proves that they can show their willingness to criticism and changing their character and playstyle based off said criticism. (Por ejemplo, their feedback thread). After a few rounds and interacting with their character, I've had no issues personally with their communication and willingness to co-operate with other heads of staff, even going as far as to check and report on their own Security personnel breaking the law (which every Security department member should be doing). Although there's always some accounts of hearsay of a big mess-up that Sophie has done, only very rarely is it ever very critical to the station and it's crew. That being said, if their level of development and growth in terms of improving their character continues, I will go ahead and give this application a:

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+1

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[sonicgotnuked]

I gave shodan interim HoS even under a protest from a security officer. I think they did well and I seen them improve based on criticism and that good stuff. You have my +1

[Scheveningen]

I thought SHODAN already had a head whitelist, I guess not.

Fair deal of the answers are satisfactory, in my opinion, although I have concerns as to whether Rifler the character would be a good head of security due to their tendency to defy command staff that might perceptibly have competency issues.

Hopefully the OP will work on that, as I personally see it that someone who makes for a questionable subordinate isn't exactly cut out to be a good leader.

[Rushodan]

Fair deal of the answers are satisfactory, in my opinion, although I have concerns as to whether Rifler the character would be a good head of security due to their tendency to defy command staff that might perceptibly have competency issues.

Hopefully the OP will work on that, as I personally see it that someone who makes for a questionable subordinate isn't exactly cut out to be a good leader.

 

I totally agree with you that someone that openly and actively defied command staff wouldn't be suitable for a command role, and most likely wouldn't ICly be considered for such a role by NanoTrasen. I have shown this behaviour when I was new to both the server and HRP in general and if I was still like that I wouldn't consider myself acceptable for a command position.

However ever since the feedback thread I have been making steps to ensure that Sophie Rifler as a character is critical to all personnel's actions in a way that isn't annoying. For example, if she was given an order by command she may voice her own concerns about the orders depending on what they may be, but would most likely carry them out unless they were absolutely absurd (being told to murder someone or something ridiculous). This serves to give people other options within RP and to generally try and make things interesting. If everyone did everything they were asked straight away there would be no conflict and RP without any kind of minor conflict (at least) in my eyes is a little boring.

All in all Sophie as a character isn't defiant towards command and other players - I both ICly and OOCly am not trying to create an insurmountable barrier to other peoples RP. She would most likely have a bunch of 'Failure to execute an order' charges placed against her if she refused to co-operate with command. What she does is take the information given, thinks of her own solutions and then suggests them as an alternative to the ideas command staff have presented and why it would be a better option. I feel like this would be a good trait for a leader to have, however its probably not good for subordinates - I agree.

PS - Oh and to address the part about competency issues both myself and the character are really responsive to criticism. She even asks for feedback ICly (if she has time) during rounds where she is made interim so that she may improve. If command staff have issues with actions Sophie has taken, she will evaluate what they are telling her and respond with whether she agrees (and does her best to make changes) or disagrees with a reason why.

[Scheveningen]

I meant mostly that people tend to be uncooperative with their heads of staff if they think their commanding officer is a total comdom. Which is... half reasonable, half not, since it turns into personally charged shitfits and etc.

Pretty neutral for the most part but I don't necessarily oppose this application either. I'm too out of touch to give endorsements anymore.

[DatBerry]

I thought i replied to this already.

SHODAN was very open about feedback on sophie and they accepted it and improved a lot since they've started out.

While I don't know if sophie the character is ready to take on a head of staff job, I'm sure SHODAN can handle it, and if they can't, they'll listen to feedback and improve.

+1 from me.

[Butterrobber202]

I love SHODAN's characters, as a Synthetic, I tend to get a lot of Interaction. Shodan makes decent choices and does very well when under pressure. +1

[JKJudgeX]

I've interacted with Rifler many times, with me as Captain, me as RD, myself as antag and her as security, and her as antag security.

In all cases, she was a well-played character and I'd be happy to see this whitelist approved.

+1 for sure.

[pickled_tomato]

I've seen Rifler working most roles in sec. My first encounter, her training my vaurca cadet, was eh. She seemed hot-headed and made rash decisons. Time and time again I noticed her making better and better decisions since then. As others have said, I agree that it seems that SHODAN has gotten more used to HRP, and even good at it. I hope Rifler has the chance to develop into a great HoS. Even the small talk that I've seen her have with Raymond Hawkins has left me with little doubt that she can do it.

+1

[UnknownMurder]

This first time I've met Sophie Rifler, she had left a bad taste in my mouth with her attitude to tend to be bossy as a Warden. There were times when I was a security personnel that I've never wanted Sophie Rifler to become Head of Security because I couldn't tolerate her. Although, I've learned to tolerate Sophie Rifler a little more and getting used to Sophie Rifler.

I'm going neutral on this.

[Juani2400]

If I'm honest, when I first met Rifler, I didn't like her. SHODAN was obviously not used at how we do things here.

I have noticed a sizeable improvement since those times, and I have had Rifler appointed as an interim HoS when I've needed one as Captain. I have explained to her what to work on towards being a better Head of Staff, on an IC level.

SHODAN is qualified to get this whitelist. His RP has little to do to what it used to be like. +1.

PS: I shall never more write on these forums using my phone.

[sebkillerDK]

Right, first off, i've had alot of positive interaction with SHODAN both IC and OOC during the time that i have known them. And Rifler herself is a bit of a mixed bag. When i first encountered her, she seemed rather silly and not too serius, however over time, i've noticed massive improovements of the character overall. as to the answers to the questions, i agree with them, they are well made, and they have the right points.

the only thing i have left to say is about the

even if it means annoying command now and again.

I can definetly approve of that.

My final verdict is a +1, i think Sophie would do well in a command position, and that Shodan is very capable of playing the command role aswell.

[Azande]

I don't think Sophie is fit for a command position (Im sure SHODAN has other characters that are, or could make one) as Sophie is frequently disrespectful to other crew, her Heads of Staff and does not always actually do her job when required (prisoners being in cells without timers, not opening the armoury during emergencies) with little reasonable excuses other than 'I'm busy'.

I'm neutral on this.

[Rushodan]

I don't think Sophie is fit for a command position (Im sure SHODAN has other characters that are, or could make one) as Sophie is frequently disrespectful to other crew, her Heads of Staff and does not always actually do her job when required (prisoners being in cells without timers, not opening the armoury during emergencies) with little reasonable excuses other than 'I'm busy'.

I'm neutral on this.

 

You do realise this has only happened when I was an antag - apart from a single time when I wasn't aware due to zero information being relayed via coms? If an officer (that was later banned during the shift) drags a prisoner into a cell without processing them and even without saying that they are doing so over coms how am I supposed to be immediately know someone is in a cell (especially cell 5 on newmap)? The reason I was not patrolling the brig during the shift you mentioned was because I spent said shift training a cadet with different pieces of gear and on the range, going through protocol with the cadet for some passive RP. I do not think she is frequently disrespectful to other crew (if you want to back that claim up feel free) and I personally believe that she does her job competently. If you have any specific examples you would like to address I am more than happy to sort them.