[Accepted] Death's CCIA Application

[SRVODeath]

CCIA Staff Application

 

Basic Information

Byond key: srvodeath

Character names: Casimir Fontaine[Captain], One Lemskr[surgeon], Lothar Eichmann[Maintenance Tech], S.I.X.[AI], Colette Peterson[iAA]

Age: 22

Timezone:

United States Eastern Standard(Kentucky)

What times are you most available?:

I teach, so weekends and times after 5pm on weekdays.[EST]

Experience

How long have you played SS13?: Approximately 6 months

How long have you played on Aurora?:

2-3 Months about.

How active on the forums, discord and/or server are you?

I am active on the server semi-daily, when I can be. I am equally active in viewing the forums, and looking into the discord.

Have you ever been banned, and if so, how long and why?:

No.

Have you ever volunteered as moderation staff for any other servers, SS13 or otherwise?:

Yes, I have volunteered for moderation and administration before on other platforms that were not SS13.

Do you have any other experience that you believe would be relevant to a position in the CCIA?:

Yes, on the previous platform I occupied before ss13, a ww2 type of roleplay, I served in the Internal Review Division(SD), doing IC reviews of players characters actions and the like. Full disclaimer, I recognize that CCIA and Nazi Germany are two wholly different animals, but the service taught me the need for objectivity and lack of bias(IC and OOC), and that it is one item to say you unbiased and another to be able to police oneself.

Personality

Why do you want to join the CCIA?:

As with any community I come to admire, I enjoy giving back/doing my part in some form. I was drawn to CCIA after spending some time as IA and enjoying the interview and review process. I find it satisfying to correct problems, and address issues as the overall benefit can be seen.

What do you think are the most important qualities for a CCIA Agent to possess?:

Two of the most important things for any review personnel to possess is objectivity and perspective. Objectivity is key for very obvious reasons. To be able to properly arbitrate as CCIA must, an agent must be able to identify and implicit bias they may have(Recognizing that all have bias in some form) and actively work to mitigate its effects on an investigation. Objectivity is also necessary interpreting any series of events found throughout an investigation. This is then coupled with perspective, both internal and external. Internal perspective is key for being able to empathize with those the CCIAA may come in contact with, and attempt to decipher their thinking behind actions. External perception is the maintenance of the perception that CCIA, Central Command, and NT as a whole share by maintaining proper conduct and appearance at all times.

What do you think the purpose of a CCIA Agent is in an ongoing round?:

CCIA’s role is to counsel those that ask of it during the round. They offer insight and suggestion to those that cannot objectively make a decision because they are within the situation itself and thus have an elevated stress and vested interest, or because those asking simply do not know the answer and are looking for guidance. Most importantly CCIA’s role is to stay out of affairs as much as possible, allowing the necessary authorities to use their discretion until it either becomes unreasonable or counter affects the round arc, even then only exercising insight only when requested.

What do you think the purpose of a CCIA Agent is outside of the server?:

CCIA outside the server should serve as friendly representations of CCIA as a whole, and Aurora. They should follow the same principles of professionality and courtesy in Out-Of-Server items equally as much as in server. They also have a responsibility to be consulted regarding Incident Reports and Regulations questions. Incident Reports are a corrective measure used to resolve an ongoing problem that does not warrant administration involvement, as well as to preserve the aspect of workplace realism by addressing glaring issues. CCIA also is entrusted to interpret and convey the regulations and at times together with their fellows create and change them to accommodate the fluid world and playerbase. While operating in both it is the role of CCIA to apply the principles and conduct aforementioned to serve the players.

How do you handle stress?:

I believe that my response to stress is best summarized as an optimistic far sight. When confronted with an exceeding amount of frustration I find it pertinent to focus on the long term relief and the ‘bright at the end of the tunnel’ to push through it. This has served me well in life and on the server as Command.

How well do you work autonomously?:

So long as I am given ample starting direction and initial guidance I operate well on my own. Albeit also recognizing the need for retrospection every once and awhile.

Additional Notes:

Edited April 9, 2018 by Guest

[Elliot]

+1

No huge complaints about the application and I've seen their IAA lurking around (doing much more than I expected) and I've no complaints about the rest of their characters. They're interesting yet believable, only character I've not had interaction with being their maintenance tech (I barely touch engineering, so no surprise there) and their OOC conduct is clean and pleasant. My only real gripe is the 'What do you think the purpose of a CCIA Agent is outside of the server?' question. I'd like to see this elaborated mentioning the IC (yet out of game) perspective of it regarding IRs and regulations as, at the time of writing, it mentions very little of the 'purpose' and more of the responsibility. If that's rectified I see no issue in allowing them to trial.

[SRVODeath]

+1

No huge complaints about the application and I've seen their IAA lurking around (doing much more than I expected) and I've no complaints about the rest of their characters. They're interesting yet believable, only character I've not had interaction with being their maintenance tech (I barely touch engineering, so no surprise there) and their OOC conduct is clean and pleasant. My only real gripe is the 'What do you think the purpose of a CCIA Agent is outside of the server?' question. I'd like to see this elaborated mentioning the IC (yet out of game) perspective of it regarding IRs and regulations as, at the time of writing, it mentions very little of the 'purpose' and more of the responsibility. If that's rectified I see no issue in allowing them to trial.

 

Edited to include the requested.

[UnknownMurder]

Before I start asking questions, I'd like to say this. Usually, I respond to CCIAA applications right away but I got held up real life business and found it unusual that other co-workers haven't responded to this. I will say these to you. In despite of this application being inactive however you being active to check around forum and server are highly appraised. This is something that deserves a respect and acknowledgement. Moving on.

Please answer the following questions for me. You are being asked because we don't know who you exactly are.

• Convince us a little more, why should we hire you?
  
• Since you are active on forums and gameplay. Being involved in community means that you're also involved as the people of Aurora Station in changing few of the policies for IC-play and understanding from player's experiences. But, you haven't gotten involved in most of them on the forums So, I ask this to you, why do you choose not have your voice in the community?
  
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
  
• Are you a team player or a solo player? Please explain one of them in a preferred paragraph how you contribute to CCIAA as a solo or team player.
  

[SRVODeath]

Thank you for the praise and for the questions. Find below my answers and I apologize if it’s a bit long.

1. For ease of not repeating myself I am going to merge this question with strengths/weaknesses

2. I would like to clarify foremost that my passivity should not be confused with apathy. As of current and recent discussion my manner of approaching for any discussion of policy is built on two items. First is my standing on the issue, if I can see merits to both sides of an argument, I am of the opinion that a “I could go either way” response is less than useful. Second is if I see any glaring need for refutation or clarification due to extreme error on another parties. For example, if someone claimed something I know to be a glaring falsehood or if it is lacking in something I’d like to see I’ll be enticed to participate. Likewise if specifically asked for input, I gladly add my own. Current discussions have not inclined me too strongly to either side and any glaring errors have been corrected before I had the chance. However, no doubt as more discussions progress I will see it necessary to chime in.

3. I will first outline and elaborate of my strengths and weaknesses before drawing a conclusion as to why I believe they make me a good choice.

Strengths

a). Organization-In anything I do, I believe that presentability and organization becomes a very necessary item in keeping things ‘right’. Even times where I am aware no one but myself is apt to see or have to interpret my writings/data tables/notes/etc it is a peeve of mine if things are not in some semblance of order. This becomes a strength of mine when it comes to documenting both my actions and thought process during times where it is key.

b). Flexibility-By virtue of where I stand in life in my current occupation and schooling, whether I enjoy it or not, I am often thrust around to a diverse plethora of situations wherein I must adapt and change my operating mindset in order to perform. Through this I have learned to appreciate being able to rapidly evolve to situations as required and take in both initial assessments and outside guidance to alter what I must do accordingly. This, however, does have limits [see Weaknesses]

c). Self Reflection-The strength that I wish to pride myself the most on is the ability to recognize when I am in the wrong. I am very aware that I am not a perfect individual and will readily admit I made a mistake or an error in judgement. To that same thread, when I am confronted by a mistake or lapse of judgement I have made I make it a priority to not only make it known I am in the wrong, but also make whatever changes are necessary to correct the issue.

Weakness

d). Nervous Falter-I have learned from many experiences prior that a weakness I have is that I will often falter initially when I am forced into a dramatically new circumstance that is outside my comfort level. While in situations I am comfortable, I am very quick to rapidly change my operating pattern if I am unsure or new I will hesitate out of fear of disappointing or causing issue.

e). Assumption-Another weakness that I have more recently been able to evaluate that I possess is that I am very guilty of assuming. This has caused me some issue both in my actual life and serverside. Situations that could have easily been avoided by asking simple questions to those with knowledge.

Conclusions

f). I believe I would be a suitable hire because of the mixture of my strengths complementing what a CCIA and server staff are required to have and my plan for addressing/working on my weakness demonstrating I have a grasp on my faults and seek to better myself. Organizational skills are very necessary in any position, but in the CCIA in particular where records, recordings, transcripts and all that go with them abound, it is crucial to be able to manage the large amount of information. Given the many roles detailed in my OP that CCIA must fill, flexibility is also a very key trait needed to shift gears between IC/OOC/In-Server/Out-Of-Server with fluidity. Self reflection is I believe an under admired but highly desired trait in any member of a team, especially a staff team. I believe often those in such positions are hesitant to admit wrongdoing for fear of harsh judgement and lack of faith in their abilities. But, being able to admit bad calls or judgements and make visible strides to correct them enable the development of trust and relatability of a staff member. My plan for working to minimize the impact of my weaknesses were touched on lightly in my OP, in that if accepted I will heavily look to my fellows for guidance and wisdom, not only on active situations that I require aid on but of those that may occur so that I am not surprised, nor am I given much room to make assumptions.

4. As cliche as it no doubt is, I believe based on prior feedback and what has been touched on before, that I am a central player, erring slightly on the side of team. I thoroughly enjoy and receive satisfaction from collaboration when prompted and invited, but I am easily content to hold to my own to get items completed. This becomes applicable, and based on my perception, a benefit to the CCIA due to the nature of the group. I am contented and satisfied being given assignments or tasks and completing them individually without requiring constant collaboration to function. However, I am also able to perform if prompted to fulfill a team role or input into a discussion. CCIA from what I have observed seems to fit nicely this niche as agents are expected to be self sufficient when necessary but also able to operate as a collective at times for coordination and discussion.

Again, thank you for the questions. If you have any questions of clarification or further inquiries do please ask! I will attempt to respond as soon as possible.

[Eve]

First of all:

 

I recognize that CCIA and Nazi Germany are two wholly different animals

 

...heh.

Jokes aside, I see that you've nailed a handful of rule-of-thumbs in your application, and I am impressed. CCIA indeed are not the fun police, to interfere with rounds and go as far as taking control, neither are they moderators to handle OOC. We are to act on what we receive ICly, even though OOC does sometimes affect our decisions. This is seen especially when ERT is requested via fax 30 minutes into the round and similar situations.

And here comes my personal opinion, feel free to take it with a pinch of salt or two.

I've personally been their pocket CCIA in many rounds, essentially lingering in the round, responding to their faxes, and I must say that their faxes are pretty rational and in place, kudos for that.

I've honestly heard/seen nothing negative to say about you that is significant enough to affect your application, which is impressive.

Rarely if not ever have I seen you in public channels, and your application has not received any feedback from any non-CCIA yet by the looks of it. What I'd suggest is to make more of a public appearance, even though you reeeeaaally don't have to, it does certainly help, be it IC or OOC channels, it provides you with being more memorable and as someone that people can approach for their CCIA-related questions and whatnot.

Now, I've not talked to you OOCly that much spare looc in-game, but from what I've heard you do strike some people to be rather serious, which is perfectly fine, but I hope that you take into account the following suggestion:

One thing that I've seen about CCIA myself is that interviews and having an IR on yourself can be quite stressful for many, and sometimes it is better than not to be somewhat friendly to the person you're speaking to. OOCly, of course. I've a tendency to throw in some intentional mechanical mistakes while I'm bringing an interviewee to the Aurora conference room or to ODIN in the form of, i don't know, forgetting to buckle up and ree'ing in looc, and et cetera, I've seen it ease the nervousness of the interviewee a bit, at least OOCly, to prevent them from locking up and giving short answers in fear of saying something that the mighty big brother would dislike.

Thaaaaaaaaat's pretty much it from me. After looking into how you work as a Captain, and how you generally act, I've decided to give you a strong +1, and I do hope to see you in the team, and perhaps it'll be me who takes you as my young-un to show you how the machine of fax-bureaucracy works, though not likely because I'm fairly new.

Praise Syn.

[Synnono]

Interview with the applicant:

 

[10:05 PM] Death: Sorry for the long delay.

[10:05 PM] Death: Currently settled whenever you are.

[10:05 PM] Synnono: Alright! No worries.

[10:07 PM] Synnono: I'm just going to go down my list. You may think some of these are similar to your application answers, but try to answer them as though they're new. For questions that pose a scenario, you can feel free to ask questions, but generally assume that you have all the information you're going to get.

[10:07 PM] Death: Understood.

[10:08 PM] Synnono: With those things in mind,

[10:08 PM] Synnono: 1. What is your idea of an ideal conflict for a given antagonist round?

[10:10 PM] Death: An ideal conflict for an antagonist round is a conflict that has a proper escalation and pay off that leaves the players feeling that they were able to contribute and overcome an obstacle. Satisfaction is key. Players do not like conflicts that are ended in 20 minutes of rush glory, just as much as they dislike 3 hour long conflicts with little build. The ideal conflict is one that follows a steady raising of involvement, gets the crew to RP together, and at the end leaves the players glad they participated whether 'winning' or not.

[10:13 PM] Synnono: Alright, that's a pretty self-contained answer.

[10:13 PM] Synnono: 2. How do you feel CCIA staff members should be perceived by the playerbase? Does this differ significantly from how you feel CCIA characters should be perceived in the world of our setting?

[10:20 PM] Death: Yes, I do believe there is a significant difference. CCIA Staff Members, like any staff members require cooperation and trust from the players. Respect is key to trust. Unlike the characters, which I will discuss momentarily, staff members are not the playerbase's 'bosses' or 'those guys from corporate'. They earn their respect by being a resource and guide for players to look to. Even during the tense moments, IC, CCIA still need to be able to be looked at and respected lest they not serve the role they need to, and their IC interactions are impacted. On the converse side, CCIA ICly are, if not respected by the ere of mysticism and odd hyper professionalism they have, are certainly respected due to being 'the bosses'. Like any corporate figure, they need to be able to present a figure that is effective and represents the company, and that does not always equate to the mentor/guide mentality of CCIA staff as it does bureaucratic worker.

[10:22 PM] Synnono: That sort of segways nicely into the next question. 3. In your opinion, how much of a role should Central Command play in the affairs of the station? When is it appropriate for them to directly intervene, and how much should they attempt to shape the round when they do?

[10:28 PM] Death: Central Command's role OOCly in the round is to influence the round indirectly, and help guide it to deliver on the ideal antag conflict. They should never assume or depower the Station's Command to make their own decisions and influence the round themselves. Whitelisted players main responsibility is guiding the round, and touched upon in the prior question, CCIA's role is to help guide them. CC Should intervene only either when requested by station command(Or those filling in for station command in their absence) or when the conflict is taking a sharp turn from what is an acceptable arc(IE, first sign of any antag an ERT is summoned.) Even when CC's opinion or guidance they should only involve themselves so much so as to continue guiding the round's arc, leaving as much discretion as possible of this goal to Station Command. In the end, the station is there to have fun with the station, not be domineered by Central.

[10:30 PM] Synnono: "Even when CC's opinion or guidance they should only involve themselves so much so as to continue guiding the round's arc" I'm not sure I understand this part of the last sentence. Can you explain?

[10:33 PM] Death: Ah, that was a typo. I'll correct and elaborate. Even when CC's opinion or guidance is requested by the Station Command, they should only involve themselves so much as to continue guiding the rounds arc. This is meant to state that Central Command should be mindful and measure their actions and advice to suit the current status of the round. For example, if station command requests authorization for something that will immediately remove the antag from the round, or render them unable to fulfill the arc it is Central's responsibility to make a decision that still empowers the round to fulfill escalation and resolution.

[10:34 PM] Synnono: That's quite clarifying, thanks!

[10:35 PM] Death: No problem!

[10:35 PM] Synnono: 4. Early in a round, command staff faxes you about a Central Command Update that you did not send. The fax asks you to explain why the station is being leased to another company. How do you respond and why?

[10:42 PM] Death: Having some ignorance to the normal operations of CCIA I'll try my best. Receiving the fax, I would take a moment to realize that simply discarding the fax would probably derail the round. I would return a fax that explains that the station lease program is a temporary agreement between -random company named- and Nanotrasen to provide insight into eachother's working habits as pioneered by -enter appropriate NT Director- Station personnel should cooperate with the lease program and make note of any beneficial practices that the company brings to the NT vessel. I would also make sure to include a note that any grossly negative changes to the station or actions by the leased company should be noted to Central for use in future negotiations with the company.

[10:43 PM] Synnono: What's your thinking there? Why would discarding the fax derail the round in your view?

[10:45 PM] Death: Based on my OOC experience, the message from Central is some form of antagonist way of initiating and creating the gimmick for the round. If we simply stated that the fax was irrelevant that would immediately cease that gimmick from being utilized and cause the round arc to end early, or the antagonists to have to rapidly shuffle together a new plan. In either case, the players leave dissatisfied.

[10:46 PM] Synnono: Alright, thanks.

[10:46 PM] Synnono: 5. When we are supporting the Revolution game mode, CCIA can choose to take a more antagonistic approach to its interaction with the crew.

The Head Loyalist of the round creates a Central Command announcement that states all Tajara employees are to be placed under 'heavy scrutiny' due to widespread terrorist acts across Tau Ceti. You receive a fax from a concerned Head of Staff asking for details about the specifics of these instructions. How do you respond and why?

[10:52 PM] Death: I would clarify that heavy scrutiny means that Tajara by working aboard the NT vessel have limited rights of privacy, and may be searched at any time by security for weapons or contraband, while also having all communications digitally monitored. Tajara I would also state are to be considered security risks, when security is performing threat assessment. I would also make sure to add a sentence or two stating that this is to not only protect the safety of the crew, but also to protect the safety of the Tajara from wrongful persecution. These are my actions because I perceive them to not hinder the RP ability of any of the crew(Even the Tajara are only impeded in a moral sense, instead of handicapping them), and creates enough of a tension and outrage that the Revolution round should be able to progress with its own arc without much CC involvement unless requested again later.

[10:54 PM] Synnono: That's the last situation I have for us, then. The next few are about IRs, which take up a significant portion of our time and energy.

[10:54 PM] Synnono: 6. What do you believe is the purpose of the Incident Report system?

[10:57 PM] Death: The incident report system put broadly is used to address issues of IC player conduct that are not specifically against the rules, but made enough of an impact that ICly NT would not leave uninvestigated. It allows server administration to focus on the OOC server side, while allowing IC to remain in IC. On that goal it also serves to correct player behavior that is either not acceptable in a workplace environment, or that they do not realize is harmful, tying into the previous statement that CCIA serve a role as mentors(even if they do not seem it OOCly)

[10:58 PM] Synnono: 7. After claiming an Incident Report to work on and sending out notices to the people involved, you realize that the players you are trying to meet with can't accommodate your timezone and schedule, and it is unlikely you will be able to meet with all of them for several weeks or longer. What would you do, if anything, to address this?

[11:00 PM] Death: Being that the CCIA Team is amply named to be a team, I would communicate to both my supervisor and my colleagues to find a CCIA Agent that can accomodate their schedule as weeks are far too long for IR's to sit idle. If another Agent takes over the case I would follow through with notifying the involved via proper CCIA procedure(Either myself or the new agent sending them notices) and pass any information I have currently to the new investigator.

[11:02 PM] Synnono: 8. After taking an Incident Report and completing your interviews, you find that an officer escalated to a forceful arrest when a crewmember resisted detainment. The original reason for the arrest is deemed invalid, however the officer argues that in resisting arrest, the crewman legitimized the detainment. How do you resolve this?

[11:06 PM] Death: I would first inform the crewman that Resisting Arrest I202 is a separate crime, and cite that crew members are expected to comply with arrests and if they believe it to be illegal, to take up a complaint with the IAA or Command and that the charge will remain on record, through the original arrest reason will be struck. They should have followed this procedure. I would then address the officer, informing them that failure to properly enforce corporate regulations through the execution of an invalid arrest, and would take the proper action necessary to punish them.

[11:07 PM] Death: Forgive me, the through should be though*.

[11:07 PM] Synnono: And that's the end of that. Two more here.

[11:07 PM] Synnono: 9. What appeals to you the most about joining this team, compared to other staff roles?

[11:09 PM] Death: Put very shortly, the fact that it is In-Character. Having been a part of staff on other platforms and games, the most frustrating item that I encountered was the fact that moderation and administration almost solely have to focus on OOC and rules breaking. CCIA appeals to be because the problems are created IC, resolved IC, and everyone learns from the experience. It brings a nice satisfaction that I enjoy.

[11:10 PM] Synnono: Great! WE've pretty much wrapped up, then. Lastly, I'm personally curious:

[11:11 PM] Synnono: 10. Can you explain your last RP in your app for me? WWII enthusiast? Was it an administrative position as SD, or was it all roleplay as a player? What did you like most about that role, and why did you leave?

[11:17 PM] Death: Oh! Of course. Prefacing, I had always been a fan of WWII as an era and the European RP at the time I found fascinating. On said server, I had initially occupied a role as an SD Inspector solely as a player, poking into the other Nazi's like a good little rat. However, after spending about a month in that role, I was approached by server administration to take charge of the review office. I gained control and was given a staff to enforce not only criminal law, but to also ensure that the SS screening, racial profiles, medical history, and anything and everything was all correct, and to ensure that any negligence of duty, or failing Commanders were dealt with. I enjoyed the satisfaction similarly of seeing IC issues brought up, and concluded all IC. (It also doesn't hurt to enjoy the stupidly long title of SS-Standartenfuhrer - Sicherheitsdienst der SS Hauptverwaltung für Personal) I had did not leave as much as the community shut down, due to the Owner and Host becoming tired of running the project and shutting it down.

[11:17 PM] Death: I'm not a nazi I swear.

[11:19 PM] Synnono: A bit on the nose at the end there, but we'll take it under consideration.

[11:19 PM] Synnono: Thank you for your time!

[Synnono]

On trial as of 4/20. Blaze it.

[Synnono]

Application accepted. Welcome to the team!