[Denied] ReadThisNamePlz's Moderator Application

Basic Information

Byond Account: ReadThisNamePlz

Character Name(s):

Sydney Grace

Cheyanna Davis

Olivia Catherina

Jonathan Aleman

Dakota Faqua

Athena Palmer

Kylie Young

Eric Young

Jonathan Lloyd

Sage Scott

Kara Lewis

Grace Howard

AI Name(s): F.R.I

Preferred means of contact: Discord or Phone.

Age: Sixteen

Timezone: Eastern

When are you on Aurora?: When ever I have a chance, on the weekends I've spent a good eighteen hours? Assuming I'm not babysitting of course.

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Experience

How long have you played SS13?: I haven't kept track, I'm going to guess a good five to six months?

How long have you played on Aurora: A good five to six months? Like I said, I haven't kept track.

How much do you know about SS13 (Baystation build) game mechanics?: I mean, I have intermediate knowledge I guess? I know enough to get by and then some, but I'm still learning every day.

Do you have any experience moderating for an SS13 server?: No, none at all.

Have you ever been banned, and if so, how long and why?: No, unless job bans count. I was job banned by schev for three days because I unintentionally executed a antagonist on my first shift as captain. Since then, nothing. But I've never actually been banned when it comes to my account.

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Personality

Why do you play SS13?: It's a way for me to express myself without being myself, if that makes sense. It's fun, interesting and just down right unique. There are tons of cool people on here, tons of new people to meet. I've made several friends already off of Aurora.

Why do you play on Aurora?: I play it to have fun, I tend to meet new people each day and it's great. I also play it to escape some things out of the virtual world, which I'm sure some others do as well. I always learn something new when I'm playing, like recently I dabbled into the tcomms, it's really interesting.

What do moderators do?: Moderators do exactly what their title means. They moderate players, help them learn and get adjusted to the game if they are new. Moderators hand out lower level punishments, helping players deal with issues, as well as handling the players who cause the issues. In general, on any game your moderators will be the go to people when it comes to issues, they are meant to assist you in any way they can, and if they cannot assist you for what ever reason, they are supposed to pass it on to someone above them. They are here to make this game fair and enjoyable for all, but the way they do it is their own choice.

What does it mean to be a moderator for our server?: Moderators on Aurora are meant to be guides, and mentors, as well as authority figures. They are here to help new players with any issues, as well as keep the peace we all know and love..despite the crazy wizards...and alb events. They are the first step in any problem, they have a responsibility to the players of the server, if you need help, a moderator will be there to assist you, if they cannot help you, they pass it on up the ranks of the staff team.

Why do you want to be a moderator?: Honestly, I want the experience. I love this server, and the community. I've been shown nothing but kindness and encouragement on this server. I want Aurora to be my first moderator experience on SS13, I hope for it to be my only experience. I also want to give back to the staff team and the general community who have helped me through my dumb moments, whether it was learning how to move, or learning how to activate delta level. The staff team has always been patient with me, and have always given me the guidance that I have needed, and the discipline when it was necessary.

What qualities do you possess that would make you a good moderator?: My judgement and patience are certainly my strongest qualities. I don't judge people at all, but I do judge their actions, but even then I wait to hear their side of the story or why they did said actions before I judge them. I'm also very patient, I don't lose my temper easily at all. I can be getting screamed at by my drill instructor for my squad members screw up and I won't get bent out of shape over it. Another trait would be that I handle authority well, that kinda comes over time as I continue on my quest to join the armed forces.

How well do you handle stress, anger, or insults?: I'd say decently well, my stress doesn't come from this game, it never has and I doubt it'll start coming from this game now, but if I was stressed out in general, I have people I can talk to that will calm me down. I don't get angry often, but when I do I tend to tell the person they are making me angry and ask them to give me a moment to cool down. If it's something in game that can be resolved by the staff team, I make it known in Ahelp. If it can't, I cryo and go take a fifteen to twenty minute break then I come back. But that is rare. And insults, I shrug them off unless its coming from someone close to me.

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Anything Else You Want to Add:

A strong +1 for this app. Readthisnameplz (RTNP) is very levelheaded IC and OOC. RTNP was the first friend I made here at Aurora and one of RTNP's chars has an IC relationship with one of mine. RTNP's roleplay is top-notch. IC decisions make sense and dovetail with the characters' backstories... which are also top-notch (RTNP's regular chars at least, if not all). RTNP seeks out other characters to RP with and add value to a round, either normally or as an antag. Mechanically, RTNP is a robust antag and not just simply for combat robustness. RTNP's often is a coalition-building antag, teaming up antags, even across types, I've seen, to create memorable conflict that keeps removing players from a round to a minimum until the conflict ripens.

A frequent Warden before being command whitelisted, RTNP has a solid handle on security procedure and codes, something I would consider a must-have for a potential new staff member. As a frequent Captain since being whitelisted, RTNP has demonstrated mature leadership qualities.

RTNP would make an excellent ambassador for Aurora and what it and HRP represents, and would work hard to make interactions with players a positive experience for all involved whenever possible. I believe staff will not be disappointed should they choose to give RTNP a trial.

RTNP is a very active community member who can be seen in OOC, Discord, and the Forums very often. They're always friendly and helpful and are a nice sight to see online. IC, Kylie Young is one of the better Captains around, who actually gives a shit to interact with any non command staff and takes the stick out of their ass so that they're enjoyable and approachable. RTNP is a good overall player and has good characters, and I'd like to see how they fare as a moderator. +1 from me.

+1 for Trial

RTNP has shown themselves to be level headed and functional as a whitelisted head of staff. If they pass their interview phase I believe that they would serve as a suitable trial moderator on the grounds of OOC patience, empathy, and communication. I believe them to be adaptable enough to learn and develop more skills best suited for a moderating staff member.

RTNP is one of my favorite players overall for being a good RPer who spends time both crafting enjoyable characters and taking the time to learn about yours. I think they at the very least deserve a crack at trial moderator, and am relatively sure they will prove themselves worthy of the full title given a chance and time.

So, a bonus of this application is your support, while they're very general and don't cite any specific examples, they're positive. I'd like current and future posters to cite examples as it helps ascertain the difference between a friend supporting or a person genuinely supporting due to the applicants merit.

There is still however and issue, which is during your stay on the server which started on the 27th of July, you've managed to acquire quite the few staff entries, 22 entries to be specific, ranging from notes/verbals warnings, actual warnings and a job ban to Captain. While these rule violations aren't really malicious on nature, innocent even, it's still consistent enough over the months that it does raise a red flag for me. It's usually the minor rules we end up enforcing which from my view is the main issue with your application here.

Other than this, you're not a bad person, there are no entries pertaining to attitude towards the community as a whole. You even through your own merit managed to resolve the job ban issue, albeit the cause of it was a serious mistake on your park, there have been no repeats.

I'm interested on your thoughts.

I'll be contacting you on Discord for an interview within the next couple of days. Also interested on your thoughts regarding Abo's post.

So, a bonus of this application is your support, while they're very general and don't cite any specific examples, they're positive. I'd like current and future posters to cite examples as it helps ascertain the difference between a friend supporting or a person genuinely supporting due to the applicants merit.

There is still however and issue, which is during your stay on the server which started on the 27th of July, you've managed to acquire quite the few staff entries, 22 entries to be specific, ranging from notes/verbals warnings, actual warnings and a job ban to Captain. While these rule violations aren't really malicious on nature, innocent even, it's still consistent enough over the months that it does raise a red flag for me. It's usually the minor rules we end up enforcing which from my view is the main issue with your application here.

Other than this, you're not a bad person, there are no entries pertaining to attitude towards the community as a whole. You even through your own merit managed to resolve the job ban issue, albeit the cause of it was a serious mistake on your park, there have been no repeats.

I'm interested on your thoughts.

First, I'd like to thank you for clarifying how long I've been here, basically six months, four days off. Second, in all honesty, I'm human. I've made my mistakes on this server, when I first joined, I didn't read the rules in depth until a week or two in because I wasn't planning on sticking around, but the moment I actually wanted to stick around, I decided to read the rules and do my best to follow them perfectly.. Sometimes I will be in a situation on the server where I find myself thinking one thing is happening, when it's actually something else going on, which sometimes leads to me making a wrong choice thinking it was the right one and it turns out to be the worst possible choice. Now, if you could show me the entries, besides the three warnings and the Job ban, I could probably explain it, assuming I remember what happened. I've taken each comment from staff seriously, and I've applied them to how I play. As I play longer, I hope to bring these to a stop, I hope this satisfies your interest, please ask me to elaborate more if you are still interested.

Applicant's interview:

SirCatnip - Today at 4:09 AM

Alright, first question:

A new player joins with the character name "Cyka Blyat", a bald 30 year old assistant. Our records show their account is 2 days old. What do you do?

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 4:15 AM

First, I would ask them if they read the rules, if they reply with "Yes" I would then respond with "You did? Then you read the rule about character creation and how names must be realistic?" if they respond with either yes or no I'd then ask them to change their characters name and cryo then request an admin to respawn them so they can actually play with a character that follows the rules. After they change up their character, I'd offer my help to them in order to teach them how to play the game, and how to play on Aurora and see how it goes from there.(edited)

If they said "No" to reading the rules, I would then tell them to read the rules, and make a note on it.

SirCatnip - Today at 4:16 AM

Names can be changed on the fly, as a note.

And, if they don't respond to your PMs and instead keep walking toward the Arrival shuttle?

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 4:16 AM

Oh?

I'd attempt to PM them about two more times, if they don't respond to those, I'd make it known to an actual moderator or admin that I'm going to wind them and hopefully that would get their attention.

Then PM them again.(edited)

SirCatnip - Today at 4:19 AM

At this point they begin attacking another player on the shuttle with their O2 tank. What do you do in that case?

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 4:19 AM

What can a trial moderator actually do permissions wise?

I haven't a clue on it.

SirCatnip - Today at 4:20 AM

You're capable of winding, muting, warning and temp-banning players.

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 4:20 AM

I'd wind them, I'd PM them one last time, hand them a warning and then make it known to someone above me why I'm doing this, and most likely pass it on to an Admin that's better equipped to handle this situation in terms of experience. I wouldn't result to a temp ban unless it really got bad and he ignored other staff PM's along with my own, and kept breaking rules constantly despite warnings(edited)

SirCatnip - Today at 4:22 AM

Alright, next question:

You get an ahelp from a player saying that they have been permabrigged for no reason. What do you do?

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 4:25 AM

I'd ask them to explain what happened on their side, then who was involved. Then I'd ask the others involved on why this happened, if they really were permabrigged for no reason, I'd tell them to let the poor soul out. But, if the person is just angry about being brigged and there actually was a reason I'd respond with "I'm afraid there is an actual ICly reason that you were permabrigged. Try to resolve it icly." or something along those lines.

SirCatnip - Today at 4:26 AM

Okey, next question:

Suddenly a bunch of attack logs appear about two guys shooting eachother, with lethal weapons. You recognize one of them as benig a regular player, but you don't really know this player that well. You're in the lobby at this time so you don't have much more info on the situation, and there are no other modmins online. Go.(edited)

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 4:33 AM

First, I hit the beautiful observe button and I follow the players, and ask what just happened whether they are regular players or not, I don't care it won't effect my decision. I enable antaghud to see if either of them are antags, if one of them are Antags It'll most likely affect my look on the situation. I'd ask if the antag did proper RP and had a proper reason to attack the opposing player, regardless if they are a regular player or not. If they did, I'd simply say "Alright, keep it up!" or something along those lines.

However, if neither of them are Antags, I'd still ask what happened, although conflict is allowed when not an antag, there has to be a good reason and proper RP for it. So I'd mention that and get the story from both sides, if one of the two proved to not have a reason and were just murderboning or attempting to, I'd simply explain the rule to them then give them a warning on it, regardless if they are a regular player or a new one. Now, if they had done the proper RP and if they had proper reasoning for it, I'd just tell them "Sweet, keep on with the fun and try not to ruin eachothers gameplay" or something along those lines.

I'd then relay it to an admin/moderator over discord.

SirCatnip - Today at 4:35 AM

Anything else to add there?

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 4:36 AM

I don't think so, I've never really had a situation like that happen to me in game so I'm trying to think of a logical way to respond to that.(edited)

SirCatnip - Today at 4:36 AM

Alright, moving on:

A player ahelps that another player, one you know well but have never had to deal with as a Moderator, is powergaming. A quick check on their contents and vars reveals that they as a non-Security role (such as QM, Scientist, Doctor, etc.) have managed to arm themselves heavily using the most powerful weapons they could have legitimately acquired in that job (such as a polyacid syringe gun, fireaxe, laser cannon), and is currently in a firefight against the merc team, alone. They're winning. What do you do?

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 4:46 AM

Regardless if they are a friend or not, rules are rules, I'd remind them of the "Avoid playing hero" rule. I'd tell them that they need to stop what they are doing and go back to their department and play it out icly, it's not their place to deal with the mercs. If they refuse, I'd warn them, and tell them once more. If they continue to refuse, I'd alert an admin then I'd wind them, effectively stopping the situation until it can be dealt with by an admin or someone who's had more experience with this kind of situation. I'd make the note after dealing with it and hope the round can continue on without being completely ruined.

I get that the hero rule says unarmed, but this is still playing a hero, you didn't say security was gone so this would be acting as security.

Now, regarding the powergaming, assuming they listened to me and stopped what they were doing, I'd ask them if they knew what power gaming is, if they said "No" I'd explain it to them using the rule book definition. If they said yes, I'd respond with "You were powergaming, you can't be doing that." and hopefully they listen and learn from their mistake, I'd leave a note and leave it at that. Now if they kept powergaming, I'd give them a warning, and PM them about it once again, hopefully at this point, they stop what they are doing and actually play the game correctly.

I'd then relay it to someone above me

SirCatnip - Today at 4:51 AM

Upon checking their notes, you see that they have already been warned for validhunting one month ago; the warning is for stealing a Security voidsuit and attacking raiders on their ship. Does this change the outcome of your intervention? If so, how?

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 4:52 AM

Is there a procedure for this? Or is it my own judgement.

SirCatnip - Today at 4:53 AM

This is to test your judgement alone, there are procedures that we'll run you through during a trial however.

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 4:53 AM

Alright.

Assuming they listened to me, and didn't put up a fight, I'd mention it to them, and make it known in my notes on the case. However, if they put up a fight against me, thinking they could get off the hook since we are friends, I'd warn them, making it clear in the warning what they did wrong, and mention the validhunting in it. Then if it happens again, I'm going to assume they'd be temp banned since they have already been warned twice on issues like this, but I'd leave that up to an admin.

I'd warn them either way if they kept arguing and ignoring my PMs

but I'd make the validhunting thing known in it as well.

Either way it'd go in the notes.

SirCatnip - Today at 4:57 AM

Right. Next question, slightly similar:

You and one admin (Who is AFK) are online, and you recieve an ahelp that a close OOC friend of yours has been metagaming traitor uplink items as Security, and is attempting an arrest over a voice changer (hidden as a gas mask). What do you do?

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 5:02 AM

As I've said, despite them being close friends with me ooc, rules are rules. Though it may be harder to reprimand them, I would still do so, because they should know how to follow the rules. I'd PM them, explaining to them what they're doing, and ask if they know what metagaming is. If they say no, I'd use the rule book definition to explain it to them and tell them to stop what they are doing. Now, if they say yes, I'd explain how what they were doing is metagaming, and explain that he needs to cut it out. If they refuse, I'd warn them, and attempt to contact an admin or moderator over discord to handle it further, because even if I try my best to not be biased, I can't guarantee it. I might unintentionally give him a lighter punishment than what he needs, or vice versa.

Even if they are a close friend, I'd carry out my duties. But I'd still request someone else to deal with it since my judgement may be unintentonally off a bit

SirCatnip - Today at 5:04 AM

Alrighty. Next question is:

Another staffmember makes a judgement that you don't agree with, what do you do?(edited)

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 5:07 AM

I tactfully talk with them about it, I make my opinion known, how ever I do it in a manner that is polite. I'd ask them to explain their reasoning behind it to help me understand how they came to said judgement. If they don't change my mind with their reasoning, I'd politely explain to them why I think it isn't the right call.

And possibly bring in a third party person to get another point of view on the situation that's unbiased.

Assuming it even needed to escalate to that point.

And it also depends on what's being judged.

SirCatnip - Today at 5:09 AM

Anything else to add there?

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 5:09 AM

Uhhm.

No

SirCatnip - Today at 5:10 AM

Alrighty. Last question of this kind before we move on to the last few:

How do you see yourself responding to rule lawyering? A player who seems to drag a PM discussion on for excess amounts of time arguing in an attempt to avoid administrative action after breaking a rule, for example.(edited)

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 5:10 AM

Are you giving me an example or was that the example?

SirCatnip - Today at 5:11 AM

That was a vague example.

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 5:11 AM

Alright

Honestly, I don't mind lawyering, considering I want to be a lawyer for the military at some point after I serve.

That being said, I'd explain to them why they are being punished, what they did wrong, and how they can stop this from happening in the future. I most likely would not drop the 'charges' even if they try to avoid administration action. Despite their excuses, unless it is an actual valid reason. I'd also ask for other staff members input on it.

But! if they lack a valid reason, I'd continue with the punishment.

SirCatnip - Today at 5:17 AM

Right. Last couple of questions now:

What do you believe is the most important aspect of a Moderator?(edited)

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 5:18 AM

I believe there are two.

Patience, and Confidence.

There's going to be times where you have to be patient with others, whether you're dealing with an arrogant person, or a new player, patience is literally the key.

Confidence is needed when you hand out your punishments, and when your judgement is needed. You have to be decisive, but without confidence in your descisions. It isn't possible to be decisive.

SirCatnip - Today at 5:22 AM

Is there anything you dislike about the current state of the server? Anything you would seek to change?

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 5:24 AM

I think salt would be nice to cut down on, but that's just human nature. You can't stop people from voicing their opinions. Whether it's charged or not, it just happens. The only way to really remove salt is to remove the players who salt, but that isn't what I want to see happen. There's nothing that needs changed I think, except the elevator music.

SirCatnip - Today at 5:25 AM

On top of responding to complaints and appeals, Moderators also recieve notifications for forum posts reported by players, do you see yourself as actively moderating the forums?

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 5:26 AM

It's possible, I'll happily do it after I get some more experience under my belt. I've moderated forms for other games before, that isn't really new to me.

SirCatnip - Today at 5:28 AM

Alright, that's all the questions I've got. Any closing comments?

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 5:29 AM

Uh

This was nerve racking, please ignore any grammar mistakes. I am running off an hour of sleep.

Grammatical? I don't know.

SirCatnip - Today at 5:30 AM

That's fine. Are you alright with this interview being posted on your application thread?

ReadThisNamePlz - Today at 5:31 AM

Sure thing.

I'd like current and future posters to cite examples as it helps ascertain the difference between a friend supporting or a person genuinely supporting due to the applicants merit.

 

Sure. Here are a few examples of RTNP's maturity and RP level:

This is an example of a friendly OOC interaction used to figure out IC information, and RP ability. I met RTNP when RTNP's Security Officer character Olivia Catherina tried to convert me to a cult. This was when I was new to the server (but having two years under my belt at Paradise) and RTNP was fairly new. Olivia asked to see the cargo warehouse when I was QM. We go in and start talking and RTNP's LOOC's that Olivia is trying to get my character Jack Edwardson into a cult but is having difficulties with the mechanic. I LOOC back that I have an appointment and would need to cryo soon, and I believe I directed RTNP to the wiki and perhaps ahelp. We discuss general cult mechanics and both open the wiki but I am no further help as despite two years at Paradise, I had cultist turned off and only became one late-round on a couple of occaisions. RTNP acknowledges my time constraint and we agree to use this as a learning experience for both of us. I had never converted another player. RTNP RP's with me to follow Olivia willingly into maintenance. The RP continues and Olivia tries to use a rune to convert me. It doesn't work. Jack is curious as to what the rune is but the IC RP gives enough justification for him to play along. Eventually, Olivia is summoned to the brig and Olivia asks Jack to play along and "get arrested" because I believe Olivia may have been in cargo to investigate it for an issue, and we had both been notably absent. Again, the IC justification was there for me, Olivia explained she was in a bind and what would help, and Jack agreed. She takes me to a cell where I believe the Captain and HoS are waiting, and at that point I provided a few lines of dialogue and then LOOC'd my apologies that I had to run. RTNP asks if it is okay that we consider the general conversation we had canon less the attempts to convert me. I agree. RTNP LOOC's that we should RP the Jack-Olivia pair again soon. I agree and then ghosted. All in all, despite the "blind leading the blind" about the cult, it was a positive interaction. Moderators need to use their interactions with players to learn what is going on in a situation in a friendly way. I believe RTNP's demonstrated that maturity here, and this was in early September.This is an example of the RTNP's devotion to procedure. My character Jack and RTNP's character Olivia started an IC relationship and, as QM I would frequently wander off from cargo to RP. RTNP, however, would hardly ever leave the brig when Olivia was a Warden, insisting that she could not leave the brig unless excused by the HoS. Jack gave Olivia IC grief about this, but I respect this as too many Wardens are either not present in the brig to process offenders or off being a security officer (which they shouldn't be unless the station has gone to hell).This is an example of understanding the RP importance of the loyalty implant affecting decision making Concurrently with RTNP's command whitelist app, Olivia and Jack had more than one conversation about the effect of the loyalty implant and how Olivia was afraid of how it would change her. RTNP demonstrated an appreciation that the loyalty implant has an impact on a character's thinking and integrated those consequences in with her character. This is an example of demonstrating maturity and an understanding of the big picture. Olivia was a visitor a couple of times prior to whitelisting to permit her typical Warden character to RP with Jack and others. She observed some minor crimes and contraband among cargo techs/miners and explained to them that she was off-duty security and they should be aware that what they were doing/in possession of is a crime, but stopping short on calling them in. Incidentally, she added on one occaision that once Olivia received a loyalty implant she would no longer be able to turn a blind eye to such crimes and would have to report them to an officer.

I'd like to give this a -1. I like ReadThisNamePlz as a player, but I think she still has a ways to go in technical knowledge before she's a mod. I've still seen some metagaming, and still seen some IC in OOC, pretty recently. I'm just not sure she's ready yet.

Trial started on November 27, 2017, and will end in one month on December 27.

Application denied due to circumstances that have been discussed with Read over PMs. I absolutely encourage you to re-apply whenever you're ready to.

Thank you for your contribution over the past month.