Violet Kirsch HoS application Encore, once more from the top

[Violetsaber]

Usual character name: Violet Kirsch
BYOND username: violetsaber
Discord username : ysolt. (with the period)
Recommended by: Zhailail
Goon servers you play:  3 & 4 interchangeably


Reason for application:
A head of security has a tremendous impact on any round they’re present in. They are a safety net and an example to the rest of the security team, while making the hard calls regular secoffs may not be confident in or have the authority to follow through. To the rest of the station they are a reassuring sight and opportunity for unique RP. Especially for antagonists they offer a focal point and source of opposition to spark memorable encounters. All of these things are aspects I strive for as a regular security member, but I think the authority and credibility of the beret will help me to help others. 


On a side note, I am also applying again because the last application led to a rich learning experience. Despite it being denied, it gave me valuable insight into not just secoff-ing but the nature and culture of the game on a larger scale. I hope I can learn something new yet again.


Security experience:


I first picked up the baton and taser on what is soon going to be five years ago (with occasionally large breaks from the game) and in that time I’ve gone through plenty of changes. I was hesitant at first to even get near security, scared I might accidentally do something foolish, but about a year into playing I bit the bullet and realized I rather liked it. I started out as a rather timid and unsure secoff, hanging in the back and following other officers' lead. Monkey see monkey do. Over time i grew confident in both my judgement, knowledge of the gig itself and robustness. But i also grew too confident along the way and let my temper fly off the handle. I was lucky to have both heads of security, fellow secoffs and even a few spine chilling admin pm knocks to put me back on track. As unpleasant as it was in the moment, it was a much needed ego curbing and i am in a far better and healthier place for it.

But i think it all really clicked along the way of my last application when I realized what playing security(especially on rp) really means. It’s an always changing show of improv theater with you in a key position. I try to give every player i encounter the best “scene” i can present. It’s far less about identifying every antagonist ASAP and coming up with a way to stop them before anything even gets going, but rather how you can make everyone’s time in any given round more fun. Sometimes that’s taser blasting and baton swinging threats, sometimes that’s shaking in your boots during a hostage situation and playing along even if you could bumrush the villain. A round is ~90 minutes, no matter how bad it gets the next one is right around the corner, and there is no “winning” or “losing”, just what little moments you can create with other players.

Mechanically and socially i feel very confident and comfortable. I can find fun in quiet shifts that’s just mingling with the crew or hell zones where you’re lucky to escape with your own butt in hand. I’ve worked hard on showing leadership when it’s required, while also not smothering the team since sec teams are (usually) adults who know what they’re doing. But when things get dire I know when to put my boot down and set up a course of action or step up to make tough calls. I am a bit of a stickler when it comes to certain things and i take a hard-line stance against cliquing (giant problem when I started playing), so I may come across a bit more stand-offish than I intend sometimes. My top priority is making sure security assistants, and new players in general, have a good time. I try to teach them when i can and involve them in things instead of just letting them rot behind the desk. 

All in all, sec is a tough gig, but it’s my favorite. I’ve learned to love the stress and chaos, and when to take a break. Just don’t ask me to operate a DWAINE terminal.


Answer two or more of the following:

• What advice would you give to other sec players?
  

everybody knows the usual things you might put here, but the real advice i can give is that sec-ing is 90% social stuff and only 10% actual hands on batoning. Most problems can be solved with talking and acting rather than shooting anything that moves, and even a discovered antagonist should first be engaged rather than “beaten”. Too many officers also hang around in HQ and talk with no one outside the sec team unless necessary. Instead, walk around, chat with people, say hello, peak your head into departments and see if anybody needs a hand. You are the big scary guard with the fancy gear, but there is far more fun in being social than just a butt kicker. And there is always enough butt to be kicked. And it’s okay to engage in RP that you are sure of might result in your death. Part of the story. If the antagonist set up a good hook, then it’s sometimes time to get gotten. 

• What game improvements or changes do you think would benefit security players?
  

What I really think would benefit security players is making their life a bit harder. This may be controversial but maybe panic buttons should be removed, or at the least limited. I understand the use of it but in practice a single alert goes off and you got 5 secoffs, a detective, the clown who got deputized to junior detective, 5 secassistants, the hos, the captain, 3 staffies watching security run, the AI shell and someone's grandma running into a room wordlessly and then bludgeoning some poor first time antag. At least on RP i’d prefer even a short yell over the radio. This is mostly a play culture problem but i dunno. errr increase the batons in the baton loadout. more mugs in the office!


Answer one or more of the following fun questions (because it's important for the HoS to be fun):

• Write a poem to convey your thoughts on security/NanoTrasen/space/bees/anything related to SS13.
  

Halfway through the shift, no signs of danger, oh what bliss. I sit down west side of escape, I park my butt to a view of space. As i puff a cloud of cigar smoke, the window is hit by a collection of undead folk. First one, then two, then three and four, I rub my eyes and lo, there’s more! Not just gibs or another rotten corpse, but what looks to be a nuclear reactor cores. It seems it’s time to scream and run, because it’s clear that Cogwerks is having admeme fun!

previous bans:
-June 14, 2022: terrible round as changeling on rp on my part, no to little rping, toxic behavior to hive-mind members. 7 days
-April 29, 2021: responding poorly to an admin PM telling me to stop what i was doing. 3,5 days 
not making any excuses, but i am sorry for my past behavior and i try my best to learn from my mistakes