HoS application - Bartimeus973

[Bartimeus]

Usual character name: Viridis Varanis
BYOND username: bartimeus973
Discord username (if you are on our discord):  Bartimeus#0627
Recommended by (if applicable): Telareti, Tiresoup, Cal
Goon servers you play: Roleplay 3 (Morty), occasionally 4 (Sylvester)

Reason for application:
Having a head of security on the time is a great boon to any security team. Having someone that knows their way around the block, that can help newer security officers learn and that you can rely on when it comes to making tough judgment calls is a wonderful feeling that i wish happened a bit more consistently. Additionnaly, with the recent influx of new officers, there have been a few cases of malicious Sec Off actively working against the crew. While i understand that those situations are usually handled by an admin, having a HoS that can defuse tensions, stop the wrongfull actions of the offending security officer and hopefully even steer them into the right path greatly helps reduce the stress that security can go through on a shiftly basis. Finally, having a HoS means that in the case an officer is being a bit too harsh on an antagonist, for instance voting to borg a changeling on a first offense 30 minutes into the game, the sentence can be overruled in order to make it a bit more lenient and allow the round to keep up an interesting pace, while also hopefully teaching the security officer about kindness to the bad guys. For those aforementionned reasons i wish to apply for the Head of Security role.

Security experience (300 word minimum):
I had not played a lot of security up until my return from my hiatus. Since then i have quite often worn the badge and walked the halls watching out for trouble. My security shifts are often just walking around interacting with the different people on station and helping them out if they need a hand (its protect AND serve after all). I have been told i am quite quick to answer to calls however and will communicate often while doing so. Since my return to the server i have actively tried to make arrests more of a team effort, involving other security officers and often times relegating to them some duties, such as processing, or record updates, so that they everyone can feel included and useful.

I generally try to talk first on every occasion, never shooting first unless my life, or another crewmate's, is immediatly threatened. There is not many better feelings than catching an antagonist that has been rampaging around, sitting them down, showing them kindness and seeing them actually open up for some roleplay. As such i generally err on the lighter side of sentencing, with sentences of above three minutes being extremely rare. I also greatly enjoy modifying and looking up security records, as i find it to be an extremely powerful tool to relay information quickly and to avoid someone being caught and sentenced twice for a crime they already have been sentenced for. A simple line to describe what the crewmate has done and what his sentence was often saves a lot of time when it comes to avoiding unnecessary processing.

With the recent amount of security personnel coming onto the station, i have had the pleasure of leading around a few security assistants that barely knew anything about how the game worked. Showing them around security, explaining what they're supposed to do, leading them on to their first patrol or letting them handle desk work is always extremely gratifying. I think i have a rather martial way of explaining things, as such ive tried to make learning a bit of a more fun experience, with lighthearted jokes, by letting the assisstant try to capture stirstir (and survive), by sitting them down for a coffee and donut or by letting them perform the patrolling or forensics gathering process, only stepping in if they ask for help.

I consider myself relatively robust for the RP server, but since the hiatus i have harshly realised that piledriving others into the ground is fun for absolutely nobody. As such, i have modified the way i make arrests so that while i'll make a decent effort at catching the crimer, they are not absolutely cornered and often times have a chance to escape and keep the round going.



Answer two or more of the following:

• What advice would you give to other sec players?
  

1. - While security is about making sure the station doesnt devolve into a western shootout it isnt about obliterating every single threat to the station the second they appear. Using restraint and not shooting antagonists on sight, giving them an opportunity to see their plan come to fruition is very important when it comes to making sure the station stays animated.
   
2. - Talk. Talk all the time. Talk to people, find out about them and what they wanna do. Talk to defuse situations. Talk to keep the rest of the team in the loop. Communication is the backbone of a good security team.
   
3. - Executing an antag is not always the way to go, even when they have commited horrible crimes. Why not try a conditional release? Or try and send them to sci to test their abilities? It keeps people involved and gives everyone something to do.
   
4. - For forensic work, scan everything. The doors, the tables, the chairs, the captain's cat, the clown's banana peel... Its likely that whoever did some evil deed left behind some evidence one way or another. Additionally, you can piece together prints if you have multiple prints left by the same gloves!
   
5. - The brig is lonely but it doesnt have to be! Watch people in the brig and talk with them. Not only is it great for RP, its also a good way to learn some more tidbits of info about their motives, or to have some fun drama. Also making sure they do their full sentence and dont just bore a way through the bathroom wall is nice.
   
6. - A bit of shameless promotion, but i have written a simple guide to weaponry and pinned it to security's persistent board, "Viridis' arsenal guide", that i try and give a copy of to new players when they want some information about what their options are!
   

• What was one of your favorite security moments? (Either playing as a sec officer or interacting with one)
  

It's hard to think of a specific moment, as there are so many interesting things happening in security. If i have to single out one it would be a somewhat recent interaction where a QM and the detective worked together to arm up cargo and turned it into a weapon's shop. The situation slowly escalated and ended up with a shootout later in the round. While the combat was exhilarating, both sides were quite hurt by the assault and the detective managed to run away. After security recuperated and managed to track down the det, there was an extensive discussion in interrogation about their motives, the situation that transpired and the course of action to take. Considering the great amount of crimes and the fact the detective was not denying any charges, the captain sentenced him to a borging just as the shift was nearing its end. The borging process itself was a long and very enjoyable RP moment where everyone was involved and had a place in the story.

While i cannnot choose a singular moment that i think is the absolute best security experience i ever had, i remember this one fondly for several reasons. Firstly, it followed proper escalation. Security was aware of the threat, didnt take immediate action and simply watched. The shootout was not instantaneous but rather a culmination of the events. Second, i really appreciatte the effort the antagonists went through to give an enjoyable Rp moment, and as such security in turn let them explain their actions, recorded it and interacted throughout. It was overall a wonderful display or proper processing and handling of a tense situation that worked out for both sides.

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

A minor thing i have been thinking about is that while the helmet, armor and red suit are symbols of security, id love if the helmet and armor instead appeared in the officer's backpacks to instead incentivise them to only wear them when the situation requires it. Going around looking like a juggernaut is nice to feel safe, but the crew will respond positively to an officer that appears more laid back and dresses in simpler clothes when the situation is under control.

Another simple thing is that a few maps have the security camera console very close to the desk, like destiny for instance. I would love if every map was like it as it allows whoever is at the desk to watch the cams and be involved without having to leave the desk and miss whoever might come.

Also only having four mugs of coffee in security is probably a warcrime, we need more!

• Describe any differences in your playstyle when part of a full security team and when being the only security officer.
  

As a solo officer i am going to patrol maintenance much less often, in part to reduce the risk of being killed in a dark corner and leave the crew without any security and also because having a security officer actively showing their face around and going from department to department gives the crew confidence that in the event something bad happens they have someone to rely on.

In a full team i tend to man the desk if no one is there to handle it, updating records, watching cameras, handling the brig and occasionally discussing with the people coming to the desk. If the desk is taken i'll move around somewhat randomly until something happens, discussing with other officers about current situations so that we arent all patrolling on the same grounds.



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.
  

Work is hard sometimes
Coffee is thirty credits
I'm going on a strike

• What's a security gimmick that you've ran or wanted to run?
  

A thing that is in most security rooms that i have litterally never seen used ever is the bail payment device. I would like to offer to release criminals without brig time if sufficient bail is paid, or to at least reduce their sentences if the bail is insufficient. Going undercover once in awhile is also a pretty effective gimmick when it comes to catching people off guard, and can be fun when done sporadically. While it is not security per se, being a Honkficcer as a clown was a wonderful time for some lighthearted fun, cuffing myself, gifting criminals gifts booby trapped with pie launchers, giving them swirlies etc... A nice break to give security some stress relief and making processing even more fun than usual.

• Draw a picture!
  

No greater pain than to run out of donuts or coffee.

Previous bans (while this will not affect your application lying about it will): None

[Cal]

Bartimeus is an excellent officer, always fair in their dealings with antagonists, quick to respond if I need them, a great conversationalist, and a fun antagonist who does intriguing things - Case in point, the other day they trapped me in a room with a malfunctioning door to crush me with the press of a button, it was fun trying to break out by firing an HE shot at the wall and I was quite glad to have some fun conflict.

In my opinion, they're more than qualified. I would have no issues with Bartimeus leading Security.

+1

[Telareti]

Viridis has a fun and polite personality and are always trying to keep the shift fun for all the crew and the antags! a couple of days ago when i was on a run from sec, Viridis instead of instantly tasering me decided to blow the whistle before they tried stunning me it was a small thing but i remembered it well because most sec would just try to instantly taser me. when i play hos Viridis is always great at communicating on radio and very helpful, the last shift i played we had a lot of situations happen at once and Viridis was one of the officers who preformed very well under the stress and was someone i could rely on to handle a situation when i had to handle a different one.

overall from my experience with Viridis they are always a great sec officer to see. weather they are having small talk with the crew or chasing an antag they are always trying to keep everyone involve and make sure everyone is having a fun shift, they also handle antags in a polite way and don't use force unless they have too, these our good hos traits to have in my opinion. +1

[BotchKing]

Well well, just after I wrote my HOS recommendation for you in your mentor app, I see you posted your application.

A full +1 from me, Viridis is always one of the most active officer on a team, and knows how to handle every situation effectively and with professionalism.
Fair in their judgement and active on comms, everything a good sec member should be.

[Tiresoup]

For sure. I play with Viridis all the time on goonrp as sec, never once regretting it. He nails many of my expectations of sec, being friendly, fair and looking the part. +1, needs more cat ears but a beret and blanky would be best

[AmazingDragons]

Viridis rules! They understand security on a much better level than most of the secoffs I see. Working towards making the round more fun for everyone, without letting the station fall to chaos. A lot of people fall either far too vigilant (over-zealous brigging, execution, and similar punighments) or just ignore their responsibilities. Viridis is always responding, but allows there to be RP, not just the stun-and-cuff. They give fair punishments, are generally awesome to be around, and it would be an absolute honour to be shot out an airlock by them. +1

[MDIPurple]

Viridis has been a constantly good SecOff that can defuse situations well, and make sure that antags get treated nicely! Also has very fun gimmicks whenever they're not on Sec. Easy +1 from me.

Would love to see you get a Security version of your beret, and see your CQC robustness in action more often.

[Blahowksy]

Virdi boy... oh man. Best god damn security officer there is. Always looking out for his fellow sec folks. Doesn't resort to violence and always try to talk first. Simply an example of what a security officer should be. +1 also for being a really funny lizard man sometimessss

[getbrecked]

Viridis is a diligent and efficient Officer; they taking the initiative to arrive at crime scenes shortly after a call. Has good discretion when it comes to deciding punishments. I see them teaching newer Officers often, and offering tips to the more seasoned players. In addition, Security or not, Viridis has a talent for spicing up rounds where the antagonists haven't done much. +1, give them a second beret!

[ftlaudeye]

Yes, definitely!  +1

     Always a pleasure to play with as sec, never had anything negative experience that stood out to me what so ever.  Always a good, reliable, consistent secoff in all games I've played with them.  They know how to handle antags, communicate, deescalate, all of the above without issue and with upmost efficiency!  Always fair on whatever punishments that are required and I can confidently trust them with the role of HoS!

[Slazenger]

Excellent officer, fair and fun, competent and calm across the board.

+1

[jan.antilles]

I'm always happy to see Viridis as Sec, even as an antagonist! Very happy to +1 this app.

[Varali]

I don't want to seem like a dumb contrarian, especially with how bad my memory is to give clear constructive feedback, but I'm going to have to go with a -1 for now due to my gut feeling.

You've absolutely grown from the Crimson days, but I don't believe you're ready for a role as impactful as HoS. From some of your antagonist rounds to some of your Sec interactions and ways you've steered rounds, I'm not sure you're ready for that much power. 

That doesn't mean you're a bad player or bad Security Officer, but I think you could use more experience, HoS are able to massively change rounds and steer it in different directions on a whim and I think you could use more time. But hey if your application goes through, glad for you! You can always get that experience whilst playing HoS as long as you're careful with all that power!

[nefarious6th]

Happy to see you back and happy that you've taken up Sec; I do think I kind of follow step with Varali here. Some of your more recent round interactions as antag and as not antag have kind of seemed to be over-the-top with regards to escalation, and I really want RP HoSes to be trusted in the escalation they provide not just as Sec players, but walking the other side of the duality as crew or even as antags.

Not a full -1 from me, just a neutral indifferent, but I feel a little uneasy with some of the stuff I've seen more recently with underestimating explosions/contraband abilities, making honest but very impactful mistakes as a nonantag, and just maybe accidentally going a little too hard as an antag. Definitely would be interested in still seeing you on Sec and seeing your continued growth, since I do think you do well with communicating and keeping good face, just some of the awareness/how you understand how impactful your actions are could use some fine-tuning. I would sincerely look forward to seeing you hone these spots and develop into not just a fair, but a very perceptive leader for Sec. You are very, very close!

[Wrench-1]

+1

Basically for the same reasons I stated on your mentor app. Very open to RP and seeks it out. A firm but fair officer that treats antags with respect and gives them enough leeway to do their gimmicks, and an active teacher of new SecOffs with one of the most useful guides written out on the noticeboard.

Having you on the team is always a blast because I know you'll be a reliable ally and will communicate well with the team. I personally see no reason for you not to be whitelisted.