HoS Application - ultimatemystery (Kyle Spencer)

[ultimatemystery]

Usual character name: Kyle Spencer, Gabriel Muller, Dirk Hardpec, Zeta-02
BYOND username: ultimatemystery
Discord username (if you are on our discord): Myst#7055
Recommended by (if applicable): N/A
Goon servers you play: 3: Morty, 4: Sylvester

Reason for application:
I’ve played a lot of shifts where the absence of a Head of Security was to the detriment of the majority’s fun. Be it random bad actors, self-antagonists, or members of the crew abusing their authority, there’s no shortage of opportunities for a few assholes to ruin the shift for everyone else. HoS’ increased ability to counteract these particular brands of bullshit is invaluable in maintaining a station environment where all players can have a good time. I want to be able to do my part to help this wonderful community of roleplayers who have so graciously welcomed me in.

Security experience (300 word minimum):
Where to begin the legend of Detective Kyle Spencer? The beginning, probably. I was introduced to the game by content creators Tomato, Criken, and Mandalore. In their coverage, I was blown away by the roleplaying opportunities provided by the platform and eventually decided to try it for myself. I started as a Staff Assistant to learn the ropes of the game and signed up as a Security Assistant shortly thereafter. As squalid as Assistant can be, it taught me so much about how the game works and how best to interact with other players. Playing Detective was what made me fall in love with the game. By the time I cleared the round requirement for Officer, I knew Sec was my home and I’d strive to be the best shitty mall cop that I could for the miserable crew of these disastrous installations.

At the risk of immodesty, I’d say I’ve made a pretty good name for myself. I’m well regarded by many other players and I’ve regularly received compliments for my characters in the Discord server’s roleplay chat. At this point, I’ve got a healthy stable of friends and coworkers I know I can count on in any given round. As a Sec Officer, Detective, and Captain, I try to exercise minimal force with suspects, de-escalate tense situations with mediation, and operate with empathy in mind for all affected parties. Where many see an opportunity to abuse power and lord it over others, I view the department as one of the best mediums available for crime procedural roleplay. With total strangers and nothing but improvisation, I’ve helped create legitimately compelling mystery stories. That’s what this game is for me. Not a shootout with the enemy team or a hunt for a designated bad guy, but a chance to play pretend again. Whether it’s solving crimes, catching bad guys, or helping anyone who needs a hand, you can count on me to give my all to doing my job and roleplaying it in a way that’s enjoyable for everyone. After all the great experiences I’ve had playing this game, I’d feel wrong if I did any less.

Answer two or more of the following:

• What advice would you give to other sec players?
  

Learn to chill out, roll with the punches, and let go of your ego. Playing Security is about more than hunting antagonists and violence is not the ideal solution to all problems. Our first duty is to help our fellow crewmembers and that should drive our every action on shift. Develop a solid character to roleplay, listen to your radio and fellow officers, and always be ready to lend a hand. The rest will come with training and experience.

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

It was an average detective shift for me. Little incidents here and there, nothing to really worry over just yet. And then the Captain announced there would be a dance competition. The bar was remodeled to include a dance floor, lighting was installed, and a panel of judges was organized. As someone heavily influenced by Disco Elysium, I knew what I had to do. When the contest started, there was an awkward beat where there was no set order established. Then, I hopped the rail onto the dance floor and introduced myself. When I called for music, everyone then realized there was no equipment in place to play any tunes. Without missing a beat, I proceeded to belt out the first verse and chorus of Canned Heat by Jamiroquai, dancing between lines. With the entirety of my mojo spent, I collapsed to the dance floor and weakly gave a thumbs up to end my routine. I crawled out of the dance floor to applause and promptly got back to patrolling when someone sounded trouble over the radio. I ended up winning second place. I don’t know any other game I could do all that in and that moment will stick with me forever.

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

Ambitious an undertaking as it could be, expanding the trait and loadout system could be really enjoyable for Security. Having the opportunity for specialization within the role could increase effectiveness in tasks as well as encourage cooperation with other officers with differing toolsets. A field medic could stabilize and escort a victim to medbay, while a riot officer restrains the suspect and a detective gathers evidence from the scene. Incorporating the Syndicate’s loadout system into Sec and other departments could drastically diversify playstyles, further personalization of characters, and improve the core gameplay loop of any given role.

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.
  

O Captain! I'm Captain!? I need to get drunk fast
There is nothing to do, and yet so much is asked
O Captain, Why Captain… How I miss playing Sec
Solving crimes with my friends, not trapped steering this wreck
O Captain! sighs Captain! My aim no longer fun
I’ve complained long enough, we’ve a station to run

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

My go-to gimmick I’ve built into my character is an affinity for supernatural phenomena, acting as a paranormal investigator to better interact with the weird bullshit that goes on in the station. My favorite instance of this thus far was during the Halloween season. During a detective shift, admin shenanigans abounding had me call out to a specific portion of the ship where weird things were going on. Lo and behold in response to my calls, some type of elder god showed up and gave the impetus for a plot that would carry me through the rest of the shift.

Previous bans (while this will not affect your application lying about it will):
None that I’m aware of!

[Neskah]

I've had a fair few interactions with Kyle Spencer in-game, primarily with myself as a silicon entity and Spencer as the captain, and I've always thought he did a great job in a position of authority and definitely communicates a lot more than some captains out there.

[Munien]

I've had more shifts with Kyle Spencer than I can count, and it is always a relief when I see him, whether as captain, detective or security officer. Kyle is one of the most level-headed and fun people I have interacted with in my time on the RP servers. Whether it be as a captain with a fun gimmick going, an officer who I can trust to have my back no matter what, or a detective who engages with security and antags alike with the same fun attitude.
Every time I've seen Kyle interact with antags has always been incredbily RP-engaging and fun for everyone involved, and has always given fair or fun punishments that fit whatever has been done to deserve it.
Kyle also shoes great leadership skills when captain, often coordinating and communicating extremely well with security and providing an authority especially when there is no HoS in-round.

Absolute +1, I would absolutely love seeing Kyle as HoS.

[Flourish]

I've observed Kyle a bit and they seem like pretty solid sec. They seem chill and like they have a good understanding of escalation and how to treat other players fairly. They're also an engaging roleplayer in general. I think they'd make a good HoS!

[Waffleloffle]

honest to god I forgot you had an app up since I was waiting until mine went through to comment on it

myst's always a joy to play alongside in a shift, doubly so when we're on the same sec team. communicates excellently with the rest of the force, always tries to talk things out before bringing out the taser, gives everyone a fair shake... makes a marvelous captain too, which I think is a great skill for a roleplay server HoS to have even if it (hopefully) won't see too much use. +1, my only concern is that you might get burnt out quick but even the best HoSes are not immune to that, unfortunately

[Shiiba]

Kyle Spencer is a solid member of the sec team for sure. Having him around as SecOff, Det or Cap always makes a round way more enjoyable and honestly, less stressful. Absolutely a fantastic joy to RP with and have around. He's a dude who's gonna be there for you and is very level-headed. He communicates well as Sec and as Cap and always has your back!