Cave Lefebvre HoS Application
#1
Usual character name: Cave Lefebvre (previously Ssozun Ahkin and Arbiter Bane)
BYOND username: Awe21
Discord username (if you are on our discord): Awe#6751
Recommended by (if applicable): N/A
Goon servers you play: Morty and Sylvestre

Reason for application: I enjoy playing Security/Detective and I enjoy playing leadership roles (Captain, HoP, CE), HoS is a natural progression from this mentality. High responsibility roles that have the capacity to be both challenging and helpful are a lot of fun for me to play. I enjoy being able to have a positive impact on the gameplay of others and I see HoS as a role that fits into that slot alongside those previously mentioned. Also, it’s a pretty aesthetically cool role (imperial commissar vibes), not to mention the heavy boots *thunk* *thunk* *thunk*.

Security experience (300 word minimum): For the first one-and-a-half-ish months of my membership on Goon, I played Security a handful of times on-and-off, eventually discovering that my initial perception of the role (as an unfun one disliked by a nontrivial portion of the average crew) was misguided and avoidable. I pushed myself to try out rounds with a more serious head for filling out the expectations of the job and found that when really trying and asking for help, I enjoyed rounds and learnt a lot from longtime people. Rookie mistakes like leaving behind my pinpointer, forgetting a backup cell, not understanding secmate, and chasing baddies with a weapon in hand (only to get slipped, drop it, and lose it to them) became bad memories replaced by someone with some semblance of what they’re doing. I don’t mean to claim I don’t still make stupid, silly mistakes, because everyone does, only that I am now readily cognizant of these things and less frequently fall prey to them.

In more recent weeks, my rounds as Security or Detective have served as both continuous learning experiences and confirmations that I enjoy and appreciate the playstyle. I have become accustomed to ordering my inventory to readily access equipment without having to overthink its location, picking exactly which utility tools I find most useful from the vender (typically the forensics scanner and the robust donuts), navigating and altering entries in secmate, and using and linking together clues from evidence analysed with forensic tools. I have become better (although by no means perfect) at combat, using discretion to deal with crimes in a way that forwards roleplay/roleplay opportunities instead of stifling them, and building a rapport with the crew by treating people as my equals and with respect. The experiences providing these skills have encompassed all manner of antagonists, from traitors with gimmicky to highly deadly tools, to shape shifting aliens and arcfiends, as well as well-articulated explanations of what to and not to do from helpful fellow members of Security.

Some of the most useful knowledge I’ve come to try to embody when playing in Security roles besides that mentioned above is that constant communication is key to being successful, and that Security is a component that should help to forward roleplay for everyone, not bring it to a halt. Radio communications like “Help me” or “Arrest X”, while forms of communication, essentially aren’t because they are uninformative and unhelpful. Where do you need assistance? Why should X be arrested? What are their crimes and what is the evidence? Et cetera. Although elaboration is necessary, at the same time it should remain concise to maintain efficiency. Security’s role as an aid to roleplay is more complicated, because I think it’s hard to spell out in text and necessarily understood experientially. It has to be applied uniquely to each round and person Security interacts with to be a benefit to the story that the round creates as Antagonists clash with the Crew. Yes, Security is supposed to “stop them”, but not in such a way as to crush and belittle them permanently, but in such a way as they get to walk away feeling inspired to take a new creative approach to their role… until such a time, of course, as they go so far to make execution or perma-brigging appropriate (e.g., continuing to bomb and murder and showing zero remorse or intent to stop after being punished for it).

Answer two or more of the following:

What advice would you give to other sec players?

I’ll split this up into advice for new Sec and advice for experienced Sec. For newbies, the advice I’d give is (a) don’t rush into anything, Security is a role that’s easy to get excited about, but one that carries authority and risky equipment and so necessitates patience, (b) ask your fellow Secoffs or the HoS for help, or ask to shadow one of them, the majority of the time their advice will be informative and actionable, and © ensure you have a grasp of Goon’s hotkeys and the functions of most basic equipment and items (door hacking, medicine, etc) before playing as a full Secoff, because chances are you’ll have to act outside of the exact boundaries of Security in order to do your job.

For experienced Security, the advice I’d give is (a) it never hurts to revisit the basics, a lot goes into this role and the more information necessary to act efficiently, the easier it is to forget something vital and make a critical mistake, (b) don’t allow yourself to become jaded, angry, or caught in a power trip because you “know more” or “have seen it all”, longtime or fresh-arrived, Security is Security and should act consistently and empathetically, and © offer to help new or obviously confused members of Security in a way that’s genuine without being condescending, and teach with patience and attention to detail, covering as many angles as possible to present the complete picture.

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

When playing on a full Security team, my job is more relaxed on average and less anxious when bombs are going off, sarin has polluted the hallways, and living limbs are running around spitting acid at people, because I have capable and armed friends there to back me up. Communication is a necessary constant, even if it’s a sitrep reply as simple as “Nothing to report”, because silence is too easy to misinterpret and reckless when carrying out your duties, because if there’s help to be had it’s better and safer to have it. As well, a team is nice for internal chatter, because with more people there’s more conversation and interpretations, which is nice for learning new things, or approaches to skills and mindsets you already have.

I see playing as the only Security Officer as generally dangerous, especially when the overall population of a round is low, necessitating a very high level of patience, vigilance, and interaction with the crew both inside and outside of a crisis. I aim to prioritise building a rapport with my fellow spacefarers (I think it’s key to surviving as the only member of Security, especially when Command is absent), because I will have to rely on them to aid me when I need it most. Acting in any way that distances me from the crew, distracts me from their safety, or puts my safety at risk in an avoidable way is a fast path downhill to disaster, and dying irreversibly as the only Security Officer could doom the crew to the whims of the antagonist(s), especially if I've failed to communicate their presence and actions to the crew.

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.

Space seasons truant–
Gentle farming cosmonauts,
Tend a pen of bees.

Previous bans (while this will not affect your application lying about it will): Two, both were accidental and removed shortly after being issued.
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#2
We really appreciate the time and effort you put into this application, but have decided to deny it due to lack of community feedback. You're welcome to reapply in 60 days!
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