Va'Ja Zakaath (Playful Stalker)

[emeraldmoonx]

This was one incidence where I overreacted. I'm human and I make mistakes. I do have emotions and sometimes I can blow up, like every single person. Unfortunately, I overreacted in the worst place possible. However, doesn't mean I wouldn't be able to play pred. I'm still more than capable of playing whitelisted roles. I'm whitelisted for synthetic, and I've had no issues, so this isn't the case.

Regardless, thank you anyways for reading my app.

[NescauComToddy]

Being whitelisted to be able to play as a synthetic does not mean you're prepared to be whitelisted to be able to play as a predator, if it were so according to your logic, we would only need a whitelist where both would be included.

I do not care about your response to Shyshadow and I agree with you that making mistakes is something normal, but this was not my point in my previous post.

When I, or even other people say that one is not prepared to be whitelisted for the role of predator, means that your character is not known or that we think that a person's maturity is not subpar of other players in the whitelist or that we do not think the individual is prepared or able to play as a predator. The gameplay that is experienced when playing as a synthetic is different from that which can be found when playing as a predator, even if that's not the issue I'm trying to point out.

You have rather credibility because you have shown yourself able to be whitelisted as synthetic, however again, this does not guarantee a spot on other whitelists.

I am sure that a fair outcome will be decided on your appeal. If you are not accepted, try again in two (3*) months and I am sure you will receive the approval of many members of the community.

~Nescafé

[emeraldmoonx]

Alright, I get you. I mostly mention the synthetic whitelist because this show's I'm capable of RPing and have been accepted before in a previous application. I'm not trying to compare the 2, and I understand what you mean.

Right, thanks for clarifying. If I don't get accepted, I'll definitely come back with a much better application. Also, it's in 3 months.

Thanks, Nescau.

[Emeraldblood]

Sorry for the late response, I got caught up in the staff work for events and real-life problems. Anyways, I feel like the backstory is adequate for an acceptable application. Few plot holes and/or lack of details but I like the idea of a Marine knowing that something is out there stalking them and seemingly all times and messing with them, waiting to strike. Now I'm still new to the whole predator scene so I don't really know what's the passing bar and what's not but I feel like Emeraldmoon would be able to work as predator. While I don't believe that he's gonna be the best out there from the get-go, I feel like this style would be fun to see on the server. Emeraldmoon also has apologized for his previous actions multiple times and at this point, that's really the best we can ask for as what's happened, happened. I'm going to give this +1 for my personal review, and while Emeraldmoon isn't perfect and has room to grow, I feel he'll make a good predator by the end of everything. While I feel there's a good chance this could be denied this time, I have no doubt that if another application is sent it when the wait is up, it's going to be a lot more polished and will make it for sure.

[TheMusician321]

I think the background was okay-ish apart from the having only 4 clan members thing, your response to shadow was really harsh and uncalled-for but everyone makes mistakes.

I haven't seen you around much as marine so i've got no idea how you're like, it would be great to see you on more but it's probably just a time-zone thing as I live in Asia.

Playstyle is rather bland and seemed a bit cookie-cutter but it's hard to make a unique playstyle, for now i'll stick with a neutral.

[emeraldmoonx]

Thanks EmeraldBlood for the +1, really appreciate it.

TheMusician321, Thanks for your time. I don't play as much as I used to as I observe 95% of the time now since I'm a mod. I still play probably one every 1-2 days lol. I have seen you on a few times later at night for me.

Regarding playstyle, indeed my playstyle is pretty normal. I didn't really find anything I could use to play differently as a predator. Unfortunately pretty much all predator play the same in the end. This is in-line with lore as well.

I am a good player [if you can take my word for it], I do love to RP, and I don't want to be those excessively aggressive predators who just kill everything they see. I want to RP more, so that'd be my main focus if that helps you at all.

Thank you, both.

[yung bruh]

I can tell a lot of effort was put into this application +1

[Stripetail]

I haven't seen your soldier, but I've seen your synth a few times, you seem competent in roleplay and that's a good thing.

What worries me is some of the content of your backstory, and your reaction with Shyshadow. I think that you could probably fill the role of a pred on the rp side, but I need to state what has been spoken of on this thread already for clarity.

This... is the hardest player role on the station... Not just because of the requirements, but because of the things you're going to be dealing with on a day to day basis.

This is not a role that is relaxing (most times) like a Synth can be. You're not a cog in a massive machine of marines or a serpent in the swarm. You're one of 'possibly' three beings that are an antag to all. You have to be on your toes at every minute of the round you are on the planet, you must follow your code without waver. You should hunt only the worthy and not doom one side or the other to a loss. You in particular as a Moderator are going to have an even harder time than most because you will also be dealing with ahelps and the like on the side, I need to stress that this is absolutely not a role you can take lightly.

The other half that I need to stress, is that you're going to be dealing with player reactions that are much MUCH worse than ShyShadow's critique almost every time you play. I'm not sure if the mechanics are different than this, but as a moderator I imagine you will see dead chat, and that means unlike some preds you're going to see firsthand and immediately the reaction of the players you kill, and trust me when I say that if you're easily upset it will be hard on you.

My biggest worry is seeing a good player go for this role because they think it's just another job, only to have the pressure mount and make them regret going for the whitelist.

I'm sorry for the ramble, but my feelings on this are fairly strong. I think that you could be a good pred or you could not. I'm neutral leaning toward -1 simply due to your response earlier.

You got triggered, and I understand that.

Neutral leaning toward -1.

[emeraldmoonx]

I understand your worries. They're very well founded. I'm not normally affected by people's opinions, so I doubt I'd care if people got salty over me. I really dont care for that, I suppose I got more insulted because I put a fair amont of effort and research into my app. Otherwise, I would never have cared what was said and would have taken it as critique and moved on.

I do see dead chat and ahelps often, and it's never affected me when it was related to me. I'm aware that predators aren't loved due to their nature. I know I'm capable of handling stuff like that. Dealing with salty players and what happened here is very different. I took a long time to wait to try and apply for this, simply cause I wasn't sure if I was ready for the responsibility. Being a mod helped me learn how people really are on CM, and has given me the courage to apply. It won't be an issue, that I can promise

If you rating remains -1, that's cool. Just know, if I do receive it now or in my next application, I will be a good player.

Your feedback is appreciated, thank you.

[northcote4]

This post has been in the works for a while, but it wound up larger than I was happy with. So I'll try to cut the chaff.

• Despite my attempts, I have been unable to find you in-game in a single round for about ten days, and I have never encountered you prior.
  This may be due to timezones, though you mention observing about 95% of the time since you became a moderator. However this means I have nothing to base your in-game performance on other than your word.
  Further, I am given some cause for concern regarding your ability to juggle being a predator and moderator at the same time based on what you have said in this thread.

• Though your story was well structured, it was odd. There are inconsistencies in both the lore and the content that others have addressed but I must reiterate for my own post.
  First, it is even possible for a yautja to enjoy hunting too much? The Hunt is in a large way the foundation of their culture. You elaborated this into Va'ja's sadistic, emotional method of hunting.
  Second, to withhold the Blooding rite -especially in such a small clan- seems like it would be a grievous punishment, perhaps only a step or two short of outright banishment or execution. You explained that this was the clan leader's means of trying to temper Va'jas hunting tendencies, or something along those lines, and indeed they were ultimately given their Blooding ritual. But I must ask, even in a small clan, what is the rite for if not to weed the strong from the weak? To attain the rank of youngblood is to complete your training and to be ready for the rite, wherein you will succeed or you will perish.

• There is the matter of the wargear Va'ja Zakaath used in their hunt.
  On the whole none of it was out of place. Perhaps a bit overarmed, but in a smaller clan that seems reasonable enough.
  However there's the matter of possessing two combi-sticks. Perhaps I am wrong, but I don't believe there has ever been a case of a yautja bearing two. This is due to the status of the weapon. It is almost ceremonial- it is the first weapon they receive when they complete their training and become youngbloods and it is kept and adorned with trinkets and trophies until they are ultimately entombed with it. Though obviously that doesn't rule out predators who lose their stick finding a replacement, I just think it's odd that one would bear two.

Those are just a few things I felt the need to clear the air about. While none are necessarily 'bad', they just stuck out to me.


As for the rest of our app, everything seems fairly well in order. The only part that concerns me is what you mention in your reason to be whitelisted. You mention that due to your moderating commitments you scarcely have time to play even your whitelisted synthetic. While I can't speak for the requirements of the synthetic and commander roles, that of a predator requires minimums of activity and, as others have pointed out, can be very intense. So I'm left wondering how you aim to balance the stresses of both moderator and yautja if by your own admission to opt for observing instead of playing.

All that said and done I need to sit on a neutral vote. I've seen things both positive and negative in this thread on the whole, but nothing really seems to really resonate with me.

[emeraldmoonx]

Hey northcote4, thanks for taking the time. Gonna respond in the same point form you presented, then reply to your last section.

• Well, since I've been a mod, my job is to really observe, so I don't play as much as I used to. I'm only in-game maybe once a day. However, since my trial ended, I'll probably be on more often. When I do play, I usually play medic/doctor or as my synthetic, Eric. Regarding your concerns, for now, I no longer have mod, I plan to reapply in a month, but then what happens then remains to be soon. So, for now, I won't be juggling mod and predator, and really this won't be an issue regardless. When I played, being a mod wasn't an issue at all. Often you have other staff there observing themselves anyways, so your game really goes unobstructed. This wouldn't be any different playing as a pred and having mod.

• Why would it not be possible? Of course, all Yautja enjoy hunting to a degree, it's part of their culture. Va'ja enjoys it more than others to a point where others might consider him sadistic because of it. It's really nothing crazy or snowflake.
  Now, the clan leader wasn't really withholding the trial. To explain, you answered part of it, the Zakaath clan is very small. The clan leader isn't gonna just easily discard his clan members without being damn sure he/she is not fit to become bloodied. In this case, he was testing Va'ja, not because Va'ja is weak or unprepared, but simply because he wants to see if his personality remains. Like mentioned before, Kel'to doesn't particularly like Va'ja's hunting style that much, and he is hoping that Va'ja will come to respect his prey more. So he waited longer, but eventually gave in and gave Va'ja the chance.

• Indeed in a smaller clan, each individual member must be trained harder and must be better equipped as they do not have the advantage of numbers other clans have. The combistick is a weapon that Yautja gets from a young age and do decorate it, you're correct. I decided that Va'ja would have a repertoire of more weapons due to his style of hunt. Va'ja will rarely get close, as this is not advantageous to tormenting enemies. He will use the combistick to force the enemies into a disadvantageous position. In this case, I decided to give Va'ja 2 Combisticks as he prefers long range combat before the hunt itself. This decision might be a little strange, but I did think about it. Although no other predator has been shown to use 2 combisticks, doesn't mean no one ever has. Comics, movies and so on have only depicted so many predators, so the combination of weapons is nearly infinite based on the population of Yautja.

I'm still active on forums and in-game. I may not play as much, but I'm still very active. I don't consider Yautja a "stressful" role. It's simply different and has more rules/restrictions applied to it. This isn't an issue. Regarding playing and being a mod, like I said before, I see no reason this is going to be an issue. Literally, when I play, it's me taking a break. It relaxes me and takes my mind off of being a mod if I need it. If needed, I could literally deadmin myself until I finish. Like I said while playing it wouldn't be much of an issue whether I'm a mod or not. Stuff like deadchat doesn't bother me, and people being salty doesn't bother me at all. Salty players is a big part of being a mod, and it's never been an issue for me for the years I've had staff experience.

Hopefully, the above answers are sufficient if you wish to respond to that, I'm here.

[northcote4]

May as well keep the format going, eh?

• Regarding the ending of your moderator trial, are you willing to divulge the reason for that? If not that's perfectly acceptable and I shan't let it affect my opinions.

• On the matter of hunting over-enthusiasm possibility, I won't deny the fact that it is possible. However to simply take greater pleasure in the Hunt, even to the point of terror-inducing sadism, never really struck me as something out of the ordinary. After all, it was engaged in by the majority of yautja we see in the films. I will say that the only yautja that ever seemed to fall into the category of being TOO enthused in the Hunt were those branded as Bad Bloods- who were so zealous in pursuit of their prey that they abandoned the Honour Code, seeking out unfit prey, using dishonourable methods in pursuit of the kill, or even hunting their own blood for sport. That's not to say that all Bad Bloods are branded so for this reason, but is rather an observation. That is my take on it, at any rate.

• While you are correct that all things are possible -just because no yautja has been shown to use two combi-sticks doesn't mean it isn't possible-, I still have to admit I find it quite strange, given the extreme regard for the individual weapons. But perhaps that's just semantics at this point.

Really, my desire to press upon the last two issues is probably just me being a tight-ass in regards to accepted canon. Of course, seeing other peoples thoughts is always lovely.

[Sneakyr]

If I'm being perfectly honest, I don't want you to get accepted.
This time.
Next time? Quite possibly. However, as something that will go in our archive of whitelisted characters, I am not a fan of this app and specifically the responses to posts made herein.
Also, perhaps just me, but the first time I ever saw you in memory was when you made this app even though at that point you were already a mod and synth. Past that, you've had some abrasive responses to people in other areas of the community that rub me the wrong way.

As for the app itself, the story shows effort and is fairly fun to read but the main problem lies in the fact that for an application story this doesn't tell me much. I see that most of your effort must have gone into your story, but unfortunately it doesn't accomplish much character-wise and therefore my knowledge of you would have had to carry your application.

I'm going to say no to this one, for two reasons:
1. App could use extra work. The story showed effort but I believe you focused more on making the story a good piece of fiction (which, besides a few flow bits, it is) rather than tying it into your app.
2. Your response to the criticism in this thread and the aforementioned brusque/abrasive responses in other sections. You seem like a good guy, but you must admit that when it comes to responding to posts on the forums you have a much larger window to think through responses than the reason this is such a big point for me - deadchat and OOC salt. If you got caught up in the heat of the moment (which I am willing to believe it was a mistake as you said) on a forum post, how would you react to a constantly updating chat log in case of criticism?

If you are denied and end up re-applying, spruce up the app and have a bit more patience, I'm more than willing to support you. You seem like a good guy, and I don't dislike the idea of you being predator totally - I just dislike the idea of you being a predator now.

[emeraldmoonx]

@northcote4

► Show Spoiler

• I have no issue discussing that. I was doing good, for the most part, just a few minor issues that were appearing was causing the management team to have a hard time choosing what they wanted. So my trial got extended, then eventually I got told they can't accept me due to there being a policy of being only 1 extension. They wanted to keep me on and let me work it out over time, but I was already a trial for a month and over a week lol. Simply put my issues were with me not asking enough questions when I'm not sure and making decisions based on false knowledge. Also, I was reviewing mod applications when I shouldn't do that as a trial [really had no idea lol]. Some mistakes made when handling ahelps as well, minor stuff, but still added on.

• Well, it's nothing extreme. Va'ja is just a more serious case of enjoying the hunt that others. It's not like he's psychotically going after prey and ignoring all rules. He still follows the code of honor, he just enjoys tormenting his prey, more than normal Yautja. The main reason that this was an issue is that Kel'to had a very different hunting style. Compared to most Yautja he's much colder and efficient and doesn't take enjoyment in torturing as others do. So when you pair a Yautja who enjoys too little and one who enjoys too much, it does cause some tension.

• I can understand your view on this. I'm not 100% sure myself, but it felt right and so I incorporate it into my story. It's not a permanent thing, it's just was Va'ja has with him at the time. My fighting style with a predator will vary wildly since I've never played a pred and have no idea how well weapons work ingame. The arsenal of my character has been questioned a few times, so if I do get denied, that's one of the big things I'm looking at for sure.

Thank you again for your time.

@Sneakyr

► Show Spoiler

Well, before applying for mod/synth I was a really casual player. I had no reason to go to forums and just played randomly. I decided to get more involved recently and went for mod right away. I have been playing CM for a long time since Sulaco pre-alpha map I believe.

Yeah, I put effort into the story, as it's the primary thing people look at and often the most criticized. The gameplay style just further branches out from that, and I didn't feel it needed as much effort.

I could have worked more on the app. I always tend to get stuff done quickly cause my writing flows easily and I hardly ever go back and look on it. It's not to say I didn't work on it, but nothing like people who have worked on it for months. I will definitely look at my story in depth and work on it if I get denied. I was mostly worried about length, but this time I'll worry more about details and plot holes, and try not to worry. I'm aware regarding the responses I had before, it's unfortunate, but nothing can be done, all I can do is move on and attempt to show how I normally am.

A lot of people are coming here and expecting me to buckle under pressure from the real-time gameplay of a pred and being a mod. Understand that what happened early in my app is nothing to do with stress. It was my letting emotions go too far. I'm normally very calm and people don't get to me. I'm not sure why shyshadow did, but it did. I mostly got sensitive cause an app is something I work on and I'm passionate about, so I got insulted when I shouldn't have. After that, I really don't care if people get salty or pissed off once I'm pred. If I'm playing correctly and well, then what people say doesn't matter.

Thank you for your feedback. I know if I get denied I'll definitely be back in 3 months. I won't let stuff bother me anymore and I'll work on my story for sure.

[northcote4]

I'm fairly well happy with the responses you've thrown out, though I must say Sneaky's post pretty much hits the nail on the head for some of my other concerns. Should this app wind up declined, I do very much wish you the best and look forward to your next one.

That said, I'll maintain my neutral vote for the time being. I'll continue keeping an eye out in-game, as I've begun seeing more of your characters since the ceasing of your trial, and hope to see good things.

[Feweh]

Denied due to lack of activity.