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@DoctorDrugs 's fluff with @Aelwyn. The fluff is being stolen. Honestly people are so good. DOC is a good nerd who patiently waited for this to get done for a LONG while, and I hope it was worth it. This and the other picture I did of his Vulp. I'm hoping it was worth the wait!

WAIT I AM DUMB I DIDN'T POST THE OTHER PICTURE I DID FOR THEM LOOK AT THIS VERY INTIMIDATING PICTURE OF EVIE WITH A BIG SHOOTY GUN (Gun might not be all that shooty)

From: https://www.paradisestation.org/wiki/index.php/Legal_Standard_Operating_Procedure#Parole Current requirements to get parole: If someone is an EOC, OR has committed a capital crime, then parole is only allowed if authorized by the Magistrate or Captain. They should not authorize this unless it is a serious emergency and the parolee is expected to help deal with the emergency. For example, a non-violent syndicate engineer may be paroled to help fight a blob. For all other prisoners, Magi/Captain/HoS/Warden may authorize parole at their discretion. They are advised to consider how severe the prisoner's crimes are, how co-operative they have been with security, and whether or not they are expected to commit any further crimes. Proposed new requirements to get parole: Prisoners guilty of capital(5xx) crimes are only eligible for parole in a serious emergency, with the authorization of the Magistrate or Captain, and the expectation they'll help deal with the emergency. For example, a murderer may be paroled to help fight a blob. All other prisoners, including EOCs not guilty of a capital crime, can be paroled at the discretion of the Magistrate/Captain/HoS/Warden. When considering whether to grant parole, consider how co-operative the prisoner has been with security, and whether they're expected to commit any further crimes. In parole decisions, the Magistrate can overrule the Captain/HoS/Warden, the Captain can overrule the HoS/Warden, and the HoS can overrule the Warden. What this changes: EOCs who have committed no capital crime are now easier to parole. The idea is that if someone is brought in for trespass and found to have an emag, they can now be paroled, have their PDA/emag confiscated, and get a second shot rather than being guaranteed to spend the rest of the shift in perma. This relies on them being able to convince the Captain/Magi they won't re-offend. Basically it allows traitors/etc to be depowered (stripped of contraband, uplink, etc) but remain somewhat free, rather than always going to perma for the rest of the shift. This isn't automatic - it relies on them being able to convince Magi/Cap/HoS/Warden they deserve parole. The idea is that this reduces the incentive for EOCs to go full lethal against sec, and vice versa, as being caught by sec is no longer a guaranteed round-ender for the antag.

The forum has had a major update today. Here's what you need to know. For the next few days, take backups in notepad of any post you are about to make. While I don't anticipate having to revert the forums, it is possible, and I don't want you all to risk losing any posts. For the next few days, Discord integration will be disabled. Due to the new forum software not being compatible with old templates/CSS, you may notice a lot of weird visual artifacts on the forums. Report these (or any other forum-specific bugs) in the 4.5 report thread here.

Before the parole change there was the possibility for EoCs with little to no criminal activity to be placed on parole, mostly for EoCs that turned themselves in. I believe the reasoning was that it encouraged antags to go against their objectives, but I'm sensing a shifting attitude to wanting more sec/antag interaction on the RP level, which is always good. I would want EoCs to only be parole-able on crimes Major and below but exceptional crimes are also paroleable anyways. Overall a +1. I know the argument for metafriending abuse is prevalent but it also goes all the way down the chain: a sec officer that would parole a friend would also most likely choose to just, not arrest the friend committing the crime in the first place

Its her, but with new attire AND a fancy bird tail!

I've never heard of Paradise, or in fact any ss13 server, be referred to as 'competitive' before. This is the first time I've heard of that. In fact, with arguments on removing the idea of greentext (which I myself am split on), the idea of ss13 being a competitive game is exactly the type of mentality that we want to avoid. Competitive games are generally toxic. Regardless and more to the point, this isn't a change to the server; EoC's were paroleable before SoP was updated to disclude them specifically back in July 25th of this year. This simply changes it back to that standard.

An Us vs Them mentality makes sense from an IC perspective. The problem is that it turns OOC. Way too often. People hold grudges, people salt about shitcurity in deadchat. An Us vs Them mentality between our actual players is shit, we are a community. Being able to RP in between these situations lessens the emotional impact of the round and reminds us that we're all here to have fun, instead of here to ruin peoples day.

There is no real way to solve us v them mentality the moment you assign security to counter antags unless you are going to either curtail it or enforce some sort of 'strict' roleplay standards. HRP servers fall into that issue every time as well as any server. I do, however, see this as an aid in encouraging an actual value to both of them though. This is completely personal experience from a mix of servers. As sec when you offer a 'reward' you tend to get further. This can be the 'reward' instead of busting into perma to a person breaking everything for the 10th time because he knows he'll never get out and will be in there the rest of the round so his only means of even possibly getting out is trashing the place. The other experience was that I personally noticed a mild change in attitude with the us vs them mentality when parole was added to another server; albeit being an HRP server. It sounds fair to give the Captain a say in it; though I don't know about the HoS. The whole reason the Magistrate is usually the one chosen to handle over-seeing sec is because he's 'removed' from security, thus expected to be un-biased and be able to combat any bias Sec has. Captain is the over-all administrator so it would make sense he'd get a say and be able to remain at least partially impartial. In fact I can only see many of them accepting it if it benefits them/the station in some way. Currently parole can be given to a non-EoC exceptional criminal with only one approval. Depending how one interprets the regulations and the words 'should not' they already can with just one of them. Should just sounds.. passive and a 'suggestion' rather than a strong word like may only. Though the majority of people do play should not by the books.

After a long discussion hidden within the admin design chat, I propose that EoCs may only be paroleable if the Magistrate, HoS, and Captain, UNANIMOUSLY agree to the parole of a prisoner. The system has a chance to be abused in terms of EoCs, and this change is to fix most of those issues (unless all of command happens to be bald or insane at the time, which should never happen).

First Name: Esforikakiti Last Name: N/A Gender: N/A, goes by they/them Orientation: N/A, they are a Vox Nicknames/Alias: Esfor Pictures: (Art by Octus/Tokorizo) Age/D.O.B: 18 years Place Of Birth: Vox Arkship "Refuge of Lost Souls Searching the Stars" Species: Vox Primalis Blood Type: A- Alignment: True Neutral. Esfor will do what they need to do, and try to protect themselves and those around them Affiliation: Employed by Nanotrasen, sold by their Arkship. Holds minor loyalty to the "Refuge" Religious Beliefs: Follows no spiritual beliefs, but feels that machines, especially ships, are as alive as they are. Childhood: Esforikakiti spent the entirety of their childhood aboard the Vox Arkship "Refuge of Lost Souls Searching the Stars", or just "Refuge". As vox society aboard this particular Ark was heavily stratified, Esfor was designated as one of the lowest aboard, and often found themselves fulfilling duties at the closest points to the outer hull, a dangerous place of metal and other Primalis much like them. They were trained for engineering from the moment they could wield a tool, and their small size allowed them to accomplish dangerous tasks that other vox could not, such as delving into reactor vents and weapons systems aboard the "Refuge" Adulthood: Unlike most Vox, Esfor never served aboard a raiding Skipjack, or found a place among a raiding crew. They were seen as too small and weak to accomplish anything, often ridiculed for this. Not long after they reached adulthood, their Arkship found a better use for them: Esfor was traded off to NT to be employed by the research megacorporation, in return for ship parts and weaponry needed by the "Refuge". While this might sound a bit rough for the Vox, they found relief in it, as they soon found a purpose in the engineering and maintenance teams of Nanotrasen, and eventually, others they could call friends. They continue to have trouble relating to other Vox, and is often made fun of for their short height, resulting in Esfor being rather quiet and immersed in their work. Detailed Information Appearance: Esfor is noticably short, even for a Vox, standing at a height of about 2'9". They are darkly colored throughout their form, with a dark grey body and long, spiny quills shaded a near-black. Their eyes stand out strikingly, a bright and intelligent blue, though these are often covered by the Meson scanners needed for their work. They are very rarely seen without two things: a Vox-customized welding helmet, regardless of work, a precaution in the mind of the paranoid Vox, accompanied by a faded wrap that hangs loosely over their shoulders, with a symbol barely visible on the lower part; the symbol of their Arkship, and the only thing they have from it. Character Voice: Esfor is soft spoken and not particularly talkative, and tend to speak Common better than the average Vox, a result of their training prior to being given over to NT. Personality: They are very quiet and withdrawn, sticking to their task more often then not. While they rarely engage with others, they do work well in a team, finding particular success in the Cyberiad's engineering department. They tend to get along a little better with the other Vox aboard the station, but even then, they are often seen rushing from one job to the other, always trying to stay busy, only take breaks in between work to enjoy their favorite food: vended noodles from the Mr. Chang vendors on board. Medical Record: Esfor does not have much of a medical record with NT, having not been employed for longer than a year. The only marked incident was the loss of their right foot during a catastrophic meteor storm, where they now sport a hastily made set of robotic talons. Character Biography Background: Almost entirely dedicated to engineering work aboard the Cyberiad, there are few who know the ins and outs of the station better than Esfor. Some crew report them talking to the station while working on repairs, showing what could be dedication, or mild insanity. Family: Doesn't really have anyone that they can call "Family". They have fond memories of a few Vox they left behind on the "Refuge", but other than that, no known relatives. History: Esforikakiti is what the Vox on-station refer to as a "Shinystack", used to describe a vox that has yet to have their stack moved from one body to the next, and as such, has only lived the one life, with a Stack age of 18 years. Faction Relations Allied | Love | Like | Neutral | Dislike | Hate | Enemy Nanotrasen: Neutral. Esfor was sold to them, and while they aren't technically paid for their work, they enjoy it well enough, and don't feel strongly about the company either way. Syndicate: Dislike. While Esfor can understand their goals, they think that they go about them entirely the wrong way, and regards how they operate as incredibly wasteful and reckless. USSP: Neutral. Esfor has had practically no contact with the Reds, and only knows little rumours from things crewmembers have said. SolGov: Dislike. Has similar feelings to them as they do to the Syndicate, especially to the stranglehold they keep on their holdings. Other Information Is VERY sensitive about their height, and often gets into disagreements with other Vox over it, leading Esfor to think they aren't really liked.

These are so good! Every little detail is perfect.

I think this whole idea makes some assumptions that just don't hold. For a start, there are plenty of people who want to go down guns blazing when caught by sec. This means sec will still be afraid when confronting an antag that they'll be turned on and killed, thus handle them as such. I don't think we'll see more talking because of this change at all before the stun and cuff. If it's not guaranteed that they'll get parole, then giving themselves up to sec is a huge risk. Secondly, it assumes that the RP of parole is the kind we want. And there's a few issues with it, being that the players, OOCly, know the person they're paroling is an antag with objectives. ICly, they're a known member of a terrorist organisation. Granting them parole because they didn't manage their objectives makes NT look incredibly naive at best, or willingly complicit at the least. If a member of Al-Queada is found with bomb making equipment, they don't sieze the equipment and let them go. The fact they have to convince the magistrate - who, if they have two brain cells, will know they're a syndicate agent with objectives and all - that they won't reoffend is ripe for abuse too. It puts magistrates/captains in the position to choose whether or not an antag gets a second chance based purely on something subjective. The potential for metafriendship to come into play here is huge. Even if every magistrate is 100% above board and acts without bias, I would be shocked if we didn't get multiple accusations of magistrate bias. Finally, there's asking whether we want to give antags a second shot. Lessening the risk generally makes for less exciting gameplay. Generally speaking, being caught out as an antag should be game over - which is quite fair, considering you're more than willing to end someone else's round by playing an antag. Having someones round ended isn't something we should be implicitly trying to avoid - it adds risk and danger and excitement to the players.

it was worth the wait, they're both cute and adorable.

Evie is too small in this picture, not realistic enough

Hey nerds I've actually gotten myself together enough to put up commissions! So if you wanted to get some Drakearts for yourself just give me a yell, I can negotiate things depending on what you want. I love you nerds a lot so, I'd be happy to try my best to give you something neat

GOSH I've not posted my draws in a while! Heeere are some things I've done. An emu spider. The most horrible and terrifying beast of Australia. A Vulp that gets too fluffy, particularly @Aelwyn. Beware the fluff, as soon it may grow large enough to create a gravitational pull. @Denghis's NULL, who's a really neatly designed IPC that did an amazing PR of late. HERE Is art. Thank you for looking at it (I love you guys)

I play a lot of security. A lot. You may have seen me around as Cherry Waves, often playing as the Head of Security. It's a thankless, stressful job that, I for some reason, love above all else on the station. If you've played security, or ask security, you'll often hear stories about what they hate, or fear, the most about working security, and sure enough, I also have something that I hate/fear the most. If you've seen me around, you'll probably have heard me moan about certain antag roles that I loathe going up against as security. Let's take vampires, for example. You hear the stuttering call for help over the radio, followed by silence. Twenty minutes later, and there's a powered vampire running around, and he has the tasers from two of your officers. This is followed by a chase through maintenance, sometimes spanning an entire shift. Security dreads vampires, not out of fear of death, no. Death is sweet release. They fear the vamp because of the predictability. Yet this is still not the Horror of Security. Another one is cultist. Loud cultists are interesting and fun to deal with. Stealthy off-station cult? Not so much. As security, you have no reliable way of dealing with them, other than trying to pick them off on station when they pop out. Like whack-a-cultist. Sure, you can send the pod pilot out on a search, followed by an expedition force, who then get slaughtered due to the poor planning of your boss (me). Not to mention the absolute mess processing turns in to. Three cultists in at the same time, and one officer is left behind to deal with them? Not great, especially when they're all miners who, if deconverted, rush back to Lavaland to "do their jobs," only to get reconverted. And that's if you even know they exist. You might just patrol the halls, thinking you're keeping the peace during an extended round, until suddenly Nar'Nar pops out from beyond the veil of time and ruins your lunch date. Yet again, this is still not the Horror of Security. "Enough foreplay, Fontaine, get to the point." The TRUE Horror of Security is -drumroll- The Warden. The Warden is an unpredictable beast. Vampires are predictable, and to a certain extent, so are cultists. But the insane machinations of the bald-headed Warden are beyond mortal comprehension. Every shift I start as a the Head of Security, I don't worry about cultists, vampires, nukies. Any of those have the power to put me out of my misery. No, I hope for a Warden that, isn't necessarily incredible, just not a mouth-breathing troglodyte who hasn't even bothered reading a single line of Space Law. To avoid coming off as an elitist, let me give you an example. To clarify, most of us know how to identify the wild Warden that doesn't play by the rules. It's easy. Are they on the secway, zooming around on the station on green, swinging their baton and brandishing their taser? He's the Warden of your nightmares, and he makes his own laws. This is a story thread, so naturally here's a story. This one is recent. It's Vampires. We heard the call for help in science/med maintenance, as is the standard. We rush there, Vampire is no where to be seen, but thankfully the victim is alive, although a panicky mess. Time goes by, and the vampire increases in power. Not much time, mind you. Like fifteen minutes. Now the Vampire is spotted in it's natural habitat of sci/med maints again, and the Warden judges that no other man on the station is up to the job. He rushes out, ignoring his trusty Secway, as it'd only get in his way. He reaches his target, and is ready to dispense justice. Except, of course, he doesn't. He dies. Alone and unafraid in medical maintenance. His body is easily recovered, and even his ID, to the great surprise of everyone. So we just revive him and move on, right? Nope. I keep his ID on me for safekeeping, and to swiftly demote him when he makes his return. Except he doesn't. I ask the officers if they ever encountered him after his tour of medbay, but no luck. He's not even on the cryosleeper logs. We brush it off, there's other things to deal with. Then an entire HOUR later I get a call from the HoP. The Warden is asking for his job back. I go there, and sure as hell, he's standing there. With half an hour left of the shift, I ask him where he were for the last hour. He claims he was asleep. No one I asked knew where, and he was too busy asking for his job back to clarify further. I inform him about the added workload with no Warden, how I felt about it, and declined his re-employment. I have quite a few horror stories from playing Security, and largely they don't feature antags. They're the character who gets a laugh-track when they enter the door. Most of them even star me as king moron. If you read this far, let me know if you want to hear more, or share your own Horror of Security.