Stats
- Name: Ace.
- Joined Starbase 118: February 2021
- Gender: Gender-fluid (They/them, She/her. Both are interchangeable.)
- Age: 26
- Occupation: I work in a group home for people with disabilities.
- Location: America
- OOC Rank: Lieutenant
- Hobbies/interests: Writing, reading (I tend to enjoy Urban fantasy, psychological thrillers, sci-fi, and books that sit in a genre I don't know the exact term for but are somewhere between a mystery and just kinda abstract, borderline magical realism but not quite? I'll read anything so long as the story is fun, or the topic intrigues me.) I also like roleplaying/simming, Star Trek, TTRPGs, Cats, and most other animals.
- Favorite Trek series/movie: DS9, Enterprise, and Lower Decks. Runner up: TNG because I love Data with my entire soul.
- Writer ID: J239802D12
How I came to SB118
I started roleplaying through various mediums and fandoms around the age of 15. But my exposure to the Star Trek fandom was extremely limited for the majority of my roleplay experiences. Because until I gave the 2009 JJ Abrams Star Trek a chance around age 13, I was stubborn about really disliking it as an attempt to say I was different than the other people in my house who already really liked it. And even when I could admit it was alright, I still wasn't into it yet. But friends did eventually start writing in the fandom where I could see it over the years, and that's when I decided to give it some chances. It still took a number of years to get anywhere near attached, and up until 2020 to binge a good number of the series one after the other.
Even as it was becoming a special interest, I still wasn't writing in the fandom, though. I wasn't quite ready to shift out of the fandom community that I'd been part of for many years at that point. I had friends and attachments to it all. Even though it had long since started to go from something that made me happy, to something that I almost dreaded. But I was enjoying Star Trek in my own time, and enjoying the many conversations with my dad about it about which ones we liked and why. It was nice to be able to comfortably talk about it.
Then at the end of 2020, my dad died very suddenly. I was grieving. Understandably unhappy. And I knew pretty quickly that I could not stay in the community I was in if it made me unhappy to be there when I was already sad enough. But I also really didn't want to give up writing or roleplaying. Despite the community issues, it was still a comfort to me. So I looked into Star Trek writing groups as a comfort for the grief and the community. There were a few others I was considering, but 118 stood out as well-established, welcoming, and possibly the least confusing setup of the ones I was looking into. I also love a wiki deep dive. So I gave it a try, and here I am!
History
- Where were you first placed? What was it like starting to sim on your vessel?: My first ship was The USS Juneau under Captain Oddas Aria. (The crew officially transferred over to Denali Station in May of 2022) But I came in at the end of a mission called Visitors in the Night. I'll admit, I started out on a rough note. I was in the very beginning stages of grief, among other things. Grief isn't very conducive to keeping up the way I wanted. So I ended up taking an LOA for a few months to make sure I was focusing on my mental health and getting better. I came very close to not coming back. I didn't want to cycle through the motions. I was ready to just let it go. Then the Captain emailed me around the end of the timeframe I said I needed the LOA, which I didn't expect. It forced me to re-examine what I wanted, and what I felt capable of contributing now that I'd had some time away and more therapy. I didn't immediately return. Life was a little too busy for about another month. But once it eased up, I gave it one more round of thought, emailed the captain, and said I was ready. I'm really glad I did.
- What have been your greatest challenges in this group?: The severity of the imposter syndrome in conjunction with all my other mental health issues. You never truly get used to the sheer awfulness of feeling like you won't add up. Comparison really is the thief of joy and it is an ongoing process full of ups and downs and therapy to stop myself from stealing my own joy away from myself.
- What have been your greatest achievements in this group?: Dekas' Assimilation Arc. There were elements of Borg things during "The Silent Monster" mission on the Juneau. The majority of the members of the team I was part of had taken sudden LOAs right at the start, and I wanted to try something interesting that I had an idea for. The Captain gave me the go-ahead to allow Dekas to get assimilated at the end of it. And it has led to very interesting character development and a boost in confidence about what I bring to the table. I also feel proud of the sheer number of appreciations I post on the forums.
- What do you ultimately hope to accomplish?: I'd like to do all that I can to be an excellent supporting player on Denali Station and any ship or base I might be on in the future. I want to be able to help new players feel as secure and appreciated as I've felt with the command staff of Denali, and I want to help people find those moments where they can have their character or their writing style really shine and be awesome. I think I'd feel really good if I could just manage to do that much. Eventually, I'd like to be able to be a mentor on the Station when I feel ready for the task.
Unofficial tips
If you're reading this, hi! You've reached the Unofficial Tips portion of this page. Because even if it's not super likely to be read, on the off chance you do, these are good things to know if you don't already do them yourself! Obviously, there are a number of rules, tips, and tricks all over the wiki about how best to write, and you obviously get tips from mentors and Captains. You should definitely be following those as well. But these are things I've realized how to put into words that I never really saw put into direct words this way because I think there's a level where it's assumed you already understand these things. But as someone with neuro-divergencies and troubles remembering when things aren't directly laid out, here are some direct things that are implied but not always stated!
- Don't be afraid to use the whole ship/base as an environment! (When applicable): Pretty self-explanatory. There will obviously be times when you can't use more of the environment than you have. Sometimes the place you are is the only one that makes sense in the moment. It happens. But there are times when scenes may feel over-saturated and hard to interact with in a way that isn't completely overwhelming. And if you're lucky, sometimes there is an opening to "Split the party" a little and use the environment to create creative ways to communicate that aren't just being in the same room. Usually, it's good taste to bring someone with you, but there are also times when short bursts of being alone is also a good tool. Just make sure you don't stay in your own scene for too long, we want to write with you too! And if you're unsure, just ask your mentor and/or the command staff to clarify what might or might not work. They're happy to work with you.
- Short time skips can be your friend: Again there will obviously be times when a time skip won't work. It's usually obvious when it's not the time. (Mission briefings, mid-conversation with the mission antagonist, super dramatic moment in motion, etc.) But if something is dragging a scene, everyone's character has had a few chances to submit input to the situation at hand, and now everything is feeling a little cyclical; unless otherwise stated, and it makes sense to time skip the scene in question, do it. Again, if you're not sure if it's appropriate for a given scene, ask your mentor or the command staff, and they will be happy to answer.
- Not everyone leads from the Captain's Chair: This is one I'm still working on. I go through phases where I worry I'm not progressing the way that I "should". Or that I'm somehow less because it's possible that I'm not suited to a Captain's position. I'm sure there are some people who feel similarly. But try to remind yourself that the only thing you "should" be doing is having a good time with friends and crewmates and helping to build a compelling or otherwise entertaining Star Trek story with them, doing your best to keep up with it if you're able to. This group is meant for fun, and should never feel like a job. If it feels like a chore, you're doing it wrong. (And if it feels like a chore despite your best efforts, it's always in good form to reach out to your command staff to see if there's something that can be done to help, whether that be changing characters, changing installations, or otherwise taking an LOA to decompress or focus on your life for a while.) You don't have to want to be Captain. This entire group would be much less interesting if everyone aimed for the same target. If you do find you want to be in command at some point, make sure it's something that would serve you, and appreciate the time you have as a lower-decker.
Player Characters
Ships
- Denali Station
- USS Juneau (Previous Ship)
PNPCs
OOC activites
- Mission Archivist (A role I share with ya boi John Kendrick <3 )
- Not currently anything else, but I plan on it... eventually.