Andaris Task Force Player Spotlight
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Overview |
The Andaris Task Force Player Spotlight is an opportunity to get to know and recognise our fantastic players for IC and OOC achievement beyond promotions and awards. Each month a different player is featured.
List of Featured Players |
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Anath G'Renn July 2018 Spotlight J, the writer behind Anath G'Renn joined the Andaris Task Force in February 2017, initially as a medical officer and has since worked her way up to become the Blackwell’s Chief Medical Officer. During her time with the fleet, she has received numerous awards, including The Silver Palm, The Neelix Award, The B-Plot Award and The Russ Bar. More than that, she is a phenomenal writer, displaying her talents during a variety of missions and OOC activities, including the FNS. She has been a steadfast member of the ATF, and a pillar of this community for more than a year, contributing in a variety of ways for the benefit of the group. Thank you to J for agreeing to answer a few questions that will allow us to get to know the player behind Doctor G'Renn a little better!: How did you end up at StarBase 118? I stumbled upon the wiki purely by accident, and I was intrigued. I had never really done anything like Starbase 118 before. But, after doing some digging on the wiki and seeing more I decided to give it a chance. Nearly a year and a half later and I’m still here. What is your favourite part of StarBase 118? People? Places? Tech? Roles? Ships? My favorite part of Starbase 118 is definitely all the great people I’ve met here. Without other people collaborative writing doesn’t go very far. Luckily I think that we have an incredible and supportive group of writers who make writing here so rewarding. Delving into your character, Anath G’Renn, would you tell us a little about how you developed her? My first thought when I was considering a character was to have a Vulcan medical officer. However, I was worried about my ability to convincingly pull of a Vulcan character. Because of that I decided to add in something to make her a bit more expressive and emotional. My first thought was half-Human, but I wanted to try something really outside the box. In addition to making it easier to write for Anath the duality also provided a natural path for character progression as she struggles to balance two polar opposite natures. Anath has developed wonderfully during your time with StarBase 118. Where you see you Anath going in her career in Starfleet? I’m not entirely sure what Anath’s future career holds. Maybe she’s destined for command some day, or her place could still be in sickbay where she started. Regardless of what she’s doing concern for the well-being of her crewmates will be a constant in her career. Do you have any advice for aspiring medical officers? Find what drives your character to be a doctor. Being a medical officer is a career path that is incredibly challenging from start to finish. Even entering the profession requires years of schooling, and the job provides no shortage of stress. That isn’t something that somebody puts themself through without a good reason. Character motivation is key. As the latest recipient of the Russ Bar combined with your performance at the recent Trivia Contest, it is evident you know your Trek. What was is that got you into Star Trek in the first place? Science fiction has always been one of my favorite genres, just as science was always my favorite school subject. I think that when I first saw an episode of the original show with my dad I was impressed most with the optimistic outlook on the future. It was probably the first fictional world I really wanted to live in. Not only did it provide an interesting stage for the main plot of each episode, the world itself was just such an appealing and well-built view on the potential future (minus a few instances of really bending the laws of science). Do you have a favourite line or phrase from the shows and why? “Genius doesn't work on an assembly line basis. Did Einstein, Kazanga or Sitar of Vulcan produce new and revolutionary theories on a regular schedule? You can't simply say, 'Today I will be brilliant.’” is a quote I’ve always appreciated. When I’m working on a project and feel upset with myself for being unable to find an answer right away that quote reminds me that stressing about deadlines doesn’t foster inventive answers. Other than writing with us, what is one your favourite hobbies? I absolutely love to read! I enjoy reading anything from classic literature to informative non-fiction. When the Texas weather is manageable I also enjoy going for walks and just letting my mind wander for a while. |
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Hal Mika June 2018 Spotlight Anders, the writer behind Hal Mika, has been with Andaris Task Force since April, joining directly from the academy as a counselor. In the short time that Anders has been with us, he's already proven to be a more than adept writer, bringing his character to life with skill and aplomb. Thank you to Anders for agreeing to answer a few questions that will allow us to get to know the player behind Counselor Mika a little better!: What brought you to StarBase 118? My brother sims on the Veritas. He inspired me to write early in life and suggested Starbase 118 as a good way to develop my writing, so I decided to try it out and I have not been disappointed. So far, what is your favourite part about being a member of StarBase 118? It’s pushed me a writer. Having a dedicated community that writes alongside me has really helped me develop my ability for collaboration. Reading everything everyone else writes is entertaining and it really helps me see a lot of variety in ideas and styles of writing and helps me turn those observations inward to see what I can do to improve. It really is a great community and I’ve enjoyed every moment I’ve been a part of it. What do you spend your time outside of StarBase 118 doing? I spend a lot of it in a pizza shop, making dough for college. (Pun intended.) I spend a lot of my free time catching up on Star Trek. So far, I’m in TNG Season 3, working forward in order of release. Beyond that and among other things, I enjoy running, camping, videogames and listening to and making music. What drew you to playing a Counselor? When I was first joining, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to sim. I checked the Duty Post availability and at the time it said Counselor or Science officer were most needed and I wasn’t sure I could write a very good science officer. Science has never really been my strong suit. Counselor sounded like an intriguing and challenging duty post to write for, without having to spend a bunch of time trying to catch up on all of the science stuff that goes on and has gone on in the Star Trek Universe. Ba’ku is certainly an interesting choice, how did that come about? I wanted to play a less familiar race, one that would allow me to explore my character in a way beyond what I could do with a human. I hadn’t seen much of Star Trek before getting started here; we had all the movies at home when I was a kid, so I was somewhat familiar with the Ba’ku. It seemed the appropriate amount of unfamiliar without being something I wouldn’t know anything about as a writer. What is your favourite Star Trek series? I’ve only watched TOS and some of TNG. Of the two, I prefer TNG, if only because by the time it came around, the picture of what Star Trek was was clearer and better funded. Do you have a favourite character from the shows and why? All the characters I’ve yet seen have been wonderfully distinct and they add so much to the story of each series. But if I had to pick a favorite, I think Data would be it. His cluelessness about certain human behaviors never ceases to be amusing and his quest to be more human adds a lot to his character, making him deeper and more interesting than most characters in any story I’ve read or watched. If there was one thing you would want everyone to know about you, what would that be? I guess I’d like everyone to know that I work hard, but I’m a terrible procrastinator! So if ever I’m slowing the ship down, don’t be afraid to let me know. Sometimes, I just need a little push. |
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Isabel Pond May 2017 Spotlight Kristy, the writer behind Isabel Pond has been with the fleet for nearly a year and a half now, joining us directly from Starfleet Academy in 2392 as a medical officer. Since then Kristy has proven to be a capable and dedicated doctor and has received a number of ribbons for dedicated service from a Captain's Commendation, a First Contact Ribbon, an Innovation Ribbon, a number of lifesaving ribbons, to a Trauma Support Advocate ribbon and an Explorer's Ribbon, a Galactic War with the Borg Service Medal and a Legacy Ribbon. As a medical officer Kristy has shown, skill, professionalism and dedication to the job. As a person Kristy is always there for you and not afraid to be blunt when necessary. We appreciate how Kristy has taken the time to answer some questions to allow us to get to know the player behind Doctor Pond a little better!: What kinds of Role playing games you participated in before? Back in the days when I had time to spare, I played almost every free-to-play RPG I could get my hands on via the internet. Even though the „role-playing“ aspect there isn’t usually very pronounced, I always begun to imagine and sometimes write stories my characters would undergo next to the things shown in the game. Even though they are generally called RPGs, I consider SB118 my first experience in real RPG, especially since I never was part of an RP-Server in any of those games. What drew you to Star Trek in the first place? I really don’t know anymore. No-one of my family watches it, none of my friends watches it, I don’t know how it all started. What I remember is that I have begun with ST Voyager, which is still my favorite. I guess I just liked Janeway. What eventually kept me hooked was that I always felt like Star Trek is the more civilized approach to sci-fi, I think it shows (over all, not including Borg and the likings) a future that is very desirable and worth working for. What do you love most about this community? As I said answering the first question, I don’t have any comparison here. But I never missed anything here and see no reason why I should try other groups out. I cannot think of anything that could be done better administratively, which is a big compliment. I like that we here can write and have ideas on our own without anyone being upset when something goes south. What lead you to the species you chose for your character? I only have seen a handful DS9 episodes, and the Trills as we know them have not been portrayed anywhere else. When I started here, I wanted to portrait someone else, therefore not human. But keeping it realistic/authentic is a very important part for me and to make that easy, it would be best to choose a species not entirely different, which is the case for unjoined Trills. Also, I always liked the spot-pattern. My next problem was the name and as I am really bad with coming up with them, I instead invited a story why Isabel should have an human name. What is one of your favorite hobbies? (Besides writing with us) My favorite hobby is at the same time my profession and my passion. I work as Stage Manager at a small-ish stage of one of the biggest theatre in Switzerland. Being part of different productions and bringing (ideally) joy and / or food for the mind to potentially 450 visitors every evening is for me the best feeling in the world. I never thought I could turn my hobby into an actual job until it somehow happened. Why not get to know Isabel Pond better by reading this wonderful IC interview conducted by our very own Kendra Eberhart. |
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Kael Thomas April 2017 Spotlight Aaron, the writer behind Kael Thomas, known commonly as 'KT' has been with the fleet for almost 15 years. He joined in 2380 and his first assignment was the USS Victory. Since then, he has served on a number of ships in a number of positions and has won sought after awards such as The Voyager Medallion, which recognises excellence in the Operations duty post. He was the Darwin’s First Officer and he served in that role again when the ship was later relaunched making him one of our longest standing and most loyal players. Much like his character, KT is a true professional who has served as an Academy Trainer, where he has guided many players through their first steps in the game. In his capacity as mentor he’s helped many players get more enjoyment out of the game, develop their writing and simming skills and achieve their highest potential. As Calender Master, he ensured that all fleet events made it to the calendar so everyone could see what’s happening around the fleet. We want to show appreciation for this most valued of players whose honesty, dedication and outstanding work ethic have benefitted us time and again. It’s hard to sum up just how much we appreciate Aaron and everything he has done and continues to do for us. Thank you! Aaron was kind enough to answer a few questions to allow us to get to know him a little better: How long have you been Role playing? I've been roleplaying through DnD and Simming for about 20 years. What kinds of Role playing do you like most? (action, adventure, mystery, etc) I'm a big fan of Mystery. Although, I think Mystery also has to include action! What advice do you have for new players? You should develop a solid backstory, but only so far as it establishes your position in life as it is right now, primarily your values and beliefs. It gives you something to grab onto when you are trying to think about how your character will react. Without it, it's easy to flip flop around and you'll find you aren't being consistent. Fighting moral dilemmas with yourself because your values are Good, but it doesn't match what you want to do is fantastic role playing! What would people be surprised to know about you? That I once made a billy cart from scratch, which if you knew me would be surprising in itself. I then proceeded to find an stupidly steep hill and ride down it. Consequently losing control and hitting a police car down the bottom. Needless to that over the next month, that Police car was very clean. What are you passionate about? I'm passionate about a lot of things, but probably around Youth and giving them a good start in life. A lot of kids come from families who are doing their best but it's often not enough. Our future is our youth so if we can give them all right tools and the right help they need then our country will be great! Too many unemployed, homeless youth out there and I'm very passionate about doing what I can to reverse that! Why not get to know Kael Thomas better by reading this wonderful IC interview conducted by our very own Kendra Eberhart: Nervous Engineers and Friendly Reporters. |