HD04 - Medical Cadet Brycen Deters

[Amelina Whittaker]

== Welcome to your holodeck, Cadet Deters

Read the following information carefully, because it has a fair amount of important information for you.  If you have any questions or difficulties at any time, please contact one of the following people for assistance.  We’d be glad to help you out.

Commander Jasal
Commander Shanth 
Captain Allen 

Remember, during your time at the Academy, people have responsibilities such as school, jobs, and family, as well as maintaining our site. There are times when we may have to wait longer than we’d like for a reply to a post or a question. Patience and treating each other with respect and dignity are two things that are absolutely required of all members.

On the flip side, the Constitution states that players need to post at least twice a week.  If you find you are unable to keep up due to something coming up in real-life responsibilities or you’re just going to be on holiday, please let one of the Admins know.  You can be granted a leave of absence for the length of time you think you’ll be away.  If you don’t let us know and you suddenly disappear, this could end with you being considered AWOL and eventually removed from the active cadet roster.

Now… with all of that said, let’s get to your character’s bio!

Please begin by posting your bio using the template below. Once posted, your bio will be reviewed by an Evaluations representative. They will post comments for you and suggest any adjustments your bio might require.  Once they approve your bio, you will be assigned an instructor and your adventure will begin!

Federation Space is a written RPG. With that said, we ask that you try to pay attention to spelling and grammar in your posts.  Posts properly formatted are easier and more enjoyable for everyone to read. I strongly recommend you run your bio and any posts you make through a spell check before posting them.

Next are a few resources that can help you as you write your bio:

Be sure to check out playable races.

Our character development page is a great resource to help you fill out your bio form.

One last thing, please take time to read and understand our site’s canon page.  This will help you understand what 'Trek' related information is included on our site.

Again, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!  And as always - have fun!

== Physical Description ==
Name:
Species:
Gender:
Age:
Height:
Weight:
Build/Body Type:
Complexion:
Hair Color:
Hair Style:
Eye Color:
Voice:
Off-Duty Clothing Taste:
Distinguishing Features:

== Personal History ==
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Marital Status:
Siblings Name & Ages:
Mother's Name:
Father's Name:
Parent's Status:
Pets:
Best Friend:
Personal History:

== Personality ==
Academy Majors:
Academy Minors:
Hobbies & Past-Times:
Short-Term Goals:
Long-Term Goals:
Personality:
Sense of Humor:
Phobias:
Likes:
Dislikes:
Pet Peeves/Gripes:
Bad Habits / Vices:
Achievements:
Disappointments:
Illnesses:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Fears:
Prejudices:

== Questions ==
Most Painful Experience:
Best Time:
Most Crucial Experience:
Role Model:
Referrer / How you found Fed Space (If 'Google' or 'Search Engine', please specify the search engine and the term searched for):

==

== Tag Deters ==

[Brycen Deters]

== Physical Description ==
Name: Brycen Deters
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 41 (biological), 406 (chronological)
Height: 6 ft 0 in, 1.82 Meters
Weight: 220 lbs, 99 KG
Build/Body Type: Brawny, yet a bit chubby.
Complexion: On the darker side of fair skinned with a flush.
Hair Color: Auburn
Hair Style: Chaotically whimsical and fluffy, about 3 inches long with wavy locks softly going in every direction
Eye Color: Hazel
Voice: A nasal yet bellowing baritone.
Off-Duty Clothing Taste: Blue jeans and replicated vintage shirts of bands from the 21st century that hardly anyone seems to listen to anymore.
Distinguishing Features: A few burn scars across the from an abusive childhood, one grazed bullet scar on the elbow from a reckless young adulthood.

== Personal History ==
Date of Birth: 09/16/2000
Place of Birth: An Elvis Costello Concert in Irvine, California
Marital Status: Single
Siblings Name & Ages: No full siblings, half siblings Andrew, Joey, Timmy, Angelo, all deceased.
Mother's Name: Tracy
Father's Name: Bryan
Parent's Status: Deceased, Divorced when Cadet Deters was a toddler.
Pets: One leopard gecko that did not survive cryostasis. Ironically, cold blooded animals do not do well in the cryonic processes used in the 21st century.
Best Friend: All of Cadet Deters friends have long since passed away. During his time at the Academy, his congenial nature has made him somewhat well liked among the other cadets, but the vast cultural gap between centuries has made it difficult to develop close friendships.
Personal History: Born and raised in one of the more tumultuous times of Earth history, Cadet Deters had a rotating cast of caretakers who liked to take out their frustrations with the failings of the systems inherent to that time period on him, verbally, emotionally, and physically; when they weren't incarcerated. The hopelessness he felt combined with an inability to make friends in school led to him attempting to end his own life at the age of 12, and luckily, failing.

When high school rolled around his Environmental Studies teacher took an interest in him, as he would often ask the most poignant and precocious questions in class, and as a result, Cadet Deters dove in head first to the sciences, particularly chemistry and especially neurochemistry. He went on to study Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at the University of California, Irvine, and went on to study medicine at the JMP between UCSF and UC Berkeley, graduating just before the Bell Riots. He finished his residency in Neurology at UCSF where he stayed on as a Pediatric Neurologist, moonlighting with little success as a songwriter and music producer. He was a catastrophic failure when it came to dating and romance, and never had a romantic relationship last longer than a single night with a stranger he met at a bar where he was performing.

In late 2034, Cadet Deters was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. He spent the next few months looking for potential treatments, and when nothing viable came to fruition, he decided to join an experimental program where he would be cryogenically frozen until a cure was found. The underground bunker was located in Marin, California, and while it survived the devastation of World War 3, it was forgotten about entirely until it was rediscovered during a construction project in the year 2400. After a very quick medical procedure he could barely make sense of cured his illness, though leaving him with a few gaps in his memory, he was enthralled to discover that the Fermi Paradox had been answered; we were not alone in the galaxy, not by a long shot.

He spent the next few months acclimating to modern life, and spent the next few years studying to get back up to date on his medical knowledge. His doctorate was meaningless in the current era, but all the new tools for learning were designed to adapt to the learner in ways he could never have imagined as a medical student with ADHD and CPTSD in the 21st century. With hard work and perseverance, he was accepted with a special dispensation to Starfleet Academy's medical program, and had an opportunity to use his now ancient medical expertise to explore the final frontier no one in his peer group could have dreamed of, as we had only just gotten to Mars what felt like only a few years ago.

== Personality ==
Academy Majors: Medical
Academy Minors: Xenobiology, Xenosociology
Hobbies & Past-Times: Cadet Deters can play almost any instrument with stings or keys, though the Vulcan Lute has proven difficult in Vulcan tuning, it sounds great in alternate tunings based on classical earth methods. A fan of computer RPGs in the 21st century, he's gotten lost for days in modern holographic versions of the Final Fantasy series from his childhood.
Short-Term Goals: To explore the wonders of the galaxy and the minds and cultures of the species that inhabit it. And to find which species makes the best sushi.
Long-Term Goals: Cadet deters should have died 370 years ago. There is no long term, the present is all that matters.
Personality: On the surface, Cadet Deters seems very extraverted and gregarious. But he never allows anyone to get too close, always performing. He is the first person to help a stranger in need, often to his own detriment, trying to be the person he wished had been there for them as a child.
Sense of Humor: The jokes he makes are puns and witty observations, known colloquially as dad jokes in his time, ironic, as he never had children, and never will as the cryostasis made him sterile. The jokes that make him laugh are dark and sardonic, not out of malice, but gallows humor was the only tool he had to deal with the horrors he experienced in the 21st century.
Phobias: Sharp objects cutting into eyeballs. The risk of the occasional brain surgery done through the ocular cavity is what kept him from going into neurosurgery instead of neurology.
Likes: Cadet Deters has an obsessive fondness of pretty girls, drinking whiskey, pop culture of the post war 20th and pre war 21st century, and social justice.
Dislikes: Racism/speciesism. Tomatoes. Hot weather. War. Labubu.
Pet Peeves/Gripes: The Dunning Kruger effect, which seems far less common in the 25th century than it did in the 21st.
Bad Habits / Vices: Cadet Deters may have been the only medical doctor who smoked cigarettes in the 21st century, but nicotine is a powerful nootropic drug that helps him focus well enough he was willing to ignore the health risks. Now, in the 24th century, replicated cigarettes have the unhealthy and dangerous and smelly ingredients removed, though hardly anyone seems to use them.
Achievements: Received the Mridha Spirit of Neurology Award in 2032 for his work with Médecins Sans Frontières.
Disappointments: During his undergraduate studies, Cadet Deters fell in love with the barista at his local coffee shop where he would go to study. She had a boyfriend who would constantly cheat on her, who she eventually married.
Illnesses: ADHD, C-PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder, Persistent Depressive Disorder
Strengths: An acute sense of justice, can quickly adapt to nearly any situation, can walk up to 40k steps in a day without difficulty.
Weaknesses: Crippling self doubt, inability to take compliments.
Fears: No one will ever get close enough to understand him, which is a self fulfilling fear that his behavior ensures.
Prejudices: The closest thing he has to a prejudice is that the Paradox of Tolerance is not a paradox, but a social contract that one is not covered by if they do not participate. A prejudice towards the prejudiced, if you will.

== Questions ==
Most Painful Experience: As a child, Cadet Deters stepmother once threw a pot of boiling water at him because there was traffic. The closest he ever got to an apology was "I can't believe you made me do that".
Best Time: In 2017, Cadet Deters made the Olympic trial cut for swimming in the 1500 meter freestyle. It was the only time in his life his father said anything kind to him.
Most Crucial Experience: In the start of his final year of medical school, Cadet Deters provided first aid to civilians during the Bell Riots. This experience shaped heavily the philosophy he took into his medical career.
Role Model: Historically, Santiago Ramón y Cajal, the godfather of neuroscience, from his own time, Gabriel Bell, Cadet Deters strives to have the courage to stand against injustice like that, from his studies of Starfleet History, Julian Bashir, everything Cadet Deters aspires to be as a Starfleet Medical Officer.
Referrer / How you found Fed Space (If 'Google' or 'Search Engine', please specify the search engine and the term searched for): ==I was googling something obscure while watching an episode of DS9 and the wiki was where I found the answer. This was part of a rabbit hole excursion and I can't recall exactly what caused it, it's been over a month.==

[Paul]

==Greetings Cadet Deters!

I am Paul, Admin and Creative Director here at Federation Space. Your bio was forwarded to me because of its attention to detail that is both creative and respectful of Trek lore. It's one of the finest bios I have ever seen from a first attempt! Congratulations!

The only concern I have, is that acclimating to a 400 year time gap and attending the Academy in the same 5 year timescale feels...problematic. My recommendation here would be to move his "defrosting" forward a few years, spend some time in a Department of Temporal Investigations rehab facility (referenced in novels) to get acquainted with 24th/25th century life, and then apply to the Academy.

Aside from that, it's really an excellent bio!

Once you've addressed my concern, an Instructor will begin your training. Welcome to Federation Space!==

[Brycen Deters]

== Physical Description ==
Name: Brycen Deters
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 41 (biological), 406 (chronological)
Height: 6 ft 0 in, 1.82 Meters
Weight: 220 lbs, 99 KG
Build/Body Type: Brawny, yet a bit chubby.
Complexion: On the darker side of fair skinned with a flush.
Hair Color: Auburn
Hair Style: Chaotically whimsical and fluffy, about 3 inches long with wavy locks softly going in every direction
Eye Color: Hazel
Voice: A nasal yet bellowing baritone.
Off-Duty Clothing Taste: Blue jeans and replicated vintage shirts of bands from the 21st century that hardly anyone seems to listen to anymore.
Distinguishing Features: A few burn scars across the from an abusive childhood, one grazed bullet scar on the elbow from a reckless young adulthood.

== Personal History ==
Date of Birth: 09/16/2000
Place of Birth: An Elvis Costello Concert in Irvine, California
Marital Status: Single
Siblings Name & Ages: No full siblings, half siblings Andrew, Joey, Timmy, Angelo, all deceased.
Mother's Name: Tracy
Father's Name: Bryan
Parent's Status: Deceased, Divorced when Cadet Deters was a toddler.
Pets: One leopard gecko that did not survive cryostasis. Ironically, cold blooded animals do not do well in the cryonic processes used in the 21st century.
Best Friend: All of Cadet Deters friends have long since passed away. During his time at the Academy, his congenial nature has made him somewhat well liked among the other cadets, but the vast cultural gap between centuries has made it difficult to develop close friendships.
Personal History: Born and raised in one of the more tumultuous times of Earth history, Cadet Deters had a rotating cast of caretakers who liked to take out their frustrations with the failings of the systems inherent to that time period on him, verbally, emotionally, and physically; when they weren't incarcerated. The hopelessness he felt combined with an inability to make friends in school led to him attempting to end his own life at the age of 12, and luckily, failing.

When high school rolled around his Environmental Studies teacher took an interest in him, as he would often ask the most poignant and precocious questions in class, and as a result, Cadet Deters dove in head first to the sciences, particularly chemistry and especially neurochemistry. He went on to study Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at the University of California, Irvine, and went on to study medicine at the JMP between UCSF and UC Berkeley, graduating just before the Bell Riots. He finished his residency in Neurology at UCSF where he stayed on as a Pediatric Neurologist, moonlighting with little success as a songwriter and music producer. He was a catastrophic failure when it came to dating and romance, and never had a romantic relationship last longer than a single night with a stranger he met at a bar where he was performing.

In late 2034, Cadet Deters was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. He spent the next few months looking for potential treatments, and when nothing viable came to fruition, he decided to join an experimental program where he would be cryogenically frozen until a cure was found. The underground bunker was located in Marin, California, and while it survived the devastation of World War 3, it was forgotten about entirely until it was rediscovered during a construction project in the year 2396. After a very quick medical procedure he could barely make sense of cured his illness, though leaving him with a few gaps in his memory, he was enthralled to discover that the Fermi Paradox had been answered; we were not alone in the galaxy, not by a long shot.

He spent the next few years in a Department of Temporal Investigations rehab facility studying to get back up to date on his medical knowledge. His doctorate was meaningless in the current era, but all the new tools for learning were designed to adapt to the learner in ways he could never have imagined as a medical student with ADHD and CPTSD in the 21st century. With hard work and perseverance, he was accepted with a special dispensation to Starfleet Academy's medical program, and had an opportunity to use his now ancient medical expertise to explore the final frontier no one in his peer group could have dreamed of, as we had only just gotten to Mars what felt like only a few years ago.

== Personality ==
Academy Majors: Medical
Academy Minors: Xenobiology, Xenosociology
Hobbies & Past-Times: Cadet Deters can play almost any instrument with stings or keys, though the Vulcan Lute has proven difficult in Vulcan tuning, it sounds great in alternate tunings based on classical earth methods. A fan of computer RPGs in the 21st century, he's gotten lost for days in modern holographic versions of the Final Fantasy series from his childhood.
Short-Term Goals: To explore the wonders of the galaxy and the minds and cultures of the species that inhabit it. And to find which species makes the best sushi.
Long-Term Goals: Cadet deters should have died 370 years ago. There is no long term, the present is all that matters.
Personality: On the surface, Cadet Deters seems very extraverted and gregarious. But he never allows anyone to get too close, always performing. He is the first person to help a stranger in need, often to his own detriment, trying to be the person he wished had been there for him as a child.
Sense of Humor: The jokes he makes are puns and witty observations, known colloquially as dad jokes in his time, ironic, as he never had children, and never will as the cryostasis made him sterile. The jokes that make him laugh are dark and sardonic, not out of malice, but gallows humor was the only tool he had to deal with the horrors he experienced in the 21st century.
Phobias: Sharp objects cutting into eyeballs. The risk of the occasional brain surgery done through the ocular cavity is what kept him from going into neurosurgery instead of neurology.
Likes: Cadet Deters has an obsessive fondness of pretty girls, drinking whiskey, pop culture of the post war 20th and pre war 21st century, and social justice.
Dislikes: Racism/speciesism. Tomatoes. Hot weather. War. Labubu.
Pet Peeves/Gripes: The Dunning Kruger effect, which seems far less common in the 25th century than it did in the 21st.
Bad Habits / Vices: Cadet Deters may have been the only medical doctor who smoked cigarettes in the 21st century, but nicotine is a powerful nootropic drug that helps him focus well enough he was willing to ignore the health risks. Now, in the 24th century, replicated cigarettes have the unhealthy and dangerous and smelly ingredients removed, though hardly anyone seems to use them.
Achievements: Received the Mridha Spirit of Neurology Award in 2032 for his work with Médecins Sans Frontières.
Disappointments: During his undergraduate studies, Cadet Deters fell in love with the barista at his local coffee shop where he would go to study. She had a boyfriend who would constantly cheat on her, who she eventually married.
Illnesses: ADHD, C-PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder, Persistent Depressive Disorder
Strengths: An acute sense of justice, can quickly adapt to nearly any situation, can walk up to 40k steps in a day without difficulty.
Weaknesses: Crippling self doubt, inability to take compliments.
Fears: No one will ever get close enough to understand him, which is a self fulfilling fear that his behavior ensures.
Prejudices: The closest thing he has to a prejudice is that the Paradox of Tolerance is not a paradox, but a social contract that one is not covered by if they do not participate. A prejudice towards the prejudiced, if you will.

== Questions ==
Most Painful Experience: As a child, Cadet Deters stepmother once threw a pot of boiling water at him because there was traffic. The closest he ever got to an apology was "I can't believe you made me do that".
Best Time: In 2017, Cadet Deters made the Olympic trial cut for swimming in the 1500 meter freestyle. It was the only time in his life his father said anything kind to him.
Most Crucial Experience: In the start of his final year of medical school, Cadet Deters provided first aid to civilians during the Bell Riots. This experience shaped heavily the philosophy he took into his medical career.
Role Model: Historically, Santiago Ramón y Cajal, the godfather of neuroscience, from his own time, Gabriel Bell, Cadet Deters strives to have the courage to stand against injustice like that, from his studies of Starfleet History, Julian Bashir, everything Cadet Deters aspires to be as a Starfleet Medical Officer.
Referrer / How you found Fed Space (If 'Google' or 'Search Engine', please specify the search engine and the term searched for): ==I was googling something obscure while watching an episode of DS9 and the wiki was where I found the answer. This was part of a rabbit hole excursion and I can't recall exactly what caused it, it's been over a month.==

[Amelina Whittaker]

== Hello Cadet Deters, thank you for making those adjustments, and I can confirm that your bio has now been approved. Let me start by welcoming you to Federation Space RPG, otherwise known as Fed Space. Fed Space is a great game and community.  I’ll be your Academy Instructor, helping you get ready for your time on one of our ships. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me here or dm me.

Before we move on to the first lesson, I want to make sure you know about the great resource our wiki provides. It has a lot of information, including what your department duties will be. Take some time to review:

https://wiki.fed-space.com/index.php?tit...al_Officer

The wiki also includes an Academy section that contains a lot of resources for you. Be sure to take some time to review them, especially the New Cadet FAQ, while you’re there. We’ll use the wiki later in our lessons, so it’s helpful for you to start navigating it now.
With that out of the way, let’s get started: 

Lesson one: Formatting basics

Third Person, Past Tense:

Fed Space has players all over the world, so we use a standardised set of formatting rules. By using one style, it makes it easier for everyone to follow and understand each other’s posts.
The first thing to know is that we post in third person, past tense.  An example of this style of writing would be: Amelina was so excited to be finally taking her final examination that she fell off her seat.  NOT: I fell off my seat because I was so excited to take my final examination.

We also use double spacing between paragraphs and characters’ spoken lines. This means when you write a spoken line with quotation marks “ ”, leave a space after. This makes it easier for players to follow.  A good rule to follow is ‘When in doubt, double space!’

Your Character’s Internal Thoughts
To show your character’s own thoughts, we use italics.  When writing your character’s thoughts, it’s acceptable to write in first person.  An example of showing my character’s thoughts would look like: I can’t wait to visit my home town again and see my Father

Showing Emphasis
To make something really stand out in your post, such as if your character was shouting, we use bold text. An example of showing emphasis for my character would look like: Amelina loved a good cup of coffee, especially with a bit of cinnamon.

Telepathic Communication
In general, it is rare a character has the ability to communicate telepathically and because of this, it is closely monitored by our Senior and Commanding Officers to make sure it isn’t abused.  With that said, there are a few telepathic races on Fed Space and on occasion telepaths will speak to each other through this unique skill. Telepathic communication is shown like this:

~ Hello, I am speaking directly into your mind. ~

If your character is not telepathic then, in general, you won’t need to worry about this technique, but I want you to be aware it exists in case you see crewmembers on your ship or others using it.

Using Communication Badges or Comm Badges
Characters can often receive verbal communications through a communication device, such as a comm badge, from another crew member or the computer.  When receiving a message, you should drop the quotations “ ” and instead use brackets [ ].

For example, if I received a message from another officer, it would look something like this:
[Commander Whittaker to Cadet  please report to Holodeck ]

If you are the one speaking to somebody through a comm device, you would still use the quotations “ ”.

Out Of Character posting or OOC:
OOC posting is what I’m doing now. OOC text is surrounded by == ==.  Use OOC when you want to talk to another player and not write it as part of the storyline.  You won’t need to do this in general discussion areas, such as your ship’s OOC sections like Crew Announcements, as well as in Hailing Frequencies.

Proofing Posts:
When writing a post, it’s important to take time to run your posts through the spell check many writing software offers. Spell check won’t find all grammar and spelling errors, but will find many and help correct errors found. Rereading your post can help catch errors. We don’t need anyone to be a speller or grammar whiz, but taking the time to do this extra step will make it easier for everyone to understand what’s written.

A good way to get the feel of these formatting rules and to get a feel of the site in general is to browse the different ship forums. Take some time to look at the different ships. Take time to  notice how our players use the elements listed above. 

With all that said, let’s get to some posting!  Your first assignment is to respond to my post using the above formatting elements. If you have any questions, ask.  Good luck and have fun! ==


== Holodeck 04 - 10:00 hrs ==

Amelina strode confidently towards the holodeck that had been assigned to Cadet Deters for his final examination. The padd that seemed to be permanently affixed to her side moved with her, not that she often needed to refer to it, at least not until she arrived and checked that everything had been set up, ready for the soon to be Medical Officer's arrival. 

Although what lay ahead came easy to the brunette, who sometimes couldn't quite believe where her life had taken her, ever since she made the decision to remain on Earth, and teach rather than head back to the stars on another assignment. Thoughts of Miles entered her mind, making Amelina smile softly before the holodeck came into view. Back to business, the Acting Dean brought the padd up to eye level, checking it against the information available on the panel next to the doors, that would determine Deters fate. Happy with what she saw, Amelina stood next to the door, so she would be seen easily and waited for Deters. 

== Tag Deters ==

[Brycen Deters]

Cadet Deters sat in the Academy garden, staring at a stunning blue butterfly. Before he'd been frozen, this species was in danger of extinction, you'd never see them in the bay area. It felt like an auspicious omen heading into final examinations, not that he believed in those silly superstitions. The past 10 years had been a rude awakening that science and tech look just like magic and miracles if you don't understand science and tech.

I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be, I guess. I had better start making my way towards my assigned holodeck.

The cadet glanced at his watch. 09:59. He was going to be tardy if he didn't sprint the fastest he'd sprinted in over 350 years. He grabbed his tricorder and tablet and made a beeline for the examination room, nearly trampling a pair of Vulcan first year cadets as he rounded a corner with the momentum of a baby hippopotamus. He gave a brief bow of apology and attempted to apologize, but his contrition came out as a barely audible grunt. Making friends here at the academy had been difficult, as he was much older than his fellow cadets in more ways than one, but also found a huge cultural divide from growing up in a time before FTL travel. Maybe he would find companionship out among the stars. Even if he didn't, he would be out among the stars.

He continued his sprint towards destiny. The holodeck was in sight. The lactic acid was starting to build up in his thigh muscles. He burst through the door at 10:00:01, blowing right past the acting dean, almost tripping over himself as he attempted to stop his momentum and face , all in one un-fluid and clumsy motion, the woman who would decide whether he would go on to become a medical officer on a starship, taking the journey everyone he had ever known in a past life would be in awe of, or if he would remain here in San Francisco, and maybe go back into pediatrics.  Slightly but noticeably winded, he stood at attention.

"Medical Cadet Brycen Deters, reporting for examinations".

Oh boy, the Acting Dean is going to be assessing me. Everyone says she's the toughest. But then again, maybe everyone was just messing with me. I'm pretty gullible after all. Oh well, all one can do is one's best. I hope it's a written exam. I always do well on those.

[Amelina Whittaker]

== A great start, Cadet :-) Please continue using what you've done so far as we move onto the next lesson ==

== Lesson two: Plots, GM Input, Character Hijacking, and New Content:

We have two types of plots here on Federation Space: the main plot and subplots. Main plots affect the entire ship and are directed by a Game Moderator (GM). Subplots are an underlying story being told within the main plot. A subplot can be run by any player with prior approval of the ship’s CO (or FO).

An example of the difference between the two:  The main plot is about the ship falling under attack. A subplot would be a character dealing with an on ship pregnancy or maybe trying to write the next great holonovel.

GMs:
Game Moderators (GMs) guide the ships’ missions along. Every ship has a mission, of which only the GMs of a ship know the mission details. 

Your job is to write what your character sees and what their reaction is. The GM will provide any unknowns about the plot.  This input will have significance to the direction of the mission. This is why characters should keep posts open ended on anything that might affect the mission’s direction or outcome.  As your character performs an action, such as performing a diagnostic scan, leave the result of the scan unknown.  The GM will explain what the outcome of the action is.

When you need GM input on something, for example results of a diagnostic scan, one only has to make a request at the end of the post.  The request can look like:

== GM Input, please? == 

Or it can also be a more specific request, such as:

== GM Input:  Result of the diagnostic, please? ==

Take a look around at the active ships on Federation Space to see characters ask for GM input.

Character Hijacking:
The next element we’re going to cover is character usage. Unless you have permission from the player, you cannot post any speech, thoughts or movements for another character (PRC or NRC) that isn’t yours, unless the character has already done so in game. This is called character hijacking and is not permitted on Fed Space. Some players might not mind, but even minor things such as a nod of the head or a shrug of the shoulders can be considered hijacking.

For example, if you write in your next post that Commander Amelina Whittaker suddenly appeared and started dancing, you would have hijacked another character.

Character Movement on Ships:
I’m sure you have noticed a ship has multiple threads on it for various locations that a player can post, such as the bridge, sickbay, and security offices.  Oftentimes, while on a mission, players travel throughout the ship to accomplish their orders. To help follow the plot when a player is transitioning from one thread to another, they should make a notation at the end their post like this:  >> Sickbay >>  The arrows and location found at the bottom of a post tells readers where this character will post next. 

When the player makes their next post, the player should make a notation at the beginning of their post like this:  << Bridge <<  The arrows and location found at the top of a post indicate that is where a player has just come from.

Time for more writing!  In your next post, continue showing your use of our formatting techniques you learned in lesson one and ask for GM input. I will be acting as your GM.

== Holodeck 04 ==

Despite her laid-back approach outside the Academy, Amelina wasn't one for being late unless there was a really good excuse; she preferred to be early or on time, and even then, the brunette favoured the former. That being said, she hadn't expected Deters to arrive the way he did, watching as he burst through the door and almost flew right past her. It was certainly one way to make an impression, until he finally caught up with himself and reported in. Amelina took a moment to give the older Cadet the once-over, aware of his background before she spoke.

" At ease, Cadet, and give yourself a moment to catch your breath properly", she said kindly, giving him the time he needed to compose himself before he entered the holodeck. 

When she was satisfied that he was okay, Amelina spoke again. " When you're ready, you'll enter the holodeck and your final examination will begin. In there, you'll be in a scenario which has been created based on your chosen field, and how you handle it will determine the outcome".

Once Deters was ready and stepped inside, he would find himself as part of an away team from the USS Denali, tasked with helping the small colony world of Serenity following an outbreak of an unknown ailment that has already killed ten people and threatens the rest of those who call the colony home.

== Tag Deters ==

[Brycen Deters]

== A couple clarifications, character hijacking is an obvious no, but I'm new to this style of RP. In most tabletop RPGs players will OOC go around the table and discuss other players abilities to come up with solutions to problems. Of course, seeing as there doesn't appear to be any type of skill tree in this, that might not even come up, but is it considered gauche to use OOC to tag team problems and make suggestions or requests of other players? Also, when you type Tag Deters at the bottom, what is that?

Also, I'm not sure how much I can extrapolate here. Obviously I know that the scenario is an outbreak on Serenity, but does my character? Or did he just show up on a strange new world, the only info given to him was that this was his exam? I'm going to operate assuming the latter here. ==

Cadet Deters let out a strange combination of a sigh and nervous laughter as he composed himself. He muttered,

"Pitter patter, let's get at her," and meandered into Holodeck #4 with all the false confidence he could muster.

As he stepped into the Holodeck, the grey walls gave way to a small colony surrounded by trees that looked unlike any species he'd ever seen before. The sunset, if you could call it that on planets whose star is not the sun, produced vivid colors he'd only seen when he partook of certain substances in his younger and more reckless years.

I don't know if I'll ever get fully used to this. I was blown away by VR headsets when they came out, Holodecks make those seem like, well, I would say a toy for children, but that's pretty much what they were used for anyways. Children of all ages. And I, the oldest child in history, find myself in a holodeck. Now take this seriously, Brycen. This is no time for horsin' around.

As he pulled out his tricorder to scan the surrounding air for biohazards, he turned to the Officer next to him.

"Ni Howdy, ma'am. Status Report?"

Get it together dude, you're gonna break the computer forcing it to figure out what your 21st century Manglish slang means right off the bat? Think before you speak for once in your life. But then again, these UTs are pretty great for the most part. I don't even if know someone I'm talking to is speaking in another language most of the time. For all I know, everyone speaks English. Or no one speaks English, but everyone speaks Mandarin. Or maybe it's both, and everyone greets each other with Ni Howdy without trying to be punny, and they don't get why it's clever at all. That is how language evolves, right? What was I doing again? Test! Scanner! Focus!

His train of thought ran its course and was forgotten all in just a few tenths of a second.

== GM input, scan, status report and OOC fist bump, por favor. ==

[Amelina Whittaker]

== Before we move any further, let me answer your questions :-) When it comes to OOC,  a mission can be discussed with the other members of your crew, usually in the ship's Discord channel, share ideas, come up with plots that aren't connected to the mission, etc., or talk in general, and it can be a handy resource as well, plus we're all a friendly bunch.  Here on FS, the GM controls the mission, from the start to the finish, guiding the crew through it to reach the desired outcome, giving them the answers and information they need to do that. As for me tagging you the way I did, it's something we do to let the player know who's up next, so they know who to respond to, and it can be to the individual or the group, depending on who is in the scene with you. Feel free to have a look around the active ships to see how this is used, as well as any GM requests if they're currently on a mission. 

Regarding the question about the scenario, these are given to Cadets to see how they react to them, as they would if they were assigned to the ship. So you would treat it as being part of an away team who would have been aware of the outbreak before beaming down. If you have any more questions or need further clarifications feel free to ask :-) 

Now to your response, it was a good one, although the GM request for input would be specific to what you wanted to know, such as results of the scan, not the status report from the officer next to you unless they were an NRC controlled by the GM, if it was another player you would just ask them if it was necessary, but since you all beamed down together, it wouldn't be needed in this scenario. You also wouldn't ask for anything OOC related either :-) this is all about learning and I'd like you to do the post again, and include the proper request, then we'll move as it'll become clearer about the role of NRC's in the next lesson ==


== Tag Deters ==

[Brycen Deters]

==Copy that. I guess my confusion was to how much latitude the players have in these scenarios, and the tagging isn't like tagging a photo but like tagging in a teammate.==

Cadet Deters let out a strange combination of a sigh and nervous laughter as he composed himself. He muttered,

"Pitter patter, let's get at her," and meandered into Holodeck #4 with all the false confidence he could muster.

As he stepped into the Holodeck, the grey walls gave way to a small colony surrounded by trees that looked unlike any species he'd ever seen before. The sunset, if you could call it that on planets whose star is not the sun, produced vivid colors he'd only seen when he partook of certain substances in his younger and more reckless years, ironically while watching his favorite sci-fi show from his childhood, which was set on the Serenity. There's no way this scenario for his exams would have been based on that now after all this time, would it? Clearly this is a silly coincidence. No one had gotten any of his cultural references since he'd defrosted. Science fiction had simply become fiction. Being a leaf on the wind meant nothing to anyone anymore.

I don't know if I'll ever get fully used to this. I was blown away by VR headsets when they came out, Holodecks make those seem like, well, I would say a toy for children, but that's pretty much what they were used for anyways. Children of all ages. And I, the oldest child in history, find myself in a holodeck. Now take this seriously, Brycen. This is no time for horsin' around.

As he pulled out his tricorder to scan the surrounding air for biohazards, he turned to the Officer next to him.

"Ni Howdy, ma'am. Looks like there's a quarantine zone set up over yonder, let's see what we can do to assist once I determine there are no airborne pathogens to deal with."

Get it together dude, you're gonna break the computer forcing it to figure out what your 21st century Manglish slang means right off the bat? Think before you speak for once in your life. But then again, these UTs are pretty great for the most part. I don't even if know someone I'm talking to is speaking in another language most of the time. For all I know, everyone speaks English. Or no one speaks English, but everyone speaks Mandarin. Or maybe it's both, and everyone greets each other with Ni Howdy without trying to be punny, and they don't get why it's clever at all. That is how language evolves, right? What was I doing again? Test! Scanner! Focus!

His train of thought ran its course and was forgotten all in just a few tenths of a second.

== GM input, scan results, thanks. And I'm giving you a digital fist bump regardless. It's too late. You are already appreciated, but I will keep these business oriented in the future. ==

[Amelina Whittaker]

== That's understandable & you'll soon get the hang of it here :-), thankyou for making those amendments & we can now move onto the next lesson ==

== Lesson three: NRCs, character usage, and site navigation:

Non-rated characters, or NRCs, are characters used by players as well as GMs to help fill crew gaps in ships. Starships usually have large crews, and since we don’t have enough players to fill all those roles, we use NRCs.

We have two types of NRCs: Independent and Temporary.

Independent NRCs are like a Player Rated Character (PRC), in that they get played as their own character. These NRCs are registered, and you can distinguish them through their character names. You’ll see something along the lines of Ensign Doe {Allen}, with the PRC character’s last name in brackets at the end. And while these NRCs are similar to PRCs, they are not a second-rated character (SRC). They also do not earn points or medals as you would with your PRC.  Also, your PRC must be a Lt [JG] or higher and have the approval of your Commanding Officer to create an Independent NRC.

Temporary NRCs, on the other hand, can be created by anyone. They are not as developed as Independent NRCs or PRCs, and they do not have bios. They are usually created for quick tasks, and are used for times when you need to post with other players on the ship.

To make a Temporary NRC post, all you need to do is place an OOC notation at the top of the post. You’ll probably see several variations, but they typically look like:

==Ensign Lars Olsen - Temp Medical NRC ==

In the case of both NRCs, you play the character from the NRCs perspective, almost as if you have a second character.  You can only play an NRC that is one rank higher than your own. This means that if you’re an Ensign, you can have NRCs that are Midshipmen, Ensigns, or Lieutenant Junior Grades.


Navigating the Fed Space Wiki
The Fed Space wiki offers a great resource to help you out with your posts.  Be sure to spend some time checking it out.  The information on the wiki is also ‘Fed Space canon,’ which can sometimes differ from Star Trek canon, so look there first when you’re researching something.  Don’t feel limited to only looking at the wiki pages for your department, because the other departments will have information you’ll find quite useful.

As previously mentioned, Fed Space canon differs slightly from that of Star Trek, mainly because this game happens 40+ years after the Dominion War. Since the Dominion War, there have been many conflicts and wars. It’s been very rocky, but all the history from the start of Year 1 to the last entry on that page have been written and played here on Federation Space.  Make sure you spend some time checking out our site history. 

To help you get used to the organisation of our wiki, please answer the following questions in OOC.

1. What is a neural stimulator used for?
2. What is the right side of a ship called?
3. Please describe what the memory virus is?

After answering the questions, continue with another post and include the formatting and spacing as discussed in previous lessons. In your post, please continue the story and use Ensign Lars Olsen - Temp Engineering NRC or one of your choosing as your Temporary NRC. Have fun! ==

== Results of the GM input ==

Deters scans confirmed that there were no airborne pathogens in the vicinity, and the quarantine zone he had spotted was in fact a triage area leading to the colony's main medical facility, a medium sized single story building made out of the same material as the rest of the colony buildings. An area that appeared to be overwhelmed as more of the colony's residents flocked towards it.

== Tag Deters ==

[Brycen Deters]

== 

Sorry for the delay, work has been... let's just say this week has been a year.

1 - A neural stimulator is a medical instrument used to increase neural activity in the central nervous system of a humanoid brain.
2 - Starboard
3 - Parasitic organism that thrived on the peptides generated by its host’s brain. The virus is able to evade the body’s immune system by disguising itself as a memory engram. The parasite creates a false memory for its host that is so traumatic that the host’s mind will repress it. The memory virus will live in person after person, hiding in a part of the brain that the conscious mind would want to avoid at all costs. When it senses the death of its host, the virus will leave to find another. Thoron radiation is lethal to the Memory Virus.

==

== Ensign Lars Olsen ==

The Holodeck had placed a young female Vulcan security officer, Ensign Lars Olsen, on the away team with Cadet Deters. She was unusually short for a Vulcan woman, with a blonde pixie cut and dark eyes that could house galaxies, which almost made the Cadet forget he was in a simulation.

"My name is Lars, but you can call me Ensign Olsen. I've never met anyone named Ma'am. This is quite an alarming situation. I'll go make sure the ill get lined up in an orderly fashion. You go find the person in charge of this... medical facility, if you can call it that".

== Cadet Brycen Deters ==

"Sounds like a plan Ensign Olsen. The air appears to be clear of contaminants, so it's safe to assume whatever this is is not an airborne pathogen. Carry on."

Was she messing with me? I can never tell if Vulcans are secretly always sarcastic. She must hate me, having to deal with the new guy can't be on the top of the list of favorite activities for Starfleet Officers. My Attending back during my residency was always upset whenever I had questions or tried to make a fun comment. Anyways, if she didn't get what ma'am meant, there's no way she got 'ni howdy'. But she didn't say anything so maybe it at least made sense contextually? Hmmmm... Maybe I can make that my new thing. It killed in college. Or maybe they were just being kind.

The not so gracefully aging Cadet headed for the medical center. As stunning as the surroundings of this town were, the buildings within the town looked like they'd come straight out of the brutalist period of the old Soviet Union. Grey. Square. Lifeless.

You'd think after all these years, we'd have learned to make buildings that complement nature instead of marring it.

Cadet Deters made his way through the hobbling masses until he found someone who seemed to be wearing medical garb and was holding a plain grey padd. They looked weary. He finished questioning one patient and shouted,

"Next".

Cadet Deters approached.

"Ni Howdy! I'm a Medical Officer with the USS Denali. The Federation sent us here to help you out with an unusual ailment that seems to be affecting people here. What can you tell me about the situation"?

== Tag Whittaker ==

[Amelina Whittaker]

== That's okay we understand when it comes to real life :-),  another good post Cadet with great use of the temp NRC and answering the questions. However the only thing missing is the gm input request. This is still needs to continue as the scenario progresses, at least for lesson 3 and 4. Therefore I'd like you to redo the post to include it and then we can move on ==


== Tag Deters ==