Join us for another in a series of interviews with winners of awards from our recent 2022 Awards Ceremony. Our goal is to give you insight into how our fleet’s best simmers write, and imagine their characters as well as their out of character contributions and achievements.
This month we’re interviewing the writer behind Lieutenant Trovek Arys playing a female human/Bajoran Medical Officer assigned to Starbase 118 Ops. She won the Prantares Ribbon, “Awarded to Medical officers who have moved beyond standard competence to display a true gift for the healing arts in the context of space medicine.”, the Luminary Award, “Awarded to members holding the rank of Ensign, Lieutenant Junior Grade, or Lieutenant.”, and the Xalor Clan Xifilis Award, “Awarded to simmers who overcome a disadvantage throughout simming.”
DeVeau: You shared a little about us in your previous interview. Is there anything more you’d like to share about yourself?
TROVEK : I have recently discovered Franz Kafka and developed a minor obsession. It’s a little ironic considering that Kafka’s work was mandatory in highschool but I refused to even unpack the book back then – better late than never, huh? I highly recommend “Letters to Milena”, it’s beautifully written.
In the award, Commodore Taybrim commented on your ability to write realistic medical scenes appropriate for the 24th century. Could you describe the process you use to craft these types of scenes?
My aim when writing medical scenes is finding a balance between what is fun to write and exciting to read, and what is appropriate for the setting we are writing in – what I love about the Star Trek setting is that there is so much more to medical than waving a dermal regenerator.
When I write medical scenes, I usually dedicate some time into researching how an injury or illness is currently treated, what challenges arise, and what the most likely direction of development is. From there, I try to translate it into a 24th century setting. I think something that is often overlooked is that we are not only dealing with humans, but with many different species – and that opens up a lot of opportunity for species-specific complications.
That said, I am always open to learning new things and we have a few very skilled medical characters on Ops who I love to write with!
What are some of the ways you enjoy contributing to the group in an OOC capacity?
I’m fairly active in the appreciation forums and adore reading highlighted sims from people across the fleet. I am privileged to be part of Ops’ staff where my ideas and contributions are seen, encouraged and appreciated. Specifically, I am involved in wiki-upkeep and mission-planning, and an active mentor to new crewmembers.
It’s something that gives me a lot of joy, and I am grateful that I am being given the opportunity to contribute in such a capacity.
What was your inspiration for creating the templates that are now available for mentors on Ops to utilise when mentoring new players?
I consider capable and engaged mentors one of key factors in helping new players to find their place in the group, and I have noticed that mentoring frequency and quality varies vastly depending on who the mentor is. While mentoring styles can (and should!) certainly vary, I found it important to make sure that every new player is equipped with the same OOC information and IC guidance. The templates were created in an effort to streamline the mentoring and onboarding experience on Ops, and I am collaborating with Ops’ Command Staff to continually improve and update them depending on player needs.
English is a hard language, but your Xalor Clan Filis award comments on your ability to write well even though it is not your native tongue. Would you describe some of the process of writing in this language and some of the struggles you might have?
I tend to struggle with how easy it is to settle on a description that says ‘there is a spaceship’ rather than actually describing what that vessel looks like, and I have to actively challenge myself to step outside my comfort zone when it comes to more elaborate descriptions.
So I read – a lot – and when I come across words I don’t know or phrases I really like, I note them down and try to integrate them into my writing.
What are some of your goals in the future for your time in SB118?
This year, I want to focus on cross-ship collaborations in the form of JPs, guest simming and cross-ship events. In my eyes, looking at different leadership styles and dealing with people outside one’s own crew are valuable experiences that ultimately help shape a better game experience for everyone.
In addition, I am actually in the process of changing character and duty post! For the foreseeable future I will be playing Nestira Aristren, a Rodulan Strategic Operations officer, and I am really excited about that.
Thanks for your time, Lieutenant Trovek!
You can read more about Lieutenant Trovek Arys as well as her new character, Lieutenant JG Nestira Aristren, on the wiki.
