Join us for another in a series of interviews with winners of awards from our 2024 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 Commanding Officer, Addison MacKenzie
playing a Female Human assigned to the USS Artemis-A. MacKenzie won the Christopher Pike Pendant: Awarded to Commanding Officers who command their ship with honor and dedication, and help to provide an creative atmosphere which fosters outstanding simming.
S. Richards: You are no stranger to being interviewed for Awards winnings, Captains Corner and more. Tell us, what has been your biggest hurdle getting this far?
MacKenzie: I don’t know if I’d call it a hurdle so much as a source of frustration… It takes a lot of time to manage running a ship in addition to all of the OOC work that’s expected of you as you ascend into the higher leadership of the fleet. With everything going on in my life outside of 118, I have to be mindful about how much time I’m able to spend on any 118 activities, simming or otherwise. I try very hard to balance how much time I dedicate to simming or to other leadership activities that demand attention, but sometimes I don’t always get it right. It can be frustrating when you have to address something that occurs OOC and don’t have any time left to sim, or when you have to sit down and sim that you don’t have any time left to address any of the OOC work.
Out of all the awards you have received, which one has been the most unexpected or exciting to get?
I’m grateful for all the awards I’ve received – the biggest award in my mind is honestly being deemed trustworthy enough to be appointed the commanding officer of a ship. To that end, all I’ve ever been interested in doing is cultivating an environment where other writers can craft some really great stories.
It’s clear that you are a well respected member of the 118 community. What advice would you give to someone who hopes to be as poised and respected as you?
Just do the work. Write well, and help others write well. Pitch in and lend a hand when you can. 118 is a big organization and it’s a heavy lift. Take a good look and see what areas you might be able to contribute, whether on your ship, or in a taskforce, or in the fleet at large, and offer to pitch in.
And don’t take yourself (or this game) too seriously.
To win the Christopher Pike Pendant you have to provide a creative atmosphere which fosters outstanding simming. How do you help keep that creativity flowing for your crew?
Well, in speaking to the core of our game, it’s collaboration. We’re all in this together and none of us can do what we do in the way that we do it if we’re operating in a vacuum. I have a great staff on the Artemis who are incredibly creative and collaborative people. They’re always open for a good plot twist, they’re great mentors, and they’re incredibly involved in the IC and OOC progress of our little corner of the community. We also chat on a nearly daily basis, so we’re constantly taking the temperature of how things are going and making modifications to make sure we’re doing everything we can to ensure everyone on the ship is happy with their experience here.
You have been a part of the fleet for some time now. What is something that still continues to surprise you after all these years?
The volume of people who are still interested in writing stories in PBEM format… and the number of really good writers that continue to walk in the door.
Thanks for your time, Fleet Captain, Addison MacKenzie!
You can read more about Fleet Captain Addison MacKenzie on the wiki.
