simpathis: (Default)
Empatheias Mods ([personal profile] simpathis) wrote2014-05-25 12:34 am
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[ application: original characters ]

— APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN AND WILL BE PROCESSED ON WEEKENDS —

Canon Applications are here


IMPORTANT! We are officially in endgame until August 31, 2020. Applications are on a rolling basis. There is a small "block" period from the 1st through the 4th of every month to allow a bulk of apps to be submitted, and then applications can be submitted at any time during the month. Notices will be sent out all at once after the first "block" period, and then between 24 hours to the end of the weekend depending on how many and our schedule. Applications are guaranteed to be processed during the weekends.

IMPORTANT: Only the following types of original characters are allowed to be applied for—

  • Pure OC. These are the typical kind of OC that everyone is familiar with. They are characters that are the player's own creation with their own world that is also of the player's design. There is zero relation to any pre-existing canon.

  • MMO OC. MMOs, or Massively Multiplayer Online games, particularly those with a lot of roleplay and character build-up, have existing world building and lore that they have to follow. These characters are created by the player and can have their own story, but they have to follow the rules of the game lore. We consider "main hero" characters as those who are one of many in a great group that influenced the storyline, rather than the singular Great Hero character. This is to help multiple MMO OCs from the same game to have stories that mesh well together. In the sake of fairness to current FFXIV OC players and consistency with previous mod teams' decisions, we do not currently allow FFXIV Warriors of Light.

  • Blank Slate Canon Protagonists. For our criteria, these types of characters are those which you control throughout the game and essentially make the player the main character. They may have a name and a couple of personality traits, but everything else is up to the player to interpret. Examples of these are most of the main characters from Dragon Age, Skyrim, Pokémon, etc. Important: Please note that this category ONLY pertains to the protagonists of canons. This does not allow side characters or other support NPCs as they have set stories and personalities. This section has nothing to do with how much headcanon is used and is only about the purpose and design of the protagonist character.

The following would not be allowed:

  • Fanon/AU OCs. Characters that are based off pre-existing canons or an alternate version of the canon. We would not allow these OCs not because we are against them on principle, but it could cause unwanted confusion and complications with current existing casts. This type of OC would have needed to be allowed from the very beginning so players would know what they were getting into.

  • Game Native OCs. Currently the game is not ready for such a type of character, as it would introduce other complications and worldbuilding that the interested player would have to be aware of. In addition, it would require more close connection with us the mods than we are currently ready for.


Before applying, please be sure to read the following:

  • Read the Rules and the Game Information.
  • RETURNING PLAYERS! You only need to submit any old application. Does not matter how long ago, as long as it was accepted and you have good standing (ie, not banned), it will be valid.
  • Suggestion: Find some character sheets that have questions directly related to character building. These will help flesh out your application and give some guidelines as to how to write about your character.
  • Feel free to use the most recent test drive both for practice as well as to use for samples. IMPORTANT! If you submit threads as samples, you must submit the application with that character journal. This is the only way we can ensure that the samples are from you and not someone else.
  • Linked samples must have been made within the past year.
  • You may apply for up to two characters per cycle.
  • Do not plagiarize. If we find that the information provided was directly taken by either another player or some other source material, the application will be rejected immediately. If we find this after processing the application, we will revoke the application and have you removed from the game with potential ban.
  • Reusing your own applications from other games is allowed. We only ask any original written samples to conform to our game. That is, we don't want to read samples that are set specifically for another game's premise. Note: this does not apply to threads linked from other games used as samples.
  • If you are rejected, you cannot reapply for the same character for two weeks. However, you can apply for a different character in that same period.
  • Those accepted must fill out all of the required entries within a week to be considered part of the game. Otherwise, we will consider it a revocation of the application.
  • Fill out the form and comment to this entry! All applications must be posted directly to this entry; no linked-in applications allowed.


We have compiled sample applications from our players to show what the mod team and the application moderators are looking for in terms of writing quality and depth. We hope you find these samples useful!


⌈ PLAYER SECTION ⌉

Player:
Contact: Journal/Plurk/AIM — anything to help identify since someone might share your name handle.
Age: You must be at least 13 years old to apply.
Current Characters: If a new player, just put "N/A"


⌈ CHARACTER SECTION ⌉

Character:
Age:
OC Type: Indicate whether this OC is a Pure, MMO, or Blank Protagonist type of OC. If it is a Blank Protagonist, indicate the canon here.
Point Taken: A sense of time when the character is taken. More applicable to MMO and Blank Protagonist OCs.

World Building:This is separate from the character's personal history. This section is to provide us with information about the character's “canon” in general. We will have no idea what kind of world that the character is coming from, and this is the only place we can learn about it. We don't want an encyclopedia, but we will need to know important details about it so that we can understand the culture the character is coming from and how that will affect how they think and behave. What countries are important? What kind of geography or political climate? Are there any social conflicts that would impact the character or would influence how they view others? For MMO and Blank Protagonist OCs, linking us to wikis will suffice, but feel free to add more to it.

Backstory: While we don't need a play-by-play, what we would like to see includes how the character lived, what choices they've made and why, what events occurred that developed them, and other important facts that will help us understand the character. For MMO OCs: Most MMORPGs will have a set storyline that the player character has the opportunity to play through. Keep in mind that rather there being a singular "Great Hero," all MMO OCs are to be seen as a part of a large group of heroes if you choose to follow the main storyline. Also keep in mind that all MMO OCs will have to follow their game’s canon lore. For example: A character could not save the NPC that canonly died, nor could a mission fail if it is set to succeed. However, your character could have died and or had difficulty fulfilling the mission. It is also possible that your character had no part in the overall game's story and had their own adventures in the world instead. Finally, there can be no romantic or familial relationships with named NPCs.

Personality: We're looking for how they think, why they act the way they do, their strengths, their weaknesses, their thought processes, their opinions, their conflicts, what makes them feel the way they do, their significant traits. When writing your character, be careful! We want to avoid characters that are the super invincible almighty hero that can do no wrong. The one who can charm anyone with a smile, can easily trick and deceive, has the power to bend wills with ease. All characters have flaws—no one is perfect. But more importantly, such infallible characters are not interesting to play and interact with. In short, the character should be realistic, balanced, and well thought out. If we feel that your character does not meet this standard, then we may ask for a revision or reject if it cannot be changed.

Abilities: If there are any particular abilities the character has supernatural or otherwise, list them here. Referencing to a wiki list is acceptable if applicable. However, if there are any particular abilities that need to be weakened or removed, note them here.

Alignment: Please refer to the Alignment entry to choose which alignment your character would most likely fall under. Include a brief (a couple of sentences max) just to help explain why you think your choice is the best fit.

Other: Anything else you'd like to mention.


⌈ SAMPLE SECTION ⌉

Sample: We have two sample requirements.

General Sample: We should see examples of the character's dialogue as well as some introspection or additional narrative to further show how you intend to write the character. This is the most important part of the sample and where most of the weight will be.

Emotion Sample: This is our "game setting" requirement. Essentially we want to ensure that you have a basic grasp of the game's premise, especially with the use of emotions. It can be a small scene, even incidental to the main sample. A reminder that apathetic characters will also create effects, such as loss of color, surface distortion, holes forming. This section doesn't have to be lengthy, but the effect must be clear for us to see.

The emotion sample can be part of the general character sample. If so, please link directly or directly quote that portion so that it's easier for us to quickly find it.

The samples can be "written" in three different ways and you can choose which one will work best for you:

  1. Test Drive. You can utilize our test drive to cover both requirements of the sample. So long as there is enough character portrayal and a scene with an emotional reaction, be it within the prompt or done during the thread, then it can be used for both.
  2. Link out + Written. You can link to threads/entries from other games, memes, or museboxes to show character portrayal, and then write an additional short scene for the emotion portion of the sample.
  3. Original Sample. You can write a complete sample that shows both character portrayal and a scene involving emotion use. This can be one sample or two separate samples. If you opt to write an original sample, you are welcome to use any prompts from any of our Test Drives, Intro Logs, Task Board, and even past events. You are also free to change things up and are not restricted to any of these prompts. They are just here to help offer ideas.

Format wise, you can use either [ brackets ] OR narrative prose. We do require that the writing at least be coherent, have proper sentence structure, and is mostly grammatically correct (we realize that writing styles can be loose/creative in [ bracket ] form so we're giving a bit more leeway). One last suggestion we have is try to have the character interacting with the environment and try thinking of the sample less of a narrative piece but more like a post or thread prompt you might make in the game. That will help the sample show not only how you will write the character, but also how you will play them in practice.


Questions: If you have any questions, ask them here.



Clean copy and paste form here:

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leecherous: (Default)

[personal profile] leecherous 2018-05-05 04:49 am (UTC)(link)
⌈ PLAYER SECTION ⌉

Player: Oliver
Contact: [plurk.com profile] horsechiffon
Age: 27
Current Characters: None


⌈ CHARACTER SECTION ⌉

Character: R'dhanha Nunh
Age: 36
OC Type: FFXIV MMO OC
Point Taken: Right after 4.0's events

World Building:
Here

Backstory:
R’dhanha grew up with his two twin brothers in his small, close-knit tribe. He and his brothers were the only males at the time of their birth in over ten years, as is wont to happen with Miqo’te. However, their births were seen as very auspicious! Triplet boys, what a boon! The three boys protected one another and adored each other. However, one fateful day, R’dhanha’s two brothers decided to venture out to prove themselves as hunters. They never came back. Days and weeks passed, and R’dhanha was forbidden to go into the swamplands to look for them. It would be too disasterous for the tribe as the other males were so far from maturity and their current nunh was greying. As the only male of age, R’dhanha was made their Nunh, and carried the privledge and responsibility of siring and rearing children. Besides that, he prided himself on his ability to heal others with practical medicine. A lot of it would be seen as quackery by modern standards, but he did accomplish some life-saving treatments.

He did his duties, but he began to disobey his tribe, sneaking out in the early hours to search the swamps. One day, while picking apart goobue pellets to scavenge for supplies, he came upon a couple of skeletons. He quickly identified them by the remnants of clothing and bits of metal that went undigested. Overcome with sorrow, he plucked their skulls from the filth and carried them home. Over the next few days he carried back all the rest of the bones he could find. He placed the bones in boxes, hidden under his bed. The skulls he encased in clay sculpture, made from the imprint of his own face. He soon became obsessed with the idea of reviving them somehow. He began to hear whisperers of a group of divine healers with powers that outmatched any budding conjurer. In the swamps, he encountered them and begged for their wisdom. They obliged, whisking him away to the Lost City of Amdapor to study their arts. In the City the cultists cut down the undead White Mages of eld for their soul stones, scriptures, and weapons. They pilfered knowledge and practiced in seclusion. Seeing the undead spurred him on to do learn all he could to revive his brothers.

There he learned White Magic on the condition that he would never speak the rogue cult’s name nor reveal their location under penalty of slow death. As a test of faith and induction into the cult, he was branded with their symbol on his torso.

His studies were a more than a little rocky. He could not master even the simplest offensive spell after many months, leaving himself entirely vulnerable to enemies and corrupt elementals. However, his healing was exemplary. After a year of study, he was able to bring a person back from the brink of death— though this caused severe aether imbalances around him as he did it.

He was content with what he had learned and wished to put his knowledge into practice. He made his way back home only to find that in his absence, another Nunh had been brought in. What’s more, his tribe had entered his home and found the bones, thinking him the culprit of his brothers’ deaths. For his crimes and irresponsibility he was chased away. They attempted to kill him, yet he was able to heal his grievous wound and escape. From there, he traveled living hand to mouth. He hunted what little he could, barely staving off starvation.

Then, the Calamity struck. He healed all those he could in his path as a matter of self-imposed duty. Because of the Calamity, there were many to help. He mended wounds with leeches and healed burns with maggots. His methods were seen as unsavory, but effective. He would also use his white magic, but only without an audience. He would sometimes be chased out of one village and make his way to the next. As he travelled through towns, he became acquatined with alcohol. He quickly became reliant on it to help him through his largely sleepless nights. Rumors followed him wherever he went until he was scouted out by the proprietor of a free company. He now resides there and receives protection from the eccentric guild leader.

Personality:
R’dhanha is definitely an eccentric. He was pampered as a child by his clan, and encouraged not to fight. This has always made him feel a little useless. The women would bring him food, but never the other way around. He did as he was told because it was easier to gain approval and praise that way.

However, when his brothers went missing just a couple years before their maturity, he began to feel restless and angry. Though his feelings were barely noticeable to others. He still did what he was told and became the Nunh once his father, the former Nunh, became too impotent to reliably do his duties.

R’dhanha battles with his sense of duty versus his anger and upset at the cruelty and unfairness of the world. His anger drives his kindness, however. The world is full of suffering, so he tries to fix as much as he can. Unfortunately, he also self medicates with alcohol, and has to find ways to pay for his addiction. For this, he bums off his friends and strangers that seem friendly enough. He has lost a lot of his shame in the last decade. He is not always a good judge of this. He can also be found trying to peddle leeches or maggots that he harvests himself.

Altogether, R’dhanha is a very pathetic man. He is very powerful, but that comes at the cost that he steals, rather than borrows aether. He would be viewed as a criminal of hte highest priority in some parts of Eorzea. It is a miracle that he has not gotten himself killed. He tries to stay optimistic, but he has no idea how to dig himself out of the reality he has created for himself. He only recently began to make friends since being sent away from his clan.

R’dhanha does love the company of others. He has been unable to fill the void left by his deceased brothers, but boy does he try. He can come off as clingy or moving friendship too fast if he feels a spark. He will attempt to monopolize his new friends’ time or try to solve all of their problems with little success. Focusing on others allows him to not think about his own life. When told to go away, he acts like it doesn’t hurt his feelings, but it does.

R’dhanha tries to stay out of fights simply because he is a laughably bad fighter. If met with violence by himself, his first instinct will be to run. He does keep a knife on him that he will use as his only line of offense. He isn’t scared of pain or blood per se, and has no real issue with self-inflicted wounds because he is confident that he can heal it. He is not particularly skilled with it aside from skinning animals or breaking down meat. This drives him to seek the company of people stronger than him that he believes can protect him from monsters. Sometimes the people he chooses are very dangerous sorts.

Abilities:
He is a fantastic healer. He can heal people from the brink of death by channeling aether. He can reattach fresh limbs, too. However, he cannot use any offensive white magic. Skill Cheat Sheet

Alignment:
Daimonia: He spends a lot of time dulling grief and seeking joy. His success in this varies considerably based upon who he can get to spend time with him or enable him. They are, in short, his motivators and most common emotions.

Other:


⌈ SAMPLE SECTION ⌉

Remember that we ask for samples that show 1) core character portrayal and 2) some use of emotions, such as environmental effect. You can also use the same sample source for both, just make sure to directly link or quote the emotion portion. We highly encourage using the Test Drive, and you can use prompts from the Test Drives, Intro Logs, and the Task board if you need them. Refer to the main application page for links and more suggestions.

General Sample: Here

Emotion Sample: Best bit of it here


Questions:
Edited (Wow wtf did I screw up in the html jeez) 2018-05-05 05:05 (UTC)
simpathis: (Default)

Accepted!

[personal profile] simpathis 2018-05-06 10:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Congratulations! We are happy to announce that your application has been accepted.

Please follow these next few steps to officially be considered part of the game. Remember that you have one week to do all this, otherwise we will consider it a revocation of the application.

➟ Reply to this comment with the journal you will be joining with, then join the following communities:
➟ Please comment to the appropriate Taken Characters list: Canons A-M | Canons N-Z.
➟ You are required to create an information post on your character journal for easy player reference. Using your application is perfectly fine! You are also free to use one of our Info Post Templates.
➟ When your journal is added by the mod journal, comment to the Player Contact list.
➟ Introduce yourself in our Player Intro post and start playing!
➟ Use the Character Introduction Log for your character intro!
➟ Please note that while we will create a character tag for you, you will need to type it in the first time you use it in each community for it to show up on the list.


Some optional things:
➟ Review the Game Info, Emotions, Amulet, and Island information pages.
➟ Check the monthly mod post for some announcements and an idea of what's in store for the month.
➟ Make sure you understand how the Network works. Remember, Empatheias uses telepathy as communication!
➟ Feel free to make an Inbox post for any private messages that could be sent via messenger bird.
➟ Check this month's plotting post.
➟ Follow the mod plurk ([plurk.com profile] simpathis) for game announcements.
➟ Join the game's Discord chat. You can join it by following the link here.


If you have any questions at any time, feel free to contact us! Once again, we welcome you to Empatheias, and we hope you enjoy the game!
leecherous: (Default)

Re: Accepted!

[personal profile] leecherous 2018-05-07 05:45 am (UTC)(link)
Here's the journal!
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