tips for a good `tnd application

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» ADMIN EDIT «

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» PART I: BASIC DATA «

BIRTH NAME:

while i know lots of people have the same names, i’d actually prefer
that no more than two characters have the same middle name. look
at the member list and see what’s already in use. hit google, type in
“baby names” and check out some of the sites for a middle name
that suits your character – nothing too outrageous. i would really like
not to see frodo or pandora or apple taking the spot of a middle name.
these characters are already mutants, so they stand out as it is.

NICKNAMES:

i understand some of the names on our lists aren’t terribly creative, or
don’t stand out as many players would like – but try to keep their nick-
names realistic. not everyone will go by their middle name as a nickname.
not everyone is actually called princess by their peers – if you were this
character and this was your name, what do you think people call you?
what about your parents, or other adults? again, realistic makes for a
more believable application.

BIRTH DATE:

the current year is 2008; do the math properly, please.

CURRENT AGE:
BIRTH PLACE:
HERITAGE:

their ethnic background, please

RELIGION:
LANGUAGES:

that they speak or understand

SEXUAL ORIENTATION:

this is the twenty-first century, yes, however, let’s also be realistic. the
majority of society is heterosexual, homosexuals and bisexuals are part
of the minority – due to that, it would be odd to have half the canons on
our site questioning their sexuality, or open to anything – i’m not saying
a well written character that is both believable in personality and show-
cases their sexual orientation without being over the top won’t be accepted,
but i would like you to go through previously accepted applications and
see how many we have in each boat ... and really, let’s keep things realistic.
certain factions aren’t going to be terribly gay-friendly. the brotherhood is
based on prejudice against humans on the same level that hitler’s germany
was against the jews – they’re probably going to be homophobic, and that
wouldn’t be a very good place for an openly gay mutant. the hellfire club
will probably be accepting so long as it is doesn’t distract from business. the
freedom force may be more willing to take them in as they’re led by a newer
generation; the morlocks will be accepting of everyone, as would the x-men –
though in all cases you will still come across homophobes. keep in mind,
however, that most homosexuals and bisexuals are open and accepting
individuals – would they really hate humans enough to go around trying to
take them out? i’m thinking my minorities would be pro-human relations,
so please, lets try and keep them that way.

» PART II: PERSONAL DATA «

LIKES:

don’t repeat the same thing twice. if your character likes sports and soccer,
put them on the same line – those aren’t two different things; it’s really just
the same thing, only more specific. the likes and dislikes should give me a
small hint as to what goes on in your character’s head. do they like surfing?
do they hate the smell of a doctor’s office? i’m really looking for individuality
here – try not to be too basic, or too general. dig into your character’s head
and tell me what they like and don’t like – please don’t make them a clone of
every other character on the site. they should have one or two things that are
sort of exclusive to themselves. oh, and keep the lists vertical so i can read them.
a good idea would be to leave this until last – normally when you write the lists
first you’ll find your personality changes as you write it, and then there are
those minor contradiction that need fixing so things even out everywhere.
another thing that i'm not sure why people really do -- we don't need you to
explain why they like the things they like -- you already have a personality
section to explain why they're the way they are, so try not to make your lists
long-winded and repetitive of the personality section. just list them.

STRENGTHS:

of late i’ve been seeing a lot of people putting down a character’s powers as
part of their strengths and weaknesses. don’t. it’s pretty much a given that
your character’s powers will be both a blessing and a curse depending on
the degree of control. what i’m looking for are characteristics of each of these
characters that make them stronger and weaker, and therefore more believable.
are they impatient? are they blunt? are they painfully shy? pessimistic? i’m
looking for items like that; items that bring out a character’s flaws, both good
and bad, so as to go in hand with their overall personality.

AMBITIONS:

a lot of the time this section contradicts the rest of the application. if your kid is
a hard-ass, would they really be looking to find the one person they’re meant to
spend the rest of their life with? keep this part in line with how you’re writing
out your character – if they just want to kill every damn human in the world, then
say it – but also give them something not so generic to their group. perhaps they
want to find a relic from their past, or go some place they’ve never been. give your
kid a goal other than killing, loving, and money.

HABITS:

what does this character do that's unique to them? examples would be wringing
their hands together when nervous, shifting their eyes when lying, chewing on
their nails, etc.

DISLIKES:

see likes

WEAKNESSES:

see dislikes

FEARS:

almost everyone fears death – that’s a given. most mutants will fear the cure. if
you’re going to use those as a fear, i expect you to give me one extra fear than the
stated minimum. be original. snakes, clowns, dogs, cats, drowning, burning alive,
being buried alive, ghosts, being struck by lighting – try something that hasn’t
already been used. i like it when someone puts in something unique that goes hand
in hand with the character’s personality.

FACTS:

anything else you'd like to list about the character,
but don't have a specific spot to put it.

SECRETS:

just so we're on the same boat here, a secret is something no one, or very few people know.

PERSONALITY:

remember the golden rule: gary stu and mary sue do not have a place on `TND.
your character cannot be everything. if they are looking out for number one, i
wouldn’t think they would be team players. if they kill without batting an eye,
they aren’t going to be flirtatious. if they hyperventilate around people, they
aren’t going to have a lot of friends. don’t try and make your characters the
epitome of everything – if they’re an asshole, they’re an asshole. play it up, and
i actually might love you a little more. the shy girl isn’t going to have a temper
that flares up every few seconds. the epic hero might be taken advantage of
because he sees good in everyone – i want real characters with flaws in their
personality that make them good for plottage. however, don’t go overboard.
remember, the personality you make up for this character is how you need to
play them on the site – with the personality you have in mind, can you come
up with at least three open post possibilities before you apply? you don’t have
to write them down beforehand, but if you can come up with three ideas for
three different open posts, you’re on the right path. if you can’t, it probably
means you’re going to have a hard time plotting your character out on the site.
often times the nature of one’s powers can play into one’s personality – so what
powers do they have? how do their powers make them act – as in do they use
them for good, bad, fun, and so on? if you’re still having trouble, look this
over, it might help you get inside your character’s head. =]

this section must be at least three well written paragraphs minimum.

» PART III: PHYSICAL DATA «

HAIR:
EYES:
HEIGHT: be healthy!
WEIGHT: be healthy!
BODY TYPE:
MARKINGS: tattoos, piercings, scars, etc.
FACE CLAIM:

» PART IV: REGISTRY DATA «

STATUS:

mutant or human

CODENAME:

if you don't have one, feel free to make one up

PAST AFFILIATIONS:
CURRENT AFFILIATION:
THOUGHTS ON THE CURE:

i'd like one full length paragraph in first person, please.

POWERS:

most mutants need training to reach their full potential – those who have not
been a part of a faction are going to be weaker with their powers. younger
mutants mostly definitely have a ways to go – most would be at a level one
or two with room to grow. anyone with potential to be recruited and trained
by a faction leader has room to grow. think back on their personality and
their history – if they haven’t had a lot of influence in their life by another
mutant, then they aren’t going to be terribly good with their powers; they will
probably have more flaws, and less control.

POWER FLAWS:

see above

MUTANT CLASS:

» PART V: LIFE DATA «

PARENTS:

even if names aren't stated anywhere, make them up. even if the character
is an orphan and doesn't know their parents, names are still needed. you as
the creator should know all this information. be creative.

SIBLINGS:
SPOUSE/PARTNER:
CHILDREN:
OTHER:
PETS:
FINANCIAL STATUS:

if they're dependent on their parents/guardians, they'll be the same as
them. be realistic. rich kids don't typically work unless they've cut ties
with their family, etc.

CHARACTER THOUGHTS: one paragraph min.
HISTORY:

do not rush this section. too often someone will start with birth, then skip to
the teenage years, and then explore recent events ... where’s the childhood?
what was life before their powers erupted? how did their powers erupt? dow
did they evolve into the person they are today? how did they come to be a
part of the faction they’re currently in? don’t forget to mention the events of
all three films, even if it’s to say they read about it in the paper, or watched it
on the news. the cure must be mentioned, as should the march event.
read the world times section to see what happened in march, as well as other
months so you know what’s been going on here on `TND since we opened up.

this section must be at least four well written paragraphs.

» PART VI: PLAYER DATA «

ALIAS:
AGE & GENDER:
RP EXPERIENCE:
PASSWORD:

read the rules.

SAMPLE POST:

it doesn't have to be in-character. we'd just like to see your average,
and we hope you can at least meet the word count. take a look at
some of the other posts on our site to see what the average post looks
like. if you feel you can meet that, you're good to go.

» MEMBER TITLE «

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what tense to use

generally, the application should be third person, past tense in everything
except the opinion on the cure and thoughts on the family – that part must
be in first person. i don’t mind if you do the entire application in first person,
but please be sure to be extremely careful not to babble on when you need to
be explaining a character’s personality and history – too often those sections
turn into characters laughing at themselves or exaggerating. i prefer third
person, but if you can write an extremely well written first person application,
i might be willing to accept that – but again, it must be extremely well
written and organized. never, ever use second person – never address the
audience. whenever you use “you know” or “you wouldn’t believe” you’re only
breaking the fourth wall, and that actually takes me out of the application and
makes me feel it isn’t very professional. you’re trying to convince me you can
play this character – take it seriously. third person is best for that, and always
use past tense – anything else just doesn’t make sense.

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rules of thumb

always bump your application when finished. that's generally
the only way we're going to know if you're done or not. leaving
a message in the c-box is fine, but chances are with everyone
chattering away an admin won't see it, and we only check apps
when it seems like no work has been done for a few days.

if you're not done, and your application has been posted, it would
be nice if you put it in code taggings for two reasons: one, to
prevent the span tags from popping up and us having to fix it all
the time, and two, so we know you're not done. it helps to avoid
confusions, especially on my part when it seems like an app is
done, but apparently it's not. i don't want to post my critique
and then have you freak out and say "it's not done!"

never, never remove the admin edit once it's been put in. there's
that issue with the span tags again. if we've already edited out
the password, please, don't put it back in. we know you got it the
first time, and if everyone can see it there's a good chance they
won't read the rules, and then problems arise.