The Xavier Institute Mod Journal (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
astonishing_xmods) wrote2014-08-24 06:54 pm
astonishing_xmods) wrote2014-08-24 06:54 pm
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APPLICATION
BEFORE YOU APP please make certain you have read over the HISTORY, RULES, and FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS to assure you have a complete understanding of the game, its setting, and what is expected of you as a player. Thank you.
PLAYER INFORMATION
CHARACTER INFORMATION
SAMPLES
APPLICATIONS ARE CURRENTLY OPEN
PLAYER INFORMATION
PLAYER: Your name, as in you the player
ARE YOU AT LEAST 16 YEARS OLD?: You must be at least 16 to join this game
IF UNDER 18 YEARS OLD, PLEASE STATE YOUR AGE: Self-explanatory
CONTACT: Plurk, aim, OOC journal, or just set up for private messaging, the mods need some way to contact you.
CHARACTERS PLAYED: The names and journals of any characters you already play in the game.
CHARACTER INFORMATION
NAME: Your character's name
CANON: What your character comes from
CANON REFERENCE: Any info links will be accepted here. If apping an OC, this doesn't really apply to you.
AGE: Your character's age in this AU. If it differs from their canon age, please make note of it here as well.
GENDER: Your character's gender in this AU. If it differs from their canon gender, please make note of it here as well
YEAR IN SCHOOL/FACULTY POSITION: This should match what is on your reserve.
APPEARANCE: This does not need to be a detailed section. A picture and/or short description is all that's really needed. However, if you're apping an OC, we'd like at least a little more thought put into this section. IF THERE ARE ANY MAJOR PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE AU AND THE ORIGINAL, THEY SHOULD BE NOTED HERE.
PERSONALITY: We would like at least four paragraphs here. If you can do more, that's great, but anything less will be given an automatic revision. What we want here are the ins and outs of the character. Their motivations, personal strengths, and weaknesses. What makes them tick, so to speak. This is not a history section. If at all possible, please back up major personality points with canon examples. Site canon whenever possible. If there are some differences in the personality due to the AU nature of the game, please note them here, but remember that your character's personality cannot be too drastically different. The core character should remain the same.
POWERS/ABILITIES: Please give a detailed explanation of your character's mutant powers here. Literal strengths, weaknesses, and the upward limit of their ability. Spare nothing here, as we will be scrutinizing this section heavily. If you need to link wikipedia for scientific explanations and whatnot, you are free to do so. Remember, any multiple powers need to be related in some way to the core ability. The only exception to this rule are physical mutations. For example, Nightcrawler can teleport, but he's also a fuzzy blue devil man who can scale walls. These two are not related, but because his devil nature is a physical mutation, it would be allowed.
AU HISTORY: This is the meat of the AU. We want a detailed history of their character. Their early life, how they came to discover they were a mutant, and what lead them to the institute. If they've been here awhile, we'd like to know what they've done since coming to Xavier. If they're a returning character, we want to fill in the gap between when they were here last and now. Once again, spare no detail. There is no hard limit on how long this needs to be, but if we feel it is too barebones, there will be a revision, so please do what you can. HOWEVER it should be noted that there is such a thing as too much information as well. Please do not make your history overly long or bogged down in ultimately unimportant information. Be kind to the mods reviewing your app.
SAMPLES
NETWORK SAMPLE: You may link from an outside source, either our Test Drive or other places, but they MUST be set in the game. An acceptable linked sample for this prompt must be have at least seven comments from YOUR character in the linked thread.
This is basically to show off character voice in the form of a network post. It can be text, vocal, or video. We want at least some dialog, though in cases of less talkative characters, we are willing to accept character 'voice' in more subtle ways. Make it work!
LOG SAMPLE: You may link from an outside source, either our Test Drive or other places, but they MUST be set in the game. An acceptable linked sample for this prompt must be have at least seven comments from YOUR character in the linked thread.
This is an example of your ability to write the character's introspection. Their thoughts, feelings, and reactions to a given situation. Get inside their head. Remember to show, not tell. These are off network, what would normally go in the log community. You do not necessarily need to write this prose style, and can do a bracket style if you choose. But we still need to see a healthy amount of introspection.
REJECTED
The mod team has reviewed and discussed your app, and we're sorry to say that we can't accept it this round. There are problems that would require rewriting substantial portions of the application.
Some points that we would need to see addressed before we'd be able to consider this character:
-Personality: This section meets basic paragraph requirements, but feels rather simple and flat. We need to see a more detailed, in-depth analysis here -- this is the section that lets us see how well you understand how your character thinks, feels, and acts in a variety of circumstances. It's a very important section for original characters, because this is where the mods get to see how much effort you've put into making your character well-rounded and emotionally realistic.
-Powers: The format here is a little bit difficult to read and the power is too vague. The policy in this game is to allow multiple powers if they can fit under one blanket power (in this case, we'd suggest something along the lines of "enhanced physical abilities", with enhanced strength, enhanced flexibility, and superhuman climbing skills as sub-powers), so the power set in and of itself is fine, but we would need to see more information on the level and limitations of her abilities. (Is her strength enough to lift a horse? An elephant? A semi truck?)
-History: This relates a bit to powers a bit, as well, and to game balance.
The Sentinels in this version of continuity are incredibly difficult to defeat -- when they were first introduced in the plot, a team of veteran X-men were unable to do much of anything against them. The only thing that has been of any use against them was Jean Grey's self-sacrificing use of the Phoenix Force, in a unique incident that's been very central to the game's subsequent plot. In short, it doesn't work for our game balance to say that a single character with enhanced physical abilities could take one down alone, much less as an untrained teenager. This element of her backstory would need to be changed (perhaps substituting a different dangerous enemy for the Sentinels). The history section could also use a little more length and detail in general.
-Network Sample: This section is meant to show how your character would interact with others using computers or other technology. As an example, you can look at the entries in this community. What you've written seems more like an internal monologue where the character is talking to herself.
-Log Sample: This section is meant to be written in the third person, and to show the character's actions, thoughts, and feelings less through her words, and more through the narration. For example, instead of something like "I feel angry," it would be more natural in this section to write something more like, "Her eyes narrowed, as she felt her temper start to slip." Showing rather than telling is key here.
If you would like to try again next round, we recommend a complete rewrite with these things kept in mind. If you have any questions regarding our decision or the application process, we can be reached on this page.