Thank you for your interest in our little community. We're glad you're interested in joining and wish you the best of luck. However, it is important for everyone who applies to understand a few things.
While we encourage our members to enjoy themselves, writing is the first priority of this community. We take what we do seriously, and we expect the same from you. We expect maturity from all of our members. Not just personally, but in their writing. To be blunt... Only good writers will be accepted.
We're looking for writers, not role-players. People who have a serious interest in furthering their literary ability and being part of a growing world. That doesn't mean that fun isn't part of it, but quality comes first.
Now, if you're still interested, I'd like to go through the things that we'll look for as we go through your application, and what you can do to make sure that you get accepted the first time you apply.
Name
Make sure you've read the Naming Guideline for the world you've chosen for your character. You have the option of letting the writing staff create a name for you, and naturally we'll give you several different names to choose from, or let you adjust one of the ones we suggest until you like it. (If you'd like the writing staff to create a name for you, just leave a ~ in the field.) Common names from the real world will not be accepted. (That means no John(s), Amy(s), Elizabeth(s), or anything of that sort.)
Nationality/Species
While at some point in the future we may accept outside characters, for now the only races we're accepting are those that already exist within the world. There is plenty of material in each Shard for a player to create an interesting character with a provacative plot. Each world has its own setting-wide plot going that new players can either join, or simply react to.
Brief History
With the exception of the Writing Sample, this is the most important part of your application, so please take your time on it. Read all the source material for the world you've chosen, and look over the Admin applications to see what works. Your character's history doesn't have to be terribly long. The important thing is to justify their life and their present state of mind through their past experiences. Tell us why they are the way they are and what has transpired to get them where they are.
Writing Sample
As I said, this is the most important part of your application. This is where you get a chance to show us what you're made of. To show us what you'll be like as a member of our community. Don't just wing it. Take your time on this. You don't have to submit something that fits the setting, nor does the writing sample have to be about your character. It can be anything, so long as you wrote it and it's a story. If you have something you wrote months ago that you're particularly proud of, give us that! We like to be impressed!
Note: Naturally, existing members will not be required to submit a writing sample more than once. We do however need you to submit a character application for each character you wish to have, so we can enter them into the Character Archive.
The rest of the information will not be posted on the website. Your name, age email and im information will go into the admin files. If your application is accepted, you'll receive an email with a link to the registration form for the message board.
And that's it. You're ready to apply for your first character. Good luck!