APPLICATION FAQ

[trodemods]

◊ Before beginning your application...
◊ While writing your application...
◊ After submitting your application...

◊ BEFORE ◊

What kind of characters can I apply?

Any medium: animanga, live action, video games, comics, webcomics, books, etc. Any character within those mediums, including minor ones, canon alternate universes and fan-created alternate universes, including genderswaps. You may also apply with original characters from your own universe, or original characters from a fandom universe. Finally, we accept original characters from the game's universe as well, though they will obviously not have the same arrival experience as everyone else.

What if I app a character who has previously been played and dropped?

You are free to create a new alternate history for them, and we will help you weave it into the existing universe of the Ark.

What if the character I'm apping is non-human?

Everyone on the Ark is human. The AU in question would be a human AU, though one with a decidedly similar construction and psychology to the non-human character. We'll allow more leeway and creativity in constructing AU backgrounds for characters such as these.

What if the character I'm apping has superpowers?

Pitch it to us. The Ark is full of strange and unlikely magics. If we feel it should be limited, we'll let you know.

What if the character I want to app has physical enhancements, or is humanoid but not quite human?

Cybernetic enhancements are likely, even common, in certain parts of the Ark. Other augmentations can be justified by applications of technology or magic. If you make a case for it, we will listen!

Do you allow underage characters?

Yes. If they are below 16, give us a little text in the Reason for Playing section on why you feel they're suitable for this game. We reserve the right to deny characters who we feel don't fit the tone of the game, but is unlikely that we'll exercise that right.

What if the character I want to app has died in canon?

You may take them from an earlier canon point, or you can have them experience their death as part of their network life.

How many characters can I app?

You can app two at once, and then a third after two weeks' time. After that, with each successive activity check you pass, you'll be allowed one more character, eventually topping at six.

Do you have application cycles?

Nope. Apps will always be open.

◊ DURING ◊

What do you look for in an application?

Here's a section by section breakdown: I: PLAYER INFO Name (or internet handle): Age: Unfortunately, we are not accepting applications for players under the age of sixteen. Contact: (can be email, AIM, or personal/character LJ) Current characters in Road of 'Trode: II: CHARACTER INFO Name: Livejournal Username: [Bad username or unknown identity: USERNAME HERE] Fandom: If the fandom has several different names, please provide them all. Age/Appearance: A few sentences is fine. Wiki Links: Fandom characters may provide a wiki link in lieu of history. If you wish, you may write out your characters' history in more detail. Canon Point: Please explain the extent of the hallucination your character experiences and what canon point they come from. Personality: This might be the most important part of the application. We want to hear about the person's inner motivations, outer behavior, their attitudes, and why their attitudes are the way they are. It should be at least a few good-sized paragraphs. If you are apping an AU or a character with prior game history, be sure to elaborate here on how that changed the character's personality. Reason for playing: This is likewise an important section. We want to hear not only about why you want to play this character, but why you want to play them here, as opposed to a single-fandom game or a dressing room. What themes and parts of their character do you plan on exploring here? III. ARK HISTORY Name: (if different) Age/Appearance: (if changed) History: Residence/Job: Skills/Powers: Resources: For more detail on this section, please check our Ark History Tutorial. IV. SAMPLE Arrival: (500 words minimum) This sample should be the story of the character's arrival experience. Please use it to show us more about the character, how they interact with their world, and how the extremely disorienting arrival experience affected them. It should also ideally give us a good idea of the character's voice. This section is very important!

Original Character Supplement

Add this section onto the end of your application if you are applying with an original character from a universe of your own creation. World History/Universe: Tell us about your OC's universe! Is it an ordinary Earth? A spacefaring society? What's the culture like? Specifically, we want a look at this world from your character's point of view. What was it like, for them? Character History: Please use this section to tell us your character's personal history. Tell us how they became who they are.

Fandom Original Character Supplement

Add this section onto the end of your application if you are applying with an original character from a fandom universe, not a universe of your own creation. History: Please use this section to tell us your character's personal history. Tell us how they became who they are. Relations with canon characters (if any): Does your OC know any canon characters? If so, what are their relationships? Please be as thorough as possible. If they know a great many canon characters, focus on their most important relationships.

Alternate Universe Character Supplement

Add this section if your character is an alternate-universe version of an established canon character. Nature of the AU: Give us a short summary of what the AU is all about. Has the main character turned evil? Is it an AU where one character made a different choice? Is it a genderswap? This is to give us an idea of what we're looking for in the AU history. AU History: Elaborate on how the AU is different from canon and what that means for your character.

Prior Game History Supplement

Add this section onto your app if you are bringing in a character with prior history at another roleplaying game. Prior Game History: Give us the highlights of the character's time in their previous game. What happened to them? What have they been through? What was it like? How 'Prior Game History' changed the character: For any additional details not covered in personality. Major relationships from the prior game: Did they develop any major relationships with characters outside of their canon? If so, please elaborate on who those characters were and the nature of the relationship.

Game-Universe Original Characters

To apply with original characters from the Ark's canon universe, fill out the canon character application as though the Ark History section were simply the character's own history. Be sure to put 'Original - Road of Trode' in the canon section, or something similar, so we know what we're looking for!

◊ AFTER ◊

I just apped. How long will you guys take to get to it?

Most likely, we'll process your app within the next week. If there's a problem, or the mods are busy, it may take longer. If there's been no response for a week, it's okay to poke us over PM to make sure we've got it.

An app below mine has been processed, but mine hasn't. WHAT DID I DO WRONG?

Odds are your app is an OC app, or from a canon that the mods are unfamiliar with. We tend to go for efficiency in app processing, and thus will sometimes process some apps out of order. Rest easy; we'll get to it.

I was declined. When can I re-apply?

Two weeks after the date of the decline.

Comments

[wwii]

i have a question! hope this is the right place to ask it. what are the guidelines regarding linking apps? is it square or do you prefer apps be posted directly to the app page via comment?

[trodemods]

We require that they be posted out, for several reasons.

One is that I really like reading apps from my inbox. Also, we like having a searchable archive of apps so we can check for references to specific things and an inbox works well for that. In a more paranoid sense, we like to have a record of what we approved as far as powers/abilities go, in case someone tries to change them on the sly. Not that we actually expect anyone to do that, but an ounce of prevention, etc.

So, yes! Post them out fully, if you please.

[wwii]

not paranoid at all; totally reasonable and most of the reason i asked. thanks for the prompt response!

[vindico_mus]

I have a bit of an unusual question - I and some other friends have AU characters native to their game, but that game is closing. We don't really want to lose the CR there, so we were curious if the rules for previous game history could work for AU charas from other games as well?

The game itself had a similar premise to this one - it was also cyberpunk, so most of the Native histories would enable them to transition to the game setting here as well...

(The app on this profile is the chara I'd like to bring in.)

[trodemods]

Wait, hang on, let me make sure I understand.

You have characters from an original canon, AU'd into another game's universe. And you're wondering if you can app them with the AU game history as their Ark hallucination history.

Because if that's the question, then yes! I'd like you guys to fill out both the AU section and the alternate game history section, just to make sure we get the whole picture, but they're certainly appable.