Sortinghat Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
modofthehat) wrote2012-06-07 07:03 pm
modofthehat) wrote2012-06-07 07:03 pm
Entry tags:
OC APPLICATION
Thinking of applying as an Original Character or a Canon Original Character? This is the application page to visit. As with other applications, we want to make sure you read the rules, as well as the taken character list if you're applying as a Canon OC to make sure the character you are applying for has not been taken already. You also might want to check out holds just to make sure.
Please make sure that you read over the FAQ and the HP canon guide to clear anything up, and if you feel like something has not been mentioned, post a comment and someone will get back to you as soon as possible. If having difficulty with your application, we recommend you give the Application Guide a look over as well.
Wondering what the guidelines are for Original Characters? Not sure if your character counts as Canon OC or what that even is? In addition to the normal application rules, you're expected to follow the guidelines we have listed below:
O R I G I N A L C H A R A C T E R R U L E S;
Canon OC rules:
1. No Fandom OC's. What is a Fandom OC? A Fandom OC is, for example, an X-Men character you created for that world and you want to bring them here. Not allowed, unfortunately.
2. Has to be a legitimate character. What does this mean? A random passerby character with no lines does not count.
3. In the personality section please make sure to let us know how you came to some of your own choices on the personality. This means naming canon examples.
4. If you're unsure whether your character qualifies as a Canon OC or not, make sure to ASK A MODERATOR before submitting your application.
OC Rules in General:
1. The same rules that we have for regular applications still apply. So check with us first about half Veela, Animagus, Vampire or Werewolf things.
2. Your character is not a descendant or related to ANY canon Harry Potter character. There are no exceptions to this rule.
3. Please be thorough with your personality section. We want a very solid idea of this. Since we don't have another place to look up their correct personality, the last thing we want is a character who is vague enough for this to change at a whim.
4. Applications with sparkly characters who are flawless orphans who are perfect at every subject and can do no wrong and everyone falls in love with them at every moment will be rejected.
Examples of Canon OC's:
- Fionna/Prince Gumball/Marshall Lee & canon genderswapped characters (Adventure Time)
- Matt (Death Note)
- Obscure Disney Prince/Characters (i.e: Prince from Cinderella/Snow White or the Feather Duster from Beauty & the Beast)
- Nyotalia (Hetalia)
- Ancestors (Homestuck)
- Foxface (Hunger Games)
- Ditzy Doo (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)
- Femio (Princess Tutu)
- Silent Protagonists (video games)
T H I N G S T O T A K E N O T E O F;
1. The mods have the jurisdiction to approve or deny any application submitted.
2. Post your application with your personal journal on the application page itself instead of linking it! If you don't have a personal journal, that's okay, but we strongly prefer it for keeping track of people. Remember to PUT THE TYPE OF APPLICATION IN THE HEADER so we know whether this is a OC or a Canon OC.
3. Your application will need to include two specific words; these words can be found hidden in the rules and information pages linked in the community profile.
4. You may only apply for ONE character at a time. Once that character is approved than you may choose another. A player is not allowed more than one un-responded to application on the application forum. For all new players to the RP, we ask you wait one week before applying as a new character, this will give you time to settle in to the community.
5. If the character's canon is ongoing and it's still early in their introduction, rather than applying them as a canon OC, we will advise you to postpone your application until you can get more information on them.
6. KEEP IN MIND. This is Hogwarts, and it's a British school. There shouldn't be a huge flood of "DESU DESU DESU" at any point in time. Thus, your characters should be British, or at the very least European. If they aren't, you MUST have a GOOD reason for it! The UK is very diverse and has many nationalities, so if you want them to be a different ethnicity, they can still be British! Here are some locations where characters reside.
7. When applying for a Hetalia Character, we request that you phrase the Canon history in the context of the comic, as opposed to the actual history of the country. This is so we can see how the history translates in to the anthropomorphic character.
8. PLEASE KEEP OOC CONVERSATION OUT OF THE APP POST! At least keep it to a minimum if you are going to say something such as 'huzzah for [fill in character name here]', get their AIM and tell them in person. I am sure they would rather hear it that way.
9. We don't have App Cycles at this rp. If applying for a:
→ Student: The most important thing to remember for students is that they are students who go to school. Be prepared to observe all student rules, meaning there are IC consequences for fighting, sneaking out after curfew, and pranks. That doesn't mean not to have fun, just know your character can get in trouble for it! There are also classes with homework, but signing up and doing school work is optional. More info on student rules are here and these spots will always be open.
→ Teacher/TA: Keep in mind what characters are suitable to teach, and pick a subject that makes sense for them (and for Hogwarts if it's a non- canon class). There is a maximum of two teachers and two TAs on any given subject and occupied teacher and TA spots can be seen there. Teacher characters should do Homework often, which can be posted here. Teachers are encouraged to give out detentions, house points, and overall, remember that they're teachers. More info on teacher rules are here. Currently: OPEN TO CANON CLASSES
→ Staff Member: Similar to professors, minus the assignments, they have a degree of authority as well, but not as much as teachers. They focus on working in the hospital wing, library, grounds, etc. Just like professors, they shouldn't entirely neglect their jobs for social interaction and will use the same application form as teachers. Occupied staff positions can be seen here. Currently: OPEN TO CANON POSITIONS
10. If your application is:
→Accepted: Congratulations! Follow the instructions, add yourself to all the lists, and welcome to Sorting Hat!
→Wavered: We think your application could use a few improvements to be up to the quality of our roleplay. You have a week to adjust these issues before the character is up for grabs again. If you reapply and we still don't find it up to par, you will be rejected.
→Rejected: There are significant problems with the application, so you must wait one week before reapplying or reserving that character (unless you already have a hold on that character, but you can't renew it if the hold expires). However, if you want to apply a different character, you can do so whenever.
| S T U D E N T O C A P P L I C A T I O N | | | T E A C H E R O C A P P L I C A T I O N |
Re-Application of Rua (Part 1)
Name: Michael Haneline
Timezone: Pacific (UTC-8)
Personal Journal: MichaelHaneline
Players Contact: Plurk: TwiceBlessed ; AIM: hightechart23
Email Address: high (dot) tech (another dot) artist (at) gmail (dot again) com
Former/Other Characters in the RP: None
How did you hear about us?: Kabby was raving about it.
Re-Application of Rua (Part 2 - Character Info)
Name: Rua Taibhse
Canon Origin/Series: Twice Blessed (a webcomic I write)
School Year: 6
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Out of school living location: Cratloe, County Clare, Ireland
Blood status: Pureblood
Re-Application of Rua (Part 3 - Personality)
- Trust Issues: Rua has trouble trusting others (especially men and authority figures). Kel taught Rua at a young age that people are naturally cruel and lie to suit their own whims, she witnessed the aurors kill the woman she had a crush on (whom she believed to be innocent), and has something of an estranged relationship with her parents.
- Gloomy: Rua has a morbid outlook on almost everything, often feeling the need to remind others that it won't be long (in the grand scheme of things) before they die, even if she "likes" that person. (If she doesn't like the person, she'll usually add that they'll probably eventually be forgotten, too.)
- Anti-Social: Rua seems to avoid social interaction when she can. The little socializing she does do is with ghosts and whatever bookish types she can find who will tolerate her sometimes odd personality (which is morbid and sarcastic). She does however find that she likes the journal system the school has in place, allowing her to communicate with others in a way that minimizes face-to-face interaction.
- Reluctant to engage in romantic relationships.: Though Rua is certainly attracted to the right kind of girl (intelligent, accepting, strong-willed), her hang-ups about what happened to her mentor, Kel, currently prevent her from feeling comfortable in pursuing anything. She is not one to attend proms (unless dragged to it by her "friends), and ignores or turns down the romantic advances of almost everyone in the school.
- Obsessed with Ghosts and the Darkness: Rua is convinced that she is haunted by the ghost of Kel (despite assurances from staff and other ghosts that she is not), because Rua frequently "sees" (ie. imagines?) Kel following her about in a ghostly patronus-like form. Rua's patronus even looks like her dead mentor, and Rua has been known to talk to Kel when she thinks she is alone and even involuntarily summons the patronus to comfort her when she is sad or scared.
In an attempt to understand death better, Rua socializes with ghosts more than students. She is very fond of the Grey Lady, and knows almost every ghost in Hogwarts by name. (Some ghosts seem to tolerate this better than others.)
- Sarcastic: Despite her anti-social tendencies, Rua is not without a sense of humor. She is very quick with retorts to insults and occasionally gets a chuckle out of others with a particularly clever sarcastic comment at someone else's expense.
- Sagacious: Rua loves to learn, and will lose herself in books for hours, if not days. These books usually aren't even required reading (usually reading such things very quickly), but are instead materials Rua has taken upon herself to study. Rua is especially interested in forgotten magical lore and in researching some new spells of her own.
- Unhealthy Curiosity: Rua's hunger for knowledge makes her very curious, to a level that is not always safe. Rua can seem nearly fearless when looking for new magical knowledge to obtain (especially if it is related to ghosts, or dark magic).
Re-Application of Rua (Part 4)
(About the setting: Twice Blessed is set in a high-fantasy Earth that was created when Plato from our "real world" accidentally discovered magic. He used it to try and create an "ideal" (as per the Socratic concept) version of the Earth, resulting in two realities: our world, where Plato assumed he failed and turned his studies elsewhere, and the Earth the comic is set on, where an incomplete copy of almost everything on Earth in 400 BC combined with and attempted to overwrite everything on another world (a high fantasy world with elves and dragons and all that high-fantasy stuff), shunting much of that world into dimensional pockets that overlap with the unstable Earth copy. Because of the instability of this new hybrid world, rifts allowing travel to other realities exist in certain places, and the mutable reality allowed the birth of wizardry, witchcraft, sorcery, and other magics. Fast forward to the late Middle Ages, and you have the magic-rich setting that Twice Blessed's story takes place.)
About Rua: In the comic, Rua is a sorceress who was adopted in her adolescence by a mage named Kel. Kel sensed great and unusual Shadow potential in Rua, and trained her as her apprentice.
Rua was born to a pair of adventuring mages in an alternate version of Ireland called Athair. Rua's early years were unconventional, and she got to meet many strange creatures and witness a variety of supernatural phenomena in the wild deep forests of the country while traveling with her mom and dad. When Rua was eight, her parents went on some sort of investigative trip and never returned (likely having been killed). Soon after, Kel Rundamair, a wizard from the Empire of Veritas who claimed to be a friend of Rua's parents, came and adopted the girl and took her as her apprentice.
Kel soon discovered that Rua had something very dark and powerful within her, and sought to both train Rua and to protect her. Kel trained Rua vigorously, secretly casting multiple permanent protective wards upon Rua during her training that kept whatever dark power she had within her from harming Rua or others. Kel then trained Rua to use this power to augment her magic with the power of Shadow. While Kel cared for Rua in a way that was almost maternal, Rua gradually began to develop a strong crush on her master that she kept a secret.
When Rua was eighteen, and nearing the end of her training, tragedy struck. The priesthood of Veritas (note: Veritas is an empire, a god, and a religion) sensed the growing shadow magic in Kel's tower and formed an Inquisition to try Kel as a dark witch. They stormed her tower and Kel, seeking to protect Rua, forced Rua to flee while fighting off the Veritian Inquisitors. Kel died saving Rua, and Rua never forgave herself.
The inquisitors destroyed Kel's body, and Rua could find no one who could resurrect her master without it. When divine magic could not save Kel, Rua delved deep into her studies of Shadow magic and tried to use her dark magic to pull Kel back from the River Styx. In doing so, she almost killed herself and tore a rift between the realm of the living and the dead. Kel's spirit was returned to the world as a specter, who then sought out Delbin, the champion of Shadow. Delbin begrudgingly sealed the portal and saved Rua, but now Rua is literally haunted by the ghost of the woman who meant so much to her, slowly driving her more mad. Kel, meanwhile, does her best to continue to protect Rua, sensing that her desperate gambit to reach Kel had strengthened the dark power within Rua, endangering not just the young witch, but the world.
Re-Application of Rua (Part 5 - AU!Canon)
As Rua got older, she developed a strong curiosity of what was in the woods of Gallowshill, a curiosity which grew stronger as she heard tales of banshees and fairies and other things that supposedly lived within. She wandered deeper and deeper into the woods, and soon her parents forbade her to play in them. However, Rua did not listen, and would frequently sneak into the woods. When she was 7 years old, Rua came across the fugitive witch, Kel Rundamair, who used the forest as one of her hiding places from the Ministry of Magic. The naive Rua befriended Kel, and Kel, slightly mad and believing Rua to have great potential for dark magic, took an unhealthy interest in the child. Kel presented herself to Rua's parents and magically influenced the weaker wizards into accepting her as a private tutor for the girl.
On Rua's eighth birthday, Kel began "teaching" young Rua, frequently taking her on "field trips" via apparition to secret ruins in Germany's Black Forest where Kel's dark magic would not draw attention. Kel tried to train young Rua in witchcraft almost immediately, despite the generally accepted knowledge that children younger than 11 could not safely control such power. After a couple disasters that nearly scared Rua away from using magic entirely, Kel eventually accepted that Rua was too young. She convinced the girl's parents that Rua needed much more private education, and worked to keep Rua fascinated in the power of magic. Kel instead taught her magical theory (in the form of stories) and had Rua assist her in many of her black rituals and research for three years, doing what she could to give the girl a jump-start in her training in the dark arts. Rua learned what she was taught surprisingly well, and made a very clever and useful assistant to Kel during these years.
On Rua's eleventh birthday, the first invitation to Hogwarts arrived. Kel convinced Rua and her parents to reject it in favor of a "superior" private apprenticeship. Kel then took her on another long "field trip" to the wand-maker Gregorovitch, who matched Rua with a hard 13-inch hawthorn wand with a dragon-heartstring core, and began tutoring Rua in the ways of magic. She taught Rua all the basics, and then began her training as a dark witch with intensive study of jinxs, hexes, basic curses, and other spells most useful in dark wizardry. Rua had come to want Kel's approval more than anything, and that, combined with her natural hunger for knowledge, spurred her on to learn as much as she could regardless of the danger. Rua proved to be a serious studier and a fast learner, and indeed showed a talent with jinxes, hexes, and curses that Kel found encouraging.
When Rua was 13, Kel was about to begin her training in truly dark magic, but fate intervened. Aurors finally found out what Kel had been doing, freed Rua's parents' minds, and went to capture Kel. When they attempted to capture the dark witch, Kel engaged them in a deadly dual that forced the aurors to kill her. Rua was brought back to her parents, and it was recommended that she be enrolled at Hogwarts to continue her training in witchcraft properly.
Rua's parents knew that she had learned some magic, but they grossly misjudged how much because of Rua's own deceptions; Rua feared she may be killed like Kel if it was found out what dark things she knew, so she "played dumb" and hid much of her knowledge to deflect any suspicion. Her parents arranged for 13-year-old Rua to transfer to Hogwarts as a second-year student (thinking she'd fallen behind), and in her first year it seemed like even that might be too much for her. Struggling with recent traumatic experiences and hiding much of what she learned out of fear of retribution, Rua fared poorly in her early classes and mostly shunned the other students. Rua constantly saw visions of Kel as a ghost, and began to think she was haunted. The teachers and ghosts in Hogwarts could find no sign of such a haunting, and began to counsel Rua. As this counseling continued, Rua fared much better at Hogwarts, but never accepted that Rua's spirit was not with her.
By the end of her fourth year, Rua had shown marked improvement and performed exceptionally in all her classes, especially in Defense against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Potions. She still showed little interest in socializing with her peers, preferring to devote herself to studying or locking herself somewhere private where she could talk to the "ghost" of Kel. She also took a strong interest in the other ghosts of Hogwarts around this time, socializing with them more than the living, it seemed. Kel maintained her interest in the dark arts, and learned everything she could about it at the school, mostly through materials for the Defense classes (she claims to have read every book the school library has available for DaDA at least once). It was this year that she learned to summon her patronus - which resembled an apparition of Kel, and it is a charm she has practiced incessantly ever since. It is even rumored that sometimes the patronus seems to summon itself when Rua needs or wants it most.
Rua, now beginning her 6th year, is a mostly normal student, albeit an anti-social one with an unhealthy interest in ghosts (and secretly in the dark arts). She managed to get O's in all of her OWLs last year, but has tried to let as few people know about that as possible.
Re-Application of Rua (Part 6 - Houses)
Gryffindor: Rua can be exceptionally brave in some ways, but usually not in the reckless way that Gryffindor's tend to be. (However, if looking for new magical knowledge to obtain, all bets are off, and Rua may end up doing things that even your average Gryffindor may be impressed by.) She has no interest in heroics or chivalry, especially since these qualities to draw even more of the attention that Rua tries so hard to avoid.
Rua can get along well enough with Gryffindors as long as she isn't expected to be a leader or anything. If someone else is leading the proverbial charge, Rua is happy to provide backup. He clever sarcastic remarks are also very useful in dealing with the house rivalry with Slytherins.
Hufflepuff: Rua can definitely be hard-working, willing to spend absurd amounts of time and effort on a project that interests her. She is also very patient, knowing that it is often times the only way to find out what she needs to know. However, these two qualities seem to be the only Hufflepuff traits she has. Even then, her work-ethic drops considerably when being asked to help with chores, and her patience is definitely much shorter when dealing with the mundane aspects of life. She is not very friendly and is prone to keeping secrets, and would be a rather dark cloud amongst the otherwise cheery Hufflepuffs.
Any "friendships" that Rua has with a Hufflepuff will likely involve the 'puff dragging Rua to various events and gatherings, either for "her own good" or because of an obliviousness to Rua's sour disposition.
Ravenclaw: Rua has many Ravenclaw qualities. She is an avid learner, often losing herself to her books for days at a time if she can get away with it. She is unusually wise for a girl her age, usually thinking of the most reasonable solutions when other students want to do something rash or dumb. He wit is sharp, as she will likely display in a sarcastic manner if being pestered. Finally, she has the intellect of a Ravenclaw, picking up new knowledge very quickly and being able to remember an impressive amount of information after hearing or seeing it once. Rua loves things that make her think, and the one type of person she gets along with at least somewhat are deep-thinkers. She rarely would have trouble getting through the doors to Ravenclaw, thinking of most of the puzzles as "child's play" by this point.
Ravenclaws are the students that Rua is most likely to befriend in Hogswart. Rua does not seem to notice social oddities, and if one can keep up with her in a conversation about arcane theory, then they are at least okay in her book.
Slytherin: Rua does have some strong Slytherin qualities as well. She was originally trained by a dark witch, and has not given up her interest in dark magic. She trusts very few people, and is generally a bit misanthropic. She is rather clever, often thinking of unique solutions to problems and tricks that hadn't occurred to anyone else. Finally, she is a pureblood witch (though she honestly doesn't care much about such things and thinks Slytherins are a bit dense to be so concerned about it).
However, Rua also has qualities that would make her a very poor Slytherin: She is not ambitious, as she really cares about very little in the mortal world besides knowledge. She certainly is not a strong leader, either, completely lacking the empathy or charisma needed for such things. Finally, Rua is not at all interested in the whole bloodline ideal, and is not likely to take anyone's side based on such matters.
Re-Application of Rua (Part 7 - RP Samples)
Sample Journal Entry:
It looks like another year is about to begin...
I glanced over some of the other journal entries others have been making, and all the whining about summer being over? Wasted ink. Honestly, I'd rather read Hufflepuff love poems. Did anyone learn anything useful during the summer? Any new spells researched? I'd love to hear some news of that sort...
Anyways, I'm off to see if there are any new ghosts in the school. I'll check back later.
OH, AND NEW STUDENTS, I'm Rua. Don't bother me with any stupid questions, alright? Especially not while I'm reading.
Sample Interaction Post:
Rua crept back to her room late at night, a large musty book carried under her arm. Back in her bed, she lays it out and magically lights a small floating candle. Reading the words, she mutters to herself,
"Tenebris magicae... fortissima est... clarissima luce..."
She then looks about suddenly, and whispers more conversationally... to empty air.
"Yes, I know what I'm doing. I had the best teacher, didn't I? Not my fault you couldn't stick around... I have to find books like this on my own."
Rua pauses, as if listening to a return reply. "No they don't let students check out books like this! Why do you think I made such a trip in the cover of darkness? I-"
She pauses, and suddenly looks frightened. "Did you hear that?" she says in a lower whisper. Rua, now tense, hides the book in a special satchel of her own enchantments, blows out the candle, and pretends to be asleep.
Rejected
While the application is a vast improvement over the previous one, the character as of now comes across as flat, with very little to her. For instance, there's no mention on how her personality affects her interactions with the ghosts or if familiarity can alter the way she engages people. We really only get the most basic understanding of what kind of character Rue is. We know she's that she's bookish, and as a result of being traumatised by her early life, she has developed an aversion to socializing, and an obsession with death. But what else makes her who she is? Does she have any ambitions? Does her earlier upbringing still have any lingering effects on her? These are just a few of the things we feel are lacking from the character that would help flesh her out.
Another concern is that her claims to see a ghost that everyone claims to not exist should have raised concerns that wouldn't go away that easily; at the very least, she'd have earned a trip to St. Mungo's. It just comes across as she has been so upset by the traumatic events in her life that school would be delayed until her mental well being was assured.
As such, taking these factors in mind, Rue seems to be too underdeveloped and mentally fragile for us to accept her into the game. If you still wish to try and apply her into the game (you're certainly welcome to) once it's been a month, we ask that you spend some more time developing her as a character, and that you take the effects of the events in her backstory into further account on how authority figures would handle her post-kidnapping.
Re: Rejected
Re: Rejected
1. Rua was tutored by a dark witch who was killed by Aurors. She claimed she was haunted by her and ended up in St. Mungo's, where she learned to tell authority figures what they want to hear (that she couldn't see the ghost even though she still believed she could, etc.) and started at Hogwarts a year late. She still has a sort of creepy "imaginary friend" but she knows to keep it a secret.
2. Rua started at Hogwarts like normal and became a teacher's pet of one of the witch instructors. (Not a dark witch, but maybe a DODA teacher?) The teacher died, but her ghost still haunts the school. Rua is not crazy, but still likes spending more time with ghosts than would be considered healthy by most because of the ghost teacher.
Obviously writing a thorough story means I have to make a decision on a back plot, so if you could give me your thoughts it would be appreciated.
Re: Rejected