Character Templates/Rules

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Polaris

Polaris

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Staff Account
May 30, 2014
2,002
Character Rules
Application Procedure​

  • Post applications in the Character Hub. Work in progress and incomplete appplications should be posted in the free for all forum.
  • Use your character's full name as the thread title. Titles should only be 'First Last', or 'First "Nickname" Last' if their nickname is what they commonly go by. If the character only ever goes by the nickname and their name is a secret, use the nickname as the title.
  • The base application must be used, but can be modified. Not all fields are applicable to all characters. Read the format carefully, and remove any that are not relevant to your character. Feel free to add additional fields or restyle the application, but all standard fields should be included. We do not allow free form applications.
  • Choose the correct category. Being a student takes priority over every other category, and being staff takes priority over everything but student.
  • Please try to keep your applications brief. Depending on abilities, and how much history a character has to get through, most applications on Starlight Academy range from 500 to 2000 words. If you're going past that, there are likely portions that are not as currently relevant to the setting and should be cut down.
  • Moderators are notified automatically when an app is posted. You do not need to notify a mod that your app has been posted. Most applications are handled within 24-48 hours.
  • Please don't add tags to your application. Tags should be added to your character sheet later, once the application is approved and converted.
  • Pends are normal: don't panic! Depending on your application, your character might be temporarily pended for clarifications or changes. A member of the staff will contact you and explain what edits you need to make, and when those edits are made, accept your character. Most players are pended their first time around, and it's nothing to worry about.
Character Guidelines​

  • Completely fill out the application. All relevant fields should be filled out to a degree that the mod can get a feel for your character. For appearances, an image alone is not a replacement for a description.
  • All characters must be original. All characters you submit must be your own original creation and cannot include canon characters, creatures, or concepts from other copy-written works.
  • Characters are allowed to be connected to mythology, urban myth, and public domain works. However, you cannot play the canon in question. You could play a child of Zeus, but not Zeus himself. You could play a demon who believes they inspired Faust, but you couldn't say they actually did. Leave room for other players!
  • We do not keep records of who is using which image, but do have rules for the use of character images.
    • Art You Have the Rights To: The artist should be credited. If the artist is yourself you should still note it.
    • Official Art: Include the character name, the source of the art, and the artist (if possible). If you can, link to a place where the image has been publicly posted. Official art can be edited freely, but please credit the person who made the edits.
    • Unofficial Art (Fanart, etc): The character and artist should both be listed. If the artist cannot be identified, or has requested their art not be reposted, the art cannot be used. Art that was commissioned for another user, adoptables not bought by you, and art of an OC cannot be used. Unofficial art cannot be edited without permission.
    • Real Life Playbys: Playbys should be publicly known figures, such as a professional model or movie star. Please name the person in question, and link back to a professional reference for them (IMBD page, modeling agency, etc).
    • Stock Images: Follow any posted terms and link to the source of the stock image.
    • Cropping an image is fine, but should not be used solely to remove an artist's signature. Signatures should be left in wherever possible.
    • The artist's rule is law. If art would generally not be allowed to be used, but an artist says it's fine to use, then you're good to go. If art would be fine to use, but an artist asks that you not, you can't use it.
  • Keep applications appropriate. Applications (and character sheets) cannot have a mature tag, and should not have any inappropriate or R rated materials included or linked to. Images that are borderline (such as those containing body horror), should be placed under a spoiler tag. We encourage including content warnings for upsetting or offensive content, such as child abuse or non-con for the comfort of your readers.
  • Include all of your characters powers. SA does not have a standard for any given species or power set, so simply saying that they're a werewolf will not provide enough detail. Anything they can do that a human wouldn't be able to should be noted.
  • Please keep a character's powers reasonable. Your character should not be able to do everything, win every fight, or have dozens of powers. Strongly consider adding weaknesses if your character has more than a few powers (or has particularly strong ones).
  • Some magical items are free for citizens of the island. Consider checking out the list for more details.
  • Want some more guidance? This FAQ includes further clarifications on actives vs passives, what counts as a weakness, and some information on mental auras. This FAQ includes some errata and lists out things which commonly come up in pends. It also contains examples of some acceptable powers.
After Acceptance​

  • Claims are handled for you. Unless your character has a business, all claims will be handled by the mod who accepts your application.
  • Once accepted, character applications are converted into character sheets. You'll need to update your new character sheet to fill out their basic information. You can find a full explanation here.
  • If your character has a business, make sure to set it up. Businesses should have threads posted in the Businesses forum once a character connected to it has been accepted, and then be posted in the claims thread.
  • You may freely edit your character sheet after acceptance. Characters may age normally, their personalities may shift, or their histories may be expanded without posting an update. If you're making a major change (retconning their age, significantly changing the character, or updating their powers), you should use the 'post an update' feature on their character sheet. Explain specifically what the change is and why it's happening, and the mods will take a look at it to make sure everything is in order. Make sure to include specific details about what exactly is changing. Tell us which abilities are changing and how.
 
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Polaris

Polaris

For official threads only. Do not PM.
Staff Account
May 30, 2014
2,002
Template
Required​
Code: 
[B]Name:[/B] Your characters name.
[B]Age:[/B] Your characters age. In cases where chronological age might not match, feel free to mention a mental or physical age as well.
[B]Birthday:[/B] Does not need to include year.
[B]Gender:[/B] Feel free to include pronouns as well.
[B]Species:[/B] Please refer to the list of species tags in the Character Templates/ Rules thread! (post 4)
[B]Category:[/B] Student / Staff / Citizen. If your character has a job but is also a student, student takes priority.
[B]Class:[/B] [If your character is a student or teacher, erase otherwise] Elementary, Middle School, High School, or College
[B]Grade:[/B] [If your character is a student, erase otherwise] Standard American grade system (This is not the letter grade your student is receiving in school. This is their grade level.)
[B]College Major[/B]: [If your character is a college student, erase otherwise]
[B]Subject/Work:[/B] [If your character is a staff member, erase otherwise] What do they teach, or what do they do?
[B]Career:[/B] [If your character has a job, erase otherwise] What do they do for a living?


[B]Appearance Description:[/B] Eye color, skin color, clothing style, hair, height, weight, etc. No specific length; however much you need. Pictures are allowed, but please put a short description as well. Can use bullet points.

[B]Personality Description:[/B] This can be either in paragraph format (even just a single paragraph is fine) or in bullet points listing major personality traits. You should have both positive and negative traits.

[B]Active Abilities:[/B] List out the active abilities your character has access to. Active abilities are abilities your character can turn on and off, even if they don't have perfect control. This includes all types of abilities: A characters natural powers, their species abilities, and any magical items they might have.

[B]Passive Abilities:[/B] List out the passive abilities your character has. Passive abilities are abilities that are always active, whether your character wants them to be or not. This includes all types of abilities: A characters natural powers, their species abilities, and any magical items they might have.

[B]Weaknesses:[/B] Weaknesses are a part of your characters ability set which hinders them in some way. They are not limitations on their existing abilities (such as ranges, drawbacks, downsides), but instead completely separate drawbacks. A vampire being weak to sunlight, a fire mage who can't tolerate cool temperatures, and a werewolf's weakness to silver would all be considered weaknesses. Characters are not required to have weaknesses, but are strongly encouraged to do so. Only characters who have more than three active

[B]Biography:[/B] This can be either in paragraph format (even just one or two paragraphs are fine) or in bullet points listing major parts of their history. Remember to mention how they got to the island.

[B]Resources:[/B] Mention any sources of income, their place of residence, and most significant possessions. This shouldn't be more than a sentence or two.

[U]Additional Information:[/U] Is there anything else to take note of?
 
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Polaris

Polaris

For official threads only. Do not PM.
Staff Account
May 30, 2014
2,002
Miniprofile Template
Optional, Post-Acceptance

Before joining in on the in-character chat on discord, players must fill out an ICC miniprofile, featured below. This will summarize your character, allowing for easier spur of the moment interaction within the ICC.

Miniprofiles should be posted within the miniprofile section for your character. Click the 'more options' drop down on the right side of the character's page and pick 'Edit character' to edit the page and scroll down to the 'miniprofile' section to paste the template in and fill it out.

​
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Name: Character's full name
Apparent Age: How old do they appear?
Gender: Feel free to include pronouns as well.
Species: Please refer to the list of species in the Character Rules thread!
Height: How tall are they?
Build: Skinny? Muscular? Average? etc.

Notable Features: Obvious physical traits not covered by above. Horns? Scars? Tail? Do they wear unusual clothing? Do they have tattoos or markings?

Physical Quirks: Does your character have an accent? Do they do anything unusual as far as body language? Things like hand gestures, constant fidgeting, etc.

Abilities Summary: Give a brief overview of their abilities. There's no need to get into specific details, just provide enough to give an idea.

Reputation: What would the average character know about your character? Is their job common knowledge? Would people have seen them around the school? Do they have a reputation?

Misc Information: Any other details that weren't covered by the above. The complete application should be around 150-250 words total. Please do not exceed 350 words. Shorter is better, and the longer your miniprofile, the harder time people will have getting an idea of your character.

Code: 
[B]Name:[/B] Character's full name
[B]Apparent Age:[/B] How old do they appear?
[b]Gender:[/b] Feel free to include pronouns as well.
[b]Species:[/b] Please refer to the list of species in the Character Rules thread!
[b]Height:[/b] How tall are they?
[B]Build:[/B] Skinny? Muscular? Average? etc.

[B]Notable Features:[/B] Obvious physical traits not covered by above. Horns? Scars? Tail? Do they wear unusual clothing? Do they have tattoos or markings?

[B]Physical Quirks:[/B] Does your character have an accent? Do they do anything unusual as far as body language? Things like hand gestures, constant fidgeting, etc.

[B]Abilities Summary:[/B] Give a brief overview of their abilities. There's no need to get into specific details, just provide enough to give an idea.

[B]Reputation:[/B] What would the average character know about your character? Is their job common knowledge? Would people have seen them around the school? Do they have a reputation?

[B]Misc Information:[/B] Any other details that weren't covered by the above. The complete application should be around 150-250 words total. Please do not exceed 350 words. Shorter is better, and the longer your miniprofile, the harder time people will have getting an idea of your character.
 
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Polaris

Polaris

For official threads only. Do not PM.
Staff Account
May 30, 2014
2,002
Mod Tags​

When an app is accepted, extra tags will be applied. These tags are, generally speaking, more generic rather than specific. These tags will be added by moderators, and should not be added by players.

Currently, tags are added for species, grade, and major.

Species Tags​
Species tags are tagged as "species: _____", all lower case

Supernatural Tags:
Alien, Anthromorph (Furries), Bio-Engineered (Genetically modified creations), Cryptid, Cyborg, Eldritch, Elemental, Fae, Goo, Incomprehensible (Cannot be understood), Lamia, Merpeople, Monstrous Creature, Nightmare, Personification, Psychopomps (Reapers), Robot, Shifter (Includes weres), Spirit (Not ghosts), Synthetic (AI, but not Robots), Undead, Yokai

Mundane Tags:
Aquatic, Arthropod (Bugs), Avian, Canine, Feline, Human, Inanimate, Mammal (Not canine, or feline), Plant, Reptile

Other Tags:
Hybrid, Original (Player Created Species), Unknown (No one knows what they are)

If a player created species has more than two characters, they'll get their own species tag and the 'original' or 'alien' tags will be removed.

School Tags​
School tags are tagged as "grade: _____" or "major: _____", all lower case

Grade Tags:
Remedial, Special Education, Preschool, Kindergarten
Grade 1 - Grade 12
Year 1 - Year 4, Graduate

Major Tags:
Arts, Athletics, Culinary, Engineering, Languages, Law, Magic, Mathematics, Medicine, Science, Social Science, Vocational, Undeclared (Including General Studies)
 
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