APPLICATION FORM

You know the drill – you fill this out in its entirety, proofread it a couple times, upload it to your own webspace, and then send a link to your application to . If you have any questions, feel free to ask them but please do not expect us to come up with your character for you. Please do not just stick your application in the body of an e-mail, as this sometimes formats weird and is difficult to read, and it just indicates a lack of effort on your part. There are plenty of places to get free webspace, and we do hope you know of some of them by now.

This application should be fairly straightforward, but if something confuses you please do not hesistate to ask for help. Please also include the following information in your e-mail:

  Your name.
  Your contact information (e-mail and AIM).
  Website (if any).
  RP Experience.

All of that out of the way, we will now proceed to the application template. Please note that while everything listed is required, it is not meant to limit you - feel free to add any additional information you would like us to know about your character. (Favourite pizza topping? Most embarrassing moment? Whatever.)

 THE INTERVIEW OPTION

For those who do not like to write 30 page novels or prefer to leave some wiggle room to develop their character as they play, we now have a new application option. You merely fill out everything on this page which is NOT marked OPTIONAL, and may feel free to write a shorter personality section than would otherwise be advised. You submit your application as normal, but note at the top that you would like to do the interview instead of turning in a full app. I will then interview you about your character, either live over AIM or by e-mailing you a set of questions.

The "interview" will consist of something like 20-30 questions, and about half will be preset ("Joe finds $20 on the street. What does he do?") while the other half will be drawn from your application (clarifying or detailing certain things mentioned briefly). This is not meant to be at all painful and is just be a way to flesh out the description of the character, not the character himself. It's a way for me to make sure you're comfortable with your character without you having to hand in War & Peace.

 STATISTICS

Name: Starting off easy. Names can be just about anything, from real names to made-up. Please do not use a random Azn name for a non Azn character. We don't need or particularly want a bunch of Yukis and Tetsuyas running around.

Meaning: Unless you're just making a name up (which is also fine), you should be able to find this. Try Behind the Name or Homepager's Baby Names for a cool way to find names by meaning instead of the other way around. (If you are making up the name, could you also make up a meaning?)

Nicknames: Does your character go by anything other than his given name? Relevancy/explanations can't hurt either.

Age: Pilots are somewhat stricter in terms of age. Extreme brackets are between 18 and 29. Anything older may be acceptable, but is pushing it. 35 is the absolute top limit. Except in very, very special circumstances, no one under 18 is admitted (Empire will not hire minors for obvious reasons, thanks). Candidates need to be in top physical form and mentally and emotionally stable, so targets in their early to mid-twenties are ideal. Older is better, here.

Birthdate: It'd be a good idea to check up on zodiac signs and birthstones before picking one. For simplicity's sake, we're sticking with the Earth zodiac. (No year is necessary.)

Zodiac Sign: Check for associated personality types before arbitrarily picking one. Astrology.com is as good a place as any other to start looking, although I am also fond of this site. (This one is also good, if you want to sort out ascendants, etc.)

Hometown: You can either chose an already existing city, or make something up. We're going to be very lax about this. You can also change this to "Homeland" or something if the character was born outside Actavia, which is completely possible.

Likes: More than three, please, and we're looking for depth and detail.

Dislikes: Ditto, but with things they don't like.

Quirks: Any pet peeves or unusual habits? Collections? Tastes? OPTIONAL

Hobbies: What does your character do in his spare time?

Strengths: Whatever he excels in - please, no "making friends" or anything like that. Try to show some insight into your character. Strengths are not generally your strong points as a character/good personality traits; those should go under personality below.

Weaknesses: When we say "weaknesses," generally we mean "faults." What are his shortcomings? What does he suck at? If you put "Boys," I swear I will hunt you down and tattoo a cow on your forehead.

Fears: Most people fear more than one or two things. Try to make these relevant, as well, and, if possible, explain them either here or in the history section. Please don't list "death," "pain," or "being alone" unless your character is unusally afraid of these things, because they're pretty generic fears.

Aspirations: What does he want to do with his life?

Occupation: What would he be doing if he hadn't gotten caught up in all this dragon nonsense? What's he trained to do for a living? Is he just a bum?

Other: Any additional stats (favorite food, hated food, favorite books, part-time jobs, religion, a description of his bedroom, his favourite belonging, etc) are not required, but they'll help to beef up your app and impress us. OPTIONAL

APPEARANCE

A couple paragraphs (or, alternatively, a list of each feature with a description) on your character's appearance. Ideally, we'd like body type/build, height, weight, fitness level, skin tone, any markings/blemishes (freckles, a mole, a scar..?), tattoos/piercings, hair style, colour, and length, eye colour and shape, facial details (nose? cheeks? chin? overall effect? etc), proportions, posture/body language, and style of clothing. Also, a description of the character's voice is usually helpful.

As mentioned, pilots need to be in top physical form. There is always the possibility that they will have to fight outside of their units. As such, it's unlikely very weak or unfit people would be chosen. (Think of the requirements here being as rigorous as for those who fly, say, supersonic jets in the Air Force.)

Although this section of the application seems tedious and usually has very sparse requirements, I feel that it's as important as personality to get a clear image of your character. (It makes it easier to draw pictures for you, too!) It also gives the reviewers a sense of your descriptive abilities, so try not to glance over this part of the application.

PERSONALITY

There is no length requirement for this section of the application, but bear in mind that it's the most important part of the profile - we just don't want you to BS and repeat yourself for three paragraphs. We want as indepth a look into your character's mind, lifestyle, habits, and behaviour as you can provide. Don't forget to distinguish between his behaviour around friends, family, strangers, "authority figures," etc. Clarity is much more important than length here - if you feel you can adequately describe your character in three (long) paragraphs, go for it. If you need twenty, that's fine too. If you need some help, refer to existing profiles for an idea of how much you should include. (Most of the current profiles are EXTREMELY LONG AND IN-DEPTH, so that's the level of quality you should be aiming for!)

Please also include your character's thoughts on technology, magic, Empire Corp, and his current situation. Does he like fighting? Does he like his mech? What were his motivations for signing on with this project? Does he wish life had an Edit > Undo function?

IF you are opting for the "interview" option, this section may be shorter, but it should still probably be at least three paragraphs.

HISTORY

Where's he from? What's he been doing since he was born? What's his family like? What kind of upbringing did he have? Does he have any friends? Any background to his hobbies or things he excels at? Moments of glory? Traumatic experiences? (Since this world is a rather dangerous place at times, and law enforcement in certain areas can be laughable, we're going to be more flexible about angst. That is, you can have as tragic a past as you want as long as you can pull it off and it isn't the entire focus of your character, because.. angst isn't fun. D:) Don't forget to mention how and when he was recruited, assuming it has already happened, and how far advanced he is in his training.

IF you are opting for the "interview" option, this section may be written in bullet points instead of paragraphs. I know actually writing out history is generally the most painful part of an application, so hopefully this will save you some stress.

PILOT INFORMATION

strength	•
defense	•
magic	•
magic resistance	•
dexterity	•
evade	•
endurance	•

Okay, here's how the dots work: You get 15 of them. No more, no less. The max you can have in any one category is four. So if your character has excellent defense but no evade skills, they're going to get four points under defense and none under evade and the rest dispersed in accordance with their skills. Not too hard. (Blame Sally for this very video-game-esque system.)

Attire: Do they wear any special gear when they go in? This doesn't have to include just armour - they could put on a special outfit, pull their hair back, whatever. In general, we want to know what your pilot wears when fighting. Keep in mind that space inside the Shell is limited, and pilots are generally restricted to very light armour, though they may store additional stuff with their weapons, which would have to be retrieved AFTER landing and opening the cockpit.

Weapon: Yes, pilots are also generally trained in at least one weapon, which is stored in a special compartment in his Sabazian. These are not required, but a good idea. What's it look like? (Please check out what the other character's have; we don't want a million characters running around with swords. Also, ANYTHING can be a weapon. Try something nonconventional, like jacks, a whiffle bat, something interesting.) Are there any special spells or techniques used with it? Does it raise or lower his agility/speed/strength/etc? If it's an unusual or rare weapon, do you have a picture? Also, please feel free to make things up, just be sure to describe them clearly.

Special Abilities: You could have a totally normal human, and that's fine. But, as this is a fantasy game, your character may also have some special inate abilities, which may or may not have anything to do with their ability to use magic. If your character has any such abilities – unusually strong intuition/sixth sense, unnatural strength or speed, whatever – please list them here. Also, while this is not by any means a requirement, note that in many instances it is these special abilities in addition to certain character qualities that lead to this individual being chosen to become a Pilot in the first place. (You can also include technological/computer skills. Anythign unusual/extraordinary.)

Magic Abilities: Can he use any magic at all? How advanced is he, if yes? What kind of magic is he best at? What sort of spells does he know? Please be as precise as possible. We don't really want characters running around with unspecified amazing fire-starting abilities, or something.

Fighting Style: What's his style when he fights? Is he better at offense or defense? What kind of defense does he rely on - blocking, dodging, or something else? And what's his offense? Punching, hitting, kicking? How strong is he? How about endurance? Speed? Does he prefer keeping a distance, or does he thrive on hand-to-hand combat?

Strong Against: What types of attacks does he best stand up best to? Mental, physical, magic, tests of endurance or speed, what?

Weak against: Same as above but opposite; you get the picture. Does he fall for every psychic attack known to man? Or does one blow knock him out? Share.

SABAZIAN

Model: Each individual unit has a unique model name. Since each of these is a prototype, each one is unique and thus everyone's Sabazian has its own name. Models can be called just about anything according to the designer's fancy - animal names (Phoenix, Raptor), mythological figures (Hercules, Hydra), numbers (the T1000! Wait, that's taken..), random pretty words, whatever. Additionally, pilots may chose to refer to their mech by another name; if that's the case, please note as such.

Description: Please describe the unit with as much detail as possible. Basically most of the models will look roughly the same (and be around the same size), but they will certainly come in different colours and builds and may have special customizations (ie, one is meant to be a fire-dragon, another represents a sea serpent, or what have you.) Things like the amount of weaponry and armour should be noted. (Faster mechs will likely be lighter and less defended.) ALL of the Sabazians do not have to be *dragons,* per se - they COULD be another closely-related mythical animal (or something with some significance, like a phoenix) - but it would have to be something very close and reasonable, and you'd have to sell it. No, we do not want any giant flying turtles or fish or what have you. 8D Anyway, we need to know everything unique about this model - new wing design, extra long tail, whatever.

Abilities: Here's where you get to describe all the cool abilities your Sabazian has. Is this one expecially maneuverable (agile)? Faster than the others? Stronger? Extra armoured for better defense? Please describe any combat abilities, like weapons systems or defense systems, as well as any other relevant aspects - can this thing snatch someone up in its claws? Land on a dime? (Or is it more clumsy on land? Hell, is it even equipped to be used on land - can it convert to cover ground somehow, or perhaps can convert to go underwater?)

If you would like, you can break this section up into smaller bits to make it easier. Some suggestions are: Maneuverability, Speed, Terrain, Weapons, and Defense. You can also include your pilot's thoughts on his machine, and be sure to note how well the two work together - if he's just starting, he's likely somewhat clumsy, whereas more experienced pilots' machines will move much more naturally.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Anything you want can be included here, but here are some suggestions:

Homeland Information: Tell us anything we need to know about your pilot's native culture. This generally applies to pilots born outside Actavia, but within the land is a considerably mix of different peoples, so it's probably a good idea to describe the city/area a bit, too. Is it more industrial? More Medieval? Large or small? Etc. OPTIONAL

Character Secrets: Anything your character is (gasp!) hiding from the rest of us. D: This can be removed from the final posted application if you desperately want to surprise people, but the GM needs to know. OPTIONAL

And.. anything else you want to add, really. Please package it all up pretty and then send it off to , with the subject "HEARTS APP: Empire -- CHAR NAME." Thank you!