Application Guidelines and Restrictions

[Gatorman]

All applications are to go in the Character Applications board; no exceptions.

When an application is posted as a work in progress, you must complete it within thirty days. failure to do so will result in the character being made available for anyone else to apply. This does not mean that you have lost the chance to play the character, but you are no longer protected from other people wanting it.

APPROVAL TEAM.

The approval team at the moment shall consist of the following people. Approval is needed from both members before your character may join the roleplay:

• Gatorman
• Ark-E

If you have any questions, please ask either one.

CONDITIONAL AND PROHIBITED CHARACTERS.

• Ask about robotic duplicates. Within the Archieverse there exists more than one robotic duplicate: Metal Sonic, Metal Knuckles, Metal Tails. That doesn't mean we need a whole mountainful of them. If you wish to have one, talk it out with a moderator.

• Avoid hybrids. There are a few hybrids in the Archieverse, including Nack the Weasel and his sister, Nic. However, many others don't make a whole lot of sense; in fact, go to any roleplay group and you'll soon find yourself awash in hedgebats, hedgecats and hedgefoxes. If you want a hybrid, discuss with a moderator.

• Relatives of canon characters. Avoid this as much as you can. As anyone whose studied the echidna backstories can attest, the family trees in Archie Sonic are convoluted enough as is. That said, don't fret about making your characters acquaintances with guys from canon. After all, if your character lives in Knothole, it only makes sense that they personally know Sonic somehow. Still, don't make it an intimate relationship.

• Ask about mythological creatures. Mythological creatures, such as dragons, exist in the Archieverse. However, don't overdo it by applying for creature after creature. If the application is good and the character is not overpowered, it will be considered for approval.

• Extraterrestrials severely restricted. The inclusion of aliens within the Archieverse is a contentious topic among its fans. Even Sonic X has an alien race, the Seedrians, of which Cosmo is one. For the purposes of this roleplay aliens are restricted to Archieverse canon and semi-canon characters only.

• No characters from other franchises…for now. It would feel rather silly if we were to see Mario or Pac-Man suddenly showing up in Sonic's world uninvited. Avoid this at all times, please!

RESTRICTED ROLES.

As the name implies, restricted roles are character concepts that, while not outright banned, are restricted from being apped freely for some reason or another. More often than not, it's because the role is something very important that requires a certain ammount of trust before we want to let someone apply for it. As such, we shall offer you a chance to apply for a restricted role if we feel you've established yourself to be an exemplary veteran roleplayer and community member. The restricted roles are as follows:

• Hedgehogs and foxes. Sonic, Amy, Shadow, Silver, Scourge, Chuck, Jules, Rob… we've got plenty of official hedgehogs in the comic as is, the last thing we need is more! Same goes for foxes as well.

• Cyborgs, Mutates, free-willed Robians. Cyborgs are generally rather rare (though they seem to be getting more popular thanks to the Dark Egg Legion and all), and free-willed Robians are even rarer. That, combined with the fact that robots in general tend to be rather powerful, and we want to keep a limit on how many people can be a walking tin-can arsenal. Same goes for Mutates, altered beasts with cybernetic enhancements, of which Eddy the Yeti is one.

• Major antagonists. Having villains are important in a story, and the more we can get, the better. However, in the early days of the comic, it was made abundantly clear who was in charge: Robotnik. To have another big time baddie show up and upstage him would be… incredibly unlikely. If you want a villain, start with a smaller-scale guy who works solo, or someone who answers directly to one of the big bads.

• Characters with extraordinary powers. There are a lot of characters who have pretty nifty super-abilities, whether they're physical (Sonic's speed), mental (Silver's telekenisis), or magical (Naugus's…everything). However, there are far more characters who are otherwise completely normal (or as normal as vibrantly colored animals can be). Not everyone can have abilities like the big characters have; otherwise, there wouldn't be any reason they stick out!

We reiterate: please ask if you need assistance or have questions!

[Gatorman]

APPLICATION TEMPLATE.

Code with boldface and italics included follows the application.

Full Name:
The character's full name and all titles. Dr. Ivo Robotnik, for example.

Age:
The character's age. Given that the Archie-verse has a timeline in place, it's possible to actually do the math on this one.

Gender:
Male, Female, or Other (robots, for instance, don't have a gender, though they can be modeled male or female)

Species:
The character's species. The more detailed you can get, the better (Bunnie, for instance, would be a "Cyborg Marsh Hare", not just "Rabbit"). Don't forget the difference between Humans and Overlanders!

Residence:
Where do they live? Be sure to mention if it's on Mobius or elsewhere.

Personality:
This is the big one. What is your character like? What are their hopes or dreams? How do they feel about the world around them? This field can and should be quite large, a paragraph (five sentences) at least. Don't feel bad if it's short at first; however, if it's a fancharacter you haven't gotten "into" yet. You can come back and flesh it out more as playing them reveals more things!

Likes:
Favorite foods/colors, Hobbies they enjoy, People they're good friends with, etc.

Dislikes:
Foods they find disgusting, things or people they can't stand, activities they hate doing, etc.

Talent and abilities:
Talents and abilities they have, whether physical (profecient with a weapon, parkour, strong physical fortitude, etc.) or mental (good with numbers, photographic memory, mental determiation, etc.). "Natural" abilities due to what species they are (bird characters being able to fly) count, too! Also specify any special powers your character may have under the influence of Chaos/Sol Emeralds or Power Rings. You must have a minimum of three, excluding emerald/ring abilities.

Weaknesses:
Things that hinder the character. This includes physical weaknesses (old wounds that act up, allergies, etc.) as well as mental one (phobias, negative character traits, addictions, etc.). Don't forget about weaknesses that may come with their species (reptiles becomming lathargic in cold weather) or things that they simply DON'T know that could be a problem (classic example: Sonic can't swim). You must have a minimum of three.

Appearance:
What does your character look like? What is their hair/fur/eye color? Any unique markings or fur patterns? What about clothes? Any accessories or weapons they have on them at all times? A written description works fine, but if you have a picture, that's even better. We have artists here, don't be afraid to ask!

History:
So... what's your story? This is another important field, obviously, but don't be afraid if it ends up being short. Some characters CAN have normal, nondescript childhoods before the RP starts, ya know! A minimum of five sentences is required.

Anything Else?
If there are any other tid-bits you want to mention, put them here. Accents, character tics, theme songs, that kind of stuff. If you don't have anything, just delete this bit. Otherwise, replace "Anything Else?" with the appropiate field.

Player:
Who are YOU? This is so we have a quick reference as to WHO is playing the character in question.

[b]Full Name:[/b]
The character's full name and all titles. Dr. Ivo Robotnik, for example.

[b]Age:[/b]
The character's age. Given that the Archie-verse has a timeline in place, it's possible to actually do the math on this one.

[b]Gender:[/b]
Male, Female, or Other (robots, for instance, don't have a gender, though they can be modeled male or female)

[b]Species:[/b]
The character's species. The more detailed you can get, the better (Bunnie, for instance, would be a "Cyborg Marsh Hare", not just "Rabbit"). Don't forget the difference between Humans and Overlanders!

[b]Residence:[/b]
Where do they live? Be sure to mention if it's on Mobius or elsewhere.

[b]Personality:[/b]
This is the big one. What is your character like? What are their hopes or dreams? How do they feel about the world around them? This field can and should be quite large, a paragraph (five sentences) at least. Don't feel bad if it's short at first; however, if it's a fancharacter you haven't gotten "into" yet. You can come back and flesh it out more as playing them reveals more things!

[b]Likes:[/b]
Favorite foods/colors, Hobbies they enjoy, People they're good friends with, etc.

[b]Dislikes:[/b]
Foods they find disgusting, things or people they can't stand, activities they hate doing, etc.

[b]Talent and abilities:[/b]
Talents and abilities they have, whether physical (profecient with a weapon, parkour, strong physical fortitude, etc.) or mental (good with numbers, photographic memory, mental determiation, etc.). "Natural" abilities due to what species they are (bird characters being able to fly) count, too! Also specify any special powers your character may have under the influence of Chaos/Sol Emeralds or Power Rings. You must have a minimum of three, excluding emerald/ring abilities.

[b]Weaknesses:[/b]
Things that hinder the character. This includes physical weaknesses (old wounds that act up, allergies, etc.) as well as mental one (phobias, negative character traits, addictions, etc.). Don't forget about weaknesses that may come with their species (reptiles becomming lathargic in cold weather) or things that they simply DON'T know that could be a problem (classic example: Sonic can't swim). You must have a minimum of three.

[b]Appearance:[/b]
What does your character look like? What is their hair/fur/eye color? Any unique markings or fur patterns? What about clothes? Any accessories or weapons they have on them at all times? A written description works fine, but if you have a picture, that's even better. We have artists here, don't be afraid to ask!

[b]History:[/b]
So... what's your story? This is another important field, obviously, but don't be afraid if it ends up being short. Some characters CAN have normal, nondescript childhoods before the RP starts, ya know! A minimum of five sentences is required.

[b]Anything Else?[/b]
If there are any other tid-bits you want to mention, put them here. Accents, character tics, theme songs, that kind of stuff. If you don't have anything, just delete this bit. Otherwise, replace "Anything Else?" with the appropiate field.

[b]Player:[/b]
Who are YOU? This is so we have a quick reference as to WHO is playing the character in question.

[Gatorman]

AMENDED Jan. 11, 2013:

When an application is posted as a work in progress, you must complete it within thirty days. failure to do so will result in the character being made available for anyone else to apply. This does not mean that you have lost the chance to play the character, but you are no longer protected from other people wanting it.