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APPLICATIONS

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A P P L I C A T I O N S ( C L O S E D ).

Applications will open on a monthly basis, beginning 00:01 AM AUGUST 1st, EST. They will close after a week ( 11:59 PM AUGUST 7th, EST ).

Reserves are not necessary to apply for a character. As stated on the reserves page, if you have placed a reserve, your app will be looked over first. Challenge apps—or applications for the same character a player has previously reserved—will also be reviewed accordingly; a reserve only guarantees that we will wait until you have submitted your app before reviewing any others. In the event that challenging apps receive the same verdict, the reserve-holder will have preference. As with the reserves, the number of characters you may app is limited to two per round.

If you are asked for revisions, they will need to be made within 72 hours of the initial request and resubmitted for reconsideration before the deadline. Revisions will be requested in order to address sections of the app we feel are underdeveloped, vague, or confusing. We will endeavor to make our requests as specific and comprehensive as possible. If you fail to submit your revisions during the specified time period, your app will be declined. If you feel you are unable to complete the revisions within the 72-hour period (due to RL difficulties or other complications), you are welcome to ask for a reasonable extension.

Your application will be declined if we feel your application does not meet the minimum basic standard for this game. We will never decline applications without reason, and we strive to give clear, detailed reasonings for our decisions. We do encourage you to reapply in the next app round, but bear in mind that if an app for a single character from the same player is rejected three times, we will no longer consider any future applications for that character from that player.

If your app is accepted, please be sure to read the welcome notice. Do not post to the network or logs comms until after applications close.

Please refer to the following for notes on what we'd like to see covered in each section:

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P L A Y E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Your Name:
OOC Journal:
Under 18? If yes, what is your age? Please keep in mind that no players under the age of 16 will be allowed into the game, regardless of application quality.
Email + IM:
Characters Played at Ataraxion: If applicable.

C H A R A C T E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Name: In Western order, or first name followed by family name.
Canon: If your character is an OC, please put "original". Please note that we operate a cast cap of fifteen characters. If there are more applications than available cast spaces in any one app round, they will be considered in order of submission.
Original or Alternate Universe: For original characters, please put "n/a".
Canon Point: At what point in time are you taking your character?
Number: This is the number that will appear on your character's arm upon arrival. The first three digits will indicate what jump they arrived on, but you, the player, will choose the last three for your character. It must be three digits long, and only the numbers 001-200 are available (i.e. 001, 068, 112). You cannot choose 000. If you have no preference for a number, or if the number you've requested has already been taken this application cycle, the mods will choose for you via RNG.

Setting: For canon characters, a wiki link will generally suffice, although more references are always better—especially if you are applying for a minor character. For OCs, please give us a reasonably thorough idea of what the world they come from is like. Is it modern-day Earth, but with superheroes? Is it a space opera set a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away? How does your character fit into this universe?

History: There is no minimum length requirement, as we realize that some characters may have little canon available; however, you must demonstrate a thorough understanding of your character's available screentime. Unfortunately, we do not accept wiki links in lieu of a character history.

For characters who are on the borderline of acceptability, we need to feel that the history and personality written for us provide a complete and well-rounded character without an excessive use of headcanon. Evidence for characters' suitability for application can include—but is by no means limited to—their history, psychology, voice and vocal tics, reactions to the setting, and any canon relationships they may have.

Our general guideline for minor characters' applications is that they may not be more than two-thirds headcanon or extrapolation from canon. This rule is not an exact ratio and can vary depending on the canon and the character's amount of screentime, as well as any supplementary canon that may exist. We do not judge characters by a strict time limit of how much screentime they have, but how much of their character is shown in that screentime and a player's understanding of that character in their application. Headcanon (which includes facts about the character that are drawn from analysis of the canon but not explicitly stated, as well as facts that are simply made up) should be used sparingly and made as clear as possible in the application itself.

We reserve the right to apply the same two-thirds rule to applications from very early in the character's canon as we do to minor characters' applications. While we understand the desire to play development through in game, if you choose a very early canon point for a character and cannot substantiate that canon point with a comprehensive and thorough overview of their personality and history up until that point, as well as any other relevant history necessary to understand their choices in canon, we may reject your application or ask you to reapply in the next round with a more well-rounded canon point.

Personality: Please describe your character's personality! Ataraxion is primarily a psychological horror game, and we're interested in seeing how well you understand your character's psyche. We are primarily interested in your understanding of how your character's experiences shaped their motivations and actions in canon, and how those actions will translate to their time on the Tranquility, as well as any personality flaws or weaknesses they might have. You are welcome to refer back to events in a character's history in order to illustrate certain aspects of his or her personality, but this section is where we want to see your analysis of canon events rather than simply reading points repeated from the history section.

There is no minimum length for this section, as we realize that some people are more concise in their analysis than others, but your overview of your character's personality, motivations, and flaws should be both thorough and comprehensive.

Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations: These include both mental and physical abilities and weaknesses. Superhuman or mystical powers may be limited, depending on their strength; although we will ask you for suggestions, as hopefully you will know best how to reduce your character's powers without rendering them unplayable to you. We may ask you to restrict your character's powers further in a revisions or acceptance notice.

Inventory: Please remember that characters should only find a few small items in their lockers. A set of Tranquility-issue clothing, including a jumpsuit in their size and the appropriate underclothes, will be found in all characters' lockers regardless of their requested inventory. The inventory section will be all that your characters will have with them for two months, as characters cannot make item requests until their second month in the game, so choose carefully!

Any supernatural, hypertech, or similarly powered objects may find themselves nerfed, similar to inherent supernatural abilities. Should this become necessary, the mods will address this via a note on characters' acceptance notices.

Appearance: Characters who are being altered by game mechanics, characters with no canonical appearance, non-visual mediums, and OCs should all provide a thorough physical description.

If your character has a PB ("Played By", an actor representing them in their icons) please provide their name and a link to a picture, in character if possible. While we would also like a written description, it should focus primarily on physical traits not initially obvious in the pictures.

If your character is from another visual medium (animated or rendered) you may also link a picture here, and we would prefer you do not use a PB except in exceptional circumstances, such as being physically altered by game mechanics. Applications that substitute a PB in cases we do not consider to be exceptional may be subject to revisions, and mod permission must be granted in order to substitute a PB once in-game.

Age: Keep in mind that Ataraxion is a game that will contain mature and disturbing concepts; while we have no guidelines set for character ages, character maturity should be taken into account when deciding who to apply.

AU Clarification: If applying for a canon AU, please use this section to tell us how the characterization (and setting + history, if applicable) differs from the original universe. Remember that Ataraxion will only accept alternate-universe applications from characters bringing in CR from previous games, canonically-shown alternate universes--for example, Cloud from Final Fantasy VII and Cloud from Kingdom Hearts are both appable characters--and malleable protagonists from games such as Mass Effect, Fallout, and Dragon Age.

For CR AU applications, we're mainly looking for an answer to the question: How is this version of my character different than in canon? Have they experienced any character development—mentally or physically—during their time away from canon? What events have they undergone in the game, and how did they change your character? Links to relevant threads aren't required for this section, but if you include them, please be sure to give us a description of the thread and how it's important to your character's development, as well as any content warnings that might be necessary.

If you are reapping a character that you have previously played in Ataraxion and are keeping their memories of their time on the ship, we prefer that you please update your samples to reflect their re-arrival on the ship, but this is not strictly considered a CR AU unless another existing version of the character is currently in game. In these cases, we strongly encourage potential applicants to speak to the existing cast. (NOTE: If you have killed off a character during their time in Ataraxion, you are not permitted to reapp them under any circumstances, whether they are a CR AU or fresh from canon.)

If you have questions about your character's specific circumstances, please contact a mod before submitting your application.

S A M P L E S
Log Sample: At least 200 words, please! We're mostly looking for a demonstration of your character's motivations and thought process in this section. While samples from characters' initial arrival on the ship are permitted, it can be difficult to adequately demonstrate characters' unique viewpoints and opinions upon their immediate arrival on the Tranquility. Be sure to consider carefully whether your grip on your character's inner voice will be easy to demonstrate through an arrival sample. If in doubt, please feel free to use a prompt either from your character’s canon or from later in their time on the ship for this section!

This section cannot be linked.

Comms Sample: This should be a sample post indicating how your character will use the network. Ask a mod for permission before linking samples in this section, or we will require revisions.

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N A V I G A T I O N

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

R E V I S I O N S .

Thank you for applying to Ataraxion! Before we can make a final decision on your application, however, we would like to see revisions on the following.

◆ We require a new first personal/comms sample, as one of the mods is unable to view the picture on the hosting site. A reminder that we also require mod permission to have been asked and granted prior to applying in order to link previous posts (or screencaps of previous posts).
◆ We would also like extensive revisions to Castiel's personality, specifically an examination of his season six motivations, his development away from his black/white worldview as of his canonpoint, and his relationships with other key characters in the series, particularly Sam and Dean.
◆ We are also going to need to further limit and nerf his powers. We are open to discussion and negotiation on these points, but currently we feel he is still too overpowered compared to the other residents of the ship. Our suggestions are as follows: Teleportation will be limited to places within sight. He will not be able to have invisibility, invulnerability, or smiting. His strength and perception will be halved. We would like you to edit and revise his abilities section to reflect these or further limitations.

Please reply with the necessary information within 72 hours. If you require an extension, please contact a mod before your time expires. Thank you!

[ extension given by siri until saturday at 11:59pm ]

I.
old;

Hello? Is this-- [ He's uncertain as to whether or not anyone can actually hear him at this point. Earth's cell phones were a lot easier to manage than what it is he's using now. Similar, yes, but semantics. ] Uh, what am I even supposed to do with this?

[ It's quiet for an indefinite amount of time aside from very light breathing, rather composed given the abruptness of the situation. Then, there's a slow breath: resignation. ]

My name is Castiel. I'm... [ He hesitates. ] What I am isn't relevant to this request - I need your help.

[ And whether or not his name or the unexplained invitation garners the wrong kind of attention doesn't necessarily occur to him. Not when the device cuts out shortly after and leaves him stranded there. At the very least, his location hasn't been compromised; he can determine cause and effect later. ]

new; [ from

sanctums game setting ]

[ The world has turned itself upside-down. What's easy to distinguish, however, are the trees and part of the hospital gown he's wearing. The trenchcoat too, though it's certainly seen better days. Honestly, most of him has, and everything eventually comes to a standstill, head jerked upward as if to listen. Then, the picture lowers as he drops to a crouch to properly inspect the device, flipping it over so it's focused in on his face. There's an extreme close-up: beard, dirty cheeks, mouth tight and rather unassuming with the observation he makes. It isn't a happy one, confused and almost concerned. ] What purpose does this serve?

[ Yet, there isn't time to answer his own question, the sound of voices immediately jerking him from the position—a little awkwardly, but he's running in the opposite direction before long. The video cuts in and out with random snapshots:

the ground, bare feet
more trees
an abandoned building

When it focuses again, he's just cut across part of District 4, and at the very least, he seems to blend in with the atmosphere. He feels very... disconnected, out of sorts. He has not regained any bearings or a sense of direction since he'd woken (strange) and felt how muted his grace was (stranger). So, it remains, and he seats himself on a rickety staircase, bringing the device with him. ]

... what have you done to me?

[ It's a whisper, distress palpable. As if this thing could give him the truth, and it's the same as before, not bothering to linger in one place for very long. He's still being hunted, and that could very well be true of this place too. Castiel's fingers darken the screen until there's nothing, and it goes dead. ]

II.

Castiel is an angel of the Lord. Cliche, probably, but it sums up the whole of him to a point.

In general, he exhibits behaviors typical of his other brethren when he first makes an appearance in human form: little emotion, relatively calm, aloof. He lacks compassion in relating to humans as a group and as individuals. He doesn’t understand their lack of obedience or the feelings they express, continuously confused by their assertion of free will, and it often clashes with his perception of them as well as the orders he is given by his superiors. In fact, as little as he understands them as people, he understands objects, phrases, and references even less. Still, the moment he drags Dean from Hell and entangles himself with the Winchesters is the beginning of much change for Castiel. If anything can be said of that, he’s determined, and that determination drives much of him.

His time spent with Dean and Sam, as well as on earth, become a slow immersion of learning human culture as well as what differentiates humans from angels, what it means to be human. He’s loyal to a fault, but after some time, he confesses to Dean that he’s beginning to have doubts of his own about the orders he’s given and how he’s spending his time otherwise. Is it right or wrong? Is there more beyond a simple command? It’s a very big concept for someone like Castiel; thinking on his own, in that manner, tends to not have a happy ending. Re: Lucifer, Anna, humanity. Eventually, it causes him to rebel against heaven. Yet, it’s not his faith that’s rocked at the foundation. He still has absolute love and trust in God, admires humanity for its beauty, and in those things alone he sees conviction for his actions, though he continues to be naive as to the consequences of them. Most of this is seen later on, beyond season five, when he develops something of a god complex--in God’s absence, he feels it his responsibility to carry out retribution and punishment in an attempt to show mercy, taking back his opinion about free will and how all things must be ruled to maintain some semblance of order. His motivations become rather twisted, too full of pride, even if they are meant with the best of intentions.

Slowly but surely, the rather strict adherence of black and white that had previously been Castiel's world begins to dissolve. Heaven's in chaos, and he takes upon himself the duty of trying to sort that out. However, with that heavy burden comes some alterations to his perceptions and overall personality. Ultimately, he takes a whatever means necessary approach in order to save the world and restore Heaven to its former glory. Yet, with this particular mindset, it means that a lot of his actions (punishing angels who had worked with Lucifer and humans who are seen as hypocrites as well as blasphemers) are very morally dubious, which brings him into conflict with Sam and Dean more often than not. It’s the slow beginning of a budding complex, that he can do as he pleases (“needs”) and fix everything as it had been before. Castiel has grown into a position that it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks of him anymore; because he’s powerful, because he’d been brought back stronger than before. He feels that everyone has to do his bidding despite the consequences they may bring. During this time, he carries himself with an air of invincibility, which lends to the concept everyone has to do exactly as he says.

It also becomes evident that Castiel develops a strong sense of pride, and this drives him to do things he normally wouldn’t have done before. Such as making a deal with Crowley and altogether sparking a civil war in Heaven. Yet, it can be said that he does this due to the fact he knows he now has become more intelligent and knowingly outsmarted someone who is a master at making deals. So, upon absorbing the souls (including the Leviathan) when they open the door to Purgatory, where Castiel had been kind, reassuring but fierce, he is now cold and absolute in his decisions. He kills Raphael without any remorse whatsoever and demands that the Winchesters (and Bobby) accept him as their new god and give him their loyalty or he will destroy them too. Still, his lingering affection for them helps Castiel to realize that he’s out of control due to the Leviathan influencing him.

He expresses remorse and a mass amount of guilt for doing all the things he has done up to this point [ breaking Sam’s wall, killing countless others ] and swears to do what he can to right these wrongs. But things are never really that easy.

Beneath his exterior, due to the choices he has made to this point (opening Purgatory, taking the Leviathan into himself), what hubris he has displayed has become clouded by the mass guilt of what it is he’s done. Being resurrected after his body had exploded leaves him unstable and quite...simple. He sees things, once again, in their black and white nature, becoming somewhat uncertain of himself and his own actions in regards to assisting the Winchesters. Yet, pushing deeper, this is merely a coping mechanism in order to deal with the consequences—he’s running from his mistakes. Castiel is afraid of facing reality and taking responsibility for what it is he’s done. He has the death of many on his hands, his brothers and sisters, and the chaos that Heaven has become since God’s disappearance isn’t reassuring in the least. Sometimes, he is amazingly coherent, which indicates he is consciously aware of the circumstances, but it’s not until Dean digs into the wound and presses [ he needs to “clean up his mess” ] that things begin to fall into place. The old Castiel, the one with too much heart bleeds through.

This is a testament to how much Castiel has grown to care for the Winchesters alone and what sort of influence they have on him. While he has a more “profound bond” with Dean [ most likely due to the fact Castiel raised him from Hell and placed his mark upon him ], he has also taken considerable lessons from Sam as well. He’s learned the importance of free will and choosing, and with that has also come the realization that he has to take responsibility for the things he does--good or bad. Castiel is in constant conflict with his (more or less) angel programming and the pull of humanity, and both Sam and Dean do well to ease him through that transition rather than allow him the immediate crash course. Where Dean is the physical - habits, sarcasm, introducing Castiel to a numerous amount of “human” things [television, sex, etc.] - Sam is the mental. He shows him how to read people, offer sympathy to them to obtain the same results without overstepping boundaries that an angel might to get the same sort of information. They give him their strengths and enlighten him to the human disposition: what it means to be human, to feel, to be your own person. Though Hester claims that he’s been lost ever since he laid a hand on Dean in Hell, he’s come a long way in understanding those differences.

And despite having labeled Sam as an abomination, he views him as a very valuable friend in which he places his trust. There is absolutely nothing Castiel wouldn’t do for them, and as he’s said, he’s “more than happy to bleed for the Winchesters”.Though it's laced with sarcasm, there is truth to those words. First and foremost, however, they are his teachers and one of the greatest influences he has during his time on earth. They penetrate the defenses he builds around himself, and even through the moments he’s brainwashed by Naomi, his love for them, specifically Dean, proves to be more powerful than angelic intervention. Like countless times before, he resists killing them due to orders he's given.

Still, even trying to atone for all of this only continues to increase his awareness of what it is he’s done by manipulating the people who had trusted him. It’s a difficult thing to rebuild, and while in Purgatory, Castiel’s thinking becomes inevitably convoluted and backwards. He realizes he is not strong enough on his own to make amends or fix the things that have gone astray. Though these actions are done with good intention, it is not perceived that way at first. He abandons Dean in the middle of a monster-infested world because he thinks it will protect him. Castiel has a price on his head, the creatures he has released, put back and/or killed wanting to destroy him, and running, as always, seems to be the best available option to him. Even if it’s seen as a gesture of goodwill, a twisted right in a place of so many wrongs, it merely indicates that he would rather attempt to shoulder the brunt of his own problems and negligence than outright rely on others. He will not put them in danger, and there are other (more martyr-istic) ways to atone for these mistakes.

This sort of mentality continues to hold true even through his mysterious escape from Purgatory and his unknown consorting with Naomi. Still, despite her attempt to break, mold and conform Castiel to his original self, it isn't enough to erase the affection he holds for the Winchesters, for humanity. His faith might be questionable where Heaven is concerned, but he believes in them. To protect them and humanity, he is willing to sacrifice himself for that cause. Though he still runs from his mistakes, Castiel, above all else, is a fighter. He will do what he feels is necessary and take the consequences as they come. That, as he has experienced through trial and error, is what should matter.

Whether or not he thinks he’s worthy of forgiveness, it’s a constant struggle of right versus wrong for Castiel. He’s learned that there is nothing reprehensible about asking for help, but at what price will it come later? He’s wary, a bit on the paranoid side. Trust is a difficult thing to give when everything wants him dead, and he’s far too apprehensive to hand it over without truly understanding first.

III.

→possession - kind of stuck in the vessel he’s got, thanks.
→projection - limited but still possible
→chronokinesis - nixed
→dream walking - only within close proximity
→healing - yes, but grows weaker with repeated use; larger wounds won’t entirely heal
→immortality - check, though it’d still be possible for him to become injured
→invulnerability - normal human levels
→smiting - nixed
→resurrection - nixed
→sedation - yes
→pyrokinesis - nixed
→strength - also normal human levels
→perception - limited to sense other nonhumans but mostly nixed
→telekinesis - limited by the object and its distance from him
→telepathy - nixed
→teleportation - limited to places within sight
→apporting - nixed
→invisibility - nixed

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S
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CREW SERIAL NUMBER: --- » 026 » 166
Thank you for applying to Ataraxion! Your application has been accepted.

1. Please reply to this comment with your character journal, then join the following communities:

◆ ataraxion | network community
◆ ataraxionooc | OOC community
◆ ataraxionlogs | logs community
◆ ataraxioff | crack community (optional)

2. Comment to the Taken Characters page with the requested information, as well as the OOC Contact Page! You can also check out the Jobs and Ranks page, as well as the list of IC/OOC Posts. If you'd like to read up on important OOC pages and recent IC events, visit the Timeline page!

3. Feel free to introduce yourself and your character in the OOC community! If you have any further questions, please either ask them here or on the FAQ page.

4. Please do not post to the network or logs communities until after applications close!

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APPLICATIONS

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