Guide to an Application

Created by Mayterial Droz on Friday July 6th, 2018 @ 18:56 hours

We'll go through the form step by step. But before we do so, some general tips in regards to the application:

• 1. This is your chance to showcase your writing skills and creativity. Be sure you make a good first impression!
• 2. Double check your spelling and grammar before submitting the application!
• 3. Make a back up of your character application before submitting it! You don't want to lose your well crafted character to a computer glitch.
• 4. Be as thorough and complete as possible, more detailed descriptions allow for greater understanding of your character and will help the command crew a great deal in creating story lines that are interesting to you and your character.
• 5. Any field that's not mandatory and left unfilled won't show up in your character's bio, so don't write 'Not Applicable' or something along those lines in any of the fields you have no information for, simply leave them blank.
• 6. All applications should abide by the rules set forth by Obsidian Fleet.

Step 1: User Information

This is a place for your personal information, the writer behind the character.

Name - Please enter your real name or writer pseudonym.
Email Address - The email address on which we can reach you to tell you whether or not the application was accepted. This email address will also be used to send you notifications of new posts, private messages or updates to unfinished joint post.
Password - Set a secure password you can use to log back into the web site once your application is accepted.
Date of Birth - We want to be sure you're abiding by the age restrictions (and also when to give you virtual cake).
Instant Messenger(s) - Put each IM handle on its own line and specify what messaging system it is for.

Step 2: Character

The main information in regards to the character, including your first choice of position.

First Name - The first name listed on the Crew manifest. Some cultures display the family name first (ie. Bajorans), keep this in mind when filling these fields.
Middle Name - Any middle names given to the character. These will not be displayed on the Crew's Manifest.
Last Name - The name listed last on the Crew manifest. Some cultures display the given name last (ie. Bajorans), keep this in mind when filling these fields.
Suffix - Any title your character has thanks to a formal education may be listed here.
Position - Use the drop down menu to choose which position you wish to apply for (if you've clicked a role on the manifest it will automatically list that role.

Step 3: Character Information

Going more into the information behind your character. The way they look, act and what they have done in the past. This part is the main body of your character biography.

Gender - Take your pick from our smorgasbord of non-binary choices
Species - Any Alpha Quadrant species is free game, though I'll need a very good explanation if you want to be more exotic in your choice. Please keep the Fleet rules in mind when choosing your species.
Age - The age of the character in Earth years.
Known Aliases - If the character uses alternative identities on a regular basis, these aliases might be known to other people or the authorities.

Physical Appearance
Height - in Centimeters
Weight - in Kilograms
Hair Colour and Eye Colour - in 256 bits
Physical Description - A short description of what the character looks like on an average day. What type of clothes do they like to wear, what style do they have their hair in. We should be able to file a missing persons report with this information.
Distinguishing Marks or Features - Anything that deviates from the norm for the characters species, age or gender. Anything that would make them identifiable if found in a coma or with severe retrograde amnesia.

Family & Acquaintances
Spouse, Children, Father, Mother, Siblings - For all these fields please list Name, Age, Occupation (if applicable) and location. If they are no longer alive please put (Deceased) at the end of the entry.
Other Family and Acquaintances - Please only list those people still relevant to the character's back story or current situation. There's no need for a comprehensive list of everyone they ever worked with.

Personality & Traits
General Overview - On an average day, how can we expect the character to act and react?
Strengths & Weaknesses - Are there situations or skills that they are exceptionally good or bad at? Is there a blind spot in their personality that won't allow them to see their own mistakes? Can't they turn down a bet?
Quirks & Flaws - Any type of behaviour that is out of the ordinary but not harmful or beneficial in any way. These behaviours can be seen as positive or negative but shouldn't have big a detrimental effect (otherwise they would be weaknesses).
Ambitions - What is the character building towards? What would make the character go 'One step closer' at the end of the day?
Passions - Any passions the character has. Hobbies, interests, collections, and so on. Is the character a huge fan of Zero-G Football? Will they knit the entire crew new mittens when we get to that ice planet? Anything that you could ask your character about and consequently lose 2 hours of your life over due to the extensive answer.

Background
The cliff notes version of your character's personal development that led them to become the beautiful, and unique, being they are today.
Personal History - All of the major decisions and experiences in the character's life that has led them to the point where they would apply for a job on a civilian freighter. Make good use of white spaces and the general grammar rules to make sure it's readable.
Service Record - Any relevant educational and working experience can be listed here. Please enter the Start Date, End Date (if applicable), Job title or education name, Organisation or Location, so for example:
2381 - 2383 : Enlisted into Starfleet, San Fransisco, Earth
2383 - 2387 : Boatswain's mate, USS Gemini
2387 - 2389 : Prisoner, Federation Penal Settlement in Auckland, New Zealand, Earth
2389 - 2393 : Jack of All Trades, Orion Syndicate/Ferengi Alliance/United Federation of Planets/et al.
2393 - Present : Captain, S.S. Fawkes, Independent (UFP)

Sample post Apart from the instructions listed on the page there's not much else to it. Write us a post from the perspective of your newly created character. Feel free to take some liberties with the scenario and story line to show off your writing skills. For guidelines on the formatting of a post, please refer to the Guide to a post.