passingmod | Applications

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applications

Applications

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APPLICATIONS ↓
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WHAT TO KNOW

Applications are ALWAYS OPEN, and will be processed as they are received. They must be posted in the comments, NOT linked to.

Before applying, read the rules & setting page and this post in their entirety. Use the potential applications page or the FAQ if you have any questions about the process. There is also a sample app and an explanation of how we process apps if those interest you. The wanted characters list may also be helpful.

In general, however, we would rather have a shorter, better written application than a longer one, every time. That said, length is one of the least important factors in our applications. We look primarily at the voice samples, then the personality section and writing sample. The voice samples are by far the most important section, and we prefer that these be thread links, because they give us a sense of how you play the character rather than simply how you write an application for the character.

The application page from the former site can be found here.

MISC. RULES

We do allow challenge apps, but we wait the duration of the reserve for the other app to come in before processing them against each other.

Applications or parts of applications (such as the initial comment containing contact information) will be screened on request.

There is a one week grace period for dropped characters during which applications for them will be held pending. The former player can choose to pick up those characters at any time during that week without re-applying.

If you are asked for a revision, you have one week to submit them before your app will be automatically declined. You must resubmit your app in its entirety if that happens. Always feel free to ask us to clarify what we're looking for on revisions; we won't bite.

If you are rejected, we encourage you to re-apply. We like seeing players that have taken our critique and worked on improving their portrayal. The exception is a character rejected on the grounds that they would be difficult to impossible for others to play with. Playability is an important factor.

Our plagiarism policy is as follows: the first offense will be met without consequence. The second offense results in a one month ban from apping. Subsequent further offenses will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis but most likely incur longer bans, up to and including indefinite bans.

APPLICATION IN DETAIL

Your name:
Your journal: A sock is fine, or a commonly used character journal if you don't have a personal one. Just please be consistent with your identity for ease of reference.
Contact: AIM/plurk/email/etc., whatever you prefer to be contacted.
Other characters played at Passing:

Character name:
Character fandom:
Version: V1, V1.# or V2+ should be the only options.
Canon point: What point of their timeline you're taking them from.
Importing development from old game? If yes, where from?
Background: Link to the Wiki entry on it, or if the series has its own wiki, the character's page. A comprehensive fan site is an acceptable substitute. If you cannot find one of these that works well enough for us to get a good grasp of your character from a third party, please write out the standard 'history' section for this on your own. Please include this even if applying for an AU version of the character. OCs need the history section written out as well, obviously.

In general, though, this should be a link whenever possible and not a written history. We use it to compare an unbiased third party account against your represented version of the character. If you include a written history, we will ignore it completely and look up whatever is available for that character on Wikipedia ourselves.

Changes from canon, if AU: What it says. Detail here how the AU world is different from canon, or what events have happened in their previous game that have lead them to be different.

Personality: The meat of the application, and self-explanatory. We want to see that you understand what makes them tick. If AU, try to include explanation for where and why the character has changed from canon.

Abilities: What are they particularly good at, or if they do have superhuman powers, what are they? A bullet point list will suffice.

Writing sample: At least 200 words of your own writing in third person prose, preferably about the character you're applying for. Samples about others are allowed, in any setting. This is to gauge your writing style and technique, not your grasp of character. That's the next section.

Voice sample: You may either write 200 words of your character speaking to himself, or you may link to threads, or you may request to thread with a mod character.

Regular voice sample: If choosing option one, the standard first person sample rules apply. The word count applies only to spoken words, not action in brackets, and since 200 words is a lot for some quiet characters, more than one different samples are allowed.

Linking to threads: If you are linking to threads, make sure they are lengthy ones that demonstrate your understanding of the character. We don't need a million of them, but remember that this is as a substitute for a sample, and we will evaluate it the same way. Threads that took place in other games, museboxes, or

dear_mun are all fine.

Threading with a mod character: You may also request to thread with a mod character - please do so in the body of your application when you submit it, rather than contacting a mod privately. The first available mod will respond back as soon as possible and discuss with you who your character would be best suited to play off of of their characters, and then you will agree on a time to sit down and crack out a thread.

These will be 'quick log' style in brackets and not prose to make them go faster and keep the focus on dialog. These do not have to be masterpieces of wonder, but your application will not be judged until you have finished the thread (at least 20 comments on your part), so think carefully before choosing this option. The mods will make every effort to respond to your tags quickly.

BLANK FORM

Comment here with this!

APPS ARE NOW PROCESSED EVERY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

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Your name: Leah/Fell
Your journal:

sevillana
Contact: AIM: catchingspirit Plurk: waterfell also, PMs
Other characters played at Passing: Ami Mizuno/Mercury (

waterfell) and Lethe (

drinkandforget)

Character name: Homura Akemi
Character fandom: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Version: v1
Canon point: after the events of the main series, within the new world created by Madoka changing the magical girl system
Importing development from old game?
Background:
[PMMM Wiki: Homura]
[Brief Series Summary with Links to Episode Summaries]
[Alternate Timelines]

Changes from canon, if AU: N/A. It should be noted, however, that Homura's full history involves a lot of AU timelines, since each time she rewinds time will create a new alternate universe which she will also live through until rewinding it again. Since this process is why she's become so powerful (and why Madoka gains enough power to save or destroy the world), it's heavily implied she's done this innumerable times, though flashbacks only show us highlights of a few. She is determined to continue it until she can save Madoka.

Personality:

Homura is a new student who seems to be great at everything, an instant hit among her new classmates for her abilities in sports and her uncanny way of seeming to be in control of every situation, as well as solving even advanced math problems with ease. She is mysterious and aloof, and always composed. Although it's her first day, she seems to know everything about the school and her classmates; she must be very diligent.

Behind this everyday life, Homura reveals a harsh temperament, still wrapped in mystery. She confronts those who might be able to become magical girls very strongly, giving them veiled warnings and acting in ways they simply don't understand. She refuses to work together, or to answer most of their direct questions, and claims magical girls are beyond saving. She is willing to be brutal to achieve whatever her true objective might be, always responding with the hint of a threat if the others act against her hints. She does not always explain her desires well.

This is because she's tried before. Much of Homura's coldness comes from frustration and has been forced on her by her situation, as it becomes clear being a magical girl is indeed a dire fate in this world. When she has tried to warn people clearly before now, she's been disbelieved or ignored. Hints guiding them the right way without explaining things they can't accept might work better. She also admits that she may be this way because she no longer sees herself as human; given that magical girls have quite literally had their soul taken out of them, she means this literally and likely houses regret over what she's had to do, though it's understood as metaphor the first time she refers to it (and she considers the price worthwhile if it saves Madoka).

The rest of the coldness comes from trauma. Over and over again, Homura has lived these same events, from the friendships that break down over competition to the deaths of her comrades and most important person, to watching that same person destroy the very world. She has experienced things that would affect anyone, and experienced them countless times, trapped in this cycle by her own determination.

Despite this, Homura is not entirely without compassion. When the other girls are truly in danger, she is often willing to help or save them- especially if it means avoiding allowing them to contract as magical girls as well (or if Madoka asks for it). When facing something above their abilities, she tries to warn them off and will offer to face the danger herself, knowing her much-longer experience as a magical girl makes her more likely to survive. She is even the first to suggest teaming up when a battle too difficult for herself (or anyone else) alone arises. However, she considers a seemingly unfeeling magical girl to be better suited for the system of their world, not out of cruelty but because their outlook will better cope with the harsh realities along the way.

After all, she wasn't able to.

Homura was very different in the past. The former Homura is a very shy and quiet girl with glasses, who finds it difficult to be the new transfer student and to make new friends. In addition, she is not very physically strong or resilient, and feels very useless. She has a heart condition. When one of her new classmates, Madoka, is kind to her and helps her orient herself in the new school (and takes her to the nurse to get her away from the nerve-wracking crowd of students), she becomes attached to Madoka very quickly. When Madoka - already a magical girl in this timeline - helps to save her from a witch, it's solidified. Madoka is her only friend and the most important thing to her. This later develops into the main timeline Homura admitting freely that she only cares for Madoka and will only act in ways that will protect her. It is also the way Homura staves off the despair that would otherwise turn her into a witch herself: she has this absolute determination and focus instead.

Actually, it simply cannot be overstated how much everything about Homura is connected to Madoka. Even their names have ties to each other in differing readings and scripts, and in crucial scenes between the main timeline and former timelines, they often reverse roles, with the shy transfer Homura being led by the confident Madoka turning into the composed Homura leading the shy Madoka who confesses her feelings of uselessness, for example. Homura is the one who will be with Madoka from the beginning to the very end in the main timeline, even becoming the only one to fully remember Madoka and the timeline events after Madoka has changed the world's system.

As her main power is the ability to rewind time, Homura redoes the timeline again and again. Along the way, she changes through the countless battles she experiences but most of all, she makes a conscious effort to completely change when she decides it will be the best way to save Madoka. This is what results in the cool, aloof, and sometimes cruel Homura of the main timeline, changed more and more until she herself worries she may be driving Madoka away from her instead by having become so different. (Ironic- and fitting in a world where magical girls never quite have their wishes go right.) She uses her magic to heal her eyesight and body, and puts her time to use training. This adds to her mysterious allure, as it's this endless experience that gives her so much knowledge and so much practice to perform so well in everything.

Once this is finally over, Homura finds more of a middle ground. She is still calm and collected and capable, but less harsh and seems much more relaxed, perhaps because of finally being able to let go of all those struggles and worries.

Abilities:

Rewinding Time: Magical girls' powers come from their wishes. Since Homura wanted to protect Madoka at all costs, she gained the power to go back in time to do it all over again, until Madoka was finally able to be saved. This ability may also be at use in a smaller way when Homura appears to move so fast in battle. She also has the capability of stopping time, though anyone touching her will still move freely as she does (though time will stop for them as well if they let go of her).

General Magic: The puella magi powers don't seem to be limited to their attacks. When she decides to change herself, one of Homura's first acts is to repair her eyesight with her magic. Other puella magi have been seen creating bindings to trap someone, healing, strengthening normal weapons, and the like. It's also notable that Homura, thanks to so many battles over so long, has become quite powerful. This means she would also make a very powerful witch if she fell into despair.

Weapons: Homura uses a broad array of firearms, ranging from a beretta to grenades (flashbangs and stun grenades), hanguns, assault rifles, machine guns, pipe bombs (assembled from plans on the internet), anti-tank missiles... Most significantly, once Madoka has changed the world order, Homura begins to use a bow- Madoka's chosen weapon.

Shield: Homura wears a shield on her arm which contains her actual time-rewinding device. By the time she has her bow, she no longer uses this, likely because its purpose for her wish has already been fulfilled once the system is broken.

Soul Gem: Exactly what it says on the tin. This is a small, egg-shaped gem that quite literally contains Homura's soul. It is the source of her magic, provides her with a body strong enough to stand up to witches and their attacks, and if she's ever too far away from it, she will simply collapse as a corpse; she is already dead after having had her soul taken out and put into the gem in the first place.

Telepathy Homura is highly unlikely to ever use it, as she wouldn't want to let Kyuubey into her mind, but the magical girls can communicate via telepathy if Kyuubey passes their thoughts to each other. She would likely have the ability to do this as well, especially as one scene with Kyoko calling out Sayaka via telepathy doesn't necessarily involve Kyuubey anyway.

Writing sample:

Time and again, it was the same nightmare, as if she had to relive it at night as many times as she'd lived it in the day. Maybe more.

It always started with the fog, the dimensional twisting of a witch's barrier in a battle she couldn't win, and Madoka. It never ended well.

Her throat never worked in these dreams. Shout and shout as she may, the words just couldn't reach Madoka, not even the single, screamed. no! Instead, she was left to wonder why they'd ended up so far apart, unable to even make their feelings reach each other.

Kyuubey was there, always, the little white creature practically purring in anticipation of what came next. Madoka would fall, generating an enormous amount of power for his race and their plans.

And Homura would wake up screaming. Only this time, she didn't. This time, there were more people than she remembered. This time, she didn't know what sort of timeline had been produced to bring these unconnected strangers here. Even Kyuubey, to someone as practiced at reading his reactions as she was, seemed confused.

This time, the bindings disappeared, and so did the whole scene, leaving them standing in a simple field. Calmly, she stepped closer to the (intruder? foe? victim?) arrival, and paused before speaking.

"If you understand what's good for you, you'll leave this barrier at once. If you don't hurry, you'll become lost here."

Voice sample: [link]

You've shown Homura pre-rewrite effectively, but since she'll be post-rewrite, we'd like the application to focus more on that. If you could extend the personality to cover her changes more thoroughly, review her abilities as they stand post-rewrite, and link or write a sample that demonstrates Homura's canon point more clearly, we'd appreciate it!

Abilities:

Experience Level/General Magic: In the series, it's pointed out by Kyuubey that Kyoko and Mami are both exceptionally skilled due to their experience. This is where Homura, who has immense experience throughout the various timelines, gets her own amazing ability and skill from, much as with her amazing performance in school and sports. Over time, she's had time to analyze all these battles and perfect her own techniques and strategies. She's learned what works for her, and how to get what she needs (particularly the firearms, and even teaching herself to build some of them from the internet). Post-rewrite, she still has all this experience; thus she is likely extremely effective against the demons that have replaced the witches.

Time/Shield: Homura no longer carries her shield with the hourglass into battle. She has thus either lost or given up using at least some of her powers over time, likely in part because the purpose of that power, and the wish that created it, are fulfilled; at least, to the greatest extent possible.

Weapons (Bow): The bow is her weapon now. Typically, a bow represents purification (as opposed to the destructive force and bluntness of her firearms, and very appropriate for battling 'demons'), and of course the obvious connection to Madoka makes it something that lets Madoka go on living as much as possible through her. She keeps Madoka close to her through these choices, just as she does by interaction with Madoka's family. Although it is a relatively new weapon to her, she seems to handle it very effectively.

Telepathy: This is likely still in use, but now it is likely used between all the magical girls. Even Homura, judging from her acceptance of Kyuubey, would be willing to put it to use, possibly as an effective way to coordinate their actions in their battles.

Personality:

Once the world is rewritten, Homura is able to let go of many of her burdens. Since those burdens - her drive to save Madoka which became tied to her need to keep herself from despair - pushed her to her deliberate change from the shy and quiet Homura into the Homura of the main timeline, their release also allows for a dramatic change.

There is a large difference in her attitude towards Kyuubey and his race. When he says the former system would be much more efficient for them, she agrees they would have taken advantage of it- it's just how they are. This simple acceptance (though still not approval, of course) is a marked change from her antagonism to him and his deceptions throughout the main timeline, which even resulted in her attacking him. Significantly, he is the one she explicitly tells about the former universe and system (she would not have willingly or easily given him information in the main timeline), and even more significantly, she is willing to work together with him despite their enmity from the former timelines. This all also suggests she may be more accepting of people and their flaws in general, as well as more open herself.

She is definitely somewhat softer, or at least gentler. She finds some closure by talking with Madoka's family, and is kind and pleasant with them rather than aloof. She plays with Madoka's little brother, and chats with her mother before even offering her one of Madoka's ribbons, a precious keepsake. She likely visits them as often as she can without seeming strange, perhaps even becoming a big sister figure (standing in Madoka's place, to a point) and occasional babysitter to Tetsuya. Even her grieving over Madoka's loss has changed from the panicked sobbing during Madoka's final choices, and has moved into acceptance. Now, her sorrow shows itself by the way she's drawn to the things connected to Madoka.

Among the other magical girls, Homura is no longer seen giving warnings or butting heads with them nearly as much, and has become more a part of the group and team. Granted, in the main timeline she was willing to work together for her goals, but this goes beyond allying for a common goal and into more of true comraderie. They likely face all these battles together. She is also much more open about her feelings; the main timeline Homura would never have cried in front of the others as she cries over Madoka in the new universe (though the original, more emotional Homura likely would have; she's become more in touch with that former self and has found a middle ground between the Homura who thought she was useless and the too-cool Homura).

Although she still sees the world somewhat negatively, and describes it as having no possibility of actual salvation, Homura is now willing to fight for it as her own decision, simply because Madoka cared for it, and is no longer doing so solely as an outcome of her wish or for self-preservation. This is Madoka determining Homura's choices again, as Madoka will remain a driving force and important person for her; but it's also a slight shift in Homura's thinking. There is a reason for her to protect the world, and for her to at least try to accept it. This is actually much of the key to Homura after the main timeline: accepting the world as it is and for what it is, as opposed to her long struggle to undo and redo it. She has moved from protecting Madoka into protecting the concepts Madoka now embodies as one and the same thing.

Still, even with the changes, she is left slightly lonely as the one with outside knowledge, like before. Only Homura remembers Madoka at all, or all the struggles in the earlier timelines and universe. The other magical girls don't even seem to recognize the name, and even Madoka's own family think 'Madoka' must be their little boy's imaginary friend or a fictional character when he talks about her and draws pictures of her. (The shared memory is likely why Homura feels drawn to him.) Kyuubey, notably, tells her it's no different from a dream or imagination if only she remembers it and there is no proof. Sharing with Kyuubey makes it likely Homura would share with her friends and fellow magical girls as well, especially as she's already seen to be more open in general now; but even so, though they'd be grateful for Madoka and what she did for everyone, it wouldn't have the personal meaning to them without those memories. She still somewhat stands outside of time in her own experiences and memories, if no longer literally.

First-Person Sample:

She’d say the same. It’s better if the people in this city are still unaware of magical girls or demons if it means we’ve been able to head off the danger and keep them safe. None of us chose this for fame anyway. We all fight for our own reasons and our own wishes. As for me, I‘ve decided to protect them here on Earth.

It doesn’t mean there are no rewards. There are the smiles and relief of the ones we’re able to save. Their gratitude. I can almost see what I’m looking for in those. I can feel as though we’re making a difference without just thinking about our own fate. There are the stolen moments to sit beside the river or stolen moments for myself. Magical girls have become friends and we fight together much better now.

There are still curses, left by the demons.. We still battle until we disappear and there is still no turning back. We still live to struggle. However, even if this world still has those things, for us, it’s no longer hopeless.

Maybe it’s a compromise. It isn’t a world I would have made or chosen for myself, but it’s a world where we can still live at peace with ourselves in the end. Thus, when the time comes to fight, I move forward.

You've been accepted! Welcome. :) There are a few things to go over.

    ᘚ Please join the comms. These notifs haven't been working lately, so if a day goes by and you haven't been accepted into the communities, feel free to nag us.
    ᘚ Comment to the taken page.
    ᘚ Our activity requirements are 20 comments each month for each character, and please remember to tag every post your character comments on - this is how we keep track of activity for ACs.
    ᘚ If you use plurk, you might also consider following the mod account, though this is not required.

Do all of that, introduce yourself on the OOC comm, and start playing!

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Applications

Homura Akemi | Puella Magi Madoka Magica

REVISION REQUEST

no subject

ACCEPTED