Character Application Guide

Why hello there, darling! Eager to join our little game? Looking to let all that wonderful creative energy flow free? Well, before you do get started, you're going to have to submit a Canterlot.com character application. A gorgeous dress starts with a fabulous design and much the same can be said for a fantastic character! Your character's application is that design; it's there to tell us all exactly who your character is and how we can expect him or her to behave in the RP. For that reason, it is imperative that you fill it out and fill it out right! Luckily I'm here to tell you just how to make your application shine like the most beautiful of diamonds! So listen up and let Miss Rarity tell you exactly how this is done!

The application must include all of the following, so listen closely. Absolutely no skipping anything, now!

How to title your application:

Now, before we dive in and get started on what goes in the application, I must first explain how we like for applications to be titled. Every character application starts with the title. It's the first thing ponies see--it's the thing that catches the RP Team's attention. So, needless to say it's important that one fills it out just right! Right? But how do we do that?

Well, a title needs to start off with a topic prefix for the character's species; you should find a drop down box when you go to post your application that contains all of the options! This part is as simple as just picking one of the choices from the list. When you do, it'll appear in the title for you; you don't have to write anything!

You do need to write in your character's name, however, followed by a label for the application's status in the title box. Now this last thing is particularly important, so do listen up, dear. For the status label, you have two options: [Ready] and [WIP].

:Rarity: [Ready] is for applications that are ready to be receive feedback from the RP Team. It does not mean that you are absolutely sure your application is the pinnacle of perfection, and in fact you could still be actively working on it; it just tells us all that you are ready to move forward with the process. Applications with this tag should soon be noticed and reviewed by one of the RP Helpers.

:Rarity: [WIP] on the other hand, is for applications that you are still actively working on. These are incomplete applications that are not ready for RP Helper eyes just yet. If you are looking for feedback on an application DO NOT use this label, as it tells the team specifically that you're not ready for them yet (though RP Helpers may still look at and comment on [WIP] applications at their own discretion from time to time).

Roleplay Type:

Moving on to the actual application content, we start with an oh so important field: Roleplay type. This tells us in which of our roleplay environments you want the character to play. Presently, Canterlot.com offers three options for roleplaying fun: World of Equestria RP, Free RP and Canterlot Chronicles.

:Rarity: World of Equestria (also known as Mane RP) is our strictest RP environment, operating under this set of Rules. Applications are required for this section, so if you want to get in you're going to have pay close attention to those rules and what I say here and make sure everything in your application is just right!

:Rarity: For the much less strict Free RP, on the other hand, applications are not required, though you are still welcomed to write them if you like, and even encouraged to do so for the Crossovers RP. Rules are not as strict here, but do make sure you still obey the general site rules.

:Rarity: Canterlot Chronicles is an RP that is in between World of Equestria and Free RP in terms of content. It is less strict than World of Equestria, but has more structure than Free RP. Applications are required for this section, but Canterlot Chronicles applications follow a slightly different app form and must be post in their separate applications forum.

Name:

Now we get to the fun stuff! Your character is going to need a name! Everypony has one! Now, we ponies, you'll find, have certain naming conventions. Our names aren't quite like the names of you humans. A good pony name is comprised of one or two words, usually having to do with our talents or personality. I happen to be a pony of truly uncommon beauty, talent and charm who is also adept at finding rare gemstones, for instance, so of all the possible names, Rarity certainly is the most fitting! Essentially, just remember to stay away from human names and you'll most likely be fine. Oh, and do also remember that we ponies don't typically have set surnames--Applejack and that oversized family of hers don't all have names ending in Apple after all!

Of course, if your character is not a pony, you're playing by a different set of rules here! For your dragons, griffons and such, we're more open to all kinds of naming possibilities within reason.

Sex:

Now this one is simple, dear. What gender is your pony? You should indicate Male or Female here. We don't allow any other options, I'm afraid, so please stick with one or the other--even if you feel your pony falls somewhere in the middle.

Age:

For a pony's age, we ask that you DO NOT give a specific number (we do not know the number of years ponies live, or at what rate they age). Instead, please use one of the following labels:

:Rarity: Foal - for ponies who are young children, regardless of gender

:Rarity: Colt - for male ponies who are in their teenage years

:Rarity: Filly - for female ponies who are in their teenage years

:Rarity: Stallion - for adult male ponies

:Rarity: Mare - for adult female ponies.

You are welcome to add modifiers like "older" or "young" to give us a a more specific idea of just how old the character is, just don't give us any numbers for age (and that goes for ANYWHERE in the application)!

For non-pony characters, you should use equivalent non-pony related terms for age. Child, Teen and Adult will usually be just fine, but if you want to use terms more specific to the character's species, that should be fine as well.

Species:

Another straight forward field here! What species is your character, dear? A pegasus? An earth pony? A lovely, majestic unicorn like myself? Or perhaps you are looking to create something a little more exotic? Griffons, zebras, cute little baby dragons like Spike? There truly are a lot of options! If you wish to avoid undue trouble, please do make sure you look at the Playable Species List to make sure your species is something that's allowed first though!

Eye colour:

What colour are your character's eyes? Any solid colour is fine, but we ask that you stay away from any really unusual eye effects. Keep it simple and you should have no problems here, darling!

Coat:

Describe for us your character's coat. You should definitely specify the colour of your character's coat/body here and any distinguishing marks that might be on it. If your character's a zebra, tell us about those stripes! A dragon? The scales! Oh, and feel free to also include here any of the fashionable apparel your character may commonly wear. Make sure you keep everything within reason and don't go overboard with anything! Your pony should look like he or she fits in right here in Equestria.

Mane/Tail:

Tell us about the character's mane and tail! You need to indicate the colour (or colours) as well as a general idea of how the mane and tail are styled. Feel free to include any hats or mane accessories here as well, if you like--as well as any facial hair for all your distinguished stallions! Be as descriptive as you can!

Physique:

For this, just tell us a little about your pony's body type. How big or small is your character? Is he or she muscular? Thin? Stocky? Glamorous? Give us as much detail as you like, dear.

Residence:

Simple! Just tell us where your character currently lives. This is important, as it tells other players what locations they can expect to see you play your character in the RP. If you need help, take a look at our list of World of Equestria Locations for ideas!

Oh, and I know a lot of you may really be hoping to enjoy the company of yours truly and my wonderful friends here in Ponyville. Unfortunately, Ponyville is a small town that can only support so many in its current state, and already so many ponies have come to live here. As such, we'd really rather not accept more characters with Ponyville as their residence at this time. Besides, the World of Equestria RP, as might be expected from the name, offers a whole wide world of Equestria for you to enjoy! As far as roleplaying is concerned, there's really no reason to focus in on just one little town like Ponyville!

Occupation:

What is your character's job? Please do keep this reasonable. Jobs should be appropriate, make sense and fit the rules of the Friendship is Magic world. If your character is young, a job is not required or you may list Student for the job if that applies.

Cutie Mark:

In this section, we ask that you describe your character's cutie mark. Give us details, darling! Pictures help, but are not required. Do make sure the cutie mark is both appropriate and accurately describes your character. Stay away from symbols that are trademarked or already have a clear and explicit association with something else, such as flag symbols; the cutie mark should be something entirely personal having to do specifically with your character or his or her talents after all.

You also need to tell us how your pony got his or her cutie mark. Trust me, the moment in which somepony receives their cutie mark is an important one for absolutely everypony! Just describe in however much detail as you please the events surrounding this pivotal moment in your pony's life. Make sure the story is appropriate and logical. We should be able to easily understand how these particular events lead to this particular mark appearing. It is simply not acceptable for you to not know or not be sure what the cutie mark means in relation to the character.

All ponies get cutie marks, and they get them when they are still young. An adult mare or stallion will always have her or his cutie mark, no exceptions! However, for all of your fillies, colts and foals, bare flanks are definitely still a possibility. If this is the case, it is enough to simply indicate as much. Oh, and if your character is not a pony or pony related species, it's fine to simply answer "not applicable" here.

History:

Describe in detail your character's history. Tell us all about his or her life. Be as creative and descriptive as you can, darling; with any truly great design, true perfection comes in the details! As a general guideline, these are some of the basic questions you might consider answering about your pony in this section:

Where was your character born?
How was life for him or her growing up?
Who are his or her parents and how do they get along with your character?
Is there any other family we should know about?
What is his or her life like now?
How did your character get to where he or she is?
Where does he or she hope to go from here?

Oh, and before you ask, characters approved for the World of Equestria RP can definitely be used in any other RP, no problem!

Character Summary:

Finally, we get to the most important part: the heart of the character. Here, you need to describe for us just who your character is! The focus here should be on presenting a personality first, as really it's the most critical thing to any RP! Again, you should be as inventive and as thorough as you are able. Good characters will be unique, well-rounded and well thought out personalities! Here are some of the basic questions you might consider answering here to at least get you started:

What are your character's talent? What manner of things does he or she excel at?
What is his or her motivation in life? How about dreams or goals?
What kinds of things does your character like? What does he or she dislike?
Does your character have any hobbies? What does he or she do with his or her time?
How does your character behave in general? What's it like to be around him or her? How is he or she at making friends?
What are your character's faults? What isn't he or she good at? Where does he or she always seem to fail?
Does your character have any fears or worries?

That about covers what should be included in the application, but there are a few more things that you absolutely need to know before you get started, dear!

:Rarity: Even the most accomplished of fashionistas can find herself feeling overworked at times, and Canterlot.com's dedicated RP team is far from an exception. To keep things within the team's control, we're going to have to ask you to keep the applications you've posted limited to just two at any given time. You may have only one [Ready] application and only one [WIP] application. That means no to two [Ready]s and no to two [WIP]s; just one and one, dear. Once your application has been approved, you're free to switch another application to [Ready] or post a new one.

:Rarity: Applications should be written in plain, black, left-aligned text, with only the labels for the various fields in bold. Believe me, I understand the need to make everything gorgeous, but the RP team is looking for information that is easy to read, not pretty to look at.

:Rarity: We prefer you write applications in third person. It's just easier to extract the needed information that way!

:Rarity: Pictures of the character are very much welcomed, but are certainly not required for an application to be approved.

:Rarity: If you're still unsure about anything after all that I've told you, feel free to direct any questions you may have to any of the talented and dedicated Canterlot.com RP Helpers!

:Rarity: Have fun!

To get started, just copy the application form below and paste it onto a new thread for your application:

Character Application: