[Michelle]

Hey there, I'm Michelle.
Uuuuuuuhhhh I wanna build upon some stuff Ryu said and add my own thoughts. This means my information will probably be general rather than specifically answering your questions; Ryu's covered most of it anyway. I've been here for three years and have worked various staff positions on and off in that time. That being said, my word is totally not the staff's word so please don't take my personal opinion as such. This is just my way of saying, "I know a thing or two about making a good character for the setting".

*Aliens. I mean.. Umm... Hail Hydra!!!

Haha! Not on our lore.

Some of your questions can be answered by our handy Active Characters List, mentioned by Ryu but not linked by him (god dammit, Ryu). But, it's a little outdated even though it was edited a month ago.

The male:female ratio is more like 15:12, including child characters (they're people too!). But like Ryu said, those who play lady characters are currently more active, so despite those numbers dude characters are definitely under-represented.

The list of needed jobs on the bottom of the page is pretty accurate; it's listed from most needed to least needed. Currently, the setting doesn't have a single mason, and it could really use one because of a housing shortage. The setting also may be losing its only miner and tailor atm, as well as 1/2 of its blacksmiths... but that largely depends on how things go IC.

Really, you could apply with a character with any job you wanted, but here's a few tips:

• Don't do a thief or a con man. Not because you should make an antagonising character, but because your character will find that there isn't much to steal or con people out of.
  
• Don't do a politician. There's no guarantee of work for your character--it's heavily dependent on whether or not you're skilled enough as a RPer.
  
• Don't make a prostitute or a sex worker. For various reasons, it's very unlikely to be accepted.
  
• Do give your character a secondary occupation. Unless your character's main occupation is something that will always have work (i.e. taking care of basic needs: cooks, doctors, tailors, etc.), it's best to give your character something else that's somewhat related to their main occupation. For instance, brewing and baking. So... yeah you could do a thief, a politician, or whatever you like, but a safety net is best.
  
• Do read this skill guide. You'll be told to read it at some point, so you might as well now.
  

*Can I submit an app privately to preserve character secrets? Or does it have to be in the public section?

As far as I know, yes, you probably can submit an application or part of it through PM. The server has rules against metagaming but... yeah. But like Ryu I'd run this one past actual staff.

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Hey look, you posted more questions while I was typing this post. Lemme answer those:

• 1. Yes, there is alcohol and tobacco like there is IRL. There are painkillers (see this nifty lore) but I don't know if they're an addictive substance. They have been RPed as such before, but standards have changed since then.
  
  2. No idea, leaving this one for someone better qualified... or willing to do the research, haha.
  
  3. Yes and no. The main continent in the lore is intentionally vague so that people can basically make their character be from where ever they like--generally, no one has to read any of the lore outside of the lore page on this website if it isn't relevant to their character. That being said, there's a bunch of player-created lore locations and cultures here, but using these will probably mean you'll have to work with the creator of the lore and such... basically, you can do it, but it's extra work. You can make your own lore proposal, but a) it must be accepted before your character, and b) you don't really need one unless your character's from a place that is very well-known, or a place that is vastly different in culture. Any new languages especially need their own lore.
  
  4. Noble-blooded characters are fine, and we've had plenty: your only real set-back is a) researching the part b) where they're from (see above answer). And yes... the rules have plenty of guidelines as to what is acceptable or not (the server is PG 13+, we don't do ERP at all, etc.), but if you're unsure, PM a staff member. They'll let you know.
  
  5. I believe there's a Skype group chat, but not everyone is in it. Joining isn't compulsory. Other than that, no. Just the forums and the server at the moment.