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RULES. And some info, and other guidelines──important.

I.     TPWK. Treat people with kindness! That applies to every other applicant, but also to me. Be nice, be respectful. All in all, be normal. Oh, and most important rule: have fun!

II.    SLOTS. This apply fic will have slots. That means I already have decided on a number of OCs I will accept and have some sort of (general) idea about what they will be like. In the form, you'll have to disclose which one of the slots you're applying with your character for. The slots will be described later in this chapter, but don't worry: they won't be very specific / restrictive. You'll still have plenty of room to make the character your own.

The existence of slots also means that it would be wise to check how many people have applied for a specific slot already before working on your own application, because I'll only be accepting one OC per slot, and each one needs to be filled for me to be able to write the fic.

You might be wondering if I already know who the murderer will be. I don't. It could be one of the main characters──covered by the slots──or someone unexpected, from the side cast. I don't want to decide that before I get any applications, so you don't worry about that just yet either.

III.   CREATIVITY / DIVERSITY. When making your characters, while you'll have to fit within the few requirements ascribed to certain slots, aim for originality anyway. This story will be character-driven, so I need interesting personalities above all. The first password for the form is one item that your OC would want to be buried with when they die. I won't tell you you can't apply with a white, straight, nice and otherwise boring girl character, but there are definitely much more compelling options.

IV.   DETAIL / NEATNESS. Be detailed when working on your forms, even if only to make sure I'll portray your OC in a way that feels accurate and satisfying to you! Do it for your own sake! The more detail, the greater chance of me picking your character as well. When it comes to neatness, Google Docs certainly help, and I love to see the different layouts, but simply comments are also welcome.

V.    ACTIVITY. If your charater gets accepted, I expect you to complete things like opinions and reading chapters in a timely manner. Other than that, voting and commenting is also greatly encouraged, because they help with motivation to write! And, if you fail to comply with this entirely, your character can just tragically trip and fall, or something. Of course, if you go on hiatus, or something that stops you from being active happens, simply let me know. I get that we all have our lives.

VI.   PASSWORDS. Other than one hidden password (to make sure you read the rules carefully), share this on your message board and tag 2+ people in your form. Thank you in advance :)

ANY QUESTIONS?

SLOTS.

1.  ཐི♱ཋྀ  MACBETH

MACBETH is Vince's best friend. Moreover, they're the mirror to his soul, reflecting both his brightest and darkest shades. Thick as thieves, the two were inseparable, be it on the academy corridors or outside of them. MACBETH was the first to know Vince's ambitions, the keeper of his secrets, complicit in victories and failures. But, if they were so similar, did they maybe get ever jealous of one another? Tired? A subtle competition lay beneath the friendship.

In the aftermath of Vince's death, MACBETH's grief turns jagged, tinged with an unnameable guilt; the revelation that Vince was irrevocably gone felt a bit like taking a deep breath for the first time in years, for whatever reason.

2.  ཐི♱ཋྀ  HAMLET

HAMLET hovered at the edges of things as long as anyone can remember, watching and listening. They were Vincent's confidant, a patient witness to his highs and lows, the one who could read between the lines of his boisterous proclamations. They were not the closest to him, but they understood him in a way that went beyond friendship: a detached fascination with the walking enigma.

Now, with tragedy having swept them all into chaos, HAMLET's instincts awaken. They move like a chess player eyeing the board, trying to piece together what lies just beneath the surface. Their pursuit of truth becomes both a method of survival and an unspoken tribute to the one person they could never quite solve. But, could it be because they wish to find someone to put the blame on before the real detectives' eyes turn to them?

3.  ཐི♱ཋྀ  JULIUS CEASAR

JULIUS CEASAR is a beacon of light in the world of anyone who has them in their life. Either they're innocent and sweet, or maybe just simple-minded and genuine; ultimately, there was no way they could be at all connected to anyone's death. JULIUS CEASAR admired Vince with a kind of wide-eyed awe, drawn to his intensity without fully understanding it.

To Vince, they were a curiosity, someone who reminded him of simpler, gentler things. He might have protected them in a way that seemed both charming and condescending, always brushing off their opinions or concerns as naïve. There's no telling if exactly that was the death of him or not.

4.  ཐི♱ཋྀ  ROMEO AND JULIET

ROMEO AND JULIET is a hopeless romantic. That doesn't have to be the focal point of their charater. Actually, many people might not even know that about them. Vince, however, did. The two shared a clandestine connection. It could've been a far away period in the past, and whatever it was had ran its course a long time ago, or maybe it was cut short by one party's death. It could've been something deeper, or just a matter of convenience, entirely carnal.

None of those things matter. What does matter is how all those feelings seem to bubble up in the wake of Vince's death, leaving a chapter in ROMEO AND JULIET's life uncomfortably open. Could they have brought this upon themselves?

5.  ཐི♱ཋྀ  OTHELLO

OTHELLO might not have been an intruder or outsider in the friend group, but they were one in Vincent's life. OTHELLO was only really friends of one or two people in the crew, and a very recent addition to the whole. Furthermore, they didn't have much in common with Vince. Or, if they did, something made them unable to get along anyway.

Their dynamic was not much more than an unrelenting clash of ideals, words, or actions. To the rest of the world, they were civil──maybe even warm──but underneath, resentment simmered. Vince might have mocked them once in front of the group or unintentionally diminished them with his careless arrogance. Or maybe it was subtler, the way he always seemed to be the brightest star in any room, leaving them as the unseen shadow. In death, their silent antagonism becomes their greatest burden and the source of pointed suspicion. In this way, OTHELLO is the opposite of JULIUS CEASAR.

6.  ཐི♱ཋྀ  ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA

Vince's significant other, ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, was both his grounding force and his sparring partner, an anchor and a storm. The group never quite warmed to ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA for some reason.

Maybe they were too different, unfit for their carefully curated chaotic world, or maybe they had previously hurt Vince in a way that his friends would recover from at a later time than Vince himself. Maybe it was the way they never seemed impressed by Vince's flair, meeting his dramatics with unimpressed glances and quick retorts. Or maybe it was the way they pulled Vince away from the group every once in a while. Now, ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA stands at the center of suspicion, guarded and unreadable to the friend group, leaving everyone questioning whether love was enough to stay the knife.

7. ཐི♱ཋྀ TITUS ANRONICUS

TITUS ANDRONICUS is bound to Vincent by blood, which was probably the only reason they were invited to the celebration in the first place. As his younger sibling, it was like some sort of shadow was permanently cast over TITUS ANDRONICUS. They learned early to love and loathe the role he played in their life──both a hero and a torment, a source of inspiration and impossible expectations.

Their relationship was a series of contrasts: moments of familial teasing, fierce arguments, unsaid apologies, and half-finished gestures of support. In death, they are left with a gnawing hollowness, a thousand memories replaying in their mind and a bitter sense of unresolved conflict. The group watches them, torn between seeing a grieving sibling and wondering what darkness might lurk behind familiar eyes.

FORM.

Slot──One of the slots above! Yes, they're named after Shakespeare's tragedies.

Full Name──Include first, middle and last name, meaning if you want to.

Nicknames──What people call them. Include who calls them that, why and how they feel about it.

Preferred Name──The name they prefer to go by.

Age──Most of them should be around 24, with a little wiggle room. TITUS ANDRONICUS, however, is supposed to be younger than all of them, and for them I'd recommend an age between 16 and 20.

Birthday & Zodiac Sign──Self-explanatory.

Faceclaim / Appearance Description──Who your OC looks like in your mind, or a narrative desription. I don't intend to make any graphics with characters' faces, so this is just for me to know what to write them as. You can name a faceclaim if that's more convenient for you, but a written description gives you a lot of freedom.

Gender and Pronouns──Self-explanatory. All are welcome.

Sexuality──Self-explanatory. All are welcome.

Personality──What are they like? Please, be descriptive and detailed.

Backstory──Please be detailed and creative, but also realistic. Not everyone has to have a super happy life, but don't be too dramatic, or at least to make the events sound somewhat likely. Oh, also, this will be taking place in the tiny fictional town of Weycester, about one hour away from Providence, Long Island, because that's where Vince's parents would have the lakehouse.

Family──What are your character's family members? How well do they get along? You can also list age or occupation if you'd like. If applying for TITUS ANDRONICUS, just be sure to stick to the names that I gave their parents in the intro. Other than that, go wild, because I don't have anything too specific in mind when it comes to them.

Major──Most characters are recent PLA graduates. When it comes to ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA and TITUS ANDRONICUS, they don't have to attend/have attended the academy, because depending on TITUS ANDRONICUS' age they might not be college-age yet, or they might've simply not wanted to follow in their brother's footsteps, and ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA can be a PLA graduate or not simply based on what your imagination tells you :)

The programmes offered at Providence Liberal Academy (a college in Providence, Rhode Island, born out of the counterculture movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s) are: Creative Writing and Storytelling, Psychology and Human Behavior, Classical Philology and Philosophy, Experimental Performance Studies, Environmental Science and Ecology, Sociology and Political Science, Media and Popular Culture Studies, Music Composition and Sound Design, Visual Arts, Culture Studies, International Relations, and Global Studies, Education and Learning Sciences, Law, Ethics, and Society, Astronomy and Space Studies, Applied Sciences and Ethical Innovation, Architecture, Landscaping, and Interior Design.

Likes and Hobbies──What do they like or enjoy doing? Include as many as you like but preferably seven or more.

Dislikes──What do they dislike? Include as many as you like but, again, preferably seven or more.

Fears──What are their phobias and greatest fears? Can be inconsequential, can be huge.

Relationship With and Opinion on Vincent Kwon──Be very, very detailed and creative (hidden feelings, rivalries, flings, shared secrets, anything). Whatever is in the description of the chosen slot are just guidelines, so develop a dynamic as complex as you wish. Do whatever feels right. Vince is a bit of a blank slate, only the things that I have stated in the intro are ones you have to abide that. Other than that, make shit up. Vince and your OC share a love for crocodiles? Sure! They met golfing? Why not! Vincent and them both have a strawberry allergy, which is why they're so close? Okay! Go crazy.

Possible motive(s)──Self-explanatory, I believe. If you can, send it to me on Discord (@/prawdziwki) or Instagram (@/mitsyzyfa).

Love Interest──Would you like your character to have a love interest or not? Either from the main friend group or from the side-cast. Your OC can also already be in a relationship. If you'd like a love interest, suggest tropes. This is here, at the very end, because even if there is romance in this story, it won't be the focus.

Style and Aesthetic──Colors, clothes, vibes; this can be a Pinterest board or written out.

Theme Song and Mixtape──Songs that either describe them or they'd listen to.

Quotes──Things they could say over the course of the story, at least three.

Extra──Anything else you'd like to include.

Password & Tags──Rules!

APPLY HERE.

( Deadline ── TBD )

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