IGN:
Alistarstruck (Alternate Account: Altistarstruck)
List your discord name and tag (name#0000): (Please note, communication and discord access is vital, and not having access to the site is a dealbreaker for the team)
(Alistarstruck!!! <3) Alistarstruck
Additionally, do you have a microphone and can speak via discord?
Yes!
Your time zone and current country of residence:
EST (UTC - 5), and the East side of the United States of America!
Link any previous community team applications if applicable:
Not Applicable.
Do you recognize you could be removed from the community team?
Yes, I understand and agree with these terms!
Alistarstruck (Alternate Account: Altistarstruck)
List your discord name and tag (name#0000): (Please note, communication and discord access is vital, and not having access to the site is a dealbreaker for the team)
(Alistarstruck!!! <3) Alistarstruck
Additionally, do you have a microphone and can speak via discord?
Yes!
Your time zone and current country of residence:
EST (UTC - 5), and the East side of the United States of America!
Link any previous community team applications if applicable:
Not Applicable.
Do you recognize you could be removed from the community team?
Yes, I understand and agree with these terms!
List a few things that may obstruct your progress/development on the Lore Team.
A couple of possibilities may hinder my ability to write at certain points during my time as a Lore Team member. However, there are plenty of ways to circumvent or take advantage of the lost time in writing! Anything that might stop the progress of writing would make for a good time to take a mini break so that when one returns, they have a fresh mind ready to fill pages of wonder!
Writer’s Block:
We all know the dreadful “Writer’s block” that can hit, but I have been able to work through this before by taking it slow. I try to write daily, but if I feel demotivated, I might focus on writing one paragraph instead of a page as usual! When demotivated, I look around my shelf at books I love or for inspiration on the topic I’m writing about to help recover from Writer’s Block. As of recently, I had just recovered from a central Writer’s Block that led to a year of barely writing anything. When I was offered a writer’s position in a tailoring server in SRP, I rediscovered my love for the pen and quickly dove back into writing! However, because of this, I do take mini-breaks! I try to take a day out of the week when I don’t write as much or focus on other hobbies. I also find that setting small, reachable writing goals and rewarding myself when I meet them helps to keep me motivated and overcome Writer's Block.
College:
With College on the horizon next, I've devised a plan to take online classes to create more flexibility in my schedule. While College can be demanding, and it will be my first semester, I spent my senior year immersed in college classes and, therefore, have a solid grasp of the assignments and time management. Not being physically in class means I might need to take away an hour or two of the day to focus on my college work, but beyond that, College should not affect my writing ability!
Work:
I have a part time job that takes up some time out of my week, but it is not my main focus and therefore not a huge hindrance in my writing schedule. As I only work a couple hours and a couple days, it might affect my availability during some community meetings, but it would not affect any deadlines or lore writing that a full time job might.
What makes you passionate about writing?:
From the moment I first picked up a book, I was always intrigued by the stories. Small, five-six year old me would come home from my school and grab a picture book, reading every chance I got. I always loved the stories, the characters, the plot, to the point where my teachers found me at a higher reading level than most my age! I found love in creating captivating stories around the age of 6, when my friend and I would play roleplay games growing up based around the storylines we would come up with. I never grew out of the stories. My love for the paper only grew more by the day, especially when I started to grow a love for music. Around the age of 9, I discovered an app called Soundcloud. I refuse to talk about my horrid music choice days, but I loved to listen to music because it brought out stories I never knew I had. I would go to school and daydream about new characters to explore the storylines of, build worlds full of spies and secret mysteries left to be discovered, and even think of future scenarios for shows I watched that were unfinished. These stories were horrible, because I was nine. However, I loved them anyway. I started to write down my thoughts and ideas when I was eleven. I remember, it was during one of those school assemblies with my friends, and one of them was talking about a book they were writing. They had asked me if I was interested in collaborating with them in creating this story! Of course, I had never actually written a story before this point. I felt excited to give it a shot, though! I went home that day with my chromebook, got on Google Docs, and just started writing my first chapter.
I didn’t stop writing until I was on chapter 14 and it was 12 am that night. I was so excited to write, with a new story, and someone else excited to write a story by my side, that I didn’t want to stop. For the next couple weeks I spent more time writing that story. I loved it. I still love the idea of it, four friends waking up in a forest alone with two items having to survive and find each other once again. I remember writing about a bear attack, finding a crashed plane, and even finding my friend again. Unfortunately, we never completed that book. I didn’t let that stop me, though. After that, I started writing more. By the time I was 13, I was advanced in my vocabulary due to writing and ended up taking English Classes a grade higher than I was. I started to create art for my characters, though I wasn’t very good, and write out complex stories of characters traveling together to work towards a goal. When I was 14, I had a full universe written out with stories upon stories about the characters, the history, the planets, and even a main storyline to follow! I still have that universe today.
A couple years ago, I met a friend on an online game meant for people to chat and make friends in a lobby. After meeting them, we quickly hit it off and based a lot of our activities on roleplaying. We had roleplays that would last OOCLY years! We have one on-going that is now on it’s third chapter, with fully developed characters that have gone through wars to get to where they are now. We would plan out lore and flesh out our characters in docs with 20+ pages written before playing them, and that is something that I have continued to do on SRP. I have characters that I haven’t even finished writing about yet, despite having them for months or even from the first day I began playing! My past experiences have led me to now, where I continue to write daily and constantly– whether that’s for myself or other people.
Support:
I would not write as much as I did without the support of those around me. Even when I was younger, I found that those who kept me motivated were the ones to tell me they loved my stories and always excited to hear more of them! My friends who always pushed me to write were also the ones to become ecstatic at any updates I would post. Whether it was chapters, or short stories, they were always the first to read and offer suggestions for improvement! Without my friends, I would not have been nearly as motivated to improve growing up. Even now as I write, my girlfriend always take the time out of her day to read my stories, despite not being the biggest reader herself. She is often the muse that keeps me going, along with a few other factors in my life!
During my Junior year of high school, I took a creative writing class. Not only did I hone my creative writing skills, but I met a teacher that inspired me to write daily with the best of my efforts. She pushed me daily to create something even better than before, and even after I finished that class I continued to write. Now, with my friends supporting my passion and my family willing to read my work, I feel confident enough to work daily and create new, promising stories for everyone to read.
Overall Reasoning:
I was inspired to join the lore team by my friends. First, it was a friend group in SRP along with my partner, who all said I should try out with my writing skills. Then, it was a friend I made who was already on the lore team, someone who is skilled and talented and who I hope to write alongside for a long time. I love the stories offered by the lore team, the experiences, and the opportunity it brings. I write descriptions and backstories already for people, and oftentimes I just do it for the heck of it. While I do get paid (in-game money), it isn’t my main focus when I work on my orders.
Do you have any previous experience with writing lore or creative writing as a general aspect?:
I have experience in writing, as mentioned before, with my character backstories, tailoring, and writing personal stories in the past. My vocabulary has expanded since those books due to taking advanced studies throughout my high school years, allowing for more creativity in my pieces. I have written lore for others before, along with world building techniques due to DND (Dungeons and Dragons). While I don’t have any experience writing lore for a server like SRP, I’m excited to learn with what I can take from my different studies and previous history.
In your own words, give your definition of lore:
“Lore” is a term used to describe a story written for either characters, a plotline, or a world. It can vary widely on detail and length, but the key factor is the content created for the subject it is describing. For example, one might write “lore” for a character, while also writing “lore” for an item or place. One could have a character, but without the lore for them there is no development or story to ensue. The same could be said about an object or place. Without lore, a place might feel empty or confusing.
WRITING PROMPTS:
RULES
- You are expected to write in the third person, and narrate in a reliable and neutral tone. Do not focus your prompts specifically on one character’s perspective, but on a bigger picture.
- There is a 300-1000 word limit that applies to both prompts. Because of flow, if you need to go a little over or under, you are permitted to, but as soon as a prompt is 100 words outside the limit, you will be automatically denied.
- The effort and quality of both prompts will be taken into consideration when we accept applications.
#1
Summarize a character conflict, roleplay conflict, or event that you experienced (server-wide, personal, etcetera- there is no bar for how ‘interesting’ or ‘impactful’ it is). Be sure to follow the above guidelines.
“Protected”
19-year-old Lilac Calderōn stepped into the room, looking at the table with her father, Ezio Calderōn, on the other side. Taking a seat at her table, she took a deep breath and prepared to speak. Of course, her father beat her to it, happy to see his daughter again.
"Lila, my beautiful girl. It's been so long, how are you?" He spoke quietly with reserve, reaching his hand out to take hers. His eyes were full of love and kindness for the young lady as she offered a smile in response. Lilac focused her gaze on the scratched metal table between them, unable to meet his eyes.
Her smile was troubled as she grasped her father's hands. His hands were scarred and bruised, with cuts and rough edges that told many stories throughout his years. Lilac ran her thumb over each scar, her hands small and soft, with a gentle touch in contrast to his.
"I've been all right, Dad. I came to... talk to you about something," Finally breaking the silence, Lilac answered her father's question in their native tongue, choosing her words carefully.
"It's important." Her tone was straightforward and determined but laced with care for the older man in front of her as his face changed slightly. The man seemed saddened to hear her words, nodding and clearing his throat as he moved his hand away from hers. Sitting straight, he looked at the person he watched grow from a little girl to a strong, independent woman, pride evident in his expression.
"Of course," Ezio said flatly, clearing his throat again. Regaining his composure, he continued to speak after adjusting his tone as his eyes met hers. There had always been something uncanny about that eye of his. The prosthetic left eye had often left chills on the average person's spine due to its lifelessness. A scar reached from above the eye to below, one long prominent line forever as prominent as when he first received it. The eye had a green tint that normal eyes would not have, making his stare appear cold and full of peculiar intent.
"You know that you can talk to me about anything. That's never changed, and it never will, my dear."
Lilac nodded after her father finished speaking, picking at her grey sleeves after breaking eye contact. Her voice betrayed her emotions as she found her words again, a gentle sigh escaping her lips just beforehand. Her words were quiet with a heavy tone, practiced and yet imperfectly performed.
"Do you..." She started, then shook her head as she tried again, hoping to find the right words to stay.
"Do you remember that July, back when I was younger?" The pang of emotion the subject brought was evident in her father's eyes as he looked at his daughter, worries taking over his mind.
"What's wrong? Did they come back? Are you safe, Lila?" The man's face was washed over with anxiety after her words, knowing that it was a situation that was not brought up often. The day he found her was a day that changed the both of them forever; a memory burned into their minds as one of the worst moments in their lives.
Even the idea of something happening to her again scared the man, who reached forward and grasped her hands again. Lilac quickly assured him that wasn't the case with a shake of her head, wrapping her ankle around the cold metal chair leg that sc****d against the stone floor beneath them.
"No! No, they haven't returned." Her voice was as rushed as his, interrupting him before he could say more.
"There's something that I never told you about that incident," she started again in a hushed tone before clearing her throat in an attempt to raise her confidence on the subject. Ezio listened closely, leaning forward in his seat with full attention on her. Lilac got out of her chair with a deep breath as the chair screeched to the side, turning around and lifting her shirt.
On her back was a long scar that started from the small of her back and worked its way up in a curve towards the very middle, just above her ribcage. This scar, similar to Ezio's, had long since healed. Inked leaves that worked up the scar to the end replaced the area, beautifully transforming the healed injury. The leaves of the black mistletoe had small blue butterflies, and they were illustrated as if ready to take off from the plant itself.
As she lowered her shirt slowly, she turned to face her father again. His eyes were full of tears as the room seemed to flash around them; a younger Lilac shaky and covered in blood as a vision the two and only the two shared. The chair he was in was slowly moving as he stood up. Lilac spoke again, her voice more confident as she met her father's eyes. Despite the horrid picture painted before them, the woman had a determined light in her eyes that contrasted her father's emotions at that moment.
"It's okay. You helped me leave there alive, and I never wanted to go through something like that again. I knew," she started, walking around the table to meet Ezio fully. After the discovery, the man almost stepped back in revelation as she firmly retook his hands. Despite his shock, she continued.
"That I needed to change. I know you regret the life you gave me and the things that happened to me, but I will make it better." As Lilac looked at her father's grey uniform, the doors opened and a guard looked at her with a nod.
"In fact, I already have." She placed a folded piece of paper in her father's hand and let go with a nod to the guard. Ezio watched his daughter leave, looking down at the paper as Officer Calderōn followed her coworker out of the door. As another set of guards escorted him back to his cell, he couldn't help but smile.
#2
Create a folklore tale based on an existing area in Karakura of your choosing; tell us a story! Show us how creative you can get. Be sure to follow the above guidelines.
"The last Report"
Karakura is a remote island off the coast of Japan famous for its educational system, politics, and crime. With a city full of experiences, it is common for many to ignore the other aspects of the town. For one, the mysteries and strange phenomena that cannot be explained by any mortal means. Many stories are waiting to be discovered, from Koen Street to Masayoshi Boulevard.
Shuki Ichiyama is a reporter from the late 1900s who focused on the unsolved cases of Karakura. Despite the warnings given to her throughout her years, Ichiyama was known to pry in places she shouldn't have. In early December of 1987, she went to work like any other morning and never came home. No one in town seemed to have ill intentions towards the woman, and her mother had mentioned nothing unusual before her disappearance.
The reporter left little information behind, leaving her story just as much a mystery as those she would pursue. After officers determined the case had gone cold, the Senior Reporter published her last piece despite its draft state, "The Mysteries of the Ochiba Lake". The paper gained popularity afterwards due to the mysterious piece's intriguing atmosphere. Even as public as it is, the paper remains an enigma to experts and theorists alike. The contents of the drafted report are bone-chilling, the article's focus being a lake in the Ochiba forest.
"The Fishing Pond in the Ochiba forest has withstood many years of change. From the raging fires of 1612 to the battles from different wars throughout the centuries, the pond still stands today as a hotspot for many fishermen. With Karakura's long history and trade in the fishing industry, it will likely continue to be a significant source of income for the town as we know it."
Reporter Ichiyama then talks about how she met a fisherman named Jiro Kimura and his story. Describing a suspicious note she found in her Reporter's Mailbox, she agreed to interview the man after researching more about him. The short interview describes the "truth" behind what happened to his brother, Kataki Kimura.
The police records show Kataki Kimura's disappearance as an unsolved case. However, Jiro Kimura's claim as an eyewitness tells a different story. In the report, he describes a humanoid-like woman who drowned his brother. "There was this woman. I couldn't make out many features, but she was... Nothing less of a monster, with scaly skin, glowing yellow eyes and a grin that made me sick to my stomach."
It was after this that he described Kataki's death in more detail. ". . . As Kata looked around in confusion after I called his name, she yanked him under the water. I tried to search for him, I did! But he was nowhere; not even a body was left in that small lake. . ."
Ichiyama ended the interview with more questions than answers, unwilling to believe a "monster" caused the young man's death. She made note of a family Kimura mentioned in his explanation and decidedly looked into their story.
"Digging around, I found a news article from 1954 about a family who came to Karakura on a fishing trip. That was ordinary; our home is the place for many fishermen and tourists alike, but the catch is that they never went home." The Ito family is a group that went to the lake in Ochiba forest one night on their vacation, and the youngest, a little boy named Renji, was the only one who returned. When she discovered this article, he was in his late forties and unwilling to accept any interviews.
"Because of this, I could not get an interview with the man, but he did mail me some articles that might help my case. These articles included his statement from when he was a child, to a description of a monster named the Nure-Onna, and even some other names with articles about them." Along with this report, other articles, such as the ones in question, were sprawled along her office desk after her disappearance. Renji Ito's statement to the police led to him getting admitted to a mental hospital for two years after the family tragedy.
"There was this woman. She had large yellow eyes and this... sickening grin, and she seemed to have changed the world around us, making us see an ocean rather than the lake we were in just a moment ago. She took my mother and my father, but she made sure I lived. She wanted me to suffer with the memory of what happened that day."
While Ichiyama's report does not mention his statement, Ito's words match Jiro Kimura's interview to an uncanny degree. After investigating another story about a woman and her sister named Mei Kobayashi and Yuri Kobayashi, she also discovered the sister's disappearance. As theorists dug out the story, it was found to be a genuine missing persons case. Mei Kobayashi described her sister's disappearance as strange due to her actions beforehand. She claimed that her sister wanted to kill a "creature in the lake", taking with her weapons and tools Mei did not know Yuri kept. After that night, Yuri never returned home, not even as a body.
Ichiyama ends her report with a rushed tone, writing about a man named Takumi Fujita. According to the report, Fujita attempted to warn her to stay away from the lake and its contents only to strengthen her curiosity. The final sentence of the unfinished report states, "Taking some items from Nure Onna's stories that supposedly draw her out, I decided to head down to the Lake in Ochiba forest myself." It is easy for those who believe in the Nure Onna character to imagine what happened next. No clues were left behind to discover the truth of what happened to the reporter other than this report.
Oddly enough, the police could not find many people mentioned in this report. Jiro Kimura also disappeared after her death, with Kimura's obituary found in a local neighbor on the mainland just two years later. According to the records, Kimura drowned in his bathtub. Alternatively, no records have been found of a man named Takumi Fujita even existing at this time. Whether her death was indeed that of a monster by the name of "Nure Onna" or something else was at play is a mystery left unsolved to this day.
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