[GUIDE] Character Applications

The Quill · Post by **The Quill** » 02 Aug 2025, 05:30

Creating a character

In order to create a character on Penwick.ink, you must take the following steps:

Create a new thread in this forum with the title being your character's first name, last name, and year.
Tag it appropriately:
- [WIP] - "Work In Progress", meaning your application is not done. You have 2 weeks from the creation of your application to get it ready for review.
- [Review Me!] - You are ready for your application to be reviewed by a staff member
- [Under Review] - This tag is used by staff if an application is not ready to be approved yet.
- A member of staff will review it and contact you to let you know if your application is approved, rejected, or needs revision.
- You must only have 1 post in your thread. You may have more once you are approved.
- Users may create a total of 2 character accounts.
ALPHA NOTE: You have two total character slots. In the future, we intend to release a framework for Sigerth University, and allow users to create students who attend it. Keep this in mind when creating characters.

You may use both of your slots now to create a first year and a fifth year, you can save a slot in preparation for a University student, or you can use both your slots while you wait, with the understanding that you will have to deactivate a character if you decide you want a University student when the time comes.

Your post must contain at least 200 words and contain the information outlined in the rest of this thread, including:
- Basic information
- Physical description
- Personality description
- Backstory
- First Instance of Accidental Magic
- Names of any other accounts you've created
A basic template can be found below:
Spoiler (click to show)
Code: Select all
```
[size=150]Basic Information[/size]
[list][*] [b]Date of birth:[/b] 
[*] [b]Nationality:[/b] 
[*] [b]Residence:[/b] 
[*] [b]Blood status:[/b]
[*] [b]Year:[/b]
[*] [b]Origin:[/b]
[*] [b]Aptitudes:[/b]
[list][*] Physique -
[*] Intelligence -
[*] Charisma -
[*] Spirit -
[*] Agility -
[*] Sorcery -
[/list]
[*] [b]House:[/b] 
[*] [b]Other accounts:[/b]
[/list]


[size=150]Physical Description[/size]


[size=150]Personality Description[/size]


[size=150]Backstory[/size]


[size=150]First Instance of Accidental Magic[/size]
```

The Quill · Post by **The Quill** » 16 Aug 2025, 23:33

Avatar

Each account's avatar (profile picture) is a visual representation of your character. You may upload your own file or select one from our pre-generated gallery of avatars.

We do not have a faceclaim list, so your avatar may be the same as that of another user.

The following rules apply to avatars:

Your avatar must reasonably match the written description of your character. If you describe your character as having black hair but your avatar shows blonde hair, you should either update your avatar or your written description to match. The only exception to this is characters who have abilities that allow them to change their appearance, such as a metamorphmagus.
Your avatar must be age-appropriate. Eleven-year-olds should not have beards and do not look like adult fashion models.
A picture of a cat, dog, or some other meme is not a picture of your character. Your avatar must be an accurate visual representation of your character.
The avatar must clearly show the character's face.

Furthermore, your avatar should not be:

A lewd image.
An image of a canon character or actor from the Harry Potter universe.
Be a selfie or someone you know personally.
Be a picture of a murdered or missing person.

The Quill · Post by **The Quill** » 16 Aug 2025, 23:37

Basic Information

Date of birth (remember, they would need to be 11 years old when starting their first year on September 1st)
Nationality (can differ from residence, but must be explained in the backstory)
Residence (you must reside within the UK or Ireland to attend Penwick)
Blood status
- Muggle-born: Both parents and grandparents are muggles. You have no traceable magical heritage.
- Half-blood: You have at least one muggle and one magical parent or grandparent.
- Wixborn: You have no muggle parents or grandparents. You have some traceable muggle heritage if you go far back enough.
- Pureblood: Your parents and grandparents are all Purebloods. You have no traceable muggle heritage.
Year (you may apply for a 1st or 5th year character)
Origin
Aptitudes
House (only an option to self-sort during the alpha)

The Quill · Post by **The Quill** » 16 Aug 2025, 23:37

Physical Description

What does your character look like? This description should match whatever avatar you've chosen, but this is the place to expand on that image.

Remember that your character is human, so they must have human traits.

Curses giving scars or inhuman characteristics are only options available to those with the "Storyteller" role.

If your character grew up in a magical household, scarring would be very rare, as magical medicine prevents scars.

The Quill · Post by **The Quill** » 16 Aug 2025, 23:38

Personality Description

What is your character like? Describe their hobbies, quirks, behaviours, etc.

The Quill · Post by **The Quill** » 16 Aug 2025, 23:39

Backstory

Describe your character's life before Penwick, as well as what they've been up to since starting school if you are applying for a 5th year.

If you write that your character or their family are renowned, known, or famous, you may not force other characters to say that they know of you.

Remember to keep your blood status in mind as you write. Magic and electricity don't function well together, so purebloods would not be playing video games as kids.

This is also where you should describe why you chose your character's Origin. If they are a werewolf, when were they bitten? If they are a seer, do they know this yet? If your character is grounded, how do they feel about attending Penwick?

Your backstory may NOT:

Be obviously abusive
Say that your character had no guardian and they were completely on their own
Include being in an orphanage (they no longer exist in the UK, instead utilizing a foster care system)
Claim that your character is a serial killer, dark lord, established assassin, or anything of the sort
Say your student is currently homeless, they must have some place to go back to
Be connected to a canon character in the Harry Potter universe (this includes parents being Death Eaters or claiming to be a part of the Sacred 28)
Claim your character is a direct descendant of Arthur Pendragon or Morgana. You can claim to be an offshoot of the family tree, or some family that was married in at some point. In other words, a watered-down bloodline is fine, but being a direct descendant is unfortunately going to be off-limits as it would imbue your character with too much importance, which would then be inaccessible to others.
Be a pre-existing character from any franchise OR depict a real person

The Quill · Post by **The Quill** » 16 Aug 2025, 23:39

First Instance of Accidental Magic

In order to be accepted to Penwick, your character must have at least one instance of accidental magic before the age of 11. Describe what happened, as well as the age at which your character did this.

While your character may have multiple instances of this, we only want to hear about their first.

Accidental magic is unintentional and can happen for one of three reasons:

It just happens at random with no reason
In response to danger as an act of self-preservation
As a result of strong emotion.

Accidental magic is also just that, accidental. It is not accidentally saying an incantation and casting a spell, it is not trying to turn your chocolate cake to vanilla for hours until it works. It is uncontrolled by your character, and isn't a spell, it's a raw manifestation of their magical ability.

Some examples of accidental magic are setting a hat on fire when angry, falling from a great height with no injuries, or randomly sneezing bubbles.