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beyondriftmods) wrote2015-01-02 08:27 pm
beyondriftmods) wrote2015-01-02 08:27 pm
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Application
Please, fill out the following and comment to this post with it. If you'd prefer, you can send in your application via e-mail (mods@beyondtherift.com) where the entire process will remain private. Refer to this post for an explanation of what we're looking for. Remember when applying, you have a week from your acceptance to intro within the game.
Please, add the name of your character in the subject line. You can place part #s beside the name in the subject if you'd like but make certain the name is there.
This is for AU applications only. Please check our AU Guidelines before applying.
We will wait two weeks before processing applications in casts that are over the size of ten. In addition, there is now a two week wait between applications for the same mun. You apply for one and get accepted, but then have to wait two weeks to apply for another character.
When you have two active characters in game, you can apply for a cameo character. Information about what kind of characters qualify for cameo status is here.
If you've been on hiatus, please, don't apply until you have returned to full activity (there's a two week wait generally).
Please, direct any questions regarding the application to this post or to the mod e-mail.
APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED
Please, add the name of your character in the subject line. You can place part #s beside the name in the subject if you'd like but make certain the name is there.
This is for AU applications only. Please check our AU Guidelines before applying.
We will wait two weeks before processing applications in casts that are over the size of ten. In addition, there is now a two week wait between applications for the same mun. You apply for one and get accepted, but then have to wait two weeks to apply for another character.
When you have two active characters in game, you can apply for a cameo character. Information about what kind of characters qualify for cameo status is here.
If you've been on hiatus, please, don't apply until you have returned to full activity (there's a two week wait generally).
Please, direct any questions regarding the application to this post or to the mod e-mail.
APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED
Helen Magnus (AU)
Revisions
We would like an expansion on the AU differences between this Helen and canon Helen. Namely, we are curious as to why she turned to drugs specifically as a means of coping. Where or why did the thought occur to her to start using drugs? Did she have a history of addiction or did it run in her family? What kinds of drugs specifically is she addicted to and what would happen with this Helen if she were to beat her addiction? Would she still have differences from canon!Helen and what would these differences be?
We would also like to have a larger writing sample and would love it if it could include the moment that she first turned to drugs to deal with her pain.
Thank you.
Revisions -- Sorry for the delay!
In canon, Helen’s work is what truly keeps her waking up in the morning. She would never turn her back on her patients as long as they needed her. We have seen the lengths she is willing to go to simply to preserve her control over its direction. However, she also never had to live with choosing to sacrifice her daughter. Her canon counterpart allowed her daughter and best friend to die, yes, but she did so with the knowledge that she was making the right choice. Saving either of them might have meant destroying the world as she knows it. She could not risk altering the timeline, toying with the lives of others. However, in this universe, Helen actively chose her friend’s life over her daughter’s. In saving James, she was already risking changing the future. That was no longer a valid reason for allowing her daughter to die. She could have saved her, yet she chose not to take that route because of her own fears of having to watch her grow old and die again.
Still wanting to minimize her choice’s impact on the timeline, Helen was forced to remain off the grid, hiding James, as well. This meant she was always with a constant reminder that she had chosen his life above that of her own daughter. It did not take long for her to wonder what sort of mother she must be to make such a decision, especially to make it for her own selfish reasons. Under different circumstances, she might have taken solace in her work, but she blamed her work for taking her daughter. She blamed the experiment that had granted her longevity for the choice she had made, and she began to wish she had never discovered her father’s work, never taken this path in her life. It was easier than holding all the guilt on her shoulders. But she could not avoid the guilt entirely.
It was only when the guilt became unbearable that she sought other means of relieving the weight of it, seeking an escape. While it has never been canonly addressed, I have always felt Helen struggled with addiction in the past. She has lived too long and through too many time periods for me to believe otherwise. At the time, however, I believe her devotion to her work would have been reason enough for her to overcome that addiction. Devoid of that same drive for her work, the addiction was more difficult to resist. She wanted to numb the pain. Just for a while. Just once. But of course, it turned into much more than that. Never could she completely stifle the guilt, but she could make herself forget the details, lose reason. It became more like living than her life while sober. Her drugs of choice are amphetamines, particularly those which come with a prescription, such as Dexedrine. She values quality, but when her usual supply is inaccessible, she has been known to settle for what she can get her hands on. As the addiction has taken hold, she has gotten more difficult to reach and less invested in her work.
Even if Helen were to overcome her addiction, the past several years have taken a toll on her. She might never be the woman she once was. Certainly, without the drugs, she would calm considerably. Her temperament would level and more of her compassion would shine through. However, she would still be plagued by the guilt of allowing Ashley’s death, combined with the guilt she would feel at having allowed herself to lose control. She might regain her confidence, her compassion, and her ability to lead; but she will have a different perspective on her life. Overall, she would be softer than her canon counterpart, more fragile, and she would be more likely to accept the input of others than to make decisions on her own. Another significant change would be her desire to remain near others and her reluctance to spend time alone. She would need support in order to maintain her confidence in herself.
[Sample]
She had considered it for decades, planned for years, working out every detail with the utmost care and attention. And she had succeeded. Why does she feel like she’s failed?
Sighing, she strokes cool fingers over her old friend’s forehead, his fever burning her skin. James is steadily improving each day, but he is still weak, adjusting to the new suit. Does she regret her decision to save him? She shakes her head, silently answering her own unasked question. She could never regret saving him. No more than she could regret loving him, even now. Pressing a kiss to his knuckles, his hand warm in hers, she whispers a soft, “I won’t be long,” before moving into the hallway, heading for her office.
She doesn’t need to look at a calendar or a clock. She knows the instant it happens, a sharp ache piercing her chest, leaving her feeling hollow. What has she done? Slowly, her fingers close around the small, orange bottle. Perhaps just this once. It will hardly be the worst decision she has made.
A bitter life escapes, the first tear sliding hotly down her cheek. She doesn’t try to wipe it away, recognizing the futility. More will fall.
It’s then that she makes her decision, tipping the capsules into her palm, trying to ignore the way her hand shakes. She glances toward the door, already knowing no one will be looking for her, no one will be coming to stop her. Closing her eyes, she swallows.
((for context: this is written as taking place on the day her daughter dies))
Accepted!
You may also want to introduce the specific details of the AU in an OOC post as well.
If you have any questions or need any help at all, the mods are here to help.
Re: Accepted!
Re: Accepted!