A Guide to Passing Review

[Arcane]

To clarify what we tend to look for in profiles, this is a guide on backstory elements that we tend to look more closely at and may ask you to remove. We are not banning these traits, they are simply things we give extra scrutiny.

We don’t ask that you never write them. We ask that you ask yourself “Why __?” and “Do I really need it?” before going crazy with the backstory. Ask staff if you’re not sure and we’re happy to let you know if it works or how you can fix it. And remember this is all happening off-screen. You’re trying to create an interesting, logically consistent character, not trying to compete for the most dramatic history.

Look at the examples below the relevant topic to see how the trope can be used and in what circumstances and to what degree we'd okay it.

And note that this really applies to anything unusual or upsetting in the backstory even if it's not listed here. For instance, everyone hated your character? These things rarely happen without a reason; why did it happen? If there isn't actually any in-universe reason, then why wasn't there one? We're not going to say that unusual or interesting events can't happen in histories, but that they need to be explained, whether in character or not.

Gratuitous trauma: Trauma in backstories is absolutely allowed but we ask it be kept within reason. There should be a coherent narrative and we prefer if the number of deeply traumatic events be limited to one or two core ones, especially for candidates. Riders and older characters have a bit more leeway on this as threadfall, hatching injuries and war trauma happen, but again- please limit the childhood tragedies.
Examples: Mishima (appropriate level for most characters), Alayna (maximum we’d allow and definitely requires special permission), J’vel, Elyron

Abuse: Keep in mind that Pern is a communal society. A kid who is badly abused by their parents or guardians will be moved to the creche or foster parents and no kid is going to end up entirely on their own. This goes especially for Weyrs and major Holds, where the actions of parents are not going to go unnoticed; there’s more leeway at minor settlements and cotholds.
Examples: Xander, Anani

Holdless: The only homeless in Pernese society are the holdless: criminals who were banished, refugees who didn’t find somewhere to go, and their descendents. You can write holdless characters but they will most likely NOT be spending a lot of time in holds as they are very much unwelcome.
Examples: Tam, Ly’nk

Blooded families: Ask yourself the question “Why must it be __ Hold and not a minor hold in the same area?” If there isn’t a good answer to this question, the answer is no. For the most part, being the Blood of a major hold is a trait reserved for characters involved in site plots. Once there’s one character in a family, it sets canon for all of them and limits what they can do plotwise in the future, hence why staff asks that you please think twice before doing this. Let staff know what you’re doing and why it matters before you start your profile and we’ll give you a verdict. And remember that most “noble” characters work just fine with a minor hold.
Examples: Lelou, Toro

Disabled Characters: We do allow disabled candidates but they need to be able to handle the physical and mental rigors of being a rider. All candidates must be deemed fit to enter the wings. Dragons do not exist simply to be pets or companions- they have an important job to do and candidates must not be a hindrance to them fulfilling their duty. Suicidal candidates will not be accepted. Accidents do happen to riders through their threadfighting career. Riders who are seriously injured may have to retire or move to the healer's wing if they are unable to adapt well enough not to be a danger to themselves and others. Keep in mind that in many cases it's not just the actual injury but how well they handle it although there are disabilities that are too severe to be fully compensated for.
Examples: Toph (an active handler), Ariel (a rider who's been retired due to injury)

Healers: The exception to the above is Healers, who often do continue their healing while serving in the Healer’s wing, but Healing is a craft that takes an exceptional amount of study and focus. They are Pern’s equivalent of doctors and should be written accordingly. Not everyone is suited to being a Healer. Being a good Healer takes a certain intellect, determination and an ability to deal with trauma in a healthy way. Healers tend to both start their craft and advance at older ages. It’s a vocation and not something a candidate does simply as a back up plan.

Riders still cannot be masterhealers. Journeyman level is plenty for the work they do and they do not generally have the time to attain mastery.
Examples: Beliana, Ya'ra

Bronze/garnet/whiteriders: If you are writing a character who rides a “special” color, staff is going to be stricter on what else we allow that character to have. We really don’t want people piling all the unusual things on one character. It’s a judgment call but in general your new rider should have at most one thing besides the color of their dragon that is exceptional. Note that this does not apply to on-screen Impressions; regardless of what the history is, your candidate can still Impress anything.
Example: Noor, Tuckal

Non-standard Impression in backstory: Your character can be a stands Impression but we ask that it’s used conservatively. As with most of the rest of these, staff will ask and wants you to ask yourself “Why did this have to be here? Is there a good reason they COULDN’T just be a candidate?” Hatched adoptables must Impress in the same way they did the first time (stands impressions stay stands impressions, dragons who Impressed to candidates still did). Don’t try to backdoor this with a character accidentally on the sands. Most riders should have gone through candidacy and stood the normal way.
Examples: Rigel, L’ir

Murder/Other Serious Crimes: Pern is a society with harsh punishment for criminals, namely holdlessness. We do allow characters to have committed crimes including murder but it’s something that will be more strictly scrutinized, and we ask that so grave a crime also only be used when necessary.
Examples: Majima, Faralyn

Expies: We love expies here and have a lot of them. But Pern and TPA Pern are not identical to their home canon and their backstories should change accordingly. This also applies to characters from other sites. Chances are, the backstory needs substantial changes to fit our canon and if it doesn’t match the source material? That’s okay, and is in fact preferred. One thing to keep in mind is that an expy is not going to be the Protagonist on TPA, and will need their backstory to reflect that. Some characters may be especially hard to fit TPA so please think through who you're adapting and how you're going to do it.
Examples: Z'kon of Bronze Gottmitunth, Jarjar