Haydizzle

I appreciate the write up and the effort that went into it. By and large, I agree with the points. The only statement that I disagree with is the following:

“I look for characters with depth, that struggle with the beliefs of their species, that have their own views, and that are willing to challenge the norm in their own way.” 

Now, I don’t disagree with you looking for these kinds of applicants. I’m simply stating my own thoughts on the matter of “challenging the norm.” I agree cookie cutters are lame, but die-hard lore characters that adhere to the norms and traditions of their species can be just as interesting as those “challenging” characters. 
 

obviously, both camps need to create a character with some actual traits beyond “I’m a traditionalist” or “I’m a rebellious gamer” to be good characters. But more often than not, the characters that stick to their guns while on station, even when their traditional beliefs are unpopular or even considered wrong in Tau Ceti, are the most appealing to me. Mainly, because this drives conflict with lore at the center. But, it can lead to fun RP and learning about the lore.

A traditional character is an equally great option; however, in terms of the application itself, one that runs into no issues with their own culture, their species' beliefs and tendencies, and/or the desires and wishes of their peers could be seen as too on the nose for an application. I want to see a player's creativity in regard to the situations they can create with characters since I am judging one character out of potentially dozens they will be making.

That is my reasoning behind it, at least!