the beginner's guide to apply fics

xvii. faq | what do i do when an applicant is inactive or goes on hiatus?

QUESTION:

What do I do when an applicant is inactive or goes on hiatus? Do I include the character as if the applicant is still active? Or do I not include the character at all?

ANSWER:

Well, you think this would be a simple answer. It's not.

So three of the four admins (nari, lee, and aj) have had experience with inactive applicants. We've all done different things. Since I (admin aj) am writing this chapter, I'll try and combine my experiences and what I've done with what I know of their experiences and generalize the whole thing. (I hope that made sense.)

In all honesty, what you do in response to an inactive applicant depends on the type of apply fic you're writing, whether the applicant has told you they're going on hiatus or just stopped being active for no reason, and how much of a bitch you want to be.

IN GENERAL, you have four options.
(1) Keep using the character without giving a shit about the applicant's activity.
(2) Kick out the applicant, stop using their character, and don't replace their character.
(3) Kick out the applicant, stop using the character, and replace their character with a new character (and a new applicant).
(4) Kick out the applicant, keep using their character, and have someone adopt their character.

Option 1 is the best for a regular old prose apply fic in which you can't remove the character for different reasons. For example, if you're writing a standard boy/girl/coed group apply fic and having a character leave the group would screw up your plot too much, I would say option 1 is the best. Also best for when your applicant informs you of their hiatus and is actually on top of their shit.

Option 2 works the best for a regular old prose apply fic in which you can remove the character. For example, if you're writing some sort of mystery apply fic where characters may die, you can just kill off the inactive applicant's character and move on with your plot. Option 2 can also work in a standard boy/girl/coed group apply fic if you can afford to have a member permanently leave the group (aka kicking out the inactive applicant's character from the fic). Best for when your applicant dropped off the face of the earth and you're salty enough to warrant retribution.

Option 3 is almost a combination of the first two in terms of what it's best for. This option works well for a regular old prose apply fic where you can remove the inactive applicant's character but still want to keep the number of slots/members in a group/characters you're writing/etc the same. If you go for this option, you can either have a new applicant create a new character for the story, accept a form you didn't accept the first time around, or make a character to fill in spot yourself. A better option than option 2 for when your applicant dropped off the face of the earth and you're salty as hell because you're not only removing their character and removing them from the apply fic, but you're also replacing their inactive ass.

Now, option 4 is the bitchiest, and I've done it quite a few times in my interactive apply fic versus. This is because, in an interactive apply fic, applicants help decide the plot throughout the fic. Plus, my apply fic versus has different applicants split into groups-so if one applicant is inactive, it can fuck over the group and that's just not fair. Now, different people may have different opinions on what "adopting" a character in this case means. What I (admin aj) did was I picked a new applicant to replace the inactive applicant, shared the inactive applicant's character form with the new applicant, and had the new applicant write a new form for that character. However, the new applicant wasn't allowed to change anything major on the character form as I was already writing the story and had my own ideas for the characters based on their original forms. The absolute best option for when your applicant dropped off the face of the earth and you're the saltiest human alive because you're kicking them out of the story and letting someone else use their (possibly hard) work.

Now, keep in mind an applicant telling you they're going on hiatus is much different than an applicant just suddenly becomes inactive. When someone tells you they're going on hiatus, that's honestly like amazing no one ever does that anymore you have a very nice person as an applicant appreciate that. Someone who actually remembers to tell you they're going on hiatus is being very respectful towards you, and probably have their shit together if they know when they need to go on hiatus. In all honesty, I'd say respect their request and use their character to the best of your ability. After all, you can calm your inner attention whore for a few weeks if you're focused on a good story. (Please tell you're not actually writing for the views... hon, if you are writing for fame, just switch to shitty bts fanfiction. You'll never satisfy your inner attention hoe with apply fiction of all things.)

Now if said person goes on hiatus (and says they'll be off wattpad) but are still active on everything but your apply fic, that's other matter. I'd say drop their ass, you don't need someone like that as an applicant. Like sporadic activity on hiatus is one thing. Activity everyday is another.

Now, if said applicant just completely drops out of contact, give them a little bit to try and become active again. They might just be having a hard time with offline shit. If you have a way of contacting them off of wattpad, do that. Try and get things resolved. If things don't get resolved though, drop their ass. It's better for them as they'll have less things to stress about, and you can probably find a way to replace them and continue to satisfy your inner attention whore.

Probably should have put this at the beginning, but, for the record, I (admin aj) can be really harsh when it comes to dealing with applicants in my apply fics. So if my advice and answer to this question seems harsh, it probably is. In the end, it's up to you on how to treat your applicants (don't be an ass if you can help it). We at Apply Fics 101 can only guide you so much. -admin aj

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