→ Verve Magazine
The Beginnings
Icon/URL: your URL is very straightforward, which I like. I can already know the focus of the RP and it's likely plot. The icon falls in line with the URL smoothly though I don't get a sense of whether this is a fashion magazine, a sports/business magazine or some catch all magazine. However, the font makes it stand out easily and for that, it's very well done.
The Theme: your theme is immediately striking with the cityscape sidebar image with the shadowed V. I believe the grey tones give it a sleekness that fits in well with the atmosphere you are portraying for this magazine arena. The readability of the sidebar description is a bit difficult because of the bright whites of the background image and the small font. However, with the amount of text you have there now, it may actually push your 'NEXT' out of the default zoom settings of the page if you increase the font by even on pixel so I would suggest trying to condense the sidebar text and then increase the font. With the sidebar links, I personally prefer to have the navigation link be the first after the default three, simply because most players expect to find everything they're interested in through the navigation page. However, that's a personal preference from my own experience as a player.
The Presentation:
Theme: I honestly think your theme does a good job in the way it presents to the viewer. I often like to see an accent colour with a neutral/grey toned scheme, that comes out in the links or link hover but here I think the scheme works without an accent.
Sidebar image: Like I said above, the sidebar image of the cityscape works very well, especially with the theme having it extend along the whole left side of the page. And as before, the only way I see it hindering the page is by making the sidebar text harder to read because of the white on white that run over each other in places. The changing of the sidebar image as one clicks through the sidebar links is intriguing and I definitely find it very refreshing to have cycling new york images to keep me interested as I explore your links.
The Links/Navigation: I like the way you have organized your navigation and it demonstrates a dedication to making certain players as well as potentials have everything they need for your roleplay right at their fingertips. I'm particularly in love with your quick view of characters, though I was surprised to see far more characters in the quick view highlighted under taken than I did in the full bio links for taken characters. I also greatly appreciate seeing a tag devoted to starters and one for FAQ which is imbedded on the ask page for quick reference before firing of messages. One thing I noticed is that the tag you are currently using for your answered questions and the one you linked on the navigation aren't the same. The one thing I highly recommend is including a section or a few links for helpful writing and character development tips. Especially with an original roleplay like this, character development is wonderful and I'm going to assume that having fully developed characters is something you as admins want to see. So providing a little assistance for your players to start with can only be to the advantage to the roleplay.
The Mechanics
Sidebar Plot: I am certainly intrigued and drawn into your roleplay by the sidebar plot you've provided. The question that still stand out in my mind is what type of magazine will the characters be working for, though the impression I get is something geared toward the cultural high life of New York. But it's that question that makes me want to stick around and learn more, to see what characters you have and what sort of plot you've already started weaving around this rigourous magazine. Well done.
Full Plot: There is nothing I can really say negatively about the span of your plot. The amount of detail you've put into this magazine's history makes it nearly tangible, as if I could walk down to the convenience store and purchase the latest issue and it makes me want to explore the cast of characters in detail to see what I might connect with. I especially like the title of the plot page giving the definition of verve. I think it's a perfect placement for the definition to be found.
Characters: Again, I have very little adverse things to say about your characters. You already have established a good pool of FCs and, especially in the case of your males, a variety I greatly appreciate. The only thing I don't see that I think, especially in this kind of roleplay, should be included are FCs of different races and ethnicities. The layout of your bio is well done, detailed enough for potential players to get a strong feel for the personality of a character and who they'll get to interact with should they pick the character to apply for.
The Rules: Your rules are clean and straight to the point, which is great. Having a password aspect to see which applicants have actually read the rules is good and I have used them in my roleplays, but it's a common rumour that some players will ctrl+f the word 'password' rather than actually go through and read. I would make it a trick question as its own rule and that word would be included in your application without the description. This is harder to search out and also requires applicants to think rather then simply include a one word password. Here's an example (feel free to use or not):
Taxi!: three words your character would use to describe their life in New York and as an employee at Verve.
Overall/Final Comments
With the amount of work that has obviously gone into this roleplay the one thing that immediately disappointed me was seeing that you permit para samples to be from different roleplays or not have them IC. As well the minimum requirement for the para sample being two paragraphs. Why I am disappointed is because I see if often that a 2 paragraph minimum and non-IC samples bring in applicants who seem decent but after being accepted don't show investment in their paras or in bringing life and dimension to their character, which I get the impression is what you're looking for. IC para samples really do give you as admins a good feel for how they have taken to the character that you've taken the time to create. I usually ask for a para sample to aim for a strong 3-4 paragraphs; wording it that way encourages people to write more but doesn't mean it's a hard rule to be expected.
This is impressively well put together and if I didn't have the most absurdly busy life that I do and other roleplay and admin duties to work with, I'd apply for your roleplay.
