The Mods (![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} horizonsmods) wrote,@ 2008-10-05 15:02:00 |
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| Entry tags: | rules |
This is a multi-fandom based RP. This means that all genres are welcome. Anything goes, but you must follow the guidelines laid out in the rules. They are as follows.
Whoniverse reality trumps all:
The game takes place in the Doctor Who/Torchwood universe (the Whoniverse, if you will). This means that while, through the power of the rift, elements of other realities will exist (vampires/demons/monsters) to some degree, the world is still primarily Whoniverse in nature. Basic aspects of reality that are true for the Whoniverse are true for the game. There will, without fail, be an invasion/disaster/kerfuffle (or a kerfluffle...commotions can be fluffy too) on Christmas. Stuff actually happens in Wales. There are specific aliens and such. The only difference is that magic doesn't suddenly stop existing for your fandom and you don't lose any canon powers. We have several resources with information on the Whoniverse and will be happy to ask questions.
Be respectful:
Please remember that the mods and other players are here to play as well. Be courteous and polite to everyone, including the mods. Just because they’re in charge, doesn’t mean they’re not here to have fun too. This really isn’t that difficult a rule to follow. Just respect your fellow players and treat them the way you would want to be treated. In other words, don't be a douchebag/asshat/cocknozzle/fuckwit/twat
Godmodding and Metagaming:
This will not be tolerated. You control your character and yours alone. Unless given permission from another player, you cannot control another character’s actions. Your character may tell a joke, but the other person gets to decide if their character laughs or not. You may throw a punch, but the other person decides whether or not their character gets hit. On the same note, do not make your character all-powerful unless they are, in fact, all-powerful. Under no circumstances can you let your character know something that happens outside their knowledge, unless they are omnipotent…in which case it’s not outside their knowledge. You'll ruin the irony. Also, same as you control your character alone, you control yourself and nobody else. Do not tell other players how to play their characters or who they should ship. You may think you’re being helpful, they probably think you’re being an asshole.
OOC Drama:
Words can't express how much we hate excessive drama, so we don't want to see any OOC drama. Just because two characters don't like each other doesn't mean that their players have to hate each other. If there is an honest to God problem, tell a Mod. Just because you've been Role Playing since you were three doesn't automatically make you better than anyone else.
OOC Intolerance:
Out of character homophobia, heterophobia, racism, sexism, hatred towards anyone's religion or lack thereof, political beliefs, musical tastes, or m&m preference are NOT permitted. There is a ZERO TOLERANCE policy concerning them. ANYONE at ANY TIME will be removed immediately without question, argument, or even warning. End of story. Though this policy is strictly OOC only, if we find out you are being an intolerant asshole through your character, we will remove you.
Ages 17+ Only:
This game is sometimes dark and will have some adult themes. For my 16- RPers out there, I'm am so sorry, but we cannot allow you, for the simple fact that we will have R+ material. For those 17 year olds, We know we technically can't stop you, but please do not indulge in the NC-17 material unless you have asked your parents' permission. We know it sounds stupid, but we have to say it. Honestly, we don’t care if you’re playing smut. Just pretend you’ve told your parents. We trust that you're mature enough to play in this game at this age (and sometimes 17 year olds are more mature than 26 year olds). If you prove not to be, we will ask you to leave. Also, your character must be at least 16 to live on their own.
Spelling and Grammar:
We enjoy actually being able to read a person's post. We know it sounds crazy, but we do. We understand typos, and we ourselves can't spell to save our lives, but we do want some semblance of proper grammar and spelling. We’re not grammar Nazis
On that note, punctuation. Periods, or full stops if you're British, are your friends. They end your sentences. Look at the nice job they're doing here. They do not go . willy-nilly in the middle . of sentences. Likewise you don't want to skip them entirely and run your sentences together You know how annoying that is for people to read It's terrible. Similarly, commas are lovely things.
Logging and Threading:
Logs and threads will be written in storybook format, and in the third person only. Script, screenplay, and chat formats are strictly forbidden. And for the love of life, use sentence format! Emoticons, *actions*, [/tags], and even random OOC comments can be used during a thread opener, but not in an actual log. Anyone using chatspeak, l33t, emoticons, [/tags], or *actions* during a log will be in trouble with the mods. We’d prefer they weren’t used in random posts either, but it does fit for some characters and we won’t be as strict about it on that front.
Examples of logging:
The Good: Jeff glared at the man across the table, his temper flaring at the man's tone. "Why are you such an ass?" he snapped.
the bad: *jeff glared* why are you such an ass?
tHe UgLy: jeff: *glares* y r u such a ass?! >.<
Also, text that
Relationships, Sex, Violence, and Profanity:
This is a het/slash/femme-slash/incest friendly game, but try to be realistic. If your character is in an incestuous relationship, they shouldn’t be shouting it from the rooftops. It is illegal, so they would probably keep it secret. Also, not everyone is gay.
Mary Sues, Multiple Characters, and PBs:
Under no circumstances will Mary Sues be allowed. There will also be no original characters in this game. There are plenty of fandoms and characters to choose from. There’s no need for original characters. There will also be no aging down of characters. Sorry, but you won't be allowed to play the teenage version of an adult character. On the other hand, aging up a child character, in order to make them old enough for the game, is acceptable, but you will have to fill out a history for the character to outline what happens post canon. In general, we don't allow multiple versions of characters, but exceptions will be made for fandoms where multiple versions exist, such as Heroes and Marvel comics. At most, we will allow two versions of a character. For the most part, we don't care who you use for PBs, however, do use some common sense. Hilary Duff does not look like Kitty Pryde. Cyborg is black, so don't use Vin Diesel. Anime and comic characters are allowed but you must have a PB for them, not scans. Up to five anime/comic icons thrown in there is fine. Beyond that, no. If you can’t think of a PB, just ask the mods. We’ll help.
Ship Bashing:
We really want to keep the shipping drama to a minimum. Please understand that some people are very sensitive about their ships for some unbeknownst reason. Therefore, there is to be no ship bashing. It's unnecessary and childish. If you play Joey Potter and you don't like Dawson/Joey but the Dawson player does and wants to ship, you don't need yell every four-letter word you can think of. Just tell them politely that you do not want to ship that pairing. Be mature about this. Also, ships are very subjective. A ship might not be "canon" but there is enough subtext to argue for most any pairing. If you don’t think a character is gay/straight/into his sister/brother/deeply in love with poodles, but the player does, don’t make a big deal about it. It’s not your character, focus on your own.
Journal Names:
Pick something that has to do with your character or their personality. Aziraphale is neversellsbooks. He makes a habit of never selling books. Eliot is doesntlikeguns. He doesn't like guns. Cyd is formerprodigy. She's a former prodigy. Etc, etc, etc. You get the general idea. Please do not abuse the underscores and do not uses unnecessary 'x's. The mods will ask you to change your journal name if it looks anything like "______name______" or "XxnamexX" or "Xx_xX_name". If you cannot think of a journal name, asks the mods. We'll be more than happy to help you.
Character Limit and Activity:
There is no character limit, but please try to be active with all your characters and not just one or two. It can get annoying when a person has 16 characters but only posts with one. Also, try to post with all your characters at least once every six weeks. If we haven’t seen anything from a character in a while, we might ask you to post something. All in all, we’re actually pretty lenient on this point.
Plots:
Plot all you want. That's the joy of this game. We just ask that major major plot points, or anything that will affect the mass population, be cleared with the mods first. We're nice though, honest. If the plot you present to us is uber special or uber wicked and we like it very much, you might just get a cookie.
Don’t be OOC:
Although this is a panfandom game, it is NOT a crack game. Be true to your character. For example, Lestat is temperamental, arrogant and self-assured, so he wouldn't be snivelling in a corner because someone hurt his feelings. It is understandable in certain situations for your character to not act like themselves, but remember to keep it believable. If the character is not normally a flighty ditz, don't act like a flighty ditz. Do not turn a character that is snarky into a whiny cry baby, or a character who is badass into a coward, or even a character who is a coward into a hero, without proper development. These are only examples, but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE keep your characters as close canon as possible.
Realism:
Again, this is NOT a crack game. Marriages are allowed but both parties must be in agreement and your characters can’t just elope to Vegas for no reason unless A) it is something that fits the characters involved or B) there is some sort of mystical/supernatural/alien influence involved. Also, marriages should last longer than a week. Your character can’t be married to a different person every month unless they’re Julie Cooper. Same with divorces. They take time. You can’t be married one day and suddenly divorced the next. On the subject of babies, your characters are allowed to procreate, provided we’re not talking about assbabies...and even then, sometimes it can, if it's canon to the fandom. Again, the pregnancy can’t be a day and a half, or even a week, unless it’s a crazy alien pregnancy like on Torchwood. However, we aren’t going to force you to wait nine months. Try shooting for at least 2-3 months. It stands to reason that if you are in an SL with another player and the characters are getting along well enough to procreate, you can keep the pregnancy going to at least as long as suggested. We do allow miscarriages and abortions. Again, these must be agreed upon by both parties. But, DO NOT MAKE IT A FORM OF BIRTH CONTROL!!! If we find that you are doing it too often, then you will be talked to about it, and if it persists you will be removed from the community. On that same note, try not to overdo the medical drama. If you do it too much or too often, it can become cracktastic...or just plain annoying. Just strive for a bit of realism. And if you talk about crime and other such evil things in public, be prepared for other people to react accordingly.
Non-Human Characters:
This sort of goes with the realism part. If you wish to play a non-human character, such as objects from fairy tales or that chipmunk from Enchanted or Scooby Doo, turned human, you must give an explanation of how they became human. 'It was Wednesday and I was bored' is not an explanation. If you cannot come up with a suitable explanation, you will not be allowed to play the character.
Canon Puncturing:
On the subject of canon puncturing. Nobody is automatically fictional in the universe the game is set in, unless the fiction has been specifically referenced in the Whoniverse. You will not turn on the television in this Cardiff and see Heroes or Buffy or Stargate Atlantis. This applies to every character. HOWEVER: In certain fandoms, it is established that certain characters are fans of other fandoms. As these characters come from a reality separate from the reality the game is set in, those fandoms are considered fictional to their reality. So it is possible that your character might get fangirled/boyed at some point. It is polite and necessary to warn a player before you canon puncture. On the same token, you don’t need to ask permission. It’s going to happen some way or another. This does not make the characters fictional in the context of their own universe. If you want clarification just ask a mod.
Applying for Movie/TV Characters:
Please wait until a movie has been out for at least TWO WEEKS before holding/applying for a character. This is to give as many people as possible a chance to see it, as going out to the cinema is slightly different to sitting down in front of the TV in your living room. In the case of TV shows, please wait until at least three episodes before applying. It gives you a little time to get to know the character. For TV characters, you can hold them after the first episode, you just can’t apply yet.
Holds and Challenges:
Holds last for one week, and one extension is allowed per hold. Challenges on holds are also allowed. In the event of a challenge, both players will have one week from the date of the challenge to submit an application for the character in question, and no extensions will be allowed. The applications will require a writing sample for the character in question. The mods will then collectively review and compare both applications, judging the personality and writing samples of both applications based on which interpretation of the character strikes us as the most in character. The application with most IC portrayal will have their character accepted. Also, please note that if a holder submits an application for a character before someone challenges their hold, that challenge is not valid.
Use of Tags:
Please use the tags provided. They are up to date thanks to the hard work of the mods, so please remember to tag your entries. If you don’t, there will be blood...and we aren’t talking about the film. If, for some reason, there is no tag for your character, just let a mod know. We aren’t psychic, even if we sometimes play them, so we do need you to tell us these things.
User Info:
Make sure ALL your characters have at least their name, if not their fandom, in their user info, as well as contact information. It is appreciated, but not required to put the character information from the application into the character’s user info.
Mods are Almighty:
Ashe, Jewels and Kira are the mods. That makes us the gods of this game. What we say is final. If you don’t agree with it, that’s all fine and dandy, but the fact remains that there is a hierarchy of power within the game and we are on the top. So, what the mods say goes. Don’t argue it. We will smite you. Constructive criticism and suggestions are fine and, indeed, appreciated, but if you argue too much about things, it will not go well. The rules are there for a reason and the decisions we make are based on our best judgement for the good of the game. Really, we aren’t harsh dictators, but we cannot run this game effectively if our modly power is not recognised and respected.
Happy RPing folks!