( RULES )
Ashlee - Trollin_ur_Roys
Manda - sidereal
Mod E-mail; adstringendum@gmail.com

--- APPLICATIONS & CHARACTER-LIMITS
RESERVES. Reservations of characters (with intent to apply for them) will be held for one week. An extension for one extra week may be requested. You may only hold one reserve at a time.
Please note that as of November 25, 2012, characters can be apped no sooner than a month after the canon has been released. This is to both to allow you more time to grasp the character, as well help those in the game avoid spoilers. However, if the canon is ongoing, you may app as soon as a new canon point is released.
APPLICATIONS. Fill out all portions of the application thoroughly and completely. We're not asking for a novel, but your application is our introduction to your ability to play the character you apply for. Demonstrate it as best you can by explaining the many facets of your character's personality and highlighting how their background/history (throughout their life and up to the point you pull them from) has shaped their behaviors. We do not accept information copied-and-pasted from outside sources. Please write everything in your own words. A good RP and Journal sample are also a must, and do not be afraid to look at the current cast's posts for ideas on how the PCDs might work for your character.
Please note that the most substantial parts of your application (and what the mods will focus on the most) are the personality and sample sections. Remember that we are looking for analysis, not regurgitation.
You can only apply for a new character once per month if you are accepted. This is so you can get a feel for the game with your character. We do ask that you have one of your character journals on the Activity Check before applying for another.
Applications are allowed a maximum of one rewrite or mod-requested edit/addition before rejection. If rejected, the applicant must wait two weeks to reserve or re-apply for that character again. The two week wait applies if there is a different character you would like to apply for as well.
CANON CHARACTERS. We try our best to review the canon sources prior to looking at your application, and sometimes may consult a trusted source for information regarding your character's canon personality and history. So we do try to know our stuff. Current players with concerns over the content of an application waiting in the queue are welcome to email their concerns to the mods, of course, to ensure the moderators understand the issues at hand.
ORIGINAL CHARACTERS. Original Character applications are similar to those for canon characters but slightly longer; because the original character exists (usually) only in your head, we need you to tell us about them! We have no Wikipedia to consult and no television show or book to look at, so you have to help us understand your unique character's world and experiences. Again, a novel isn't necessary, but if your character has unique abilities or belongs to a special tribe or such, describe it, or you can be assured the mods reading your app will ask you specific questions about your character.
CRAU CHARACTERS. CRAU Characters are those that have been at another roleplaying game previously and are retaining those memories and experiences when applied. Canon CRAUs are allowed under the condition that when they were applied to the first game they were in they were normal canon versions of the characters. CRAU characters apped into their first games as AUs or anything other than directly from canon are not accepted. Please contact a mod with any questions on this subject; we can help you figure out if your character is appable or not. OCs are not subject to these restrictions. In addition, you may not app a CRAU version of a character already in game.
UNACCEPTABLE CHARACTERS. Characters must remain true to their canon. We don't allow for Alternate Universe story lines or made-up histories, as this can alter the character and their castmates. You are free to develop them in-game, but other than CRAU characters as discussed above characters must be straight from canon with no alterations.
Characters with no canon personality/background/interaction to support them will likely be denied acceptance (since, at that point, they become an original character in characterization, but have very direct and affecting ties to canonly developed castmates--this borders on mary-sue/gary-stu). We do not allow for those kinds of canon-OCs (others, based upon an existing canon universe but without any ties to canon characters may be considered--such as WoW OCs or the like). OCs or canon characters with too much power and no ability to restrict said power will have to be denied. You also may not hold two characters whose canon histories are closely interconnected to the point that it would result in frequent “playercest” (playing opposite yourself) or if there are not enough characters already being played here from that single canon universe to reasonably prevent playercest possibilities (4-5 other characters minimum, generally).
Real people are unacceptable for application, as are canonical, worshiped deities of the major current religions. If there is enough of a divide and difference between your character and their religious counterpart, you may bring them up for consideration, but the mods recommend you email them on this before submitting your application.
LIMITS. You are allowed only six characters at one time, either from canon, or as a combination of OC and canon. Use your limit wisely.
ACTIVITY. (See ACTIVITY & REAPPLYING section for more detail) Stay active. If you show repeated problems with activity, especially with no effort to remedy it, it is cause to deny acceptance to your new character's application. Generally, do not apply for a new character while on hiatus.
PLAGIARISM. Plagiarism of any part of an application is cause for that application to be rejected and the player to be barred from applying. There is no excuse for trying to pass off someone else's writing as your own, especially in a game that functions on creative writing. This includes Wikipedia, except for a linked background section. Copy-paste is a no-no.
SPELL CHECK. Spell and grammar check. Firefox comes will some lovely add-ons for just that purpose, and Internet Explorer has a few as well. GDocs is a free online word processor, and OpenOffice.org offers a downloadable and free word processor with all or nearly all the fixings of MSOffice. There is no excuse for not running a good old spell-check on your application!

REWRITES. If you are asked to rewrite any part of your application, you have a week to resubmit or to get in contact with the mods if you need an extension. After a week is over, the character is again open to application by anyone.

--- IN-CHARACTER VS OUT-OF-CHARACTER & POWER LEVELS
GOD MODE. God-moding of any sort will not be allowed and will come with at least a firm warning (repeated offensives may be reason for expulsion). “Godmoding” falls under many definitions.
Aside from the act of controlling another person's character/situation or dictating what another character (one that is not your own) does or says, godmoding can also refer to the enormous amount of power/abilities that a character possesses which vastly limits the way others can play with him or her. It can be mind-reading, amazing weapons/armor, or super, invincible, godlike abilities. Because it makes it difficult to play with these invincible “gods,” the mods may ask you to tone things down a bit. We're not asking everyone to be average joes—quite the contrary. The varying levels of skill (powerful to helpless) makes conflicts more interesting. But we are asking you to be reasonable and considerate. So if you want to play as a character with ungodly powers, be prepared to bring them down a few notches. Leave the Death Note at home, be restricted to a canon human form, etc.
INFO-MODDING. Knowledge that is gained OOC (out of character) is not to be used IC (in character) unless it is GAINED ICly. This is called info-modding. It also extends to characters who seem to know everything. Insider-knowledge (such as that no openly and publically stated over the ingame PCD network) of plots, character histories, and the like should be discussed with the other players involved to decide if your character can/would/should have ways to gain this information.
CHARACTERIZATION. Each person has their own take on a canon character, and original characters are, typically, the original creations of their players, but interpretation aside, do your best to remain in-character at all times (are they a bad-boy or a geek, a tree-hugger or a corporate mogul). It'll help the others understand how to act towards your character and give your character consistency across their interactions and from their particular canon. Chances are, you chose to play this character because (among other reasons) you found them interesting, so play them as their in-character interesting selves.

--- ACTIVITY & REAPPLYING
ACTIVITY CHECK. Stay active. Minimum requirement for activity (fulfill one of the following sets in calendar month):

• 1 post
• 1 log
• 15 comments on the network
• 3 comments on a log

To reach a total of 15 comments from your character, you may link multiple threads.

As roleplay is based on interaction, only posts that encourage interaction will count towards the AC. A completely private-to-self/locked-to-self post does not count for activity, nor does a public post where the writer does not reply to the comments at all. If a post receives no comments, however, through no fault of the original post, it will still count. (This is not to say Private Posts are banned, only that they will not count for the AC).

At the end of each month, players will be asked to submit proof(s) of their activity to the Activity Check post. Players who have not met the requirements for the month's activity or replied to the Activity Check post by the end of that time will be PMed if they are not on a hiatus for the month of the check. They will have a week to contact the mods with proof of activity or face being dropped from the game.

Three strikes, you're out. If you get three strikes, you will have to drop that character. The two week wait period will be in effect if you wish to reapp that character (see REAPPLICATION below). The three stands for...

Receiving three consecutive months' worth of AC PM reminders from the mods
OR
Failing to provide activity proofs for three months in a row. MANDATORY HMD. We hold a quarterly mandatory HMD to be included with Activity Check for March, June, September, and December. Approximately two weeks before AC is due, the post will go up on the OOC comm. It will be community-locked and anonymous-disabled. On the HMD post, you must make a top-level comment for others to comment on or link to an HMD post in your character’s journal. That comment must then be linked with your AC post. First time failing to post and link your HMD: Normal AC make-up for all your characters. Second time: Make-up AC for all your characters in addition to getting a permanent strike on your game record. Third time: You’re out of the game. While the second and third strike penalties may seem harsh, it’s to deter anyone from thinking they can skip posting to the HMD and just do AC make-up every three months.
HIATUS. Give notification via the Hiatus post that you are going on hiatus, list the affected characters, and note for how long the hiatus is expected to last. Follow the form given there. Do not post to the OOC comm (only hiatuses posted to the Hiatus Post will count towards activity checks!). You may post to your character(s)' journal(s) that you are on hiatus, but try to refrain from posting it to the OOC comm to avoid flooding friend lists. Hiatuses can be used to excuse a character from AC for one month. Two consecutive months of hiatus will require at least one post or a completed log with the character on hiatus (comment threads in other journals do not count), or three pieces of proof the following month. Allowances for special circumstances can be made on a case-by-case basis, but requests for extended hiatuses must be made in writing to the mod email.
REAPPLYING AFTER DROPPING. If you dropped a character for any reason and now wish to play them again, you may reapply to pick up that same character. Depending on how close the drop/re-app dates are to each other, you may choose to treat the character's return to the city as a canon update. In other words, they may return with memories of their previous time in Adstringendum for a suitable price. If you wish to take this route, please make a note of it in your application.

REAPPLYING AFTER FAILING AC. If you want to apply for a character you previously lost due to poor activity, you must wait until the app cycle after they were lost to reapply for them. If they get lost due to activity again, you may not apply for that character. Characters previously lost due to inactivity may not be re-apped with their memories of their previous time in the city.

--- CHARACTER INTERACTIONS
(See also IN-CHARACTER VS OUT-OF-CHARACTER & POWER LEVELS sections on God Mode and Info-modding)
PAIRINGS. If you choose to pair your characters, be reasonable. They will not likely instantly fall in love; relationships take time to form and blossom. It can be nice to have a pairing, but rushing into things only makes matters more complicated in the long run. Development is a plus. Also keep in mind that your character will not get along with everyone perfectly.
RATINGS. We have no rating for the game, but as a rule of thumb, anything that would be considered rated R and above by American film standards (see below), at least deserves to be put under a cut. NC-17 situations (smut) must be f-locked, no questions asked. There'll be no flagging of this community.

G: Things that are G-rated, or General, are safe for everyone to see and read. There is no profanity or innuendo; there are no hints of relationships besides friendship or family; there is no violence.

PG: PG stands for Parental Guidance. This rating is awarded to situations where the subject matter could be a little disturbing for young audiences, like Bambi's mother dying or Jasmine being trapped in the hourglass by Jafar. Substitution-words for profanity can be included, but outright profanity is out.

PG-13: This indicates that parents are cautioned not to expose children under the age of 13 to this. Mild profanity can be used and there is sometimes suggestive material. Violence is also likely. There is no nudity, there are no depictions of people being killed, but there can be conflict or ‘fluffy' material. A spar would fit in this category, as would a date. What might come after the date belongs in the next section.

R: stands for Restricted. This is where constant use of the F-word goes, where making out (that does not get too explicit) goes. Handwaved sex would fall under this, so would a violent fight. There's indication that explicit things are happening, but they are not described blow-by-blow, and are even glossed over.

NC-17: This is what graphic material falls under. It stands for ‘No Children under 17,' and clearly states the material is adult. Sex, murder, rock-and-roll, that goes under this label. The content can be disturbing or questionable, and is not to be read by minors. Everything is explicit.

At 2:05 a.m. Christmas morning, residents will experience a moment of odd peacefulness. There will be odd complete silence in the city for a few seconds before sound returns, with a quick feeling of the air pressure changing.

Welcome to reverse decompression. There are many obvious changes to the city – 33, to be exact. Thirty-three new structures are now in the city. In each quadrant there is a small neighborhood of five houses each, and then three other buildings. This means there's shelter to be found, reliable shelter. It also means that characters might wind up with new neighbors. as they look to take advantage of the new situation. All new buildings are unfurnished unless otherwise noted. None of them are hooked up to electricity or water. If they've landed in the right area for it, residents can connect them.

The City Map has been updated to show the new layout of the city. If one of the buildings has landed where you headcanon your house to be, the house has been safely moved out from under it. Here's what's new!

( NW Quadrant )

( SE Quadrant )

( SW Quadrant )

( NE Quadrant )

But wait, you say. That's only 32.

You're right.

The fences are gone around the city. In their place are portions of the Great Wall of China, some restored and some left in their run-down state circa 2009.

_{Original post [HERE]}


Happy Holidays, Adstringendum. <3