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MEADOWLARK MODS ([personal profile] larkers) wrote2018-06-15 11:03 pm

FAQ

> FAQ
 
> GENERAL
What is Meadowlark?
How did my character get here?
Will there be a plot or events?
What are characters expected to do?

> SETTING/GAMEPLAY
Location and character arrival
Can my character leave the city?
Where do they stay?
NPCs
Is there a network?
Language translation
What is the thing in characters' chests?
What abilities does the thing in the characters' chests grant?
What if my character is a minor and how does that impact playability?
  > PLOT + EVENTS
Plot structure
Event structure and schedule
Plot engagement
What kind of plots can I do?

> NEURAL IMPLANTS + NETWORK
Neural implants and functionality
Network functionality
Network usernames and privacy

> POWERS
Canon powers
New powers
Power progression and growth
  > APPLICATION
Applications and caps
Appable characters
Non-human characters
Ill or injured characters
Canon dead characters
Characters with special diets
Character items

> GAME MECHANICS
IC:OOC ratio and timezone
Application and AC schedule
HMD and CR meme
Activity requirements
Strikes
Hiatuses
Drops
Reapplications
Character death
Canon updates and canon items

 
> GENERAL

WHAT IS MEADOWLARK?
Meadowlark is a panfandom sci-fi/science fantasy game set on a far future Earth where a confluence of events is about to radically change things for humanity forever. Designed to be an open world setting with a core mod-run plot, characters arrive with little idea of how they got here or why, leaving them free to engage with the setting however the player may prefer: to attempt to find out more on how they came to be here, and what, if anything, their arrival has to do with other events; try to find a way home; or perhaps simply to settle into life in this new world. Meadowlark is at its core intended to adapt and adjust according to the choices made by characters as they progress in the world. Characters will have the chance to engage with the world however they wish, and their decisions and actions will affect the over-arching plot in various ways.

Drawing inspiration from cyberpunk, kaiju films, space opera and cosmic horror, Meadowlark emphasizes player proactivity in shaping the course of the game and the subsequent consequences on the universe.

HOW DID MY CHARACTER GET HERE? CAN THEY GO HOME?
While for quite some time it was a mystery as to how the Displaced got to this world, there is an answer now. When one of this world's gods, Blue, was killed, pieces of its essence scattered through the multiverse, and those pieces found their way into the people who have now come to be known as the Displaced. All of them were then pulled back to Blue's world, manifesting deep in the Mariana Trench, where the man responsible for Blue's death (James Henries) would then take them into his custody and process them before releasing them into the world. While newly arrived Displaced will not remember more than hazy flashes of this process, they'll be able to learn more from those who've been here for some time.

The method for getting home does remain a mystery, though. But who knows, maybe knowing how they got here can help to dig into how to reverse that process.

WHAT IS THE PLOT? WILL THERE BE EVENTS?
While Meadowlark has a core plot built into the setting and premise, that plot is designed to be reactive to players, rather than the other way around. While in the past there has been a bimonthly event system, we'll not always follow that pattern moving forward. Events will be dependent on the current state of the game, player plots that are in action at the time, and what characters are focused on. We want to avoid going at a breakneck speed that leaves little chance for players to chase their own plots and areas of interest.

SO WHAT ARE CHARACTERS EXPECTED TO DO?
The Displaced being brought here was not, in fact, part of some master plan. If anything, it was an unintended side effect of a different goal. Yet the fact remains, they're here now, and whether they like it or not, they've integrated themselves into the world. Now that they have, they must face a choice: focus on getting home, or look into impacting this world further.
 
> SETTING/GAMEPLAY

SO WHERE IS THIS?
Earth, but not as you know it. Climate change, war and several catastrophic geological phenomena have changed the face of the planet, while technological advancements have led to humanity managing a somewhat rough job of stabilizing Earth while also beginning to reach out to the stars.

Characters first arrive in the city of New Amsterdam (not to be confused with the Amsterdam of our world, which is thoroughly destroyed within Meadowlark's world and to the east of where the current New Amsterdam stands), located roughly central of what remains of the European continent. Home to a population of approximately 40 million people, New Amsterdam's skyline is a crush of super skyscrapers stretching high into the air, but also rooting far underground. Ringed entirely by a 30 foot wall, the city is contained so as to prevent damage to the forests and farmland outside.

More on the setting can be found on our SETTING page.

HOW DOES MY CHARACTER ARRIVE?
As referenced earlier, the newly arrived characters first appear deep in the Mariana Trench, where they are collected by one of the game's NPCs and are "processed." This is done under heavy sedation, where they undergo brain surgery and receive a neural implant, but any memories of this will be extremely fuzzy and indistinct.

Typically, characters come to proper awareness in a transport vehicle, finding themselves heavily sedated and restrained. There are several indicators that they have been in a similar state for quite some time: their hair has been shaved off entirely sometime in the past few months, they have a mostly healed surgical scar at the back of their head, and there are other needle marks on their arms and necks. Though there are no physical signs as to how it was implanted, there is also something in their chest, seemingly fused inside of their sternum, irremovable.

While characters are still mostly under the effects of the sedation, the transport vehicle stops, and they are unstrapped from their seats and helped out. Before they have any chance to come to their senses enough to ask any questions, the transport powers back up and leaves. Still groggy, characters find themselves with no one but each other, with no idea who brought them there or where to go next. These days, characters will almost always be dropped off at the Displaced-run Red Wings bar in New Amsterdam, which will allow them to get their questions answered sooner rather than later.

Character arrival for each app round is covered by a mod-written arrival log, which may change in places as the game plot progresses.

WHERE DO THEY STAY?
To begin with, all characters will be given a bed in a safe house operated by Morningstar. It's not much, but it gives them a roof over their heads, food, and somewhere to sleep until they're in a position to decide what course to take next.

CAN MY CHARACTER LEAVE THE CITY?
Absolutely! While moving to a new city legally will require extensive funds and documentation, the PCs have unlocked a fast travel method that allows them to explore wherever they'd like. More information on that method is on our Setting page and on our Event #008 wrap up.

SO THERE ARE NPCS? WHO ARE THEY? WHAT CAN I DO WITH THEM?
There are a handful of mod-played NPCs who characters will have direct contact with at the beginning of the game. Their full details are listed on the NPCs page. As the game continues, this page will be expanded as characters meet more figures.

There is also a general population of NPCs across the whole system. What you do with them is up to you, and it's left to player discretion if you choose to create regular faces and flesh any of them out. Just please keep to the general setting, don't use them to infomod, and let us know (and be prepared for potential consequences) if you plan to kill any.

In general, all NPCs are absolutely open to whatever players want to do with them. Even the mod-played ones are only here to help facilitate PC plots (with the emphasis always on PC roles and decisions). NPCs are not impervious, omnipotent or infallible – they each have their own viewpoints, motivations and flaws.

IS THERE A NETWORK? HOW DOES IT WORK?
Remember that scar all characters find along the back of their heads on waking up? This is due to an implant procedure. It seems that someone went to the effort of providing all characters with the standard method of computing and communication in this world: a neural implant.

The game network itself is an encrypted private network made available to player characters at the start of the game. It's accessed via character's neural implants, but only supports text and still images. There are no avatars, either.

More on NEURAL IMPLANTS AND NETWORK.

WHAT ABOUT LANGUAGE BARRIERS? DO CHARACTERS UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER?
Yes! The neural implants will instantaneously translate any language, whether written, heard or seen.

Please keep in mind that this is at least, in part, an OOC game mechanic; as a result, we feel that it's better to assume that the translation function is in place at all times and characters are not able to bypass it or turn it off. The only exceptions to this are non-native languages (such as The 100's Trigedasleng, The Expanse's Lang Belta, Dragon Age's Tevene, or ASoIaF's Dothraki). However, the language mechanic will eventually learn these languages with prolonged usage.

WHAT ABOUT THE THING IN THEIR CHEST?
Residing in the sternum of all characters, this matter, now known to be the shard of a god's very essence, drives most all of the changes they will have to experience. Most notably, it is what grants each Displaced their new power, and suppresses what they might have had before. This essense does not have a physical form and does not show up on Xrays -- the only way it manifests is through the blue glow that triggers whenever a Displaced uses their power or activates the empathy bond with another Displaced.

On top of all this, this god power has unlocked additional abilities for the Displaced based on what they've done through the course of the game. More on that below, but this is a rapidly evolving part of the characters' experience in game.

WHAT ABILITIES DOES THE THING IN THE CHARACTERS' CHEST GRANT?

The characters' powers are granted by the fragment of the god, Blue, and its essence is what causes the blue glow. They don't have access to any canon powers in game, and an attempt to use them will trigger the blue glow as well.

Each character has an ability unique to them, which changes as they develop in game. Other powers are shared, and may evolve as the plot does. These shared powers include the empathy bond, memory share, and dream share abilities. Characters can also share their unique abilities through the use of a special object they can manifest or pull from their chests. They can also utilize union attacks, combining their powers with one another in unique ways. For more detailed information about Blue's powers, see our powers page.

As a result of our January 2020 event aftermath, characters have also unlocked a fast travel system.

• There are hubs located in the center of each of the 104 megacities, out of public view and only accessible as a result of the blue glow that each of the characters have. To utilize these hubs, characters need to visit one hub and then think of another city and they will travel there. There are also hubs in New Amsterdam, New Oslo, outside of New Rio de Janeiro, Mt. Everest, and outside of New Cairo (more specifically known as the gates).

• New characters will have dreams informing them of this fast travel station after their first IC activation of the empathy bond. With it, they will see images of the other Displaced traveling between the locations, and will have an innate, unexplained understanding of how to travel between the cities.

• During and after arrival at the hub, all characters' chests will glow for a few minutes.

WHAT IF MY CHARACTER IS A MINOR AND HOW DOES THAT IMPACT PLAYABILITY?
Since we have a minimum cut off of 16 in game, all characters are given IDs claiming that they're 18 so that Morningstar and the other player characters will not have to concern themselves with being guardians to the characters in question. As far as the world at large knows, these characters are 18. A character's canon physical appearance won't affect their appability when it comes to this guideline; as long as the character is mentally 16 or older, they're fine!
 
> PLOT AND EVENTS

WHAT STRUCTURE DOES THE PLOT TAKE?
Meadowlark's plot was constructed to be a mystery at first, with answers coming over time. Characters were introduced to the setting without any knowledge of it, and had to learn both the mysteries of the world and their role in it. Now armed with more answers, the characters have to decide what investigations they want to pursue, or if they simply want to go home.

SO EVENTS WILL ONLY HAPPEN IF CHARACTERS TRIGGER THEM?
No. There are things happening in this world that will occur regardless of character interaction - but character interaction can change them, cause different things to happen, and uncover the deeper connected reasons for why they're happening at all.

HOW OFTEN WILL EVENTS HAPPEN?
Mod structured events will be run bimonthly. These are typically planned to run for 1 OOC week but have lasted for as long as a full month. We're flexible with end dates for events to accommodate for player interest.

HOW DO I ENGAGE WITH THE PLOT?
All mod-run events will come with OOC info posts and space to ask us about particular courses of action. Outside of events, our Plot Engagement post takes this role, being open for any sort of questions: whether it's to ingratiate themselves in the mob or continue investigating plot threads from a recent event.

WHAT CAN MY CHARACTER DO?
Whatever they want. Get a job, get an apartment, get a robot dog, join a criminal organization, attempt to investigate exactly how they ended up here - the world of Meadowlark is your oyster! Players are encouraged to bring absolutely any ideas to the Plot Engagement page, where we can help support and facilitate things, whether large or small.
 
> NEURAL IMPLANTS AND NETWORK

WHAT ARE THE NEURAL IMPLANTS?
A neural implant is essentially a computer designed to plug into the human brain. In physical form, neural implants take the shape of a small flexible net partially encased in a clear jelly. They are implanted in the back of the head. Implantation is entire and leaves no outside interface or control, only a short scar along the base of the skull. Due to being implanted directly into an internal organ, neural implants and other similar devices are known as "wetware".

Neural implants allow for direct neurological interface with and use of an unlimited range of software applications, as well as offering significant expansions to the human mind itself. They also allow for access to the internet. Consider them the equivalent to modern smart phones - everything that can be done with a smart phone can be done with a neural implant.

It is impossible to live in this world without a neural implant, and all natives will have had one implanted since a very young age.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY IMPOSSIBLE TO LIVE WITHOUT?
Neural implants take the place of everything essential for interaction and life within society. In this world there is no physical cash or credit/debit cards, ID, keys, phones, paper items such as books, tickets, checks or receipts, media viewing devices such as monitors, screens or TVs, games consoles, personal digital storage such as flashdrives or discs, portable computing devices such as tablets or laptops, or any larger physical interface computers. All of these things are stored on, accessed by and processed through people's neural implants.

HOW DO THEY WORK?
Neural implants are accessed via augmented reality interfaces. Instead of physical screens, characters will interact with information in their field of vision. Some interfaces will be anchored to specific objects or areas: door locks, advertising billboards, restaurant menus, etc. Others will be anchored to characters’s vision: books, news feeds, movies or television, all adaptable to the size and prevalence characters want at the time.

External interfaces usually require some physical interaction, while internal ones can by and large be operated by thought or eye gesture, or be "thrown out" into external ones, if characters would like to view a movie on a wall of their apartment or browse their social media feed at a larger size.

WHAT ABOUT THE NETWORK?
The network is a private encrypted network accessed through the internet, provided by Morningstar. Colloquially referred to as the "Morningstar Network," it is accessible only to player characters and a very small number of mod-played NPCs. Due to the level of encryption necessary to keep it as secure as possible, it can only support text and still images.

SO THE NETWORK IS TEXT AND PHOTOS ONLY?
Yes. This means no audio or video in the main network community.

Character INBOXES, however, can also be spaces for communication made through the general internet, so can support audio, video and VR interactions. Characters should be aware that these connections will not be as secure as the private network, and may want to be cautious about what they discuss or show using them.

CAN CHARACTERS CHOOSE THEIR USERNAMES?
Character usernames will be whatever name they give Morningstar when picked up by them on arrival in game. They are reflective of the IDs which Morningstar will set them up with in order for them to interact with and integrate with the world. IDs are locked to neural implants and tied to all activities, being your wallet, phone, passport, driving license, social security, keys and computer all at once. This means that while characters can absolutely lie to Morningstar, or give them an alias, they will then be permanently stuck with that name for everything in their life in game. This will be made clear to them by Morningstar at the time.

Two names are required, so if a character only has one name, they will need to choose another to complete their ID. Morningstar's NPCs will ensure that the character's name doesn't stand out in Meadowlark's world.

SO THEY CAN NEVER CHANGE IT?
Maybe! It wouldn't be just a name change, though - it would be a case of taking on a totally new ID. As such, they'd have to have made significant in-world contacts or built up a very good reputation with Morningstar in order to have it done, and it would be a total wipe of their previous identity – and life, essentially - in order to take on the new one.

Legal name changes can be applied for, but it is a carefully scrutinized process and usually requires a significant motivating factor, such as marriage or gender reassignment.

WHAT ABOUT PRIVACY?
Characters can have private threads with any number of other player characters via the network. They can also ping other characters to any existing threads or posts using the @ function - though please remember pings don't work on dreamwidth, so you'll have to let the player know directly!

IS THERE AN ANONYMOUS OPTION?
No. All characters have to be identified by Morningstar to have access to the network in the first place, and their names will be associated with all messages they send via it. While characters will be temporarily anonymous before their IDs are completed, they won't be able to maintain that anonymity after the fact.

WHAT ABOUT CHARACTER DROPS ON THE NETWORK?
Characters dropped in game continue to have active IDs, bank accounts, and leases (if they chose to take one out). They will eventually surrender all their goods unless they set up an arrangement for a previous character to take over their goods. If someone tries to reach a dropped character via their neural implant, the message will go through but will remain unanswered until the character returns in game (and only if reapped by the previous player).

Applying for a previously dropped character will mean that the new character will be treated as their own, unique entity. They'll have a separate identification on the network and won't have access to the previous iteration's messages, bank accounts, and other belongings (unless, of course, it's provided to them by another PC).
 
> POWERS

WILL MY CHARACTER KEEP THEIR CANON POWERS?
No. Characters with canon powers will find themselves unable to access or use them. They'll feel their power just out of reach, as if something is a barrier to reaching it. Meadowlark is meant to remain as a power-loss game, with the blue-powers being the in-game mechanic to replace what they lost.

WHAT DOES OR DOESN'T COUNT AS A POWER?
The best way to look at this is to look a character's species. A vampire is a vampire regardless of whether or not they can turn into a bat, so they may maintain some of their physical enhancements. Someone genetically engineered in the womb would remain unaltered, as they are technically a different species coming out. Asgardians are still Asgardians regardless of their species, but they won't be able to perform acts of gods. Biologically enhanced humans can maintain their baseline changes (enhanced strength, speed, resilience), but anything more unique - like Spider-Man's entire powerset - would be nerfed.

While biologically-based physical enhancements can remain, there is a limit to this. Given that super-strength and super-speed are abilities that could be requested as a Meadowlark-assigned power (see below!), we want to prevent these canon enhancements from allowing any one character to be too powerful. The rule of thumb here is to not have your character be capable of anything that an Olympic athlete in peak condition couldn't accomplish (though vampires can get temporary buffs to this baseline if they've recently ingested blood, and we will take on the specifics of other species on a case-by-case basis).

As mods, we are not looking to police every single thread (and won't be, as we definitely don't have the time for that!) and are more concerned with how these enhancements could be used on a macro level rather than a micro level. Any actions that could break an event or make it less playable for the rest of the playerbase are our main concern, so please keep that in mind and use your best discretion with it.

SO WHAT ABOUT THESE NEW POWERS?
All characters, regardless of whether they had canon powers before or not, will find they have one power which has been granted to them by the fragment of the god, Blue, in their chest, as they will experience the same blue glow when using it.

WHAT IS THE GOLD POWER? HOW DO YOU POWER IT UP?
As of Event 11, all characters in game also have access to a second set of powers from another god, Gold. Like Blue's abilities, each character will have a unique manifestation of this power. Unlike Blue's powers, these abilities are all aggressive or combat-oriented in nature, and cause the characters' eyes to glow gold while in use.

All characters also have a shared ability from Gold—heightened battle spirit. There are two levels to this. The first level activates when a character is in conflict with another in the real world. This can be triggered by anything from a physical brawl to a soccer match, and grants the character enhanced durability, speed and strength.

At the second level, characters can move in sync with one another, are more resilient to attacks, are physically stronger, and can heal more quickly from wounds. This ability is activated when two Displaced activate their battle spirit ability in tandem, and scales in power the more Displaced are added. Both levels can be activated on purpose or by accident.

Gold's powers can be upgraded via the powers page. Unlocks rely on IC conflict rather than IC development, and will require a similar write up to Blue's upgrades, although they can be updated once a month OOC rather than requiring a power unlock through events.

WHAT POWERS ARE THEY?
These new powers are individual to the character! Players are asked to choose them at the time of application. They should be complimentary to your character, suiting their personality in some way.

WILL THEY GROW STRONGER OVER TIME?
To begin with, these powers will be very low level and limited, a "seed" version of their full potential. For example, the seed version of telepathy would be only hearing thoughts only when in contact with a person; the seed version of pyrokinesis would be creating only small flames from the fingers.

Events will prove as the basis for these powers to grow stronger, and they can evolve in branching ways from their original form depending on a character's development in game.

More on powers can be found on the POWERS page.
 
> APPLICATION

HOW MANY CHARACTERS CAN I APP?
Players may have up to three characters in game at any one time. Players may app up to two characters per app processing round.

ARE THERE ANY CAPS?
There are two caps:
• A 60 player game cap
• A 5 character cast cap
Original characters do not apply to a cast cap.

SO WHAT KIND OF CHARACTERS CAN I APP?
Meadowlark accepts:
• Canon, original, canon AU and CRAU characters.
• Malleable protagonists, as long as the majority of their personality can be taken from their canon, and is not fan-created.
• OCs from platforms with customizable characters, such as a tabletop game or MMO (Final Fantasy XIV, World of Warcraft, etc.), provided that the character doesn't have any assumed connections to canon characters/NPCs. (For example, your character couldn't have written into their history that they know Alphinaud if they're a FFXIV OC, or that they know Anduin if they're a WoW OC.)
Meadowlark does not accept:
• Characters younger than 16.
• Non-humanoid characters which are larger than 8ft.
• Non-humanoid characters which are incapable of necessary tasks. A simple check test for this is "can they carry a full breakfast tray?"
• Fandom AU characters.
• OCs from pre-existing canons, with some exceptions for characters from platforms with customizable characters (see above).
• Real people or characters from biographical pieces. TSwift or your favorite Kpop guy is a "no." Since Hamilton: The Musical tells the story of Hamilton, that's also a no. But fictional portrayals in non-biographical pieces like Fate, Dynasty Warriors, and similar series are fine.
• Characters who require more than 1/3rd headcanon to create a consistent personality.
Characters cannot be apped from unreleased or incomplete canon points. For example: if an author has released a chapter excerpt on their website or read that chapter at a public event. Chapters often evolve from when they're first previewed prior to publication, and the audience doesn't know the context. You will need to wait until the canon has been released and completed before using that canon point.

The canon a character comes from must have been available in English for at least one (1) month before apping. The exception to this rule involves ongoing TV shows. Appers may apply for a canon point at least one (1) week after an episode has been released.

WHAT ABOUT NON-HUMAN CHARACTERS?
Wholly non-organic characters, such as robots, will now find themselves in human bodies. This is a change made by Blue, the god driving all of the characters' changes as they come into this world.

Incorporeal characters, such as ghosts or spirits, will find themselves now in a corporeal body.

For non-humanoid characters, as long as your character fits within the basic requirements for apping, they're totally acceptable. Keep in mind that this is a character capable of carrying out necessary tasks, with the primary test being "can they carry a full breakfast tray?" However, if their appearance is particularly notable as non-human, they will have difficulty in interacting with the general population of the setting. This may limit their playability in game or require a lot of creativity in order to navigate, and should be kept in consideration by any players looking at apping such characters. However, there is no mechanic that can or will humanize these characters, so they will need to come up with an in-game explanation for why they appear the way they do.

WHAT IF MY CHARACTER HAS A BUNCH OF CYBERNETICS?
No cybernetics or prosthetics will be removed from your character upon arrival. Unlike the inorganic characters, these things will not be changed or turned organic wholesale. If there are weapons, they may be temporarily disabled in the intake process. If your character's cybernetics have super cool abilities, we will need to review them during the application process.

WHAT IF MY CHARACTER IS TERMINALLY ILL/CRITICALLY OR OTHERWISE INJURED AT THEIR CANON POINT?
Characters suffering from terminal illnesses will find progress of the illness has been somehow suspended - they won't be cured, but they won’t get any sicker.

Characters who would be injured at their canon point, critically or otherwise, will find that they have experienced several month's worth of healing.

WHAT IF MY CHARACTER IS DEAD IN THEIR CANON?
They will need to be brought into game from a point before their death! Unless they went on to be undead, of course.

WHAT ABOUT CHARACTERS WITH SPECIAL DIETARY REQUIREMENTS?
This is open for player discretion! If you'd like your vampire to still need to drink blood and stay out of sunlight, despite them not having any of the canon powers related to being a vampire, you can absolutely do so. If you'd prefer to just have them now essentially human, and able to live on normal food, you can do that too!

CAN MY CHARACTER BRING ANYTHING WITH THEM?
Nope. Not even the shirts on their backs.

For more information on how to regain canon items, see CANON UPDATES AND ITEMS.
 
> GAME MECHANICS/span>

WHAT'S THE IC:OOC RATIO?
Meadowlark generally operates on a 1:2 ratio. This means 2 OOC days will pass for every 1 IC day. It may be necessary for this to be stretched a little for events, but this will always be made clear at the time.

WHAT TIME ZONE DOES THE GAME RUN ON?
The game runs on UTC, which is the Dreamwidth default.

WHEN DO APPS/ACTIVITY CHECK RUN?
Apps are open on the 1st of the month at 00:00 UTC and close on the 9th at 23:59 UTC. Activity check opens on the 1st of the month and closes on the 7th at 23:59 UTC. AC will open and close at 12 AM. Find out when this is in your timezone.

WILL THERE BE A HMD AND CR MEME?
Yes. CR memes will run at the top of every month. HMDs run every other month. Participation in HMDs will be mandatory, with a link to your HMD thread required on that month's activity check.

WHAT ARE THE ACTIVITY REQUIREMENTS?
20 comments across 2-4 threads, made between midnight UTC on the 1st of the month and midnight UTC at the beginning of the next month. This can be any combination of thread types or numbers, as long as the total makes or exceeds 20. The posts or threads the comments are on do not need to have been started within the current month - just link from the first relevant comment.

WHAT IF I DON'T MAKE AC, CAN I TAKE A STRIKE?
Yes! We'll consider all strikes to be retroactive hiatuses. However, this means that you will not be able to take a hiatus the following month.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I NEED TO TAKE A HIATUS?
You can submit a hiatus at any time on the HIATUS/DROP page. A hiatus exempts you from AC in advance, meaning the next coming Activity Check.

While on hiatus, characters can be autopiloted or can mysteriously go missing based on your preference, returning when you return with no memory of what happened in the interim.

Please note that we do not allow consecutive hiatuses.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I DROP?
Dropped characters will either go mysteriously missing, or, should the player choose to do so, be killed off.

To current characters, dropped characters may seem to be ignoring messages for a long period of time. Their current ID remains active within the world's network, but they won't be utilizing it or interacting with the world for a long period of time.

WHAT IF I WANT TO APP A CHARACTER SOMEONE ELSE DROPPED?
You're absolutely free to do so! The character will simply not retain any of the previous character's in-game memories or knowledge.

WHAT IF I WANT TO REAPP A CHARACTER I DROPPED?
As long as you didn't kill them off, absolutely! They'll return to the game with no memory of anything which occurred in the time away, and pick up where they left off. Upon returning, they will awaken in their previous home (even if it's now occupied by someone else) with their chest glowing.

SO DEATH IS PERMANENT?
Yes and no. Dead characters can be revived, as long as they are put in a medi unit within 24 hours of their death. How they get to that medi unit is the tricky part, as it will need to be done by another PC.

If dead characters are not taken to a medi unit within 24 hours of their death, that death is permanent. Please note that perma-killed characters cannot be re-apped with their game memories intact.

CAN I CANON UPDATE MY CHARACTER?
Yes. Characters canon updating will mysteriously go missing for whatever amount of in-game time that you choose, up to one week. You can choose to take a hiatus during this time, but you don't have to, and if you'd rather not disrupt your playtime too much, they can disappear for only a day or so. On returning they'll have no memory of where they've been in the game setting - only their new canon memories. They will also be updated with any physical changes, and will also experience a dull burning sensation across their chest for roughly a day afterwards.

Canon updates should be requested using the CANON UPDATE page.

HOW SOON AFTER NEW CANON IS RELEASED CAN I UPDATE?
For new movie releases, please wait 1 month before canon updating. For all other media, we ask you wait 1 week from release to canon update. In either case, please always be mindful of your fellow players when it comes to spoilers.

As a note: this does not apply to new characters; you will need to be in the game for one OOC month before you submit a canon update. This is primarily because of the unique nature of Meadowlark's arrival process.

CAN I REQUEST AN ITEM FROM THEIR CANON?
Yes. These are limited to one item at a time, and the item itself must hold some significance to the character. Requests should be submitted via ITEM REQUESTS. When approved, characters receiving items will mysteriously find themselves holding the item when waking up from sleep. They will remember nothing notable about the night's sleep, and will awaken to their chest glowing for the day after.

Players may only request an item for a character after the character has been in game for one OOC month. There is also a limit of one item request an OOC month per character.

WHAT IS YOUR POLICY ON FOURTH WALLING?
We'd prefer to leave individual cases of fourth walling up to player discretion and to handle it on a case-by-case scenario. If your character is prone to fourth walling, we suggest that you have an opt out post in their journal! In addition, no characters' canons will be available for consumption in the wider game setting.

I HAVE A QUESTION WHICH ISN'T ANSWERED HERE.
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(Anonymous) 2018-06-30 06:52 pm (UTC)(link)
I have a question about how "powers" are defined. Is it anything that a human can't do, even if it wouldn't be considered a power for that species, or is it specifically magical/psychic/etc. stuff? For example, if a character has gills, do they keep those, or do they go away? Similarly, if a character has a weakness related to their species that a human wouldn't have, would that remain, or go away?

(Anonymous) 2018-07-01 09:11 pm (UTC)(link)
hello! just to clarify what time would reserves open?
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(Anonymous) 2018-07-02 12:18 pm (UTC)(link)
For a character who mainly goes by an alias in their canon: would they be identified by their real name on the network? For example, would Magneto from the X-Men be listed as Max Eisenhardt to the other characters in the game, with no way to change it?
predomination: there's a 60% chance that mayuri poisoned both of them. (⚛ red pill or blue pill?)

[personal profile] predomination 2018-07-02 04:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Another clarification about powers! I have no issue nerfing, but Bleach shinigami have a connection to their blades (they're an aspect of their soul and have their own spirit) meaning that losing that connection with them would probably be detrimental.

So here are my questions:

(1. Would a shinigami be allowed to keep their swords and the connection to their Zanpakuto spirit (in an equally nerfed state)?

(2. Would it be possible for their new power to simply be channeled through their Zanpakuto?


I'm sorry if this is confusing, if you're canon-blind, here's a wiki link that expands on it a bit.
hyperfresh: (Default)

[personal profile] hyperfresh 2018-07-02 05:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi, weird question: Marina's hair is comprised of tentacles. Would whoever's doing the head shaving shave them off? They can be cut and grow back similarly to hair, but I don't know if whoever's doing the shaving would know that/if they'd care.
apperceptions: <user name=glaswen> (Aɴᴅ I’ʟʟ ᴍɪss ʏᴏᴜʀ ɢʟᴏᴡ)

[personal profile] apperceptions 2018-07-05 01:19 am (UTC)(link)
Hi mods - very excited for this game! I have some robot-related humanizing questions:

1. Do human-based cyborgs lose their synthetic bits? Where is the line drawn on humanizing?
2. If a robot is outwardly human-shaped but internally has machine parts (i.e. the androids of Detroit: Become Human) would they be humanized?
3. If a robot has a body that’s almost indistinguishably flesh, but with an artificial brain (i.e. Westworld, Bicentennial Man) would they be humanized?

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(Anonymous) 2018-07-05 07:57 pm (UTC)(link)
What time on the 6th does the test drive start? The calendar is locked, so I can't check if it's there.
strove: (Default)

[personal profile] strove 2018-07-06 12:09 am (UTC)(link)
Hi. Sorry, I have another powers-related question (sort of ...). Clarke at the end of S4 and then into S5 has black blood that's the cause of genetic modification thanks to injecting herself with bone marrow from a person with Nightblood. I'm sorry if this doesn't make any sense, but this gives her the ability to metabolize extremely high amounts of radiation, albeit making it so she can survive and eventually overcome the radiation poisoning (it's a slow, gradual process). Would her blood still be black (with all the fixings), red (as a normal human), or black still (but without the radiation stuff).

I don't know if this will help, but here's a wiki link on the Nightbloods.

On a more standard level, all of the characters from The 100 who aren't Clarke (or any of the other Nightbloods) have some natural ability to resist/withstand radiation thanks to their blood. Would this be considered an extraordinary ability or along the lines of "gills"?

Thanks!

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[personal profile] duskmeadow 2018-07-06 12:37 am (UTC)(link)
i have a question about vax's diety. depending on which canon point i take him from, he's pledged himself in service of the raven queen. i know all the paladin buffs/powers that he usually gets from that relationship will be off limits, but will his connection to the raven queen be blocked along the same lines you've mentioned here?

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tuberose: james jean - skrwl (Default)

[personal profile] tuberose 2018-07-06 04:24 am (UTC)(link)
I have a question inspired in part by your early answer about cybernetics being a big part of this world--

I have a character with cybernetic implants who, as of her canon point, had those implants seriously damaged. Would the "several months of healing" for critically injured characters cover having these implants repaired, or would she simply be restored to baseline human health?

The answer shouldn't impact my ability to enjoy playing the character; I'm just curious how you think the setting would handle this.

(Clarifying edit: The implants grant enhanced ability, namely improved agility. I'm not sure if this would be considered a power to be nerfed, or along the lines of "reasonable passive abilities that have a physiological origin.")
Edited 2018-07-06 04:29 (UTC)
theycalledmeacurse: (218)

[personal profile] theycalledmeacurse 2018-07-06 06:21 am (UTC)(link)
Hello mods! I have two powers-related questions specific to Rogue from X-Men.

1. As part of her canon powers, she "absorbs" other people through skin-to-skin contact, including emotions, thoughts, memories, special abilities... and in the process copies their psyche into her own mind. These psyches are fully-formed copies of other peoples minds that she can interact with (but usually chooses not too) but cannot manipulate or control in any way (meaning she can't go digging into their memories or anything beyond what she initially absorbed). Would these psyches be suppressed along with the rest of her abilities, or would they still be rattling around in her mind? (If the latter and she's apped to the game, OOC permissions would be set up in case anyone from her canon showed up in game, just to make sure no toes are stepped on.)

2. Rogue does not have active control over her powers; they automatically activate upon skin-to-skin contact. Would she experience any burning in her chest while touching others, or would she be spared that fun since she's not trying to activate her power?
selfimage: — ʙᴏɴᴅᴏᴄ — (A little party never killed nobody.)

[personal profile] selfimage 2018-07-06 12:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Good morning! I've got a question for you guys.

THIS IS GOING TO GET SPECIFIC AND COMPLICATED, SO I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE.

The Asgardian gods from Marvel Comics [Prime/616] have a bodily density that is 3x that of normal humans as a trait of their species. It contributes to their resistance, strength, metabolism and healing factors. Passively, they can take a lot of hits, heal quickly, and other such comic book-y things.

There is also a magic that the Asgadians are close to something called the Odinforce (I won't get into the specifics other than it's hefty magic that varies between writers). This fuels some of the above to extreme degrees (strength, especially, and healing factors) of their natural Asgardian abilities. The closer an Asgardian is to the Odinforce [Thor, Balder, Loki], the more of these abilities that they express; the further they are [normal Asgardians], the less of those special traits they seem to express.

While it's hard finding the line to decouple what parts of their powers are "the Odinforce" and "their density", the 3x density is a trait of the Asgardian species, much like certain retained traits of vampires are specific to their species. I can definitely get down to reduce some of the more damning qualities in what's happened when they're separated from the Odinforce, but I was wondering (with certain nerfs in mind), if they would keep that density, or if they would change species entirely and become human?

If you need more of an explanation, or have a question about this (I know it's a lot), let me know!

Thanks!

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[personal profile] apathet 2018-07-06 09:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Hey mods!! A quick question on the topic of the undead:

Laura (American Gods if that's helpful!) spends the majority of the show as a zombie, kept alive by a magical coin in her chest.

Would I be able to app her from after her death, and if so would she retain corpse-state or would they have been able to revive her body? Despite being re-animated her body has continued to decompose after death so it's a bit of a tricky one.

Thank you and I'm super excited about this game so thank you for that also! No worries if this character isn't feasible, I'm just checking out my options.

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[personal profile] glanzenschwert 2018-07-07 01:28 am (UTC)(link)
Hello, mods! Just to be sure I would like to check in with you on something:

'There are several indicators that they have been in a similar state for quite some time: their hair has been shaved off entirely sometime in the past few months'

meaning that at game start they'd have their hair back?

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[personal profile] raposa 2018-07-07 01:47 am (UTC)(link)
bouncing off maeve's player up there, here's another cyborg/android question. sorry if it's redundant, i just wanted to clarify!

fox's body was caught in a large explosion sometime ago and 'killed'. his mangled body was brought back from the grave through Fake Ass Science and an exoskeleton/cybernetics. the full damage report of his body is never revealed but in game conversations/info lead players to believe that the exoskeleton fox wears is basically the only thing keeping him alive/functioning/a badass.

i understand cybernetics are a thing in this world, but technically fox still has fleshy bits underneath his exoskeleton. and since nothing from canon is kept with the characters when they arrive, would fox still be wearing his cybersuit since he can't really voluntarily take it off (the equivalent would be ripping a character's skin off)? or would he come into the setting with proper cybernetic limbs and such?

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[personal profile] hyperverbose 2018-07-08 07:27 am (UTC)(link)
hello! looking at apping this guy and just vacillating about power stuff. i feel like my final decision might be influenced to the answer to this question. i know that tony will come in with no items (and therefore no suit). would there be potential access to parts for him to eventually recreate one in the long run in this world or would there be roadblocks to him ever creating a -full- powered suit? i'm willing to have it take quite awhile, but it's certainly something he would try to do, at least on some scale.
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[personal profile] righteously 2018-07-08 07:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Question regarding the cast cap!
With regards to Marvel, are all Marvel mediums lumped into one category, like MCU as well as the Netflix shows getting a total of 5, or do they each get 5?
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[personal profile] frostedplum 2018-07-09 11:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Hello! Since it says characters have nothing of their own, am I right in thinking Mei here would be without her glasses? If so, how soon could she get an item drop so she can see clearly?

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[personal profile] warfares 2018-07-11 07:23 am (UTC)(link)
Hi! I'm looking to app and am busy working on the power section. I've included all the information listed in the app: "what is this power, why this particular power" and included a list of limitations as well as outlining the ...I think you called it the "seed ability"? The base level.

I was wondering, firstly, would my including the limitations be okay (it's an elemental based power so I thought it would be relevant to the powers' overall development) and also ask with regard to the development section, roughly how much detail would you like? For example ideas on how the power would be grown/developed? Rough estimates of the time it would take to develop the power beyond its most basic level? Or do you just need a basic outline of what the basic power looks like?

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[personal profile] forcevisions 2018-07-15 01:50 am (UTC)(link)
I'm worried a power I'm interested in might run too close to a canon power! So I'm seeking some clarification on that.

Rey, in canon, can use the Force. Without getting philosophical, the crux of my conflict is that the Force provides telekinesis to those skilled in wielding it. Moving stuff with her mind.

The power I want to give Rey is gravity manipulation, which at higher levels would be super distinct from the Force in that it might create small pockets of vacuum space or small black holes to suck things towards/into, but I'm worried that lower levels where minor levitation of objects/herself/others (or the anchoring/increasing weight of objects/herself/others) is the obvious starting point would not be distinguishable enough in presentation.

It would obviously feel incredibly different to Rey, but I don't want to stumble through my app only to realize the presentation is not significantly different enough to be acceptable.

TL;DR is gravity manipulation a distinct enough power from telekinesis to be acceptable for a character with canon telekinesis even though they can present the same in some ways? Or should I reach elsewhere?

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[personal profile] dirtyredneck 2018-07-15 02:39 am (UTC)(link)
Hello! Medical related question. Daryl is not terminally ill or anything like that, but he is infected with the Wildfire Virus (details here) and it's highly contagious in canon. In some past games, this virus has been suppressed so as not to interfere with anyone else or spread and start creating zombies, but not removed. Other games have given the option of removing it entirely or supressing it, again, just so it doesn't interfere with anyone. If I app, how would you want to handle it?

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[personal profile] dirtyredneck - 2018-07-15 03:16 (UTC) - Expand
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[personal profile] dirtyredneck 2018-07-15 06:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Having trouble figuring out the scope of a 'seed' power. Could you list a few examples of what kind of things you're thinking of as a starting range for people so they can better know how to limit it at the start and have it grow from there?

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glitchinthesystem: (hmmm)

[personal profile] glitchinthesystem 2018-07-20 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
So I'm considering apping an original. Since all canon powers are stripped from people and are replaced with a new one could I do something similar to their old power? Ie this guy has electrokinesis and magnetism. Could I potentially give them like metal manipulation ? Reshaping metal and the like like it's liquid.
Edited 2018-07-20 01:00 (UTC)

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[personal profile] deicider 2018-08-02 05:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Do I need to have some sort of permissions thing for Sniper's charm ability?
secondnature: (i'm really flustered)

[personal profile] secondnature 2018-08-02 09:30 pm (UTC)(link)
There are rumors that Keith's actual last name is going to be in the upcoming season, but I just used the fanon one for the taken list because I had no idea. Is there any chance that I'll be able to update it to reflect his actual name once I get a canon one? I'm not actually 100% that he's getting one with this season that airs on August 10th, but I've seen it floating around often enough that I think the rumor that we're getting it is based on SOMETHING

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