Post by Kaeldra on Mar 25, 2017 4:24:17 GMT
Like any good roleplay site, we do have some rules that we expect our members to follow. Please be aware that these rules are subject to change as the site grows, and while significant changes will always be announced, it is never a bad idea to read over them periodically to stay up to date. “I didn’t know it was in the rules” is not an excuse.
If you are found to be breaking a rule, a staff member will point it out to you so you can correct it. If you refuse to fix the issue or are found to be repeatedly breaking rules, a warning will be issued. Three warnings will result in a ban from the site.
- Be kind.
Everyone is expected to be courteous and respectful to their fellow members. Any form of out-of-character bullying or harassment will not be tolerated. If anyone is making you or another member uncomfortable, you are always encouraged to let a staff member know.
- Be inclusive.
Try your best to talk to and roleplay with new people when you can. Maybe you’ll make a friend!
- One account per person.
All characters are managed using one main account. Usernames can be anything you like, as long as it is nothing offensive or something which might make other members uncomfortable. Some examples would be slurs or other derogatory language. In general, if you have to ask about it, it's probably not a good choice.
- Minimize chatspeak.
The occasional “lol” or “omg” are fine, of course. Things like “can’t w8 4 u 2 reply!” are generally discouraged, as it can be difficult for some people to understand.
- Don’t steal the work of others.
Always get permission before using someone else’s work! This goes for art, writing, characters, and any other intellectual content created by someone else.
- There is no character limit.
You can have as many characters as you want and can handle. Just be sure to keep them active! There's no hard and fast rule on this, but generally we look for one post every 1-2 weeks per character minimum.
- One character going through approvals at a time.
You can have as many WIP profiles as you like, but please wait until your current submission is checked and responded to before requesting another.
- Character approval is required before you start posting.
Character approval prevents game-breaking details from slipping into the game by accident. If it’s been a while since you submitted your character for approval and your application has not been checked, please message Kaeldra and let her know.
- Duplicate names are fine.
As long as you’re not copying an entire character concept, it’s perfectly fine if your character happens to have the same name as another.
- Cat appearances must be genetically possible.
No purple fur, red eyes, or wings, of course. This also includes (but is not limited to) things like no stripes on top of white fur, and no cismale calicos or tortoiseshells. If you have questions regarding cat genetics, please message Kaeldra.
- Cats may not have powers.
No super strength, dream manipulation, etc. Just good ol' average cats around here.
- We are LGBT+ friendly.
Cats of any orientation/gender are welcome. Queens can be in relationships with queens, and if a tom prefers “she/her” pronouns that is 100% okay. Just keep in mind that these are cats and so the way they express gender is more limited than with humans.
- Play the character you’ve written.
Do your best to stay in character. Character development is definitely encouraged, but don’t have their personality do a complete 180 in the span of a single thread.
- You may not play both parents of any cat.
If you want a character’s parents to be part of the roleplay, you will have to play just one (or neither) of them. You can either put the other (or both) up for adoption by other players or simply leave them as an NPC.
- You may not play both an apprentice and the cat mentoring them.
Your cat’s mentor must be played by someone other than you. Generally, mentors will be assigned by the leader of the Clan the character is in.
- Cats in positions of power can not be created.
If you want to play a character in a high rank, you’ll have to get that character promoted in-game. In order to play a high ranked character, you’ll have to develop the necessary in-game ties as well as submit an application to be reviewed by staff.
- Pregnant/nursing queens and kits under 3 moons of age can not be created.
Queens must become pregnant through an application in the Litters Department, and kits are born as a result. If you’d like for your character to have any pre-existing offspring, they must be at least 3 moons old at their time of creation.
- Cats in training within a group may not be created.
If you’d like to play a cat that is currently undergoing training (eg. an apprentice) you can either adopt a kit that has been born into the group of your choice or create an appropriately aged cat and have them attempt to join a group.
- No word count.
Write as much or as little as you like, though do be considerate to your fellow players and give them enough to work with. Conversely, be mindful not to drown your partner in prose if they've only written a couple paragraphs.
- Use proper grammar and spelling.
Do your best to follow good writing practice. If you have any questions or would like help improving your writing, you are more than welcome to message any staff member!
- Godmoding and metagaming are strictly forbidden.
All characters should be on an equal playing field with each other, and godmoding and metagaming can make the game unfairly one-sided. If you’re unfamiliar with these terms, a quick google search should point you in the right direction, or you can always just ask a staff member.
- Powerplaying is only allowed with permission of the other player(s).
You should only be controlling other players’ characters when they have given you express permission to do so.
- Characters can not be killed without the player’s knowledge and approval beforehand.
All characters will have to die eventually, but it’s up to their player how that happens.
- Allow all players in a thread time to respond before replying again.
When it comes to threads with 3+ players, don’t rapid-fire post with just one or two people and leave everyone else struggling to catch up with what’s happening. If it’s been longer than 1-2 weeks and you're waiting on one particular player, though, you are encouraged to continue posting and keep the story-line going.
- Your characters can be in multiple threads at once.
We operate on liquid time, so this is fine. Just make sure you can organize everything into chronological order and know what’s happening when.
- The first post of each IC thread needs a timestamp containing date and moon.
For example: 10th day of the Thunder Moon 2018. Human dates (April 12th, 2018) are also allowed, if you prefer to use those. If you need help figuring out what day your thread takes place, here’s a spreadsheet for conversion of dates.
- Be as active as you like.
Whether you want to make several posts a day or just one a week, as long as plots aren’t being held up we’re happy. If it's been more than a week since a thread has gotten a post, staff might give you a poke, but essentially, only take on what you can handle.
- We don’t have an official activity check, but we do have Age Ups.
You will need to manually update your character’s age to reflect the current moon once every two months or so. We use this as a rough measure to determine who’s active and who’s not. Thread with more information on Age Ups coming soon.
- Let us know if you need some time away from the site.
We understand that life happens and would never want you to sacrifice your well-being for the sake of roleplay. Just give us a heads up either on the Comings and Goings board or by messaging a staff member. We’ll take care of your characters while you’re away.
- Accounts with 6+ months of inactivity may be deleted.
In order to keep things tidy, some old accounts with no activity may be deleted. If this has happened to your account, you're welcome to make a new one with the same username (or a different one)!
If you are found to be breaking a rule, a staff member will point it out to you so you can correct it. If you refuse to fix the issue or are found to be repeatedly breaking rules, a warning will be issued. Three warnings will result in a ban from the site.