Table of Contents



I. Reserves
II. Applications
III. After Acceptance; Posting
IV. After Acceptance; Powers& Abilities
V. After Acceptance; Canon Updating
VI. After Acceptance; Activity
VII. Dropping a Character
VIII. IC FAQ



RESERVES

HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN RESERVE THE SAME CHARACTER?
One.


HOW LONG DO RESERVES LAST?
2 weeks.


HOW MANY TIMES CAN I EXTEND MY RESERVE?
Once.


IF A CHARACTER IS RESERVED, DOES THAT MEAN NO ONE ELSE CAN APP THEM?
No, it means we will wait until your reserve (and one extension if you like) expires before we make a decision on the character. You can have a reserve but 15 other ppl can still app your character. We will just hold off on making a decision on who is the best fit until we have heard from you.




APPLICATIONS

WE DO NOT ACCEPT
Original characters (OCs)
Real people (living or dead)
Non-canon AU characters (evil!10th Doctor)
Duplicates of existing characters

EXCEPTIONS
Different universes (BBC Sherlock Holmes, CBS Sherlock Holmes, etc)
Canon AU characters (The Doctor Donna, everything in Homestuck, ever)

CAN MY APP BE TOO LONG?
No.


CAN MY APP BE TOO SHORT?
Yes.


DOES MY JOURNAL ENTRY SAMPLE HAVE TO BE TEXT BASED?
Yes (Formatted like a LJ/DW journal entry to the network- no prose, no action tags, no audio or video, no private letters or private diary entries).


DO MY SAMPLES HAVE TO RELATE TO THE GAME?
No, but we like that a lot.


WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JOURNAL ENTRY SAMPLE AND LOG SAMPLE?
A journal entry is a first-person blog post, the same kind of post you would make in a personal journal on Dreamwidth/LiveJournal. It is public and viewable to all on a social network.

A log or action post either has third person or omniscient description or includes actions in brackets. A quick look at the main community page will provide clear examples of the former; action logs are generally labeled as such on the comm page. We expect applicants to understand this distinction before applying.


OTHER APP GUIDELINES
We do not accept past game events or CR.
Applications where a characters’ background is primarily fanon will be rejected.

EXCEPTION
Speculation is fine! Creating a rich backstory for your character is fine. But your app must include significant canon history and personality traits. If you cannot build a substantial app without fanon, do not app this character. We will know.

Mods reserve the right to reject applications if the character being apped ascribes to bigoted worldviews or oppressive ideologies (i.e.,Nazis, KKK members).




AFTER ACCEPTANCE; POSTING

CAN I START POSTING RIGHT AWAY?
No. You need to add your character to the Taken Characters List, Apply for Housing and create/add to your thread on the Activity Check page.

Once you have commented to these places, you are free to begin posting/commenting. Your character might not get housing or added to the taken character list right away, but mods get to it as quickly as they can.


CAN MY SAMPLE POST BE MY CHARACTER'S FIRST POST?
Yes, if it’s related to the game.


DO I HAVE TO TAG MY POST?
Yes. Every time. We tag our posts and comments with character names. You will need to fill in your character’s name if they are new, or locate the name if they are already in the tag registry. You will add the character’s tag every time you comment to a post as well. This is extremely important for Activity Check and is the player’s responsibility.


WHEN A CHARACTER REPLIES TO MY POST, ARE THEY TALKING FACE TO FACE?
No. You are posting on the network, as you would with any online communication. The other characters can not see your character beyond the icons and vice-versa. Exceptions to this are video and logs, but the bulk of character interactions in thoughtformed is purely over journals.

Characters receive a smart phone upon their arrival, so you can post and reply on the network from virtually anywhere on the island.


IS THOUGHTFORMED A PROSE BASED GAME?
No. thoughtformed is not a prose game, or a face-to-face rp game. Network posts are text-only by default. The two exceptions to this are video and audio posts.


WHAT ARE VIDEO/AUDIO POSTS?

VIDEO POSTS (generally labelled "video" in the post title or otherwise clearly indicated) can include action tags in brackets. However, New Moore's web cameras operate like any video recording you can do in real life: it's just a video camera. It cannot capture thoughts, emotions beyond vocal and visual cues, or other OOC information.

AUDIO POSTS (generally labeled "audio" in the post title or otherwise clearly indicated) operate similarly, although they are limited to audible cues (eg; sighs, laughter, and LOUD NOISES.) If you pepper in some things here and there that's okay, but just remember New Moore doesn't have superhuman cameras and recording devices. Video and audio can’t capture prose, like motivations or thoughts.

Video and Audio posts can capture a person's voice shaking, or a nervous tic, or someone lurking in the background, but the devices can't capture their nervous thoughts about the full moon/their missing sister/a flock of silent ninjas lurking off screen unless the character explicitly says it or a noise or image implies it. If you want to go into the unspoken feelings and prose about a character in greater detail, you would like something like a LOG.


WHAT IS ACTION SPAM OR A LOG POST?

What’s the difference between action spam and logs? If you want to switch to action tags mid comment with another player, that’s ACTION SPAM. Easily done when both parties want to switch to face to face. Here is a good sample of action spam to help you understand.

If you’d like to make a post entirely consisting of prose and action, that is a LOG. Logs should be labeled with WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN and WARNINGS. Also good to note if this is an open log or closed for only select characters. Here is a good sample log to help you understand. Also See the log tag for more examples. Logs can be action tags or prose based.

Both are largely the same thing. Logs are standalone posts, sometimes open to anyone (or closed- be sure to check before reply!) Action spam is usually within an existing post where the players decide together to switch to acting out a scene. Like a mini-log within a post.

Midnight Channel posts are often log or action spam based, but the format of Midnight Channel posts is fluid and entirely up to the player. You can make it a goddamn modernist poem if you want, it's the Midnight Channel. Go coconuts.


WHAT IS A TEXT POST?
TEXT POSTS do not require any labeling. These are considered default formatted posts- posts like any normal blog entry on Dreamwidth.

If there is a post without the audio, video or log notes (who where when, etc), assume it is a text post.


WHAT IS A PRIVATE POST?
PRIVATE POSTS are either 100% private entries, or limited interactions between characters. They can be their own posts, or comments on any post can switch to a private correspondence. Text messages are also considered private, and can be their own posts.

To make a private post, please label it as "PRIVATE" either in the title, or clearly marked within the post. To send a private message, label the message as "[PRIVATE: CHARACTER NAME" or "TEXT MESSAGE TO [CHARACTER NAME]" or something similar. You can put this in the title of the post or comment, or collapse it under a similar cut tag. Here is a sample set of private text message posts sent from a characters phone.

If a post is listed as TEXT MESSAGE TO: or PRIVATE: and the name following is not your characters name, your character cannot view it or reply to it, even if it is in their own post.


WHAT IF I MESS UP?
You certainly will get hit up if you post a prose post as that's not in the style of thoughtformed, but otherwise no balls busted.

Naturally, all types of our accepted posts are fun and above all that's the POINT of rp, but if we can shoot for some kind of uniformity in formatting to make sure no one’s confused, that's cool.




AFTER ACCEPTANCE; POWERS&ABILITIES

WILL MY CHARACTERS’ POWERS BE LIMITED/REMOVED?
No. Your character will have all their original abilities short from the ability to leave New Moore. If your character is all powerful (Sephiroth, Lord English), try to deduce a way they can exist on the island with their powers weakened, to the extent they do not cause massive chaos every day. We don’t care how powerful your character is, the law will catch up to them and you will lose. If you cannot think of a way to bring an all-powerful character into this setting without dismantling the game structure, don’t app that character. We will remove you from the game.


WILL MY NON-HUMANOID CHARACTER BE MADE HUMAN?
No.

CAN MY CHARACTER USE THEIR POWERS TO LEAVE THE ISLAND?
No. Not magical or physical ability will allow the characters to leave the island. There is a dome-shaped barrier that exists a mile out from the island, by air and sea. The barrier is invisible and impenetrable. It also hurts like a bitch when you hit it.



AFTER ACCEPTANCE; CANON UPDATING

HOW DO I UPDATE A CHARACTER IN THOUGHTFORMED?
thoughtformed does not have a unified process for this. Traditionally, characters will simply wake up one morning, having dreamed their pasts up to a more recent time, and somehow knowing these are real memories and not a trick. Characters are also welcome to retain canon-updated memories after events (such a timeskip) or anything similar which might provide an in-game, in-character reason for updating them.

If you have any questions about if you can do this, feel free to ask. But generally, our answer will be that you can canon update when you like, how you like, and we don't need to know about it unless it changes more than just knowledge (ie; increased power levels or complete changes in personality- things a mod might notice).



AFTER ACCEPTANCE; ACTIVITY

DO NEW PLAYERS NEED TO REPORT ACTIVITY?
If you joined within two weeks of activity check (end of each month), you do not need to report activity for that month.


HOW DO I REPORT ACTIVITY?
See the Activity Check page.

HOW DO I CALL HIATUS?
To call hiatus, characters must reply to their Activity Check thread with "hiatus" for the month in question. "Hiatus" can mean anything from busy with work to simply didn't get around to posting that month. Taking a hiatus for one month will REQUIRE full activity with that character the next month. Please reply with "hiatus" to your character's activity thread for the month you are gone. You MUST have something in each month under your activity thread.


HOW DO I CALL LONG TERM HIATUS (2 MONTHS OR MORE)?
Email the mods before activity is due. Long term hiatus permission is not given retroactively. If you need to extend a previous hiatus past one month, you need to email the mods. Please reply with "hiatus" to your character's activity thread for every month you are gone.

Long term hiatuses are usually approved providing mods are emailed. Life happens, just keep us updated.


WHY WAS I REMOVED FOR ACTIVITY FAILURE?
Reporting activity is the player's responsibility, failure to do so will involve removal from the game.



DROPPING A CHARACTER

HOW DO I DROP A CHARACTER FROM THOUGHTFORMED?
Reply to the drop post and/or make an OOC post.

If you do not make activity with any of your characters, that character will be auto removed for "idling out." Preferred method to dropping is to provide notice so the mods know that the spot is open when you are finished playing.

Players who continually idle out or apply and drop may be rejected at the mods' discretion.


HOW IS A DROPPED CHARACTER HANDLED IN THOUGHTFORMED?
Dropped characters are referred to as "released" in game. The term is on their official New Moore record at the police station as is designated by New Moore Governmental Authorities.

Dropped characters disappear entirely from the island, with no explanation or warning. They cannot say goodbye or leave parting gifts. As there is no warning or explanation to who is "released," characters still in game often speculate what the vague terminology means, or if there is a nefarious dark purpose behind it.


WHAT HAPPENS TO MY CHARACTER'S BELONGINGS WHEN I DROP?
Belongings are confiscated by governmental officers immediately, unseen even by roommates.

The first sign a character has been dropped is often their empty apartment.


HOW ARE EXISTING CHARACTERS INFORMED A CHARACTER HAS BEEN "RELEASED"?

Roommates will likely notice all evidence the dropped character lived in the apartment has been removed. Characters will no longer be reachable by the network and existing emails and phone numbers disabled.

Official confirmation of released characters comes through the police station. Any character wishing to check on the status of a missing friend can check with the police station any day to ask if the missing character is on the "released list."

A representative of the New Moore Police Department posts a "Release List" for each month, often towards the beginning of the following month. This list is made up of characters who either dropped or were auto-removed in the past month.


WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A DROPPED CHARACTER IS APPED AGAIN LATER?

If you are re-applying for a character you previously dropped, the player will have to wait at least two weeks from the drop date to apply again. Reserves will not be accepted at this time. If accepted, the character will have no memory of their experiences in New Moore.

If a new player is applying for a character that has been dropped, there is no time-limit on when they can apply. You may apply for a dropped character the same day their previous player drops. The character will have no recollection of their previous time on New Moore, although they may be remembered by existing characters in game.

It is at players' discretion if they would like to approach the new player's incarnation with a fresh slate, or imply the character has been on New Moore previously. Please be considerate of new players' experiences intro-ing, over any preference you may have for previous game CR.


SEE THE IC FAQ FOR ADDITIONAL INFO RELATED TO IN-GAME WORLDBUILDING