simpathis: (Default)
Empatheias Mods ([personal profile] simpathis) wrote2014-05-25 12:36 am

[ game information ]

— GAME INFORMATION —
» ABOUT THE GAME

Empatheias is a world that is driven by emotions, and it is currently starving for it. Characters who are brought in find their emotions are now on full display for others to see, taking form of various different effects such as change of weather or mild destruction. There are god-like guardian beings called the Arehtei, cities filled with their own culture and problems, and large portions of the world that still need to be restored. All in all, it's a jamjar with a living world that boils down to its key element: emotions.

The game itself is an odd mix of world building, plot based events, and slice of life. When not dealing with large scale emotion inducing events, characters have an opportunity to set out to different locations of the world to explore or help restore different locations. Thus while there is a mod driven plot, we also encourage and invite player action to help build onto the world and its expanding lore.

There is a logging community and a network community, [community profile] empatheias and [community profile] crystalnet, and we have a meme community as well, [community profile] memepatheias. Announcements are posted in [community profile] empatheias_ooc. Our IC:OOC day ratio is 1:1. We run on a rolling application basis and monthly activity checks. CR Memes occur after the applications are processed. We do allow original characters, so please refer to the rules on the OC application page.

» ARRIVING INTO EMPATHEIAS

No one knows how anyone arrives into Empatheias—it just happened one day and it's been a mystery ever since.

Characters are pulled out either near or during a time where they experience "strong feelings" about something. This can be taken loosely, but in general the character should have been in the middle of something rather than just sitting around idly daydreaming (unless it was an emotional daydream). Perhaps this strong burst of emotion attracted the world and pulled them in. Dead characters are also allowed and their arrival is a bit more loose. It could be from the moment of death or a little bit after.

Unless noted otherwise, all characters will arrive somewhere around the main city of Verens, or they can also land just outside of the city. Along with a unique amulet found on their person, they will arrive with their usual clothing and any weapons or particular items players may wish for them to have. That includes any random memento. For information about "sidekick" companions and summoning companions, refer to here. Both an OOC Player Intro post and an IC Character Intro log are created right before applications are processed. These entries are linked within the acceptance notices. While you can create your own introduction post, everyone is encouraged to use these logs so as to reduce clutter and to help players and characters mingle with one another. It should be noted that all characters are referred to as Otherworlders by the local denizens. Very original, we know.

» WORKING TOWARDS

There is no known way home—everyone just pops in and out at random. So until a way is found, there is a general goal that everyone brought in can help work towards, one that may hopefully bring about a definitive way to leave this world (ie, endgame).

The world is a mess and everyone is encouraged to help restore it by one of two ways. The first is simple. Just living in the world itself helps improve things as emotions are released back into the world. Focusing on certain emotions helps certain regions, and this leads to the second way. Active help in restoring specific locations, such as channeling emotions, cleaning it up, or rebuilding, will help the world flourish. The more the world is restored, more clues on the world's history is revealed, and this history will lead them to the answers they seek.

» THE ISLAND & THE WORLD

Empatheias is a large land mass that floats around in the sky... or at least, it used to. As of January 2020, the island is no longer rooted and traveling through the sky once more. The island itself is around 1000 square miles (2590 square kilometers), which is just a little smaller than Long Island, USA. There is only one majorly populated city, Verens, with smaller hamlets and towns scattered around the island. The rest is untamed wilderness and mountains.

There are other main cities outside of the island: the desert city Shaarnath, the artistic mountain city Theasthai, and the pirate city Briarlan. All three can be easily accessed via teleporters located within each area.

As for the surface of the world, many areas look as if the apocalypse occurred, but it's slowly healing and there are notable improvements hear and there. Prior to the characters' arrival, all past expeditions met with death and destruction as the atmosphere was too volatile and toxic in most places without proper protection. Currently, however, although it is still dangerous it is easier for people to take on lengthy expeditions to scout out new areas and explore.

More in-depth information about the various locations can be found in the Locations entry.

» LIVING IN EMPATHEIAS

» Residence.
For the most part characters will be living in the city of Verens. An entire section of the Residential Quarter has been cleared for characters to choose from. They can also choose any other apartments or cottages within or outside the city. There are no real apartment systems—just individual small houses and multi-floored building complexes. Players are free to be creative and make up the home their character claims. Just be mindful that while the initial stay is free, rent will be required after a couple of months. The locals' generosity only goes so far.


» Employment & Task Board.
Everyone is going to be dirt poor at first and the locals will be lenient for a little while, but so long as they work they can earn a pretty good salary quickly. So for those looking for jobs, the best way is taking up various jobs and missions from the Task Center found at the Merchant's Square. This building will have large bulletin boards with various job postings that anyone can take up. They range from simple help for errands to more advanced such as clearing out some monsters harassing neighboring farm lands.

Every month we post a Task Board filled with various tasks that characters can take up. There is no formal sign-up except for those that require it, so players can just pick and choose as they will. Players are free to submit Tasks for us to post onto the Board. Characters are also free to create businesses of their own, either as owners or to work at.

The currencies for each city varies, but for the most part people work with sylvs, the currency used in Verens. Shaarnath uses drasks, Theasthai and Briarlan use a bartering system.


» Culture aesthetic.
Everything is steampunk influenced. From the fashion to the architecture, at first glance it may look similar to Victorian England, but the incorporation of gratuitous leather belts in fashion and clockwork structures in everything else gives that unique "industrial revolution" nuance to the city. There are a lot of variations in terms of the style, so we suggest doing a quick Google image search or visit here to get an idea if you are unfamiliar with steampunk.


» Languages.
Finally, thanks to the amulets every language is automatically translated so everyone can understand each other. This includes text. Huzzah.

» CRYSTAL AMULETS

(Note: the term "crystal" and "amulet" are used interchangeably.)

All characters will have a personalized crystal amulet on their person. They can have a customized look on arrival or have it customized later at a local shop. The amulets are important to keep because they serve several functions. Two of the biggest are telepathic communication and protection against the world itself. More information on the "network" use of the crystal amulets can be read here.

» Protection.
As mentioned the world is starving for emotions. Without the crystal the world would drain the emotion energy of people directly and can effectively kill a person after a month. The crystal serves as a ward, "filtering" the user's emotion energy. A portion of it is absorbed into the crystal and the rest is released into the world. This release results in the varying emotion effects.


» Completion.
Crystals are considered complete when they are filled with emotion energy. Natives turn theirs in to collection centers to be used for various means, but characters have the option to either keep theirs or turn them in to their aligned Arehtei. Not only will this benefit the Arehtei, but they have a chance to regain an item from home. OOCly, this is a flat rate of four months being in game. More information on this process can be found here.

If a crystal is completed, lost, or destroyed, it needs to be replaced. Characters can go to the various crystal collection centers around town to pick one up. Once receiving a new crystal, the collection starts all over again.


» Additional tech use.
Crystals are also used in various tech. From powering small appliances to houses and buildings to powerful airships. Different ways of using crystals are constantly being developed, including weaponry. However this is highly regulated as no one wants a repeat of the past.

» TELEPATHIC NETWORK SYSTEM

The crystals can automatically translated everything and everyone, including writing. The game uses a telepathic communication system via the crystal amulets. It works similarly to common network systems, but here are some specifics:

» Image, voice, and text.
Instead of "video" we call it "image" and is the default. Individuals can have mental image representations of their face that can be seen by those they are speaking with. It is possible to display whatever the person is actually seeing, thus using the eyes as a camera. "Voice" remains the same—all the receiver hears is a voice and no additional images. "Text" is also possible. Neither sound nor image will transmit—only actual words will appear to be read. How the text looks is up to the user.


» No caller-id.
Because this is an amulet and not some type of phone, there's no type of "caller identification." It is also possible to alter one's image and voice, and "text messages" have no indicators whatsoever. This actually allows for complete anonymity. However, individuals can learn to recognize those connecting to them, like a sixth sense. This also means there is no contact list, so there is no easy reference as to who is in the world.


» Incoming message notification.
These messages are not "played" automatically. Rather, the intended receiver (or receivers) will hear a distinct "hum" in the back of their mind (like a wavelength) and feel a slight warmth from their amulet. To answer all they have to do is focus. If they know the "caller" they can recognize them through the wavelength. It is also possible to completely ignore the "call," and if they want to call back they just have to remember that wavelength. It works whether they recognize the person or not.


» Post types.
As for the types of network posts, joint, open conference, and private are all possible. By default, there's no threadjacking unless the poster specifies it possible. It's also impossible to "hack" into a conversation.


» Inboxes.
Although we welcome the use of "Journal Inboxes," there's no true "answering machine" due to the nature of telepathy, so characters can't leave telepathic messages behind. Old fashioned letters or messenger birds can be used instead.

» STEAMPUNK & MAGITECH

The technology is best described as early steampunk with traditional fantasy flavors still attached, such as magitech. Modern technology such as computers, cars, advanced modern appliances, telephones, TVs, etc. are not available. Think more 19th century Victorian era, the usual time period steampunk fantasy is based upon. So horse drawn carriages, iron stoves, iceboxes, etc. Basic electricity is available, so characters won't have to rely solely on candlelight and lanterns, but it's more magitech oriented than "normal" electricity.

There have been other small advances in technology, such as polaroid-like cameras, portable radios and radio towers, walkie talkies, and other simple devices. Some of these have been created by players and in general mostly stays within the late 1800s-early 1900s, so feel free to ask if something exists or not.

» Vehicles.
Verens is well known for its airships which are used both for cargo transportation and travel. Shaarnath has motor vehicles designed for the desert and Theasthai has hot air balloons. Other vehicles that have been introduced are early motorcycles and hover bikes.


» Brought in modern tech.
Any modern devices brought in by the character will work for as long as it has its source. If they can find a way to recharge their batteries, awesome. Otherwise it'll become dead and useless, a relic of what could be... That doesn't stop anyone from developing ways to integrate or advance the current game technology.


» Elemental cores.
Elemental cores are special crystallized rock that contains one of four elements: air, fire, water, and earth (only found on the surface). Through these cores, elements can be pulled out and used in their technology, so rather than use electricity or just fire, they can use the fire cores as a source of heat or light energy source. These cores are mined in the distant mountains and can be bought for personal use. For exact details on how they work, refer to this thread.


» Weaponry & Crystal Tech.
In terms of weaponry, firearms have been developed are widely used along with swords and other martial weapons.

There have been recent advancements in crystaltech—technology based on crystals—to further improve technology as a whole. One big focus is technology that can counteract emotion effects, or at least reduce the more destructive effects.

» LAW ENFORCEMENT

The laws of each city are different, but each have a system with their own ruling and punishment system. For the most part, if you get caught, you get punished. A police force exists in Verens called the "Enforcers", but like the real world, pick pockets and a black market do exist—it's not a perfect, pristine city, and neither are the rest.

It's possible for your character to join the Verens' Enforcers, as well as get in trouble with them. The punishment will depend on the crime, with light thievery or extortion carrying a prison sentence, while death may result in a person's crystal being shattered, and therefore slowing killing them. The only instances where leniency will be granted is if the death was for a job, self-defense, or an accident, and it can be proven that it is.

» Murder plots.
Anyone planning murders will want to contact the mods when applicable. We do allow for jail break-outs and for evading and hiding, but if your character is murdering at a high body count or regularly, it may well be noticed. And as player characters are capable of joining police force in Verens, and everyone is the police in Shaarnath, you will want to consider if your characters actions would realistically be noticed, and work in planning that out with the playerbase. There have been crime plots before, and the mods are happy to work with you if you contact us!

In addition, we do stress in-game consequences and we have a mechanic called the "Reaper." More details are written in the "Death" section, but essentially either once the killer has been caught or it's plotted ahead, the Reaper will exact its own punishment. All of this can and will be discussed with us, but this allows to keep things fair as punishments set by the local setting on its own would be inadequate.

» EXPLORATION: EVENTS AND ADVENTURES

Characters can go on grand (or less grand) adventures onto the world's surface. Most of these adventures are mod run, but it is possible for players to make a request and do something on their own.

Some mod-run events will have a specific area that players can explore. With these events there are special missions to help give some guidelines and goals. These usually have a planned intention that can affect either the immediate or distant future events for the game.

Smaller adventures, however, are posted on the Task Board and are localized to specific locations with specific goals. While excursions will provide some opportunities for player influence, adventures are guaranteed to have player actions count. Some types of goals include restoring the area, looking for a particular item, exploring the area, etc. Players can also request a type of adventure via the Task Board.

As to how traveling works for the characters, they will be given the necessary protection and supplies. Protection will take in the form of crystal powered barriers, dunamis, and Arehtei protection charms. Transportation will either be via airship or the use of the teleporters. There are also large land vehicles that can be used in certain locations.

A chart of all expeditions can be found here.

» ABOUT EMOTIONS

Emotions are the core mechanic to the game. No matter how big or small, they can produce varying outward effects and influence the environment immediately around the person. Joy may make the nearby lightbulbs flicker, while despair may wilt the nearby flowers dead. The more intense the emotion, the more intense the effect.

» Positive & Negative.
All emotions are catergorized under "Positive" and "Negative". Joy is a positive, while grief is a negative; being calm is positive, being angry a negative. This refers to how these emotions will typically make your character feel.

However, unhealthy emotions can still fall under "positive" and "negative". Indifference can fall under calm, while a blissful, obsessive love is considered a "positive", even if it may swing towards jealousy, a negative, later on. Positive and Negative emotions aren't considered better or worse than one another, because while some would prefer to be cheerful as opposed to angry, a character's anger can push them forward better than being without it. As they say: sometimes, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Too must trust will make you poor.

For characters who are more apathetic by nature, they will have much more subdued expression and effects compared to the other emotions. However, if they do express any kind of emotion, it will be stronger, even if it is a minor feeling.


» Filling crystals & Emotion Tracker.
This is worth remembering for when you fill out your character's completed crystal, and also for when game events will bring in use the Emotion Tracker. The Emotion Tracker is a form that will ask you to choose the strength of your character's emotions from 0 to 10: with 10 being incredibly strong, such as a blind, environment destroying rage, and with 0 being that the emotion wasn't experienced at all. (Note: This is different from apathy.) While character actions can and will have an effect on the game, the overall emotions during some events will be crucial as to the outcome.

As for deciding the completed state of your character's crystal, each time your character experiences an emotion, "emotion drops" drips into the crystal amulet on their person. Usually inconspicuous, this is how a character's amulet becomes filled. For more information on the benefits of a filled (or completed crystal), please read here.

» EMOTION EFFECTS

Emotion effects can be small and only affect the immediate area around the individual (flowers wilting or blossoming, lights flickering or brightening) or it can be large and alter the island entirely. The latter would require a large mass of emotions. A more medium and individualistic example would be someone having enough rage that windows suddenly shatter and maybe even a wall breaks. Otherwise, players can be very creative in what the actual effect is.

For apathy, it follows the theme of "emptiness" and "loss." Some examples are loss of color, muted sounds, surface distortion, tiny holes, etc.

These effects serve as a kind of physical mirror of what the individual is feeling. Emotions can even affect a person's home and the home itself can warp and twist to alter to fit the owner’s mood.

However, emotions can be overpowered or countered by another person's, and it would depend on the strength of each person's emotions. This helps maintain the balance.

» APATHY

Apathy is a unique "emotion" in how it works. Aside from slower crystal growth, there's no real punishment because apathetic people exist even for the local Empatheians. They even consider apathy as part of the norm. Apathy will destroy some of the emotion drops contained in the crystal, but to compensate any emotion that they do feel is probably going to actually impact them a lot more than an average person. So even if they just feel a little happy, the effect will be greater and the crystal will fill up more.

In terms of effects, it follows the theme of "emptiness" and "loss." So some examples are loss of color, muted sounds, surface distortion, tiny holes, etc.

» AREHTEI & ALIGNMENT

The Arehtei are mysterious beings sometimes referred to as guardians who are supposed to protect and reflect the health of the world. There are eight Arehtei, each one representing a set of emotion dynamics. However, only seven are currently existing:

  • Aiada: appreciation and envy
  • Daimonia: joy and grief
  • Elios: love and hatred
  • Peromei: hope and despair
  • Piphron: trust and distrust
  • Sosyne: calm and anger
  • Thras: bravery and fear
The eighth Arehtei is known as Simpathis, sympathy and apathy. Her whereabouts are unknown and some believe her to be dead. These beings were once corrupted but have been purified thanks to the emotions gathered over the years.

One of the requirements for the game is to choose an alignment. This is mechanic makes the characters "aligned" to a specific type of emotion and thereby aligned to a specific Arehtei. All types of emotions are still absorbed by the crystal amulet, but the aligned set of emotions will have significantly more weight. Players will have to choose which alignment would best fit the character OR, if the character has no particular dominant emotion, you are free to choose whichever one you think you'll be able to work with most. Additionally, emotions can be forced, and there will be events and situations where this option will be available.

It is possible to change alignments, and information on that process can be found here. A chart on the current alignment spread can be viewed here.

Those who are aligned will also resonate with their Arehtei and have more opportunities and priority access to that Arehtei and events revolving around them. Characters can also make "appointments" and personally communicate with the Arehtei. Refer to the Arehtei Scheduler to make an appointment. These can be handwaved or threaded out.

» DIFFERENT EMOTION BASED TECHNIQUES

While the people of Verens don't do anything special with emotions other than trying to keep it under general control, the other cities have developed their own kind of "technique" in using their emotional energy.

» Dunamis.
Also known as "emotion magic," this technique was developed in Shaarnath. Similar to the concept of using one's "chi," dunamis is the practice of controlling and using one's emotions so that it doesn't disperse into the environment as "violently" as it does normally. That is to say, emotional effects are more controlled and subtle. It has also been proven that dunamis can fulfill almost every aspect of living, from replacing the need of actual appliances to medical care. To put it in perspective, where Verens is a place of technology and a bit of magical elements, Shaarnath is more pure "magic" with their use of emotions.

In terms of gameplay, it is possible for any character to learn dunamis and have it augment or add to their own abilities. Those who have no magical ability at all can now begin to learn something similar. Additionally, players can use dunamis to help replace or alter certain canon abilities that would otherwise needed to be nerfed. For example, a canon ability to blow up an entire building in one shot would need to be nerfed. However, in-game development with dunamis could restore that ability to perform in a similar manner. Of course such an action would still need to be reasonable, but it's at least more doable.

As mentioned, anyone is capable of learning dunamis, but it does require time and practice. No one should be a master in the first month; it should take several with repeated trial and error. Fuller details can be read here.


» Performancy.
Theasthai also has their own technique, called performancy. Similar to dunamis in concept, it focuses more on creating special effects for theatre, and so less useful in day-to-day activities, or battle. However, if your character loves to put on a show and wants to create the best real life CGI effects, to mask their appearance or to learn to go unseen until the right moment, then the Thespian's skills can't be ignored.

» GENERAL CHARACTER QUALITIES

Any canon or original character is allowed in the game. For more specifics, refer to the Rules.

» Non-humans.
We do not require characters to be humanized. They can maintain their original form. The only change we do require is for gigantic non-humans to be downsized to a maximum of 8 feet. This is actually more for practical purposes than any other reason. If they were any bigger, they would have a really hard time getting around the city! If the character does not have a set body, it is possible for one to be created. Players can use a canon analogue, humanize the character, or talk with us with whatever idea you may have.


» Character/Species/Canon specific characteristics.
If your character has a peculiar quality or ability that requires some canon mechanic, such as an item, to work or even live, there are alternatives to keep this trait. One alternative is to use the emotions in place of that mechanic. For example, if the character requires a special serum or song to keep them from going berserk, positive emotions can be used as a substitute. Feel free to ask us if you have any question about this and if you have an idea, shoot it at us!

We've had some character/canon specific questions, so here are some links to some various solutions we've had so far: sources of power (soul gems); consuming emotions; mmo anime avatars


» Character doubles+possession.
Characters who are possessed or share a body with another soul or sentient being can be tricky to apply for. By default, a player will always have the ability to control both. However, under certain circumstances, it is possible to separate the two so that both could co-exist in the game as separate entities. This will highly depend on the canon and the character(s) in question. Some in-depth answers we've given on this matter can be found here and here. When in doubt, feel free to ask us with information as to the character and canon in question.


» Disabilities & Illnesses.
If a character has some kind of disability, like a missing limb or damaged organs, then it will carry over. However, if it’s an illness then it’s up to the player whether that illness carries over. If it is carried over, attempts for a cure can be made. If the player wants a cure, then we can grant permission for it somehow happening. This would have to be worked at, but it could be done.

Such things can also be inflicted upon characters. Unless there are healer type characters, the road back to health will be a long one as the medical technology is not modern at all. In fact X-rays are the most advanced medical equipment Empatheias has.

» ABILITY NERFS

For the most characters can retain most of their original abilities. Only the super game breaking god tiered abilities are nerfed. They can either be done away completely or be weakened. Your character won't be able to move mountains or destroy buildings in one hit, but they can still do decent damage (maybe make a giant crater in the street or knock out an entire wall). The same goes for weapons. Weapons can be brought with the character, but if there's something game breaking about it, that ability needs to be altered or removed entirely. Any other abilities can be left as is, but if you have a question feel free to ask us.

In terms of how abilities that utilize specific canon world energy, such as a world's mana type, that is all automatically converted/transferred to use Empatheias's emotion energy. Magic users may notice a slight difference in the feel of it, but they should be able to use their abilities without much issue. This also includes characters from canons based off MMOs, like Sword Art Online or .hack. Rather than there being a system dictating what and how skills and abilities are used, they are translated to be like "natural" magical abilities. So no energy point costs, just actual physical energy and stamina used.

» SIDEKICKS, PETS, AND SUMMONS

Characters that have pets can bring them along into the game. This rule also applies to characters who could arguably have another player play the partner, but the chances of finding that player are extremely low. If you do this, you will have to include the sidekick character in your application and make any notes about its personality. The caveat is that while you can play both characters, you cannot thread exclusively with yourself. If the sidekick is present, you'll have to write "joint" tags if you wish to include the sidekick's presence. So for example, Digimon characters. It is possible for an applicant to apply for their main character and bring the Digimon partner with them. Note: This is only applicable to characters with a sidekick. This would not apply to "pair" characters, like twins. They must be apped as separate characters and by different players to comply with the Playercest rule.

If a character is able to summon certain spirits or creatures, those beings can also be brought along with them. Ability nerfs will apply. Pokemon also fall into this category. There is a limit as to how many can be brought: five (5).

» OTHER RESTRICTIONS

Those who can fly or teleport may try to leave the island and there have been attempts to leave the island via airships and other flying mechanisms. However, the farther away one travels from the island, the weaker the protection. Even with a full amulet, if someone were to try and fly away from the island, it will not be enough to protect them from the world. The world will break the amulet, absorb all of that fluid, and then proceed to absorb from the person, effectively killing them.

If one wants to travel away from the island, they would need to use the means provided for the exploration crews or somehow devise enough suitable protection to go on their own.

For characters who already know telepathy, they can use their own telepathic powers to communicate and can bypass all of the restrictions that amulet users have, except for "hacking." They can't eavesdrop on a conversation.

» DEATH IN-GAME

Death is possible and normally permanent, but for whatever reason, characters do not stay dead. At least in general. If someone wants to drop a character through death, that is totally possible (adds more plot twists). Upon dying, the amulet will crack and shatter, the character disappearing along with it. From a few days to a week, they will later respawn at the edge of Empatheias with a brand new amulet. They will be severely weakened and will need to be treated.

There is a being known as the "Reaper" who watches over the passing of souls. Those who die may catch a glimpse or hear its voice without much consequence. However, if a character dies under dubious circumstances, such as from a convicted death penalty or with a murder or two in their recent history, the Reaper may give them a more personal visit while in hell. Murderers of all kinds will not only get a visit, but they will also receive an additional punishment fit for the crime. We will of course discuss it with the player as the Reaper's punishments have a more "reformative" or "lesson teaching" type quality to it. Life is important, dammit! These punishments are still designed to be as punitive as possible so that the character ICly learns from it and potentially they and others will be dissuaded. So if a death plot of some kind is to happen, there should be substance and good reason behind it.

Another constant consequence is to their amulet. It doesn't matter how much was in it before, it's been completely reset. Even though it will automatically reaccumulate liquid from current and pre-existing relationships, it will be much less as it won't have any that was gained through other personal accomplishments.

There is also something like a penalty, as if the world used some of those emotions to help "recreate" the individual. Thus about a fourth of the liquid will always be taken away. This penalty actually stacks. This means if a character dies again, another fourth is taken. Thus a second death would result in half of the liquid gone no matter what. A third is three-fourths, and four and beyond is the entire amount. Even if there are pre-existing relationships, there's no sudden boost. It's all zero and they have to build it back up. The rebuilding will be faster with existing relationships, but it will still take time.

» HIATUS

There are two options for when a player goes on hiatus. You can either have the character just handwaved that they're bustling about the town and gathering a couple of emotion drops here and there. The other option is to have the character crystalized. Yes that's right. For the entire time you are on hiatus, the character is a crystal statue. There is no penalty in terms of emotion drops for this, but it will probably freak out a few people (and give them some emotion drops). When you return, the crystal will shatter and free the character. For the hiatused character, it will have been as if time had stopped, though they will have a vague sense they were stuck in that crystal.

In terms of Activity Check, hiatuses that last at least 2 weeks will require half the proofs. Hiatuses that are 3+ weeks are completely exempt.

» DROPPING A CHARACTER

When a character is dropped, they simply disappear. In addition, their name will appear on a wall in a room ("Wall of Names")in the Calinede Temple ruines, and a crystal will also appear around one of the shrines dedicated to the Arehtei. Currently it is assumed that the crystal is theirs though there is no in-game proof of it.

OOCly, we post a list of all the characters that were dropped or removed after the Activity Check, and this list would be the same list that is ICly posted in the Residential area at the beginning of the month so characters can see who has disappeared.

If the character is reapplied for, either by the old player or a new one, they will restart from scratch. This applies even if the character remembers everything from their previous stay.

» CANON UPDATE

For characters that are canon updated during their stay, the character disappears but the amulet is neither full nor broken. It remains a strange translucent state until the character returns. The character will reappear either in the exact spot the amulet currently is or somewhere near it in case the amulet is in a place like a drawer. Unlike the death scenario, there is no loss of emotion drops so the character can pick it up right where they left off. In addition, the character's name does not appear on the Wall of Names. The form for canon updating can be found here.

Still have a question? Then just comment to this entry and we'll answer it ASAP! Just double check and view the top level comments to see if anyone has touched on it yet. If we feel that it's an important one, we'll add it to the actual entry. If you wish to contact us in private, you can either use the Confidential Contact or send a message to the journal.
bonafidebrother: (Default)

[personal profile] bonafidebrother 2018-04-17 04:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi!

Just a quick question out of curiosity, but would there be any residual magic in the mirror chambers from Selenium? Or if characters went there, they would just be a feature of the mountainside landscape, more or less inert?

(no subject)

[personal profile] bonafidebrother - 2018-04-18 03:46 (UTC) - Expand
eonticket: (Confused)

[personal profile] eonticket 2018-04-22 04:58 pm (UTC)(link)
I can't seem to find info on this anywhere. Maybe it's assumed dwrp knowledge, or maybe I'm missing it, but: Do characters age while in the game? If so, would it be acceptable for me to give a character a headcanon birthday if they don't have one in canon, and it would be relevant to the character?

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[personal profile] eonticket - 2018-04-23 08:05 (UTC) - Expand

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[personal profile] eonticket - 2018-04-24 17:51 (UTC) - Expand
rokubro: (‡ 064)

[personal profile] rokubro 2018-04-25 04:10 am (UTC)(link)
So...here's a fun question. When a character is crystallized, is it possible for them to be damaged in some way? I'd imagine if so it couldn't be anything life threatening, but what if it was like, oh, accidentally breaking off a piece of their hair or tear in their clothes—something minor like that?

JUST WONDERING.

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[personal profile] rokubro - 2018-04-28 20:29 (UTC) - Expand
madheroking: (back of head)

[personal profile] madheroking 2018-05-02 01:41 am (UTC)(link)
I couldn't find an answer anywhere, but with hiatuses, if a player goes on hiatus and then ends up either being available again early or getting enough activity through slower-paced tagging, is it possible to just cancel the hiatus and submit activity as normal?

I ask because I have a con coming up in a couple weeks and was planning on hiatusing in both my games so I can focus on getting ready, but I know in the past I've ended up tagging stuff sporadically anyway and it sometimes adds up!
lingeringfaith: (logical solutions  ⋆)

[personal profile] lingeringfaith 2018-05-07 09:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi there!

Um, so this kind of came up in a joking kind of way but now I find myself curious so here we are. So what are the options for potentially building some kind of lore-compliant steampunk handheld gaming device? I imagine it would be pretty bulky and obviously wouldn't have any of the high-tech things, but just something that can run on crystal or even amulet generated power.

The "games" would have to probably be built in, at least at first. The project probably could evolve over time? Or potentially tested through tasks, should it come to that. Probably like little frustrating games that could potentially be effected by emotions as time goes on to alter difficulty, speeding up or slowing down progress or something like that.

For reference Ciel's also developed some kind of steampunk computer early on for herself and other sorts of monitoring tech/crystal memory storage type stuff if it helps determine a path there. She also studies crystals and practical dunamis and the elemental cores regularly.

[personal profile] singularize 2018-05-14 10:49 am (UTC)(link)
So I have a question. I'm thinking of apping a pair of OCs - the two of them are spirits who reincarnate into multiple worlds together and retain memories of their past selves. Basically, the presence of each other is the only constancy in their various lives and they are compelled to seek each other out in new worlds. Because of this, they are very close to each other and it would be very difficult to play them separately, as their identities are built upon being one half of a whole. If played in-game, it's likely that they will stay within vicinity of each other and rarely be away from one another.

I can app them from two canon points, one where they have separate bodies and another where they have combined together to escape a curse. Can I app from the first one? It doesn't quite fit the 'possession' rule so I thought to check.
rocketman: (Onix)

[personal profile] rocketman 2018-05-17 09:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Has Verens developed the art of bottling things yet? Are there bottle caps?

I need to know for uhm....reasons.
spiritually: (I see little people. They're everywhere.)

[personal profile] spiritually 2018-05-21 02:38 am (UTC)(link)
For characters who can see things that most people can't see like spirits/demons/fairies/mushi/what have you that's invisible to 99% of the population in their respective series, is there anything in Empatheias that they would see/be able to interact with?

Natsume here can see youkai/ayakashi/ghosts/spirits of objects/writing of any of the aforementioned, etc. They aren't the same as dead things, which I did find mentioned re: mediumship in other comments, but I couldn't find anything about like this. (Think like.. kappa or Totoro or things you would seal with ofuda, etc.) I probably wouldn't make any big plots or anything out of it since he tends to try to keep that part of him away from others for a number of reasons, but it'd be good to know if I can have him caught doing weird stuff or talking to what looks like no one or if he'll just be weirded out and a little annoyed by how quiet the world seems without all that around.

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[personal profile] spiritually - 2018-05-24 21:49 (UTC) - Expand
healingincantation: (Animals)

[personal profile] healingincantation 2018-05-28 09:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Rapunzel is in the market for a pet, and I was wondering if she would have been able to adopt something from the petting zoo featured in the Elios Mini-Event. If not, is there a pet shop besides the cat one that I missed on the list of businesses, or should I just set something up that doesn't go through an NPC?

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[personal profile] healingincantation - 2018-05-29 12:53 (UTC) - Expand
paragon: (Default)

[personal profile] paragon 2018-05-29 06:17 am (UTC)(link)
hiya! I'm having some difficulty with the wording in the samples section of the app; specifically I'm not sure if "some use of emotions, such as environmental effect" means the mods are requesting a sample that takes place in the game setting with a tangible effect on their surroundings or if you're just looking for something that contains a strong emotional component. any clarification would be greatly appreciated!

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[personal profile] paragon - 2018-05-29 17:03 (UTC) - Expand
rocketman: civvies (Cloyster)

[personal profile] rocketman 2018-05-29 07:03 pm (UTC)(link)
A slightly less silly question than my last one:

So James has it in his head that the Arehtei are Mythical Pokemon and he is determined to capture one for Team Rocket. In the interest of that he wants to collect components to build a steampunk weapon that he can use to battle one...

Now, honestly, this weapon may never be completed and I certainly don't expect him to capture an Arehtei but as a long term goal is this allowed?

I am in particular curious about two things:

a) is it possible for him to scavenge parts over time
b) given that this is his current agenda, would the Arehtei know what he's up to?
Edited 2018-05-29 19:11 (UTC)
rocketman: civvies (Anorith)

[personal profile] rocketman 2018-05-30 01:30 am (UTC)(link)
Sorry for all the questions, last one I promise! Unrelated to last one.

Suppose a costume enthusiast con artist wants to con the Welcome Center. Is that possible?

Basically, he'd aim to disguise himself and present himself as a newcomer to get the food money more than once.

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[personal profile] rocketman - 2018-06-03 01:11 (UTC) - Expand
phantom6th: (◍05)

[personal profile] phantom6th 2018-06-07 11:09 pm (UTC)(link)
When apping, I missed the possibility of bringing in a pet. This is tragic because Kuroko has the cutest dog ever. Is it possible to regain or bring in pets for a price later?

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[personal profile] brotrips - 2018-06-07 23:36 (UTC) - Expand
latiosite: (will-o-wisp.)

[personal profile] latiosite 2018-06-09 09:16 pm (UTC)(link)
how do characters know their alignments...

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[personal profile] torsion - 2018-06-10 01:16 (UTC) - Expand

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[personal profile] latiosite - 2018-06-10 01:59 (UTC) - Expand
lingeringfaith: (don't be silly ⋆)

[personal profile] lingeringfaith 2018-06-11 06:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Can characters create/modify/etc transportation vehicles? I know some have been around recently beyond carriages and bikes but I wasn't certain what the limits on that were as to what characters would be able to do/have access to. Like, not actually creating normal cars or anything, but something that could run on crystal power energy and likely be subject to needing emotional input to function successfully, i.e. different requirements for speed/potentially ignoring terrain issues via hovering... more like a landship probably......

(with... drawbacks, of course, potentially, I - haven't thought that far ahead yet and this would be a project but i don't know what's possible or not so........ yes...)


edits also for further clarification i mean like something small! like a two person thing. except more dignified than a hoverbike given which character i had in mind but like. along those lines.
Edited 2018-06-13 04:22 (UTC)
in_perpetuity: ([girl] cute)

[personal profile] in_perpetuity 2018-06-25 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
Hi! I was wondering about emotion effects and if it's possible that an effect of someone's strong emotions would be for them to bleed out to other characters. It would essentially create a temporary empath in someone who isn't one.

C.C.'s canon role is to be a conduit, in a sense, for geass; and her own geass, when she had it, was for people in a certain radius to love her. So, I thought that effect might be fun to play with. I could limit it to touch or a short radius, too.

Thanks!
infiltrationtools: (HEH ⛓ i'm not an enemy — stand back down)

[personal profile] infiltrationtools 2018-07-04 06:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi there mods! I realize I can't make the app period for this month, but I'm making sure so that I know for next time: would this protagonist (from Persona 5) be appable? I noticed the rule about headcanon usage, but the protag has a full game of dialogue choices and discussion about him by other characters, as well as both an anime and manga for supplementary character materials.

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[personal profile] infiltrationtools - 2018-07-05 18:31 (UTC) - Expand
pinkdevilmunchkin: (Curiouser and curiouser)

[personal profile] pinkdevilmunchkin 2018-07-10 01:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Hiya, mods!

I have a question that's sort of related to mmo avatar (SAO here). You see, I'm considering apping this girl Karen here and she's a bit of a special case. Her game avatar, LLENN, appears drastically different than her real-life self. Not only physically, but she acts differently, too, when she's in her game avatar form. Karen is usually portrayed as shy and introverted in the real world, whereas LLENN is usually super giddy and outgoing. Think of it like she has a dual persona. And I kinda want to play as both?

So, my question is- Would it be possible for Karen to have some sort ability to switch to her avatar form in-game (with potential drawbacks) or would I have to choose one form or the other? Of course, if allowed, this is an ability she would have to figure out how to trigger on her own...

If it's not possible, that's understandable! I figured I should ask first before deciding what I want to do with her before bringing her to the game.

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[personal profile] pinkdevilmunchkin - 2018-07-14 17:31 (UTC) - Expand
torsion: (sleeper hold.)

[personal profile] torsion 2018-07-11 09:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Hello, friends!

I've looked around on the pages and tried searching by keyword, so I apologize if it has been already asked, but if Jill were to go dive into the area near the Wall of Names where you can get replacement crystals, would she find anything? Or just... unlimited crystals...

As always, thank you so much for your time and hard work!

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[personal profile] torsion - 2018-07-14 01:09 (UTC) - Expand

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[personal profile] torsion - 2018-07-14 19:14 (UTC) - Expand
potatopotara: (i'm not a model the camera just went off)

[personal profile] potatopotara 2018-07-12 01:11 am (UTC)(link)
Short version: Is this guy (Vegetto/Vegito from the Dragon Ball franchise) appable?

Long version: So Vegetto is a fusion of Goku and Vegeta, kinda like how Gotenks is Goten and Trunks, except instead of a dance they fuse using magic earrings given to them by the supreme god of the universe (Dragon Ball what even are you.) It was originally introduced as permanent (outside of the one vague ass-pull handwave the show used to get their main characters back), and even after the retcon in Super some versions of it still are.

Anyway so the upshot is that Vegetto is very much his own person with his own personality that's distinct from either of his component parts, and he's a recurring character with several episodes worth of material to draw from. Is this enough for you guys to consider him appable?

I've chatted a little with your Gohan player about this recently here on Enable Me Please, and here's his wiki page if y'all wanna do some research on him.

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[personal profile] potatopotara - 2018-07-14 17:41 (UTC) - Expand
shadowedheart: shadowedheart. (pic#12203861)

[personal profile] shadowedheart 2018-07-13 06:43 am (UTC)(link)
Hi, mods.

Not sure if this is a strange question or not?? But are there any areas that have a lot of concentrated negative energy/emotions within them? Sort of like a cave filled with negativity/despair/whatever or a swamp with fumes that might produce negative emotions or some other place like that? Sometimes we see things like this on events and all but I wasn't sure if there were just places like this in general or if it's up to players to make them up as part of world building or they're reserved for events?

It's going on 3am so I hope this made sense. Thank you for reading though! o/

[personal profile] chosemyfate 2018-07-17 04:33 am (UTC)(link)
Sorry to be a bother... I wondered this when I apped... How would nerfing work for shape-shifters as far as powers go?

Corrin has a dragon form. He shifts between dragon and human form willingly with a dragon stone. However, canon emphasized that the stone helps Corrin keep full control of his dragon form; otherwise, he might or might not rampage/go berserk if emotions get the better of him. I assume the needing-the-stone part will no longer be required as he arrives for the emotions will fix that? JUST MAKING SURE I GOT IT RIGHT, IS ALL.

Can still turn into a dragon with size modifications if needed? Only spout out his horns/claws/tail allowed when emotions are at play?

I assume whatever limits you have for our other Fire Emblem dragon/Tiki will apply to Corrin as well?
Edited 2018-07-17 04:41 (UTC)
fifthreplacement: (Lost in thought)

[personal profile] fifthreplacement 2018-07-22 01:02 am (UTC)(link)
I have a couple of questions, one regarding a re-app and a few regarding a new character I'm thinking about apping. Aiming at the September app round for reference since August will be busy for me.

Anyway!

1) Regarding re-apping Sync - he had a penalty on him from killing Jade Curtiss when he was in game before. Were I to re-app him, would he still have this penalty on him, or would it be gone?

2) The character I'm thinking about apping (Akito/Agito Wanijima from Air Gear) has MPD/DID to the point that the two of them are aware of one another and speak to one another frequently in their mind. I'm wondering how that works with the telepathy of the crystals. Would only whoever is currently in control of their body be able to send messages over the Network, or would they both be able to at any time?

3) How do alignments work for characters like Akito/Agito? They're radically different to one another in general personality, and while I could probably work out an alignment that works for them both, I'm curious as to whether they'd be aligned differently or not.

4) Akito/Agito technically have a third personality within them called Lind, who is actually another person's soul placed into their body and 'reborn'/manifested as that personality. The canon point I take them from considers him to be asleep and only wakes when Akgi's life is in danger to the point only he can really save them. Considering he's another soul, I'd prefer to play him as entirely asleep as per the Sharing Hosts detail mentioned here. For the app, I assume I'd just need to mention this and not go into details on things about Lind?

5) And the easy question, due to Dreamwidth's icon limits, I prefer to play Akito/Agito with two journals, one being the actual base journal that posts stuff and is Akito and a secondary brought in whenever Agito is in control. Would this be okay or would you prefer I stuck to one journal for the whole thing?


I'm so sorry this is so long ;;
Edited 2018-07-22 01:02 (UTC)

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[personal profile] fifthreplacement - 2018-07-26 01:40 (UTC) - Expand
haruna_of_fog: Primary Icon. Used for direct communications (Default)

On the topic of Homebrewed Settings and Characters

[personal profile] haruna_of_fog 2018-07-22 02:20 pm (UTC)(link)
While I'm not intending to sign Haruna up for this place (she's far too strange to easily fit in here IMO) I was looking to possibly use an OC from a homebrew RPG I play elsewhere.

Of course the issue is that in the homebrew game I'm effectively using a character we pretty much imported from another setting which would likely have issues due to backstory concerns.

The problem in part comes with also the fact the creator of the game's keeping things about their origins tightly to their chest (and intentionally vague for degree of wiggle room for further plots)

Would they be allowed in or would I have to better explain this in depth in a future post?

(Anonymous) 2018-07-25 04:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Blame the weirdness of the canons in question for these questions!

1. For Ivy Pepper (eventual Poison Ivy circa Gotham). She's on her 3rd actress since its plot related and Gotham has basically embraced the crazy. So would a canon update allow for an actress change? My plan is to use actress 2 till enough info on Ivy 3.0 comes out in the coming season along with a rewatch of the most recent season.

2. For Tulip O'Hare (AMC Preacher), would using some comic backstory to fill in the blanks be allowed? A fair bit has been revealed in show but not everything at least in terms of pre show history. And would she be able to keep at least couple of her shotguns?

TIA!

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