Post by Admin on Aug 5, 2021 15:44:58 GMT -8
Thread Etiquette and Tags
Making threads and writing posts is simple enough, but it's rude to walk into a home unnanounced, and it's the same for important moments between characters. There's a certain etiquette that must be followed when making, viewing, and writing threads, and while much of this will be familiar to you already, especially if you've read the Members Code of Conduct page, it will also be contained here for easy access.
Thread Etiquette
There are a few practices that are considered polite when making threads and writing posts, one of them is Thread Tags which will be covered later, but there are others that don't neatly fit into one category. Instead, a brief description of them will be here in the form of Thread Etiquette, and will be added as they arise.
Names
To make it easy on everyone, please make sure your account name is the same as your character name. If you have more than one character then please make a separate account for each of them.
Images
Posts may contain images, though any images displayed within a post cannot contain text, as all text should be written within the site editor for clarity and accessibility. In the past we have roleplayed with blind writers, and would like to accomodate them going forward. Additionally, images should be within a reasonable size. As of yet we do not have a specific size to adhere to, we trust you to use your best judgement. All we ask is that you don't use images that take up half of the page. Furthermore, images cannot be of a sexual nature.
Text Color
You are allowed to recolor your text, some people prefer to recolor text for emphasis, or to color dialogue to indicate the speaker. Our board currently uses a lighter theme, however, so bright colors will either blend into it, or hurt the readers eyes, so we ask that you use darker, more subdued colors. We understand that the computer monitor of one player may be brighter or darker than another, but it's no reason to in-fight, so if you're asked to recolor your text please do so, it's the kind thing to do.
Fade to Black
We understand that everyone has different levels of comfort, and there will be topics that come up in-character that one or more players won't want to go into detail about. When this happens we'd like you to either find a way of reaching your desired outcome without it, or, if all thread partners agree on it, using the Fade to Black rule. Sex, for example, is not allowed on this site due to the terms and conditions of our host, but that doesn't mean that characters cannot engage in sexual relationships. In this instance, both characters begin to take off their clothes, and just before things get steamy the scene ends and we cut to the morning after, back to being fully clothed. It happened, but the writers did not go into detail.
Communication
Not everything has to be pre-planned, in fact the spontanuity of roleplay is one of it's biggest draws, but sometime a player does something that their thread partner disagrees with. In order to solve these disputes maturely you should always be communicating with your thread partner(s), let them know before hand what you plan to do if you're not sure about it, and talk through alternatives if one of you makes a fumble. Don't be afraid to walk things back to a more comfortable position either, if posts need to be deleted because you found yourselves at an impasse, then that's fine, you can start over and advance with new knowledge. Additionally, let your thread partner(s) know what you intend to gain, or what you intend to give, with the thread, to see if they're open to it before you begin. It's a good idea to make sure you're all on the same page while it's blank, before you write on it and have to throw it out.
Powergaming
We've deliberately left certain aspects of our site vague because we trust our playerbase, and we want to emphasise roleplay over domination. Unfortunately this means there may be holes for people to exploit in order to lord over other players and characters. Please don't do this. Making a perfectly powerful and unbeatable character is fine in videogames, that's what they're for, and it might be fun for you to do here, but it won't be fun for others, and if your fun comes at the expense of everyone elses that's not okay. This is a strikable offense.
Godmodding
The act of controlling the actions of another players character. This is frowned upon, the only characters you should be controlling are your own, and any NPC's the site has made available for use as plot devices. We understand that people make mistakes, all we need from you is to see that you're trying to learn the best practices. However, repeated and unrepentant godmodding is a strikable offense.
Metagaming
The simple definition for this is using out of character knowledge for in character benefit. For example, your character knowing the location of another character even though they were never told. You may know the location from reading other threads, but your character doesn't. We're welcoming of newcomers, so we understand that this might be difficult to grasp for a while, as long as you show a desire to learn and improve you'll be perfectly fine, and we'll help you. Repeated and unrepentant abuse of metagaming is a strikable offense.
Thread Tags
Tags are a good way of showing what your thread contains at a glance. Readers can look over the thread tags to determine if the writing within will be to their tastes and nobody has to wander into something they weren't prepared for. Most tags should be in the title, with the exception of the [CW/] and [TW/] tags, which should be clearly visible at the top of any post it applies to, as well as a brief yet vague description of what the warning is. You're also encouraged to update the tags as the thread progresses. Nobody will be punished for not using them, but by using them you'll be doing your part in the community.
In the interest of keeping things neat and tidy all tags should be contained within angle brackets. Tags contained within the thread name must come after the title, and tags contained within posts must be clearly visible at the top. To give you a clearer picture of what this might look like an example thread title has been provided below.
Tempting Fate [Open][TBtP][Non-Canon]
The idea of the thread title is to convey to the reader that this thread is open for anybody to join at any time and takes place in the past, either before the events of the characters creation, or before the events of the site as a whole, and also that the events within the thread are disconnected from continuity and don't affect the rest of the site.
Below is a short list of the most common tags you might find.
[Open] and [Closed] Will be the two most used tags on the site. The [Open] tag indicates a thread that anybody is free to join, though it's still polite to let somebody know before you do. The [Closed] tag is used for a thread that is private and only those invited may join. If a thread has neither of these tags it is considered to be [Closed] by default.
[TBtP] is short for Turn Back the Pendulum, and is used for threads that take place during the characters past.
[Non-Canon] is used for threads that do not take place within the continuity of the world. [Non-Canon] threads are typically great for What If scenarios that explore what *could* have happened, as opposed to what *did* happen. Alternatively, they could be goofy themed threads, like characters going to a Halloween party and getting up to uncharacteristic antics.
[Mechanical] is a tag used for combat threads that strictly use the sites combat mechanics for decision making.
[Death-Enabled] is used to indicate a thread that contains a character death. It does NOT mean that any character who joins the thread is at risk of dying.
[Solo] is used for a thread that a person writes alone. Solo threads are eligible for full EXP, though if Staff suspect a player of abusing this feature it will be taken away on a case-by-case basis. Continued abuse will result in a strike.
[CW/] and [TW/] are the only tags that should be at the top of any applicable post, they stand for Content Warning and Trigger Warning respectively, and a short vague description of the content should be included. E.G: [TW/Self Harm] content should be included. E.G: [TW/Self Harm]
Making threads and writing posts is simple enough, but it's rude to walk into a home unnanounced, and it's the same for important moments between characters. There's a certain etiquette that must be followed when making, viewing, and writing threads, and while much of this will be familiar to you already, especially if you've read the Members Code of Conduct page, it will also be contained here for easy access.
Thread Etiquette
There are a few practices that are considered polite when making threads and writing posts, one of them is Thread Tags which will be covered later, but there are others that don't neatly fit into one category. Instead, a brief description of them will be here in the form of Thread Etiquette, and will be added as they arise.
Names
To make it easy on everyone, please make sure your account name is the same as your character name. If you have more than one character then please make a separate account for each of them.
Images
Posts may contain images, though any images displayed within a post cannot contain text, as all text should be written within the site editor for clarity and accessibility. In the past we have roleplayed with blind writers, and would like to accomodate them going forward. Additionally, images should be within a reasonable size. As of yet we do not have a specific size to adhere to, we trust you to use your best judgement. All we ask is that you don't use images that take up half of the page. Furthermore, images cannot be of a sexual nature.
Text Color
You are allowed to recolor your text, some people prefer to recolor text for emphasis, or to color dialogue to indicate the speaker. Our board currently uses a lighter theme, however, so bright colors will either blend into it, or hurt the readers eyes, so we ask that you use darker, more subdued colors. We understand that the computer monitor of one player may be brighter or darker than another, but it's no reason to in-fight, so if you're asked to recolor your text please do so, it's the kind thing to do.
Fade to Black
We understand that everyone has different levels of comfort, and there will be topics that come up in-character that one or more players won't want to go into detail about. When this happens we'd like you to either find a way of reaching your desired outcome without it, or, if all thread partners agree on it, using the Fade to Black rule. Sex, for example, is not allowed on this site due to the terms and conditions of our host, but that doesn't mean that characters cannot engage in sexual relationships. In this instance, both characters begin to take off their clothes, and just before things get steamy the scene ends and we cut to the morning after, back to being fully clothed. It happened, but the writers did not go into detail.
Communication
Not everything has to be pre-planned, in fact the spontanuity of roleplay is one of it's biggest draws, but sometime a player does something that their thread partner disagrees with. In order to solve these disputes maturely you should always be communicating with your thread partner(s), let them know before hand what you plan to do if you're not sure about it, and talk through alternatives if one of you makes a fumble. Don't be afraid to walk things back to a more comfortable position either, if posts need to be deleted because you found yourselves at an impasse, then that's fine, you can start over and advance with new knowledge. Additionally, let your thread partner(s) know what you intend to gain, or what you intend to give, with the thread, to see if they're open to it before you begin. It's a good idea to make sure you're all on the same page while it's blank, before you write on it and have to throw it out.
Powergaming
We've deliberately left certain aspects of our site vague because we trust our playerbase, and we want to emphasise roleplay over domination. Unfortunately this means there may be holes for people to exploit in order to lord over other players and characters. Please don't do this. Making a perfectly powerful and unbeatable character is fine in videogames, that's what they're for, and it might be fun for you to do here, but it won't be fun for others, and if your fun comes at the expense of everyone elses that's not okay. This is a strikable offense.
Godmodding
The act of controlling the actions of another players character. This is frowned upon, the only characters you should be controlling are your own, and any NPC's the site has made available for use as plot devices. We understand that people make mistakes, all we need from you is to see that you're trying to learn the best practices. However, repeated and unrepentant godmodding is a strikable offense.
Metagaming
The simple definition for this is using out of character knowledge for in character benefit. For example, your character knowing the location of another character even though they were never told. You may know the location from reading other threads, but your character doesn't. We're welcoming of newcomers, so we understand that this might be difficult to grasp for a while, as long as you show a desire to learn and improve you'll be perfectly fine, and we'll help you. Repeated and unrepentant abuse of metagaming is a strikable offense.
Thread Tags
Tags are a good way of showing what your thread contains at a glance. Readers can look over the thread tags to determine if the writing within will be to their tastes and nobody has to wander into something they weren't prepared for. Most tags should be in the title, with the exception of the [CW/] and [TW/] tags, which should be clearly visible at the top of any post it applies to, as well as a brief yet vague description of what the warning is. You're also encouraged to update the tags as the thread progresses. Nobody will be punished for not using them, but by using them you'll be doing your part in the community.
In the interest of keeping things neat and tidy all tags should be contained within angle brackets. Tags contained within the thread name must come after the title, and tags contained within posts must be clearly visible at the top. To give you a clearer picture of what this might look like an example thread title has been provided below.
Tempting Fate [Open][TBtP][Non-Canon]
The idea of the thread title is to convey to the reader that this thread is open for anybody to join at any time and takes place in the past, either before the events of the characters creation, or before the events of the site as a whole, and also that the events within the thread are disconnected from continuity and don't affect the rest of the site.
Below is a short list of the most common tags you might find.
[Open] and [Closed] Will be the two most used tags on the site. The [Open] tag indicates a thread that anybody is free to join, though it's still polite to let somebody know before you do. The [Closed] tag is used for a thread that is private and only those invited may join. If a thread has neither of these tags it is considered to be [Closed] by default.
[TBtP] is short for Turn Back the Pendulum, and is used for threads that take place during the characters past.
[Non-Canon] is used for threads that do not take place within the continuity of the world. [Non-Canon] threads are typically great for What If scenarios that explore what *could* have happened, as opposed to what *did* happen. Alternatively, they could be goofy themed threads, like characters going to a Halloween party and getting up to uncharacteristic antics.
[Mechanical] is a tag used for combat threads that strictly use the sites combat mechanics for decision making.
[Death-Enabled] is used to indicate a thread that contains a character death. It does NOT mean that any character who joins the thread is at risk of dying.
[Solo] is used for a thread that a person writes alone. Solo threads are eligible for full EXP, though if Staff suspect a player of abusing this feature it will be taken away on a case-by-case basis. Continued abuse will result in a strike.
[CW/] and [TW/] are the only tags that should be at the top of any applicable post, they stand for Content Warning and Trigger Warning respectively, and a short vague description of the content should be included. E.G: [TW/Self Harm] content should be included. E.G: [TW/Self Harm]