FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.

[citycenter]

F.A.Q.

OVERVIEW. What is the premise of The City? You wake in an empty subway car to the sound of a phone buzzing—in your pocket, in your hand, on the seat next to you. When you manage to exit the train, you find yourself in a city, devoid of life except for a few others, like yourself, who have come here from other realms. The sky is a perfect blue; the sun is a perfect warmth; around you is a perfect place, ready to provide for you in any way you could possibly imagine. You have arrived in The City. The City is a pan-fandom game with themes of liminal spaces and slice-of-life survival, set in an empty, idyllic utopian city that most certainly wants what's best for its residents. Characters will have to work together (or separately!) to uncover the mysteries of their new home—what is this place? What does it want from them? And what happened to those who came before? What themes are explored? The City was created with the vision of being a mixture of liminal spaces, slice-of-life survival, and spooky thrills. We, as mods, often find ourselves talking about the horror of the mundane and how an abandoned space can feel terrifying as each new item found begs more questions; a single tied shoe left in the middle of an apartment hallway, flickering lights in a closed grocery store’s frozen aisle, a motion-activated escalator running in an otherwise still mall. We want characters (and perhaps also players) to feel unnerved despite the reassurance that everything in the city is safe and sound. Is mature content allowed? Yes, and to a point, it is expected. Trauma, violence, and death are very real possibilities in the city, and we are a sex-positive game. There are no activity requirements to force players to write any of these mature themes, but we do expect everyone to respect players who chose to write mature content as well as those who don’t want to interact with it. How can we contact moderators? For general questions about the game and city, please leave a screened comment here on the F.A.Q. The intention is to build up a repository of questions that benefit other players, so all questions are welcome and those we find useful to everyone will be unscreened.. For questions about specific characters, such as their individual suitability for the game, or to report issues with other players, please make use of the mod contact post. All comments will be screened, so if there is a sensitive matter you wish to discuss with us, that is the best place to do so. Private messages to the mod journal will not be monitored, nor will the game's Plurk, so please do not try to contact us through either means. Additionally, TDMs and events will have designated threads for asking questions about those specific areas, mechanics, situations, etc. Is there, or will there ever be, a game-wide Discord server? There is no game-wide Discord at this time, nor do we have the intention to open one. Players are encouraged to connect with each other in whatever way is most convenient, whether that's Plurk, PMs, or personal Discords, but we have no plans to open a server for the City. We also ask that players refrain from opening "unofficial" game servers, as we want to ensure that all players have an equal level of access to discussion, plotting, announcements, etc. Announcements about game events, apps and reserves, rule updates, etc. can be found on our Plurk at citycenter. What are the various communities and their uses? citynet: The city’s network, designed for in-character communication via text, video, etc. citylogs: The log community for posting in-character events and interactions, both public and private. cityooc: The out-of-character community where players can make introductions and plan together on plotting posts. citymemes: The meme community, where the mod team will post a rotating number of memes on a regular cadence. citycenter: The mod journal and home to all of the information necessary to navigate the game and the city itself. ↑ BASIC RULES. What are the rules of the game? The rules for the game can be found on the city ordinance page. Any questions regarding the rules can be directed to the moderators at any time by utilizing this post or viewing the mod contact page. What if a character has a problem with another character? There are no rules against characters having negative CR with each other. Go wild! However, it’s important to check with other players regarding their preferences for CR, so we recommend discussion between players as needed. In the same way, it’s also important to keep in mind that IC ≠ OOC, and a character’s problem with another character should not bleed outside of IC boundaries. What if a player has a problem with another player? If a player has a problem with another player, we encourage them to try communicating with the other player in order to resolve the issue themselves. However, we understand that sometimes the moderators need to get involved. In that case, concerns can be flagged through the mod contact page. Comments are screened. We will then review the concern amongst the mod team and help seek resolution for it between the players. The moderation team has a zero-tolerance policy for intentional -isms, verbal abuse, brigading, etc. However, for other instances such as castmates who won't interact/plot/respond with another castmate, microaggressions, metagaming, etc, players will likely first receive a warning. What is the policy regarding players who are known to act in bad faith and/or to the detriment of the game? The moderator team wants to ensure that the game environment is as comfortable as possible for all players. The mod team will pre-ban players who have a long and consistent history of disruptive or bad behavior, unless we have a solid reason to believe that the behavior has improved significantly in the past six months. Feel free to flag the presence of any such players to the mod team. Refer to the below information regarding the process. What is the process for raising concerns regarding players? Concerns or issues that cannot be resolved between players should be brought up on the mod contact page. Comments are screened. If relevant, players should provide in-game links or screenshots of conversations (in-game or out) with at least one timestamp, be it on first comment or early on in the instance. We will not accept copy & pasted content as proof of concerns or issues. Any players in-game who engage in zero-tolerance behaviors will be removed. Other negative behaviors will be addressed with a warning as needed and continued monitoring for improvement. Pre-bans will be issued to any players demonstrating behavior that would result in a ban if it occurred in-game. The instance must have occurred within the last six months and must be documented by timestamped screenshot. Otherwise, all players get an equal chance to join. ↑ COMMUNITY CONTENT. Is there a calendar of important dates? Where can I find it? Of course! You can find the calendar for both the OOC and IC schedules on the game calendar. What is the general monthly schedule? 1st: TDM (runs all month) 1st-3rd: Activity checked by mod team. Activity check is open all month, so we encourage players to post their activity when they have it rather than waiting for the very end of the month 1st: Satisfaction survey posted (in months following plot-heavy events) 4th: Activity cuts posted 7th-10th: Reserve period 9th-13th: Application period 9th: OOC introduction post goes up 17th: Plot post goes up 19th: Event post goes up (plot-heavy events every other month) Last day of the month: Activity closes. All activity checks must be posted before 11:59:59 PM on the last day of the month, whether that's the 28th, 29th, 30th, or 31st How are character tags created? How do players tag entries? The moderator team will create tags for characters after they are accepted and post to the taken page. When posting an entry, players should use at least the tag for their own character. Any comm-specific tags will be posted at the top of each community. Are the communities moderated? The minimum security setting for posts in citynet, citylogs, and cityooc is "Everyone (Public)," meaning it is possible for players to post unlocked content. Anonymous commenting is screened by default. Are players allowed to post memes to the communities, such as handwaved CR, heart meme, etc? The OOC Intro & CR Building post, which goes up on the 9th of every month, includes CR meme elements, such as handwaved CR and headcanon memes. New and established characters can utilize this post in order to build CR. Outside the OOC Intro & CR Building post, only the mod journal is allowed to post memes to the citymemes community. These memes will be posted on a rotating, regular basis by the mod journal. The goal is to reduce the likelihood of awkwardness and to enable as many players as possible to comfortably interact with memes if they so desire. What is the schedule of memes that will be posted in the meme community? The basic schedule involves two memes per month on a rotating and repeating basis, so every meme will appear twice a year. The first meme, posted monthly on the 15th of the month, will be a meme that focuses on character relationships—that is, how characters within the game relate to each other. The second meme, posted monthly on the 29th of the month, will be a meme that focuses on the player's characterization or understanding of their character, as well as how players can connect OOCly. These are being defined loosely as "Relationship-focused" and "Characterization-focused" memes, but these are just broad categorizations. Posting Month CR-focused - 15th Characterization-focused - 29th Jan / July Truth meme Handwaved CR meme Feb / Aug Heart meme Love meme Mar / Sep Tinder meme Favorite icon meme Apr / Oct Superlatives meme Fanmix meme May / Nov Shame your character meme Appearance logging meme Jun / Dec TFLN Plurk friending meme Are things posted in the meme community meant to be game canon? By default, memes posted to citymemes are not considered game canon! Participation in memes is fully optional, and players will be welcome to join and leave the meme community freely. If two players like the way a meme develops and would like to take that thread and make it game canon between their two characters, that's fine as long as they communicate OOCly about it, but absent that OOC discussion, players should not assume that things happening on the meme community are canon to the overall game. What kinds of things are players allowed to post to the OOC community? Players are welcome to make player plotting posts and interest check posts to the OOC community, no mod permission required according to the guidelines outlined under the "Events & Interactions" sub-section of this post. However, when it comes to broad game-wide information gathering, we would appreciate if players would check with the mod team via the mod contact post before posting! There will be cases where the mod team decides it's fine for the player to post themselves, but there may be other cases where we recognize a need for that information to become part of the overall game structure and would prefer to take over posting ourselves. This makes it easier for every player to participate, but also means that if a player should drop or delete, the information is still preserved even when the journal is gone. Are players allowed to post mature content in the communities? As long as the content follows our rules and is tagged with any possible triggers, yes. Any mature content must be locked to community members only; if unlocked mature content or untagged triggering content is discovered by or reported to the mod team, players will be given a 12-hour grace period to lock the post before it is deleted from the community. What content must be warned for when posting to communities? In an effort to allow players to decide what content they interact with, mods and all players must include appropriate warnings. Triggers that must be warned for include, but are not limited to: dubcon, noncon, death (murder, suicide), alcohol/drug use, child abuse, body horror/mutilation, eating disorders/body dysmorphia, sexual content. This is not an exhaustive list, and we encourage everyone to include more specific content warnings when applicable. ↑ GAME LOGISTICS. Are there any caps on canons, characters, etc? To make sure the game stays a manageable size, the City has enacted the following caps beginning with our January 2024 app round: 10 characters per canon for most standalone canon sources 15 characters per franchise for larger combined franchises (such as Star Wars, MCU, DCEU, etc.) Our taken page will be kept up to date with the names of canons and franchises that are at or nearing the cap. If you have questions about where your canon falls in terms of cast caps, please feel free to reach out via the comments to this post or via the mod contact page. How many characters can one player simultaneously have in-game? One player can have up to three characters from three different canons. However, you can only apply for two in one round of applications. Are canon updates allowed? Yes they are! Please apply for them on the canon update post. The same rules apply regarding the grace period for spoilers: please wait 30 days after new content releases before applying for a canon update to that new point. What do I do when I want to change journals or rename my journal? First, contact the mods via the mod contact page and let us know. If you are renaming your journal using a rename token, this is all you have to do. If you want to change actual journals, please also leave a new comment on the taken page with the subject “Username Change” and fill out the code with your updated information. Your previous journal will be removed from the communities once we receive your taken code. ↑ MECHANICS. How do characters arrive in the city? A phone ringing in the pocket of your character wakes them up where they’re sitting alone in an otherwise empty train car. Pulling the phone out of their pocket, they discover a boot-up screen asking them a series of questions. If your character chooses not to answer any of these questions, the train doors will not open and they will be stuck until they give in. (This questionnaire is an in-character and mandatory part of the post-application acceptance process and must be completed in order to join the game. ) What happens if a character refuses to answer the survey? Characters must answer the survey questions with a response that at least looks like it could be sincere, but answers do not have to be true. Keysmashes, nonsense words, and blank responses will not be accepted. What can a character bring with them? What about living companions, such as pets? Characters can bring: Anything that can fit in their pocket or on their person. If they’re known to carry a bag, that and anything inside it. Characters may not bring: Weapons or tools intended for harm. No exceptions, even if it fits in a pocket or bag. These can be regained at a later date. Animated companions, either organic or inorganic. This means no dogs, no droids, no summons, no ghosts. These cannot be regained at a later date. What constitutes a weapon, magical item, etc? As this is a difficult question to answer generally, given the wide nature of power systems and weaponry across all forms of media, we hope that the table below helps define various items and when they can come into the city. Category Definition Examples When can I have it? Weapons Items with the intended use of causing harm, can do damage without any magic sword bow & arrows knife ax bludgeoning weapon gun lightsaber After spending 60 overflow points, you may have a weapon that is 100% nerfed of any magical abilities it may also possess. An additional 75 points may later be spent to grant the weapon a 10% power-up. Elemental constructs Weapons that do not exist on their own and have to be created through magical means fire daggers (Zuko, Avatar: The Last Airbender) water blades (Childe, Genshin Impact) Upon arrival, though they will be subject to power nerfing (such as duration or strength). Foci Items that either require magic to function, or are used to channel the user's magic; cannot cause damage without some kind of power force Visions (Genshin Impact) evoker (Persona series) wizard's book (D&D) jewelry (rings in Reborn) witch's wand (Shadowhunters) bardic instruments (MDZS) transformation item (Sailor Moon) Upon arrival, but they are inert and cannot be used to channel powers even to a nerfed degree. For 60 overflow points, they can be "unlocked" to channel 20% of the user's inherent power. Magical items Items that require magic to function but are not used for combat crystal ball magic carpet alethiometer (His Dark Materials) bag of holding (D&D) Upon arrival, but they are inert and cannot be used even to a nerfed degree. For 60 overflow points, they can be "unlocked" at 20% strength. What counts as a summon versus a manifestation? Simply speaking, a summon is a creature or force that exists elsewhere, usually has independent thought, and is called to the user but is not necessarily born of that user's own inherent power. Some examples of these are Pokemon, Digimon, and gods like Bahamut in the Final Fantasy games. These cannot be brought to the city at any time, including via overflow reward regains. Manifestations, on the other hand, are external solidifications of a person's power, psyche, and/or energy. For example, Personas are unique to and only exist alongside their users. Another example is a cursed technique user in Jujutsu Kaisen who can solidify their cursed energy into creatures that would disappear without the user creating and commanding them. These can be used in game as they are part of a character's abilities, but are therefore subject to power nerfing, and if the manifestation relies on the use of a magic item, the magic item must first be regained via the overflow reward system. How do canon powers and magic work in the game? They work, but only kind of. Characters who have magic, superpowers, or otherwise enhanced abilities beyond the average human will be nerfed to 20%. This includes characters who are inherently or naturally stronger than humans, such as Superman or those with quirks from My Hero Academia. Describing what nerfed powers look like is part of the application process and will likely look different for every unique character. Can characters regain the abilities that are nerfed upon arrival? What about weapons? Levels of power can be regained at a later date in increments of 10%. Overflow points can be used to request this power-up or a weapon. For more details, see the overflow rewards post. Can characters be injured or killed? What happens next? Yes! In fact, you can almost count on it. There are no formal sources of medical care, but there are supplies to be found for characters to patch themselves or others up. Injuries do not magically or automatically heal themselves, so characters will need to seek supplies from a pharmacy and rely on the IC knowledge of other characters to treat non-fatal wounds. In the case of consensual character death that has been planned and agreed upon by all involved parties, anyone who perishes will wake up just as they arrived in the city: on a train. Luckily they are free to exit without needing to complete an additional arrival survey. Characters who die of "natural" causes or in the course of an event will be penalized with five days of face blindness and/or mild aphasia according to player preference. Characters who die as a result of conflict between characters are required to discuss their plans with the mod team via the mod contact page ahead of time so we can craft consequences and make sure such crimes do not break the game. If a character dies, what happens to their body? If a character is killed, their body will stay where it is at first, unless moved by another player character. (Note that there is currently no morgue or medical examiner's office available to characters.) In the same way that resources are reset, the body will vanish overnight, and the following morning the previously-deceased character will awaken on the train. When they awaken, they will be healed of whatever mortal wound killed them, but will retain any marks or scars they had before their death. This is not a full reset to their arrival state, so characters will retain memories of their time in the city as long as any canon updates that have occurred since their arrival. Can characters get pregnant? Do uterus-havers experience menstruation? There is no pregnancy in the city; however, characters are unaware of this and should probably still practice safe sex as birth control is available in the city’s many pharmacies. It’s up to player preference whether or not they want their character to experience the joys of menstruation. A character really doesn’t want to be here! What should the player do about it? We’re so very sorry to hear that! Unfortunately, such opinions don’t matter. Characters have no say in whether or not they get to leave the city. (Of course, players can drop at any time.) What happens when a character drops and leaves The City? When a character leaves the city for any reason, all evidence of their existence is wiped from the city itself. Their whereabouts are not known to other characters who may believe them to be missing for some period of time before coming to the conclusion that they aren't coming back. Characters who knew them will retain all memories of them, but otherwise, there’s no proof that they were here to begin with. Any items gained or collected from the game setting will reset to their original locations, and any items brought with the character, either on arrival or through activity rewards, will disappear. ↑ SETTING. What does the city look like? What’s the time period? Weather? The city looks like a medium-sized modern American city that is, aside from player characters, devoid of life. There are no NPCs in the city and no animal life, although there is plenty of plant life, in the form of parks, green spaces, and trees planted along the streets. The time period is roughly the late-2000s and the weather is akin to the American Pacific Northwest. Any given day's specific weather is noted on the calendar. For more details on the setting, visit the locations page. What is the state of resources in the city, e.g. food, clothes, medicine, etc? The city resets many of its consumable resources on various schedules to provide for all residents. Characters will find that essentials will reappear regularly, though always when no one is around to witness the replenishment. This information is not advertised and will have to be learned knowledge to share or hoard as each character sees fit. Reset every 7 days: necessities for survival, such as clean water and pre-made foods that are found in restaurants and buffets Reset every 19 days: items that can be found in smaller convenience stores, pharmaceuticals, and the ingredients in to-order restaurants Reset every 32 days: items in larger grocery stores (perishable and non-perishable) Reset every 54 days: all other amenities and non-essentials, such as clothes, liquor, cigarettes, and leisure items Changes made to a character's individual living space, such as the addition of furniture or artwork, will not be reset provided that those changes do not infringe on another character's use of their space. So a character can rearrange the furniture however they want, can take tables and chairs from neighboring apartments, etc. without consequence, but should a character attempt to, say, booby-trap the shared hallway in their apartment building, they may find that trap gone in the morning. Similarly, graffiti or wall art done within a character's private living space will not reset, but graffiti or art done on the external walls of public buildings will be cleared at the end of the week. This cleanup is done similarly to the restocking of food—it always seems to happen when no one is looking. What kinds of amenities can characters expect to find that may not be specified on the map? Think of any retail location you may have been able to find in a medium-sized American city in the mid-2000s. Now imagine the most generic version of that, scrubbed of all identifying brand information, and you've arrived at almost every shop in the city. Please check with the mods if you want to know about major locations, of which there would likely only be one in the city—such as, for example, zoos or baseball stadiums—but players are welcome to assume the existence of smaller businesses that would reasonably be duplicated throughout the city. A non-exhaustive list of such locations is as follows; please see the locations page for visuals and additional details: Category Definition Examples Amenities Lifestyle comforts provided for the benefit of city residents Apartment and office buildings Laundromats Motels Health centers and gyms Gas stations (cars without engines or gas) Auto shops (cars without engines or gas) Parking garages (cars without engines or gas) Retail locations Shops that would take money if money existed in the city Grocery stores Convenience stores Pharmacies Bars and restaurants Sex toy/lingerie shops Electronics stores Craft hobby shops Locations of note Locations of which only one is likely to exist in the city; typically associated with a game event City Hall Central bank Shopping mall Fun fair University Where do characters live? Wherever you want! There are a wide variety of apartment buildings, motels, empty cars, office buildings, and comfortable sidewalks for residents to rest their weary heads. All residences are furnished with obvious personal touches as if people once lived there, but without any evidence of who or for how long ago. Any frames are filled with photos of landscapes and backgrounds at angles that suggest people were once included as the focal points. Can characters have jobs? Can they start businesses? The city provides. If your character feels the need to bring capitalism to the city’s residents, there’s nothing stopping them. No true businesses or jobs exist, and there’s no currency beyond what characters bring with them, but there’s no reason for entrepreneurs to be denied their ambitions. Office buildings do take up a considerable amount of the city’s structures, and they are furnished and decorated in ways that suggest people and businesses once existed there without any specific indication as to what manner of business was housed there, such as company names, photos, etc. What forms of transportation are available in the city? The only working transportation is the underground train system that runs throughout the city. Passengers who try to ride it out of the city will find themselves passing the last operable station and then pulling back into the first station on the line, regardless of whether the map indicates a circle or not. There are cars dotted throughout the city, without any means to fuel them, and there are no buses, but everything is within easy walking distance of the subway stations. Can characters access areas that aren’t on the map? No! New areas of the city will open in the future, but character must stick to the current boundaries. Anyone who attempts to walk into the map areas that are grayed out will find themselves walking in a circle right back to where they started. Map updates will be clearly notified to players and updated on the locations page. Are there NPCs living in the city? There are no people, nor sentient creatures of any kind, in the city apart from the characters. This includes animals and bugs, so this city is one of the few in existence that isn't full of pigeons or rats. Is there any kind of official leadership set up in the city? Government, police, civil servants, etc. As there are no NPCs in the city, there are also no inherent authorities.There are consequences for actions that are commonly and universally accepted as criminal activity, but no one appears to be doling out the punishments. How is crime defined, and what are the specific consequences? When it comes to minor crimes such as vandalism and resource hoarding, players should use the following rule of thumb: "Is my character doing this in order to inconvenience, threaten, or harm other characters, or are they doing it for their own genuine benefit, whether physical or mental?" Graffiting the inside of their own home to beautify the space does not count as vandalism; graffiting "THE CITY SUCKS!" on the wall of City Hall counts as vandalism. Taking a bunch of food home from the grocery store because you're a growing boy who needs nourishment does not count as hoarding; taking a bunch of food home from the grocery store with the specific intent of preventing anyone else from eating it counts as hoarding. If you're unsure whether your character is about to commit a crime, please feel free to use the mod contact page to clarify! Minor crimes and misdemeanors: breaking and entering an established character home, vandalism of key locations, hoarding of resources. Consequence: Characters will wake up with their hands cuffed in front of them, and be unable to remove the cuffs even by magical means. After 24hrs, the character must sleep for a time and will wake up to see that the handcuffs have disappeared. Personal crimes: assault, harassment, battery, theft. Consequence: Characters will wake up handcuffed to a randomly assigned keeper for a day, a role which is filled by another player character. Players are responsible for plotting this out. Any major crime/felony: murder, etc. Consequence: Players are required to discuss these with the mod team via the mod contact page ahead of time so we can craft consequences and make sure such crimes do not break the game. Repeat offenses: Characters will wake up strapped to a chair facing a wall of screens. Their eyes will be held open so they can fully experience the city’s reprogramming curriculum designed to discourage further offenses and instill criminals with a sense of community. (Think Alex in A Clockwork Orange.) Repeat reprogramming: If you plan to have your character undergo reprogramming more than three (3) times, you may choose to have them start to lose important memories. If you want to discuss alternatives, reach out to the mods via the mod contact page so a more effective punishment can be crafted. If a character damages city property, is that damage there forever? Similar to how the city resets its consumable resources, certain types of damage are also reset regularly. Minor damages to public spaces, such as graffiti on a park bench or the destruction of a city park bench, will be reset weekly. Major damages may take longer to reset, but they should still fix themselves with time. If your character is interested in causing major infrastructural damage, please reach out to the mod team ahead of time. Damages done to a character's private living space, such as graffiti on the living room ceiling or knocking out a wall to make an open floor plan, will not reset provided that they do not endanger other characters nor prevent them from enjoying their own spaces. How do characters understand and communicate with each other? Characters will continue communicating in their native language and others will be able to understand through unknown means. This includes non-verbal styles of communication such as sign language for the hearing impaired. There are also text-to-speech functions for characters who do not or cannot communicate verbally. Signage around the city is also translated in a similar manner, into the blandest possible dialect of a character's native language. What is technology like in the city? Think of technology from the late-2000s: early smartphones, chunky laptops, Blu Ray, GPS, digital cameras, etc. If players have specific questions about pieces of technology they’d like to find, please contact the mods or leave a question about it on this post. Is there Internet in the city? Yes, and it can be accessed through any device that you would expect to have Wifi or LAN capabilities. The content is very limited, though; think of how your school computer lab restricts access to certain sites and tools. What is the network? How is it accessed? What about usernames? The network is a social media platform similar to Twitter or Facebook. Users can post text, video, audio, and photos, any of which can be posted privately to one character or a specific group of characters. The network is accessible through the device that character received upon arrival, but it can also be accessed through computers found in the city. Like many forum-style platforms, users must create a username which can be edited at any time, and can also post anonymously. Characters can search for each other either by name or by username. Replies should also include usernames in the subject line. Network security is pretty average, so it is possible for someone to hack in and find the identity behind an anonymous post. What can characters do with the phone they received upon arrival? It works the same as a smartphone of the late-2000s would, minus calling and texting abilities. It is primarily used to access the city’s network, but also includes common apps such as maps, camera, calculator, and simple games like Tetris and Solitaire. ↑ CHARACTER LOGISTICS. What happens to non-humanoid and/or inorganic characters? What about very big creatures or gods? Characters do not get humanized and will retain their original appearance and composition. However, characters bigger than 9’ (275cm) in any direction will be sized down to at least 9’ or smaller if you choose. If a character is injured or ill at their chosen canon point, what happens when they arrive? If the character is on the brink of death, they’re healed up to a non-fatal state of injury or illness. (Pre-existing injuries or conditions like blindness will not be healed unless it is necessary for the character to stay alive.) In the case of terminal diseases, characters will find that their illness does not progress during their stay in the city. Players are allowed to keep their characters at a point of intense injury or heal them up completely. Just know that the city is not going to allow anyone to die so easily upon their arrival. Can dead characters be played? How? Yes, they can! They will be pulled from the seconds before their death and healed up to the point of survival, or farther if you want them to be healthier. How do ghostly characters arrive in the city? Having a corporeal body is the minimum requirement for all characters, almost as if the city is deeming "being dead" as a power (incorporeality, invisibility, etc) and has nerfed it to force everyone to have a physical form. A perceivable, tangible body is integral to the interpersonal aspect of a roleplay game where it would be limiting if only mediums would be able to see specific characters. This doesn't mean that your character necessarily has to be alive as many ghostly characters are largely informed by the limitations of death; not needing to eat, being cold to the touch, and other undead characteristics would still be things that former ghosts will need to live with now. NOTE: This only applies to characters who are ghosts for the majority of their canon (e.g. the deceased former tenants in Ghosts but not Force ghosts from Star Wars) For characters who rely on abnormal forms of sustenance, how do they survive in the city? Luckily, the city provides substitutes for characters with unusual diets, such as blood for vampires or flesh for ghouls. These can be found in specialty sections of any grocery store. Vegans can also find a wide variety of nutritious animal byproduct substitutes! ↑ EVENTS & INTERACTIONS. How do events work? Are there different levels of participation possible? The nature of events will alternate every-other month between plot-heavy events and lighter events that are intended to be more fun than to progress the story. Events are open to every character in the game and have several levels of participation baked into the different subplots and the areas where they take place. Generally, there will be three options for story-heavy events that are posted every-other month: Maximum, middle-of-the-road, and minimum. These will be described in each IC event post as well as the preceding OOC plotting post. Can a player opt-out of events? Due to the themes of the game, players are definitely welcome to opt-out if necessary due to triggering content. In this case, characters can either steer clear of the event or be handwaved in with absolutely minimum participation. We will not accept opt-outs where players want their characters to have the maximum participation, as this level is meant to be written out in-character. Depending on your character, you may have to weigh the choice between your character doing something interesting for their story versus what is comfortable for you as a player. What about player plots? As far as game-wide plots written by players and pitched to mods, the answer is unfortunately no. The mods have long-term plans for the city and will not allow any expansive, game-breaking, player-created content. You can uncover some mysteries and secrets that contextualize the plot, discover components of the plot, and affect the plot within a certain range of possibilities; however, it is the combined effort of all character activity and interaction which guides the final trajectory of the game. That said, players are always encouraged to come up with their own stories that can run alongside the game’s main plot, put on events for multiple characters, and create other content to be expected of a roleplay game. It isn't our intention that players feel that they're not able to plot independently—part of the fun of RP is being able to guide your own experience, after all. Therefore, please consider the following guidelines for player-led plots: Will the repercussions of my plot impact other characters outside of those directly involved in said plot? If yes, ask the mods. If no, mod permission is not necessary. Are more than five individual characters involved in the plot? If yes, ask the mods. If no, mod permission is not necessary. Is the plot a general, open-to-all, chill event such as a birthday party? If yes, please feel free to host these kinds of events that are welcoming to multiple characters and players, regardless of number of invitees. Can I discover information about the city, uncover mysteries, reveal secrets, or otherwise take action that will directly impact the direction of the game? No, and we will not be giving any answers to players in order to make this possible. Any plot that impacts the overarching story will be equal-opportunity for everyone to access via official game events. Of course, if several of these factors are involved in your plot, please contact the mods. Are TDMs considered game canon? Characters who apply and are accepted into the game are welcome to adopt the TDM as canon, we only ask that you confirm this with other players you tagged. Characters who were on the TDM but don’t join the game will not be considered canon visitors, nor will their interactions have any effect on the city and its inhabitants. Can established characters post a top-level on the TDM? We ask that only potential new characters post top-level comments on the TDM. Established characters can reply to top-levels posted by potential new characters, or can use the prompts from the TDM in their own catch-alls or event logs. What is the purpose of the IC satisfaction surveys? What is the incentive for characters to complete them? The satisfaction surveys are meant to gauge the reactions of characters after story-heavy events and get a read on their emotions. It’s also a way to keep track of who is involved in the plot of the game and, in some cases, determine which direction the plot may move. The city is your characters’ home, after all, and it wants to know how everyone feels about what’s going on. The incentive to complete the surveys is simple: if you don’t, your phone will be inoperable. Until characters complete the survey, they won’t be able to exit out of it in order to access any other applications, and if they try to restart their phone, the survey will greet them on reboot. If they avoid it for more than 24hrs, a loud and annoying ringtone will start to emit from the device every five minutes until survey completion. Where can players ask questions about events and TDMs? For every event and TDM, the mods will post a first comment to serve as a top level to gather questions. Players are encouraged to ask all of their event-specific questions there about settings, mechanics, and situations in these designated threads. ↑ RESERVES & APPLICATIONS. What are reserves? How do they work? Reserves are a way to put a character on hold so that no one else can submit an application for them—essentially, calling dibs. A reserve guarantees you the chance to put in an application for the character(s) in question but it does not guarantee that your application will be accepted. In the case of no reserves, expired reserves, or failed revisions, applications will be taken on a first-come basis. Do I need to reserve first in order to apply? You do not need to submit a reserve in order to apply, but players who reserve a character will have their application read first, so we recommend submitting a reserve if you're considering applying! Can I proxy reserve for a friend? Yes you may, but they need to reply within 24 hours to secure the reserve for themselves. There is also a cap of three reserves per person per round, so you may not proxy reserve for ten friends. Where do I send my application? Applications should be posted as a reply to the relevant month's top-level mod comment on the applications page with the comment header "CHARACTER | CANON | RESERVED (or NOT RESERVED)." What is the application cycle? Reserves open on the 7th of the month at 9:00PM PST and close on the 10th of the month at 9:00PM PST. Applications open on the 9th of the month at 9:00PM PST and close on the 13th of the month at 9:00PM PST. Is there a cap to anything? There is currently no cap on overall applications, but there is a limit of two characters per player in a single application round. Are there any restrictions on canons from which players can app? The main restriction is that the canon has some kind of English source material, even if it is unofficially translated. Aside from that, the canon has to be fictional—no historical figures or real people such as celebrities. Historical fiction genres will be taken on a case-by-case basis, but a general rule of thumb is that they should be non-biographical and distinct from reality: Hamilton and the animated Anastasia are fine, The Crown is not. How long must a canon be out before characters can be applied from it? We ask that players wait at least one month (30 days) after the English release of a canon before for applying for a new character. This includes characters introduced in a new episode of a show that’s been on-air for ten years. This same time frame applies to canon updates for characters who have already been accepted to the game. Can two characters from the same canon be played by one player? No, except in the case of franchises where the characters are from different points in time or vastly different settings and don’t interact with each other. For example, Final Fantasy characters from different installments such as FFVII and FFXV. Do you allow OCs to join the game? Yes we do! Applications for OCs will be naturally more intensive for players to write due to the inability to link to background information, but we welcome fleshed-out OCs from unique worlds—canon OCs, however, are not allowed. What about CRAU? We are not accepting characters from non-canon alternate universes of any kind, including game CRAU. Are multiple versions of one character from different iterations allowed? Yes, with some restrictions. Doubles of the same character are allowed if they would have significantly different reactions to the same scenarios or if they have been shown in canon together. For example, the many iterations of Spider-Man (Raimi, TASM, MCU, Spider-verse Earth-616) have been shown to co-exist in canon with distinctive personalities. However, characters from different media adaptations of the same canon who do not show distinctive personalities will not be accepted (e.g. Wei Wuxian in The Untamed versus the original novel versus the animated series are not different men living vastly different lives). Is there a minimum age limit for characters? Yes, characters who are either mentally and/or physically younger than 13 years old will not be accepted. We also do not allow aged-up characters. Characters who age considerably in their canons must be taken from a canon point after they reach 13 years of age. NOTE: Characters under the age of 18 may not post sexually explicit content in any game communities, nor will such content count for activity. What if a character's age is unclear in canon? In the event that canon doesn't specify a birthday/age for a character, we will allow players to apply using canon-supported arguments in defense of a non-canon age. If there is evidence (including external sources, such as calendars, guides, etc.) to suggest that a character is old enough, we will expect to see that reasoning presented in the application, along with a proper defense of the character's age as old enough to join the game. What are the general guidelines for characters who might be appable, non-appable, or in between? Allowed Original non-fandom characters Sentient non-humanoids Inorganic characters Oversized characters (bigger than 9’ (275cm) in any direction will be sized down) Doubles of the same character with distinct stories/personalities, or who have been shown in canon together (e.g. Spider-Man from Raimi, TASM, MCU, Spider-verse Earth-616). Case-By-Case Characters with little to no screen time (dependent on application) Canonical AUs (e.g. League of Legends, Kimetsu Academy) with enough lore, but other versions will most likely be unappable except in cases of extreme personality differences Gacha game NPCs who will be playable in the future (can be apped 30 days after in-game release) Chosen protagonists with gendered options at the start of the game: Whoever gets there first will be accepted, and the other option(s) will become unplayable (e.g. Fire Emblem, Persona) Chosen protagonists where the unselected option becomes the antagonist: Whoever gets there first sets the precedent for which the alignment of the other option(s) (e.g. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Genshin Impact) Characters coming from tabletop RPGs such as Dungeons & Dragons or Pathfinder. Symbiotic characters: Players may app one half, but not both at once. If the “parasite” applies, they join the city with their own body (e.g. Venom and Eddie Brock, Itadori Yuuji and Sukuna). If the parasite gives its host any kind of powers, then the host is powerless upon arriving in the city. If both halves have powers independent from one another, their power nerfing is considered separately. Not Allowed Physically and/or mentally under 13 years of age (Characters under 18 may not post sexual content nor use it for AC) Historical figures Canon OCs CRAU AU versions of canon characters Doubles of the same character Malleable protagonists (e.g. FFXIV, Dragon Age: Inquisition) Characters from different media adaptations of the same canon who do not show distinctive personalities will not be accepted (e.g. Wei Wuxian in The Untamed versus the original novel versus the animated series are not different men living vastly different lives). What happens after a character is accepted into the game? When players receive their acceptance comments, there will be a mandatory in-character survey attached as well as several steps to follow to get started in the game. Players will be invited to join the communities and should accept the invites in a timely fashion. They must also comment on the taken page, and add the required permissions and inbox entries to their journal. There will be a monthly OOC introduction post where new players are encouraged to introduce themselves. New characters can also make in-character arrival posts on the network citynet or in the logs comm citylogs as players see fit. ↑ ACTIVITY & OVERFLOW REWARDS. Are there ever times when there is no activity check? Most months will have an activity check, even months where there are significant holidays like January or December. In order to allow players some freedom, each character gets one single-use "free AC coupon" per year, no explanation necessary. If there are months where the mods have decided to cancel AC, it will be announced ahead of time. What’s activity check like? This game measures activity by a points system, which is detailed on the activity check page. Base AC is 30 points and can be earned by posting replies to any kind of post or posting starters anywhere in the game. You can link to as many examples as necessary in order to meet AC, and the page is always open. We encourage players to post AC as soon as they have it rather than waiting until the end of the month. Any points past the required 30 points for AC may be used as overflow points. You can acquire up to 15 overflow points per month, which can be used for rewards and other fun things. For more details, refer to the overflow rewards entry. At the end of the activity period, comments that pass will be frozen and will not receive approval comments. Mods will give warnings to AC with math issues and expect revisions within 24 hours. If not revisions are posted to correct the issue, the character will be cut. Do I need to pass AC in my character's first month in the game? In a character's first month in the city—meaning the same month that they are accepted to the game—the only thing a player must do to pass AC is to post the player top-level and character top-level to the activity check page. (This is part of the acceptance instructions, so everyone should be doing so by default!) It is not required that players post a check-in comment for a character's first month in-game. However, if a player is feeling ambitious and would like to hit the ground running in terms of activity and overflow points, there are two options available. Option 1: Players can claim their new character's TDM top-level for 10 easy overflow points, even without completing any other activity. The TDM top-level can only be claimed in the same month the character joins the game, so don't miss out if you want the points! Option 2: If you want all 15 overflow points, players can optionally complete a full month's worth of AC. That's 30 base points + 15 overflow points for a total of 45 points. The TDM top-level can comprise 10 of those overflow points. If you have any questions about activity check, please feel free to leave them on the mod contact page! What is the activity check cycle? Activity check is due no later than 11:59 PST on the last day of the month, but players are encouraged to post their activity as soon as they have it. Mods will check activity from the 1st to the 3rd of every month, with cuts being posted no later than the 4th at 11:59PM PST. There will be no warning list and no reminders. AC comments with math issues will receive a warning to post revisions within 24 hours or be cut. Can I use comments from a thread that started last month for activity? Players can gain AC points from comments to threads that began in the previous month, as long as the comments themselves are dated within the current month. However, if a thread began earlier than the previous month, comments to that thread are no longer eligible for AC. For example, if a thread begins in August and continues into September, players may use comments posted in September for September's activity check. However, even if that thread continues into October, those October comments will not be eligible for October's activity check. Can I use TDM threads for activity? Yes! TDM activity is handled differently for potential characters versus characters already accepted into the game. Potential new characters who post a TDM top level will get 10 overflow points once they are accepted into the game. Due to the fact that a character’s first month is free AC, there’s no need to count up comments. Existing characters get 5 flat overflow points per month for interacting with the TDM in any capacity. This means that if a character replies to three different TDM threads, they still only receive 5 overflow points. However, TDM replies by existing characters can also be used for activity check, so you are encouraged to continue replying to threads. For purposes of AC, comments to the TDM are treated like any other log comments. Can I use inbox threads for activity? Provided that the thread is 1) between accepted game characters; 2) set in the city; and 3) does not contain sexual content of a character or characters under 18 years of age, inbox threads can be used for activity check! They are treated the same way as game community comments: 2 points per comment for text threads, 5 points per comment for logs. If I post a monthly catch-all log, does that count for AC points? The catch-all post itself doesn’t count for AC points, as it’s simply a container for top levels. However, you do get AC points for each top level/starter that is posted to the catch-all. Each starter will count individually regardless of formatting. For example, if all of the starters are grouped together in one comment, they will still count separately as if the player had posted them in separate comments. Is there a limit on how many threads I can use for AC? There is no limit. The moderators encourage players to develop good CR and have meaningful interactions with other characters, but that looks different from month to month and character to character. As long as we can tell that players are trying in good faith to interact with the game and the other characters, it doesn't matter how many sources AC is drawn from, or the comment count for each thread. Can I get all my AC from the same CR? You can, but the moderators encourage the development of CR and meaningful interaction with a variety of characters, which can be hard to do if the focus is on the same few characters every month. However, as long as players are trying in good faith, it’s acceptable to reuse CR within the same AC cycle, or in back-to-back AC cycles. If it becomes a pattern of behavior where the exact same CR has been reused for three months in a row, the moderators may issue a warning. What are overflow points? How can they be earned? Overflow points are any AC points (up to 15 per month) that have been accumulated past the required 30 points for AC. Players can receive these points in the same way they make AC, with a few extra opportunities. Overflow points can be used for activity rewards, story clues, free AC, and more. Refer to the overflow rewards page for more detailed information. How do hiatuses work? Hiatuses can be taken for a maximum of four consecutive weeks, except in extenuating circumstances that have been discussed with the moderators. They must be submitted before the 15th of the month to avoid a strike (except in those extenuating circumstances). A hiatus cannot be taken if the player has an uncleared strike. Players can only take a hiatus once every three months. In order to take back-to-back hiatuses, players must use a “get-out-of-jail-free card,” which can be received via overflow rewards, or their once-yearly free AC coupon. I took a hiatus, but circumstances changed and I can make AC after all. Can I cancel the hiatus? You can! Please reply to the mod comment confirming your hiatus and let us know that you want to cancel it and post AC instead. Once you have received a response confirming the cancellation, you are free to post your AC, and the mod team will remove the hiatus from your activity record, so to speak. Hiatus cancellations must be done by 11:59 PM PST on the 25th of the month. How do warnings & strikes work? There is a warning & strike system in place to address cases where a player does not fulfill the game's AC requirements. In a majority of cases, the mod team will first issue a warning; subsequent issues with AC will result in strikes, and three strikes will result in removal from the game. Circumstances that may result in a warning or strike include posting AC that does not meet base requirements; submitting AC with broken HTML; posting AC using comments that are dated in the previous month or in a thread that was already used for AC previously; or posting AC using threads that began longer than a month ago. Players who know that they will not be able to meet AC for a given month may choose to take a strike using the code provided on the Activity Check page. Observed patterns of behavior which do not contribute to a collaborative game environment may cause the mods to issue a warning to the player, which can result in a strike if the mod team does not see improvement. If a player receives three strikes for their character, that character will be removed from the game. Warnings and strikes can be cleared with two months of meeting AC (if the player took the strike) or with two months of improved AC (if the mods issued a warning or strike). How do drops work? Drops can be done at any time, although the city is sorry to see the character go! Players will have to wait for two application cycles to pass before they are able to reapply with a character they have previously dropped from the game. e.g. Dropping in January means the player may reapply in April at the earliest. When someone leaves the city for any reason, all evidence of their existence is wiped from the city itself. Any items gained or collected from the game setting will reset to their original locations, and any items brought with the character, either on arrival or through activity rewards, will disappear. Characters will still retain all memories of them but otherwise there’s no proof that they were here to begin with. ↑ PLAYER QUESTIONS. Where should I post my questions? All players are welcome to post their questions related to game mechanics or setting on this entry, where they will be screened until answered. Below is a list of questions that players have asked with links to jump to the relevant threads. Please peruse this list to make sure your questions haven't already been answered! If your question is extremely specific to your character, or relates to your character's crime/punishment, please use the mod contact instead. OVERVIEW Does anything happen if characters answer dishonestly on the orientation survey? What if a character refuses to answer the survey entirely? How can characters that can't canonically read or write answer the orientation survey questions? Could characters cobble together a conlang that would not be translated by the automatic translation? MECHANICS: Crime & Punishment What happens to characters who repeatedly commit minor offenses such as property crimes? What are the consequences of repeated reprogramming? What constitutes breaking & entering, as well as theft, in the city? What happens to someone who induces another character to unknowingly commit a crime? What happens to characters who injure themselves in an attempt to get out of the inescapable handcuffs? Does carving into the walls or floor of one's own apartment count as vandalism? Can a character knock out an outside wall of their apartment? What are the indoor smoking laws of the city? Are there punishments for setting off sprinklers? MECHANICS: Injury & Death What happens to characters who injure themselves in an attempt to get out of the inescapable handcuffs? Do injuries heal automatically in the city? Is there a hospital? MECHANICS: Network & Devices What happens if a character loses or breaks their city-issued device? Are personal cell phones usable within the city? Can characters encrypt or privatize their network usage? Are characters able to create LAN networks using the computers? Are the inboxes part of the network? How can characters search for each other? Are there any digital records to be found on computers or servers? Are digital records kept by the residents since arrival also reset or wiped? Could a character steal another character's device and impersonate them on the network? Do the devices have a standard voice-recording feature? Can the devices livestream? MECHANICS: Powers & Nerfing How does nerfing work for characters whose power comes from an external source? How does nerfing work for characters who summon monsters from within their souls or summon monsters from an external source? What happens if a character's ability is nullifying another person's abilities? Can psychic characters have visions of other characters' pasts or presents? What about the City's past? Are there weapons available in the city? Do handmade weapons such as shivs work? Does a weapon that takes the form of an animal count as a pet? Once in the city, can magic users create magical items? Can characters learn magic that comes from canons other than their own? CHARACTER LOGISTICS Will blindness be cured upon entering the city? Will characters infected with parasites before their arrival be cured? SETTING: Availability of Resources What are the accommodations for characters who are non-verbal? Is gender-affirming care available to residents in the city? Are there drugs or alcohol available in the city? Can characters bring these items with them? Do pharmacies stock more than basic medical supplies? Do they have prescription records? Do modifications made to living spaces also get reset on a schedule? Do non-essential services also restock on a cycle? Do hoarded goods disappear after a certain amount of time? Could a character build a drone from materials found in the city? Is there visual porn in the city? Is the quantity of resources available decreasing as the respawn period increases? SETTING: Communication Is signage around the city translated automatically, the same way speech is? Is there a text-to-voice or voice-to-text option on the device for characters with visual impairments? SETTING: Infrastructure Is there any type of surveillance in the city? What is the city's power grid like? Can characters explore the train tunnels? Could a character build a house outdoors, like in a tree or in the park? SETTING: Life & Spiritual Energy Is there non-sentient life in the city, e.g. roaches, birds, rats, etc? Can characters grow herbs or vegetables in the city? Are there magical/spiritual energies inherent to the city? Will the city have or accumulate emotional residue or spiritual energy over time? What will happen if a character attempts to divine anything about the city and its energy? SETTING: Locations What locations are available to characters currently? Can characters access areas that are restricted? Can you provide more detail on the city's motels? What would a character familiar with interstellar navigation know about the city's location from its sky? Are there reading materials in the city? Are there music stores or music players available in the city? Are there any religious buildings in the city? Are there physical paper maps provided anywhere? What happens to items that are thrown outside the city boundaries? Are there ponds in any of the parks? RESERVES & APPLICATIONS How are original characters from worlds from tabletop RPG settings handled? What happens if a character has no canon age, or their canon age is unclear/contradictory? What about characters who are mentally very old but their bodies are under the (original) age cap of 15? Would a character who's a ghost in canon count as an inorganic and/or dead character? Can characters from canon AUs be applied for? ACTIVITY & OVERFLOW POINTS Can inbox threads be used for activity check? Do characters have the option to gain up to 15 overflow points in their first month? If overflow points are used to acquire a consumable, how much of that consumable would the character receive? I.e. a medicine, a food item, etc. ↑ CHANGELOG. 2023-05-06: Added TTRPG characters to the list of case-by-case application exceptions. 2023-05-06: Changed the age requirements for characters. No characters under the physical or mental age of thirteen (13) can be applied into the game. No sexually explicit content involving characters under the age of eighteen (18) can be posted on any of the game communities, nor can it be used for activity. 2023-05-16: Added specifics for ghostly characters. 2023-06-03: Added canonical AU to the case-by-case acceptions for applicable characters; added detail about repeated reprogramming for crimes committed; added information about where to post applications. 2023-06-05: Added information about game Discord server. 2023-06-09: F.A.Q. overhaul: reorganization, additional headings added, expanded information on weapons, magical summons, and crime. Specified the intended use for mod contact vs FAQ vs event question top-levels. 2023-06-13: Added clarification about replenishment of consumable resources; minor damages done to city property; and the use of magical items with manifestations. 2023-06-17: Added clarification on moderation status of communities as well as consequences for posting unlocked mature content/untagged triggering content. 2023-06-18: Added more information about consequences for in-character death as well as explanation of what happens to the bodies of deceased characters. 2023-07-04: Added clarification around character death and how characters come back from the dead (healed of mortal wounds, but retaining non-mortal injuries, canon updates, and memories of the city). 2023-07-15: Reorganized player questions into subsections and reworked some FAQ questions to incorporate answers given in player question threads. 2023-07-29: Expanded Activity & Overflow section to include clarification about first-month activity check for new characters. 2023-08-12: Expanded list of available locations to include locations of note that are available for characters to explore. 2023-09-01: Change to respawn rates for resources available in the city. 2023-10-01: Added clarification around meme posting in the communities. 2023-10-16: Added information about how to cancel a hiatus if you end up able to post AC after all. 2023-12-09: Added information about cast and franchise caps beginning in January 2024; added clarity around what can be posted in communities by players versus mods. 2023-12-10: Added clarity around the meme community and what memes will be posted there. ↑

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