FAQ.

[jumpscare]

	_________frequently asked questions. ➛ APPLICATION QUESTIONS. How many characters can I have? The limit is currently 4. How many characters can I reserve at a time? You may reserve two at a time. Are app challenges allowed? Can more than one person challenge an app? App challenges are allowed and there is no cap on how many people can challenge an app. To challenge an app, you must reserve first. App challenges are only processed when all of the applications are in, or failing that, when apps close. Reserves are open a week before apps and close the day that apps open. May we link to samples? No. At this time we require all samples to be written out. Are previous RP memories allowed? No. We do not allow past memories. There isn't enough information on my character's wiki about their history, can I write it out myself? Absolutely. How much canon is required for a character to be appable? Characters being applied for from a new series, as well as characters from an ongoing series who have just been introduced, will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. If you're unsure if there is enough information to apply with, feel free to contact us and we can give you a concrete answer. Minor characters with little screen time can be applied for, however the apps will be looked at a little more critically. As we currently do not allow OCs, we need to see an application about a canon character and what we see in the application must match up to what we see in the show. Headcanon is fine, but best used sparingly. That is to say, we don't want to see an application almost entirely comprised of headcanon. This goes for side characters in movies as well. In that vein, the only Homestuck Ancestors we are currently able to accept are Mindfang, The Handmaid, and Her Imperial Condescension as they are the only ones we actually see in canon. For the rest, we get but a line or two of reference, a picture, and nothing else. Though neither Her Imperial Condescension or The Handmaid have dialogue, we do get to see them act within canon and have enough information on their motivations to get a good feel for what sort of people they are. How does the power nerfing work? Character's abilities are dampened to a human level. What this means is, a character with super strength will find themselves now roughly as strong as your average boxer. A character with super speed will now be faster than the norm, but it will be within human limitations. Characters with healing abilities will find these abilities slowed. Where once broken limbs could heal instantaneously, they'll take four weeks instead of the average six to repair themselves. Magic will be muted to a shadow of it's former glory. Torrents of fire will now be tiny, flickering flames. Characters with psychic or telepathic abilities will find them greatly weakened and find them exhausting. At most they may be capable of picking up a feeling, or perhaps pushing one onto another person. They will be unable to read thoughts. Telekinetic will now only able to move small objects around and will find that incredibly taxing. Characters who could fly will now find themselves able to jump a little higher. If we feel that something may need to be dimmed down, we will request further limitations be placed. Do characters have to be human to be applied for? No. Characters do not have to be human to be applied for. Characters who are humanoid such as the Homestuck trolls, elves, faeries, and characters with animal attributes keep their defining features. Any additional abilities they may have due to their race are dampened or removed. They would have to get used to the changes that would bring to them, such as a faerie suddenly being human sided and no longer able to fly as they pleased. Or an elf being mortal and unable to communicate with nature. However, characters who are AIs, such as GLaDOS, or androids, robots, or other such man made creatures would be given human bodies. Like the supernaturals, they would have to get used to having a human body. It's a slightly steeper learning curve if they never had a body beforehand, as walking, peaking, sleeping, eating, and all other human bodily function would certainly take some getting used to. While the knowledge is known to the body, the mind won't immediately know how to use it and it can take up to a month and a half for these things to feel natural. Finally, characters who are animal, such as Red XIII, do keep their animal forms. If they are larger than the average human then they will be shrunk down to no larger than a horse. If they have any super natural abilities those will be nerfed upon arrival. Characters may also have much difficulty operating the network. How do supernatural characters work? A vampire (assuming traditional lore) could go into the sun (though they would probably burn far easier than any human), but they would lose their super strength and speed, though it would still be above the human average. They may still find that they crave blood and drinking it makes them stronger, but it would no longer be required to survive. Food and water could be consumed instead. Werewolves (assuming traditional lore again) would no longer transform into a beast during the full moon, but they might find that the moon gives them extra energy and they may become more wild, crave raw meat, etc. Their senses will still be stronger than your average humans. ARRIVAL QUESTIONS. What will my character see when they wake up? A detailed summary of what happens is available here. You say that weapons come with them, what about summoned weapons? Summoned weapons will be on the table along with the rest of their items. They will be unable to put the weapons back to wherever they pull them from and will have to carry them around. Can they stay in the laboratory? No. Characters will find that after a few hours, they're compelled to leave the lab. A pressure in their head will start and will worsen the longer they stay. Not to mention, a nagging voice or two isn't afraid to tell them to get out. The laboratory is also not exactly the safest place to hole up in. The outer walls are made entirely of glass and there is a good chance the deeper rooms hold danger. What can they see of their canon? To reduce the risk of info-modding, characters can only see the parts of their canon that are relevant to them and what they have already experienced. How long can characters browse their canon material? They can browse until they are forced to leave. So, a few hours at most. Can they take their canon with them? No. They'll find they're unable to leave the room while holding whatever their source is. What are in the bags they receive? Characters will find a week's supply of food and one randomly generated weapon. Are the characters limited to Kingswater? No. Kingswater is but the first stop, a safe space for characters to learn what they're in for before they're shuffled off. You mentioned the game has a changing environment? Yes. Kingswater is the first town, but there will be many others. Eventually the towns become overrun or supplies are exhausted and characters are forced to move. Maps detailing the next locations will be released to characters when the Caretakers feel it's time for them to go. Will there be other kinds of zombies? Absolutely. The bestiary will be updated as new kinds are introduced. MISC. What happens to dropped characters? Dropped characters die. The technology they were brought here with isn't perfect, nor is the revival process. Sometimes, things just fail. Or if a mun prefers they can write their character going out in a blaze of glory. They just will not be revived, as their data becomes too corrupt to be of use for revival. If a mun chooses to reapp, the scrambled data is realigned and the character is restored with memories. If they don't and someone new apps in instead, the character is brought in as if they were never hear before. Characters who knew them in their original stay do not forget them and retain all memories. You mention "rewards" for good behavior. What does this entail? The Caretakers keep an eye on the group. The hardier the survivor, the better chance they have of getting something good. For powered characters, this could be an increase to their abilities. For nonpowered characters, it could be weapons, armor, ammunition, etc. All characters also have the option of requesting a personal belonging be brought in. I have to hiatus! What do I do with my character? Players have the option for sending their character for "maintenance" with the Caretakers. Something wrong has been discovered and they are temporarily recalled in order to have things put right. This entails a series of tests that the character will most likely not remember, as well as a lengthy time spent sleeping. How does a canon update work? The character will be removed from play for three days to a week. They will be taken away for what the Caretakers refer to as "maintenance" and will have a series of tests preformed on them to ensure that their body and mind are still functioning as they should. ICly, a canon update is done if the Caretakers find that there is something wrong. They'll be strapped to the table they arrived on and put into a deep sleep to be "de-fragmented". They'll find themselves exactly where they were in their story and events will carry on as they should. They will not remember the Real World until reawakening. When they awaken, it will feel exactly as if they have gone back home and been brought back. In reality, their body will not have left the room as it is a purely mental experience. Are there NPCs with the towns? No. There is no one else other than the Caretakers and the player characters. The Caretakers do not interact with characters in person. Do items restock? No. Characters must get what they must out of a town and make it last. When supplies are gone, they must either hunt or move on. Is fourth walling allowed? As long as you clear it with the other mun. How will characters communicate? Most of the IC interaction will most likely be done through logs. While in towns, they do have the option to use their phones for communication and are even encouraged to do so by the Caretakers.
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Comments

[freege]

How will characters communicate during regular gameplay? Face to face, that phone on the table, smoke signals, something else entirely?

[jumpscare]

Excellent question!

The majority of interaction will be done in person, or over the phone. Like most phones it permits personal calls, personal texts, and personal video calls. However, it is also connected to a network much like facebook mobile. This allows a posts of all three formats to the population as a whole.

The preferred type of interaction will probably vary as the environment the characters are in changes.

[goingonfacebook]

Is this going to be more action-spam or log-based?

[jumpscare]

Action spam. By in large it seems to be the preferred method of RPing.

There will be mass logs for events. Players can prose if they like, or they can use the brackets for quick action.

[functional]

What happens when a player drops a character (especially if they had close CR)? Does a character have to be human to be applicable for? What happens when a character is taken from a point where they're dying/injured?

[jumpscare]

1. Dropped characters die. The technology they were brought here with isn't perfect, nor is the revival process. Sometimes, things just fail. Or if a mun prefers they can write their character going out in a blaze of glory. They just will not be revived, as their data becomes too corrupt to be of use for revival.

If a mun choses to reapp, the scrambled data is realigned and the character is restored with memories. If they don't and someone new apps in instead, the character is brought in as if they were never hear before. Characters who knew them in their original stay do not forget them and retain all memories.

2. Characters do not have to be human to be applied for.

Characters who are humanoid such as the Homestuck trolls, elves, faeries, and characters with animal attributes keep their defining features. Any additional abilities they may have due to their race are dampened or removed. They would have to get used to the changes that would bring to them, such as a faerie suddenly being human sided and no longer able to fly as they pleased. Or an elf being mortal and unable to communicate with nature.

Characters who are AIs, such as GLaDOS, or androids, robots, or other such man made creatures would be given human bodies. Like the AIs, they would have to get used to having a human body. It's a slightly steeper learning curve if they never had a body beforehand, as walking, peaking, sleeping, eating, and all other human bodily function would certainly take some getting used to. While the knowledge is known to the body, the mind won't immediately know how to use it and it can take up to a month and a half for these things to feel natural.

Finally, characters who are animal, such as Red XIII, do keep their animal forms. If they are larger than the average human then they will be shrunk down to no larger than a horse. If they have any super natural abilities those will be nerfed upon arrival. Characters may also have much difficulty operating the network.

3. The dying or injured are healed upon arrival. They may feel a little weak but that will pass given time.

[foodstuffs]

Are characters who are dead in this canons unappable, or must be app them from a time point they die in canon? What about ghosts or otherwise undead characters?

[jumpscare]

Characters who have died or are undead may be applied for!

Characters who have died will just be given their body back, good as new.

The undead will also be revived, or at least turned human. They will still carry over attributes of their supernatural state like, say, a vampire may keep it's fangs, but they would be restored to a state which requires all things necessary for life and made effectively human. So, that same vampire may burn easily in the sun and be sensitive to light, but they'd no longer burst into flame. Drinking blood may also make them feel slightly stronger, but is no longer required to survive.

Of course they won't immediately know this to be true and may assume that it's business as usual.

[idontregret]

Say I app this guy here, from Digital Devil Saga. In that series, they have to eat other demons to survive. Would that be taken away, or would he be able to, say, devour the zombies instead?

[jumpscare]

That would be removed. However, he might not be made aware of it upon arrival and continue thinking that he has to find an alternative. Though, eating infected flesh would be a surefire way to getting infected.

[centurial]

Characters keep their powers, but what about their possessions? Animal companions? Can you see where I'm going with this

[jumpscare]

Possessions will be kept so long as a character was touching them. Say, if they had them in a backpack then they would come with them and would be waiting on the table next to them when they came to.

Animal companions will not be given upon arrival. However, they may ask the Caretakers later on and may be granted one if they've proven themselves a capable survivor.

[risks]

How would a vampire, werewolf, or vampire-werewolf hybrid work in this kind of game? Are they appable?

[jumpscare]

Vampires, werewolves, and vampire-werewolf hybrids are absolutely appable! However, they would not retain most of their supernatural powers and some of the limitations would be removed.

A vampire (assuming traditional lore) could go into the sun (though they would probably burn far easier than any human), but they would lose their super strength and speed, though it would still be above the human average. They may still find that they crave blood and drinking it makes them stronger, but it would no longer be required to survive. Food and water could be consumed instead.

Werewolves (assuming traditional lore again) would no longer transform into a beast during the full moon, but they might find that the moon gives them extra energy and they may become more wild, crave raw meat, etc. Their senses will still be stronger than your average humans.

[asking]

How many characters will we be allowed to reserve at once?

[jumpscare]

At this time the number is two.

[king]

If another apper and I write a third person prose log, set in the game's setting, whereby each of us has written 300 or more words, would that be acceptable as as a Third Person sample for both of us?

[jumpscare]

Unfortunately, considering the difficulty involved in figuring out who wrote what, we will not be able to accept that as a sample. Since a third person sample will mainly be used to gauge your individual writing and ability to elaborate upon your character's thoughts and actions, we have to request separate samples.

[slays]

Will you be willing to help/work with us upon apping to find suitable power limitations? Your examples make a lot of sense but super strength levels are always harder for me to gauge (especially because they can vary so much even within the category of "super strength" in a way most other powers are you have it or you don't) and I'm curious if I could just say I'll defer to your limits and get some assist in placing them at an appropriate bar.

[jumpscare]

We definitely are! While it might be a time-consuming task, we do take a look into the canons and characters of the apps and are willing to help find a balance. Super strength in particular can be tricky to place, especially since most series that feature it are pretty inconsistent with how strong the character actually is.

But, for an example of how super strength would be limited. In canon, Buffy can carry steel beams on one shoulder without hardly any effort, and get punched through walls and thrashed around and still come out kicking.

Whereas in game, she would be limited to packing a harder punch than most people and being able to withstand a little more physical punishment. She'd be above average, but no where near her extreme strength in canon. Her weapons training probably would be her greatest strength.

[tasteslikecoconut]

Is there going to be a written page for the pamphlets given to the characters, because I don't want to assume what's in them when my character, who never stops talking, will comment audibly on them even strapped to a table in a room by himself.

[jumpscare]

Yes! We can absolutely do that. It may take a little more time, but we can have that information ready and available before the game starts.

[starspangledspandex]

Hey! I'm looking to app Steve here and I had a couple questions. I'd be pulling him from sometime during Avengers so he'd definitely be serum-enhanced. I just wondered if his abilities would need to be nerfed at all, either strength or healing wise and if so, by much?

I also wondered if he gets bit if he'd be susceptible to the infection and change like normal.

[jumpscare]

For the sake of fairness, Steve is also going to find his abilities dampened to a more normal human level. While he will certainly be above average in all aspects the serum previously enhanced, it will be more to the effect that he can simply punch harder or heal from injuries at a slightly more accelerated rate.

He will also be susceptible to infection, but considering his heightened immunity, it would take longer for him to fully change than the others. Mortal wounds would take up to an hour or so while grazing bites would take a couple of weeks.

[klarion]

What happens to characters' weapons if they have demonstrated being summonable and aren't physically on the character's person, like Kingdom Hearts' Keyblades and the Nobodies' weapons? They seem to fit in something of a gray area.

And this is thinking kinda far in the future (sorry) but, if a person comes from a canon with powered/magical items, would those items work for people from different canons? For example, materia from Final Fantasy VII or Evokers from Persona 3?

[jumpscare]

We've decided that summoned weapons will be on the table along with any other items. However, they will not be able to put them back. Characters will have to carry them around as normal.

If the object has demonstrated an ability in canon to be used by anyone, then other people will be able to use them. However, as of this moment, only what a character brings with them from their home world can be found in the game; aside from what the character brings, these items will not appear anywhere.

Materia and the like can still be used, but most likely will not have much use in combat. For example, fire materia will now only have enough strength to light a campfire or so.

Evokers will be useless, as characters will find themselves unable to summon.

[inksmears]

Can you reserve two characters or just one? (Sorry if this was stated somewhere and I missed it.)

[jumpscare]

You can reserve two characters at a time.

[rockofages]

Hi, I'm looking to App Loki from the Avengers movie. While never specifically remarked upon in Avengers, at the end of Thor he fell with the Casket of Ancient Winters in his possession, albeit magicked away.

Would it be acceptable to have it with him when he lands in this game or because it is not in physical contact with him would he have to go without it? Editing because this probably extends to his armour and helm as well.

I'm happy to have him go without, just curious the mods think.

[jumpscare]

Certainly; the box, armor, and helm will with him once he arrives in the game, though he won't be able to magic them away anymore and the power will be nerfed considerably; the box won't be much more useful than a stocked cooler, and his armor and helm will simply be regular equipment.

[kingsguard]

Hey guys, just something I've been wondering about. Going through the game information I understand that when a character's first brought here they're actually given access to their canon material, the books they're in, the comics they're from, movies and TV shows and what not, and even access to fandom stuff. Doesn't this basically supply any character who bothers to go through all of this with all available information about any of their canonmates, not to mention knowledge of what happens in the past/future relative to their canon points? I'm just wondering how this is going to be handled in the game, especially in regards to infomodding rules, since while a lot of characters certainly wouldn't bother to go through all of their canon, I can think of some characters who might.

[jumpscare]

To reduce the risk of infomodding, characters only have access to what is relevant to them; they'll be able to see what happens to themselves, but events that are not directly witnessed by them somewhere in canon will not be able to be seen. Pages in the book will be blank, the TV will only show static, and information on fansites and webcomics will be nothing more than scrambled text.

Even so, it's still possible that infomodding may be an issue, so we urge players to use courtesy and good judgment if the topic comes up in threads.

[bloodymadness]

I'm considering apping Crona here and I'm trying to accommodate hir black blood into the abilities limitations. I'd like hir to still be able to summon Ragnarok as (one!) sword (and one set of arms, and no wings, etc) and I'm thinking scaling back Crona's regenerative ability to just improved healing should be okay, but I wanted to check first. Also hir strength would be toned down quite a bit as well.

Do these sound reasonable, or are there other things I should consider?

[jumpscare]

While Crona is allowed hir sword along with their other possessions on the table, they will not be able to summon it. Weapons that have previously been able to be summoned now have to be carried around as normal, with magical properties null or reduced to nearly so. Improved healing is allowed (i.e. while a broken leg takes 6 weeks to heal for most, Crona will be healed in 4), and as for strength, it will be the same as other overpowered characters; Crona may have an ability to hit/swing hir sword a little harder than most, but it will not be an extensively noticeable difference.

[birdplane]

Two questions!

1 - Comics characters being what they are, the character I'm looking to app has a pretty substantial amount of canon that I've not found summed up anywhere to my satisfaction. The Marvel Wikia has a pretty decent section, but it still leaves out (or underplays) some arcs that I would view as more important. Would it be possible to link to that, so that you have a definitive canon reference, but also essentially write up my own in-depth history section?

2 - Due to a comic book science-level serum, Fury doesn't age. Would that be true in the game as well, or would he start to show signs of being old as dirt?

[jumpscare]

1. If you are willing to write up a history section for us, you are absolutely allowed to do so. If your written history is sufficiently in depth, you don't need to link us an outside source, but if you feel the Marvel Wiki is a good source of information aside from the arcs you mentioned you are free to link and and then write your history for said arcs, as long as you label it accordingly.

2. Fury will begin to age again, but it won't be all at once. He may wake up to discover that he doesn't feel quite as young as he used to be, but his body will remain as young as it was physically. He will not age rapidly, but essentially time will start for him again.

[uncurse]

some questions about the arrival!

characters show up in a lab: i assume this is a lab in kingswater based on the locations page. what kind of items can be found in the laboratory itself as characters wake up? aside from their canon material and cell phones, i mean. i.e., clothes, anything that could be used for a weapon, outright useful weapons since they're being prepared for the zombies, etc. if nothing, will you be giving us a good idea of where these things can be found on the locations page?

additionally; will the lab always be safe from zombies breaking into it? if so, what (if anything) would discourage characters from holing up there?

[jumpscare]

There will be more details about arrival, the lab, and the phone coming shortly. But upon arrival they will be given a weapon and a week's supply of food upon arrival and that is it. It's their job to go out and find whatever else they need. The arrivals are not being prepared for the zombies so much as they are being prepared to survive in a hostile environment. The Caretakers have a divided opinion on what should be done about the zombies, but it is mutually agreed that it's not prudent to send them out completely unarmed - though the weapons may not be fit for much more than a quick get away.

The locations page will have details on what can be found where.

The laboratory is also most certainly not safe from zombies. In fact, the laboratory is one of the very worst places to be, as it's outer walls are mostly glass and offer little protection. Characters will also most likely not be within the limits of the city long enough to have the choice to hole up in there, but there really isn't anything stopping them from assuming they can weather it out in there. It just would most likely end very poorly.

[lionheart]

A question about character transformation! Not zombie-wise, but I'm thinking of apping a character that has the ability to transform themselves into a specific monster form at will. Kind of like a werewolf, I guess? Would this ability be nerfed completely (if at all) or would they be able to transform certain parts of their body? (i.e. grow claws or something like that)

[jumpscare]

We will allow them to transform a specific body part - say, an arm. They will only be able to change this arm. It would not be any stronger than the rest of their body and the transformation itself would probably rather painful, as well as take a long time (say a day or so) to revert back to it's previous form. The claws would also be about as strong as your average big cat or dog, meaning that they can break or get torn out.

[superfiber]

I saw there was an earlier question about how much the characters would be able to read or see, and I was wondering specifically about the fandom that I'm bringing Nezumi from; No.6. See, I'm taking him from postnovel, so would that mean that he'd be able to read everything except for the parts with other characters? Also, since the majority of the novels are written from Shion's perspective, would Nezumi still be able to read all of those scenes, or just the ones that are in his perspective? (Which are very few.)

And! Another question... Would they be able to bring the books out of the lab with them? ...Not for any other reason than my own amusement, really.

[jumpscare]

As long as they are scenes he's involved in, he can read them as they are written in the book.

The books cannot be taken out of the labs with them.

[not_heavens_adam]

Quick question: are memories/CR from previous RPs allowed?

[jumpscare]

We do not allow previous RP memories or CR AUs.

[lilywhitelies]

Re: Power Nerfing

I can appreciate the idea of dampening powers to ensure no character simply waltzes through the hordes of undead. I was wondering if the power nerfing was also done to ensure a fairly even playing field for both powered and non-powered characters.

I ask because of this: It's possible that if they prove themselves worthy they may find their powers slowly being restored, bit by bit. Their powers will never be returned to their former strength.

If/when that starts happening, things may become unbalanced in favor of powered characters. Will there be any bonuses handed out to gold-star worthy non-powered characters, such as additional ammo and armor, or will they simply have to deal with the new status quo? (In other games, this imbalance is usually addressed from the start by either taking everyone's power and/or giving out new ones. Obviously, that's not how this game is set up.)

[jumpscare]

Thank you for pointing that out! That particular answer has to be reworded as I've noticed it was somewhat unclear.

Yes, non-powered characters are able to be rewarded with better armor, weapons, ammunition, or something from home. It won't be a great amount, but it will be given if they've requested it and it looks as if they've earned it.

Though, when it comes to the powered characters, the upgrades to powers wouldn't be much more than a small bonus in strength, the ability to jump a little higher, magic having a little more effect than it did previously (healing spells may be able to heal larger cuts, fire spells may now craft more withstanding flames), etc. It wouldn't be anything large enough to unbalance the playing field between characters or to give them a significant advantage againt the undead.

This is a game with heavy emphisis on the survival aspect of survival horror. We have seen some concern over an imbalance in power becoming an issue, especially with a reward system in place, so we will be careful about what we do and don't give out when the time comes to implement it. It will not be introduced for some time yet.

[(Anonymous)]

Just out of curiosity, will applications be submitted by e-mail or DW comment? If DW comment, then will they be screened or visible?

[jumpscare]

I apologize for the delay in this answer!

Applications are done through unscreened DW comments.

[darjeeling]

Question regarding samples for the app: can the third party sample be linked to a musebox thread or something similar, as long as it still takes place in the game setting?

[jumpscare]

Unfortunately, no. We do not accept links for samples at this time. This may change sometime in the future.