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- It is expected that you have read the books. Although this game is only CANON-BASED, you will still need to know the general histories of characters that you are playing and of any others closest to them, as well as be familiar with the world they live in. Please refer to the Encyclopedia of Arda for anything you do not know, in regards to general information. We will accept other sources on a case by case basis and book canon will always override movie canon. If you have any questions about this, please contact a moderator. We accept the following resources in the following order (greatest to least): Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, various encyclopedias, HoME series, MERP guides, and the LotR movies. - Journals should be updated once every two weeks, OR the character should be played in IM, community journal posts, or the main chat. To clarify - The POSTING REQUIREMENT is ONCE EVERY TWO WEEKS, or TWICE A MONTH, with YOUR CHARACTER OF CHOICE. Thus, you do not need to post twice a month with every single one of your characters. While we love to read your entries, we understand that often times the creative well has a clog stuck in it or that your daily life has become hectic. Please contact a mod if you feel you are absolutely unable to continue with a character. If you disappear for a lengthy period of time without any prior mention, you will be contacted at least twice by the moderators, before your characters are put back up for adoption. - It is up to you to participate and be motivated. No one else is going to do that for you nor are they expected to. - Whatever you submit in the form of an audition must be your OWN, untouched-by-a-third-party, writing sample. We want to know how YOU write AND edit your own work, not how someone else writes or edits it FOR you. If we suspect otherwise or have been tipped off that you have somehow cheated, then we will speak to you about it and deny the application for the character you auditioned for. This is included because this has been an issue in the past. - Original Characters are limited to TWO per mun, on a case-by-case basis via a more stringent audition process. There are no exceptions, unless there is a change in policy in the distant future. An OC does count as one of your five (total) characters. - Muns are not their characters or vice versa. Everyone plays as their character naturally behaves and reacts. If a mun's character reacts poorly to something in a rp, don't blame the mun for it on a personal level or become snarky with them because of that, for that's crossing the line between muns & muses. Its called common sense. Please use it. - If you need to leave for any extended period of time, inform the moderators by posting in the main UT journal, sending an e-mail, or through AIM. - The game is set at nearly four years (or 3.5 years) after the destruction of the One Ring. - Characters who were dead can be returned, and there must be a plausible cover story and/or reason to bring them back. If your chosen character has sailed, you can always find a reason to bring them back, too. So if you have a favorite character that you always wanted to have, you can! Go you!
- For examples of how NOT to write, please view the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. Purple Prose is a hugely frowned-upon no-no, so we'd advise that you read this, also. Why? Because no one likes reading seven lengthy thesaurus-raped paragraphs of over-glorified and glossied up gibberish. - Always observe the Roleplayer's Etiquette. If not, you WILL be reminded to, as a refresher course. Repeatedly - until it is permanently ingrained into your subconscious mind - if necessary. - Inter-racial relationships should be scrutinized carefully. Human and Elf marriages rarely end without some measure of tragedy, for example. They are not forbidden, but if they become excessive, action will be taken. Always keep the natural consequences in mind. - Keep excessive cursing to a minimum or keep it in character. For instance, keep as the character curses as a character of that world - i.e. cursing like a cornered Gondorian soldier or bearing in mind that Rohirric characters are perhaps more likely to curse than those born into other races/cultures. Please keep cursing to a minimum in the main chatroom, as there are some minors present. If it is excessive in a log, please label or rate it, so that other people know what to expect. - Avoid "Bunnying" someone else's character in your own written responses during an RP. A mun can only control their own character's actions, not the actions of another character. Talk to a moderator if you have any questions about this. - No Godmodding. No Valar-like, indestructable superpowers. All characters are subject to injury and flaws, without exception. Any great displays of power should have a natural consequence. If you have any questions about power levels or usage of such, talk to a moderator. A moderator may contact you if they think there is any possible abuse of power. - No Metagaming. Just because the mun knows something oocly does not mean a IC character knows. This applies to "bad guy characters" because, just as in real life, often times you will not know what's coming until they actually DO something "bad" to you. There is never any prior warning of what's happening due to a "spider-sense." Please view this friends-only etiquette essay for further clarification on terminology and what to avoid. - Mary Sues make us cry. A lot. Well, actually, these links are not only here for a good reason, but also because they're a roaring good laugh, too. *ahem!* If you write an O.C., make sure they do make mistakes and have depth and flaws, please, and aren't written solely for romantic self-gratification. We DO like strong and detailed back-histories, ability to fit into equally shared plots, and individuality. Just be aware of the Sue, that's all, otherwise that nasty, dreaded word will definitely come up in conversation. Mmkaythanx. - Keep any prospective sexual relations in private IM. Do not display it via journals or in the main chatroom. If there is any sexual content, please make a note of it and place it behind a LJ cut for those who are not interested in reading it. - If you want to interact with another mun's character(s), you may contact them through IM, then edit and post the log. You can also make a post in the Untold_Tales community journal or ask them to roleplay in the main chatroom. If all else fails, e-mail the mun to set up a time to roleplay with them, as some muns are in drastically different timezones. - All avatars must be approved by the moderators, as there will be no sharing (unless they are twins) between two characters. Notify a moderator of any changes. - All characters should retain their canon history as written by Tolkien, but you may expand upon this in areas where there is little to nothing written. - No male pregnancy (m-preg) is allowed in this game. - If your characters want to have a child together, please run it by a moderator and it will be played as a seperate, original character. The child will need a mun and you natural progression of the pregnancy must be observed (no popping it out a month after you find out the significant other is preggers!). Age progression is up to all those involved, i.e. - parents and child. - If you plan on killing off your character, talk to a mod first so they are aware of your plans. Bringing back a recently deceased character is not as easy as it might seem and other characters will ask questions. - Ongoing romantic RPs should be kept private. We're happy for your characters, really, but we're not here to read an on-going romance novel. - Slash is now allowed, but within reason. To expect that the entire populace has an affinity for same-sex relationships is ludicrous. The same rules apply for ongoing romantic-based rps. Please respect your fellow muns and their characters preferences and orientation. If things get too out of hand, it will be hastily brought to your attention. - No incest, unless it has otherwise been outlined by Tolkien.
- Please label anything of a 'graphic' nature (bloodshed, violence, anything that might be considered remotely sexual) and place it under a lj-cut, for other muns who might be sensitive to such material. This way, they are aware of what they will be reading, therein.
- No Trolling in the main chatroom (deliberately trying to start a debate or argument with other muns). If you have a something to say that might instigate a fight with someone else, please take it to a private message and try to work out the disagreement between you. If this does not pan out, contact a moderator for assistance. - No cybersex in the Untold Tales chatroom. Bear in mind that some muns might be under the age of consent and not everyone here enjoys lewd or lascivious material. - If you have a problem with another mun and can not politely reason things out with them, IM or e-mail a moderator to let them know of the situation. If there are no mods around at the time, then e-mail the staff with a copy of the encounter (copy & paste it into the e-mail or ask if its all right before sending as a file attachment) and we will contact you as soon as possible. - If you want to leave the game, contact a moderator through e-mail or leave a post on the main Untold Tales journal, to let us know. This site is updated v. frequently to reflect those changes. - OOC conversation in the main room should be kept to a minimum if a RP session is in progress. It is okay to ask questions (always in brackets), but try not to interupt someone else's roleplaying with a lot of side-chatter. It is considered very rude, distracting, and interupts the flow of a roleplay already in progress. If you want to chat about the weather or Aunt Bertha's new haircut, take it over to a private IM.
- There is a seven day waiting period, between each mun adopting one new character (canon or original). - If your roster is already full (eight characters, maximum), then you can NOT submit a new audition. If this is the case, then you must drop one of your five characters (give them up for adoption) to free up one character spot, prior to submitting a new audition. - New muns are allowed a trial period of two weeks. If you are not actively participating during the "settling in" period, we will talk to you about a lack of participation. Also, if you do not feel the game is right for you during this two week trial, you can also give notice and leave of your own accord, putting your character back up for adoption. No hard feelings, everyone will just consider it as a learning experience. - New muns can ONLY enter the game with a canon character audition. You may not start out by auditioning for an original character, because you must prove that you can first handle a canon character within the game setting. You must wait until the trial period of two weeks is over, before adopting a well fleshed-out O.C. The more information, paragraphs, and background provided, the better. That means: MULTIPLE FULL-LENGTH PARAGRAPHS. - The moderators reserve the right to write back and politely ask for further elaboration or a rewrite, if an audition is deemed "too short" or somehow "lacking". We would like to get a feel for your insights into a particular character, prior to approval. - This game is ages 13 and up, following guidelines set by COPPA. - Again, always remember that muns are not their characters & vice versa. Its a fine line. It works like this: mun | character. That line between them is not blurred. Its quite solid and clear. If a character says or does something "mean" to your character, don't take it personally. If there are naturally cranky people living in the real world, then there are naturally cranky characters running around, too. - Trying to navigate around the five character max limit (etc) by assuming a false name is frowned down upon. It might result in (due to IP# matches) you losing ALL of your characters, on the grounds of assuming a false identity. - We do not 'hold' or 'set aside' any characters for people to audition; auditions are on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you want to adopt a character, try out for them a.s.a.p. or someone else might adopt the character, before you do. The only exception is if a mun is returning back into the game, and wants to pick up a character that was once in their roster. Further issues will be worked out, in such instances. - Babysitting a character (thus anyone else can step in and adopt the character at any time) does not render a person automatically exempt or offer any form of special status where new auditions are concerned. Babysitting is essentially NPCing the character in question, post-adoption, and is not a solution for skipping an audition. That is to say, requesting to babysit a character without adopting it first, will be denied. If you are currently babysitting a character, they are still up for adoption, hence: - 99.9% of the time, Babysitting a character is only allowed after a previous adoption status (if you are willing to give up the character if a new mun wants to adopt them) or for plot purposes already in progress (if a character is absolutely needed in a plot in order for it to continue). If an adopted muse starts to fade or putter out, then its all right to drop them down to babysitting. Remember: ADOPT FIRST, BABYSIT AFTER...or you also have the option to drop a character entirely if they fizzle out on you.
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