Can I have an invite to play in this game?Most likely, yes. This is a private game, but we have an invite request process - think of it as an individual interest check. You’ll need to answer a few short questions (no essay needed, honest) and the mods will get back to you, usually within three days. Request an invite
here!
Who can I apply to play in this game?We are pretty open as far as the types of applicable characters goes for this game. Since rifts in space and time are all over, potential passengers come from all realities. OU and AU (canon or fan-made) fandom characters are allowed, as are original characters. Tabletop campaign characters? Why not. CRAU/previously played characters? Absolutely! Characters with limited canon? If you can write a convincing application, go for it.
Fan-made AUs, malleable video game protagonists, and fandom OCs will be considered on a case-by-case basis, with input from any existing cast members at the time of application.
Our current hard "no"s for applicable characters are: pregnant characters; fandom OCs with close surprise relationships to canon characters and/or outrageous abilities; child characters who are
not reasonably self-sufficient; and real people, unless from a fictionalized canon.
Multiples are allowed but must have a significant enough difference that would distinguish them as separate people instead of clones/copies.
There is a 30-day waiting period before applying for a character/canon point from newly released media, including episodic media.
What if I want to play an antagonist?That's perfectly fine! While the name of this game is teamwork, it would be boring if everyone got along perfectly from the start. Building CR through overcoming obstacles is going to be more of a power boost for the Navigator than if everyone has an easy time all of the time, so please, bring us your assholes if that's what your heart desires. Chaos is fun!
How many characters can I play?Each player can play FIVE characters, provided they are from different fandoms. In other words, no player may play multiple characters from the same fandom; this is to keep things fair, due to the cast caps being set small. Players
may play multiple original characters, provided they are from different worlds/universes and do not have IC knowledge of each other.
To start, the game has an overall cap of 50 characters, and a per-cast cap of 7. (Fandoms with multiple installments, such as
Final Fantasy,
Persona, DC/Marvel, etc. will be treated as a single cast for cap purposes.) The overall number of original characters allowed in the game is 17, i.e., one third of the game cap, to keep a good balance with fandom characters.
Please note: these are
initial caps. Depending on player interest, both the game and cast caps may be increased.
Once caps are reached, you are still welcome to submit an application onto the waiting list, and wait-listed apps will be reviewed when and if a slot opens up or caps are increased.
Players may only submit one application at a time, and must be in good standing with activity (i.e., passing AC) before submitting an application for a second character. This means you must pass regular AC with a thread of content, not just create the new character AC link, before applying for character #2. Applications from players on hiatus will not be considered until after the player is off hiatus and has passed the next activity check. Players clearing a strike may not apply for a second character until the strike has been cleared.
Can I play a dead or dying character?Yep! On being brought to the ship, any dead/dying characters will be placed in the ship's Neogenesis Chamber, where they will be revived/healed.
Reviving dead characters is a significant strain on the ship, however, so it's generally recommended y'all try your hardest to stay alive. You definitely don't want to cause the ship to malfunction due to exhaustion!
Can my character be killed in the game?Yes - again, any characters who are killed through gameplay will be placed in the ship's Neogenesis Chamber, where they will be revived, but see above re: strain on the ship. Revived characters will also be subject to memory loss - that is,
they will lose one memory for every time they die. (Characters who are dead on arrival are exempt - the first time.) Please carefully consider the costs of killing your characters!
What can my character bring with them?This ain't a luxury cruise! Characters will arrive with whatever clothes they're wearing and whatever they are carrying on their person - so no luggage, no backpacks, no duffel bags. Weapons are allowed, as long as they are small and portable, i.e., knives, daggers, pistols are allowed, but battle axes, swords, machine guns are not. Ammo for guns will be extremely limited - there is no weapon system in the ship itself, so there are no weapons stores kept. You may encounter weaponsmiths on planets when the ship docks, but the chance that they will carry replacement ammo for your specific type of gun is
extremely slim. Weapons that are part of the character are allowed, as are summonable familiars that are meta/physically bonded to the character. Pets/other companions will be considered on a case-by-case basis, so please consult a mod for suitability. For a general example guideline, Personas are fine, Luna from
Sailor Moon would have to be applied for as a separate character.
Do characters keep their powers?Broadly, yes, but anything world-ending or game-breaking will be nerfed or suppressed. For example, if your character is a teleporter, they can teleport inside the ship only, not out into space/another planet/home and back. Time traveling abilities would be similarly limited.
We strongly suggest you include a separate permissions post for any characters with intrusive abilities such as telepathy/mind control, destructive abilities like pyrokinesis, etc, or combine it with your general permissions post.
Please include all powers in your application for mod review - anything not listed will not be allowed in-game.To demonstrate that you have thoroughly read and understand both the rules and the FAQ, please include the phrase “In space, no one can hear you scream” somewhere in your application.
What is the game’s pace/event schedule?We’re aiming for a medium-ish pace with mod-run events, usually either one weird rift-caused on-ship event or a visit to a planet per month. This should allow plenty of time for thorough player involvement, as well as breathing space for player-run plots and general CR-building between characters. We try to keep the tone of events varied; some will be more lighthearted, some will dip into more serious genres like horror. We also welcome player
suggestions for events!
What are the AC requirements?The AC requirements are laid out
over yonder on the Activity Check page.
What if I can't make AC?We all know life comes at ya fast, so if you need to take a break, please drop a comment on the hiatus post [link coming soon]. You can either autopilot or have your character be taken by ship drones into a temporary stasis/cryosleep. Hiatuses will not be counted if they are not logged on the hiatus post. Hiatused characters will be exempt for the month if the hiatus is two consecutive weeks in the same month but a player on hiatus will still need to respond to the AC post noting the hiatus.
If you can't make AC and can't hiatus due to extenuating circumstances, please get in touch with a mod. We are willing to work with players within reason!
If you can't make AC and didn't post a hiatus, you may also request a strike on the AC post, which will be cleared with two consecutive months of meeting AC, but if you strike twice in a row or fail to respond to AC, your character will be swept, i.e., placed in long-term stasis. Reapplication for swept characters will be considered on an individual basis and are granted by mod discretion.
What if I need to drop?We'll be sorry to see you go! But it happens, we understand. Just fill out the drop post. ICly, dropped characters from players in good standing are placed in long-term stasis for the remainder of the journey. They are not counted toward cast or game caps, so they can be applied for by another player as a new addition. If eligible, you may reapply for a character you've dropped as a CRAU version, keeping in-game memories on awakening from cryosleep.
Characters who are ineligible for reapplication will be removed from the game in a method of mod team's choosing.
Can I canon update my character?Nope, sorry. The rifts do not function like a revolving door. Once you're here, you're here to stay.
How does the partner system work?WELL I AM GLAD YOU ASKED. Since the Navigator is an empathic being, it draws strength from the emotional bonds of its passengers. Characters will be assigned to pairs (or potentially a group of three, but no more than three), and paired characters will recognize each other by their glyphs' behavior (more on that in a minute). ICly, the pairings are made by the Navigator, based on what it's able to sense about its passengers; OOCly, this is done by the mod team with player input.
Characters from the same canon will not be paired, either temporarily or permanently. Temporary pairings will be made every other month, and are a good way to test out the waters with character compatibility. CR doesn't necessarily develop immediately, and part of the aim of this game is to encourage character development through these partnership bonds. So what may seem like an oil-and-water pairing can work out to be extremely emotionally fulfilling with some effort. Everybody wins!
Players can request temporary pairings or be randomly assigned by the mods. Permanent pairings must be requested and confirmed by the players of both characters. Mosey on over
here for partner pairings.
OK, now explain the glyphs?Glyphs are markings that all characters will have upon waking up in the ship. Each character will have the same glyph, in the same place; it looks like a set of three concentric circles inside of a downward-pointing triangle with three lines radiating inward to the centermost circle from the points of the triangle (see icon above), and it will be placed on the back of each character's dominant hand (or pick one, if ambidextrous). It looks mostly like a tattoo, but it doesn't hurt or feel weird in the slightest.
The glyphs serve as a link between partners. Here's how characters will recognize their partners for the first time: their glyphs will light up a blinking blue until synced, then solid (think Bluetooth pairing), and there will be a slight tugging sensation toward the partner character. When partners are working especially well together, they will feel a strong connection to each other, and their glyphs will glow a steady green. If a character is in extreme distress - for example, if they've been kidnapped and are being menaced at gunpoint - their partner's glyph will blink rapidly in red, as a warning. Glyphs also enable a telepathic link between partners - think of it as a two-way private comm line. It's not intrusive; partners should not be picking up on each other's thoughts at all times, only when there's a focused intent to communicate.
Glyphs also function as a link between the Navigator and the passengers. The Navigator has the same glyph on its forehead; it communicates telepathically with all passengers, and enables the same the other way around.
What about spoken and written languages?All characters will be implanted with speech modulation nanite on arrival; this is done by a drone while characters are unconscious. It is a quick, painless process, and it's so small it's undetectable under the skin. There is no way to remove it. This enables all characters to understand each other, regardless of what language they're speaking.
Written languages will remain untranslated unless read aloud.
Besides the glyphs, how do characters communicate with each other?There will be a portable comm device available to each character for text, audio, and video transmissions, found on a dock inside their cabins; likewise, characters can use the ship's intercom system to address everyone on board at once. These devices are impossible to disassemble or hack, and since they're actually part of the ship itself, it would be pretty rude to try.
Device transmissions can either be on an open channel or sent to a specific individual, but cannot be made anonymously. Device broadcasts will be identified by a default serial number identifying each character, which can be changed to a custom user name, but it will be up to characters to provide their actual names to each other. In other words, if you play a lying liar who lies and gives an alias, there will be no way for other characters to know this at a glance, as there is no shipwide manifest.
Log posts for in-person activities, in addition to intercom, device, and glyphlink communications, should all be posted in
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
eyemind. It should be obvious what type of post your character is making, so there is no need for separate communities to split up different types of communication. Combo posts (i.e., network and later action) are allowed.
Private device inboxes kept on character journals are also permitted but are not required.
What is the ship like?In a word, it's organic-tech; the ship is a living, sentient creature, and the interface is called the Navigator, or Navi for short. The Navigator is an agender being with a humanoid face and many limbs, and is fused to the command chamber. The same glyph that is on the backs of passengers' hands is also on the Navigator's forehead.
There are five decks with cabins and various other common spaces, and a sixth deck below for characters kept in stasis. The walls of the ship are smooth, a metallic grey color, and a solid material - more organic than metal, warm to the touch. If you happen to be a barbarian and decide to try carving some graffiti into the walls, they will bleed a blue-green viscous fluid, and the Navigator will give you a sharp reprimand.
Throughout the ship, there are a number of small drones of varying sizes and shapes. These perform various functions, from injecting speech modulation nanites into new arrivals to placing characters into cryosleep.
Please see the
setting page for more details about the cabins and common rooms on the ship.
Any other questions?Leave a comment below and we will answer as soon as we are able!
