Lethevale Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lethevale_mods) wrote2016-08-24 01:08 am
lethevale_mods) wrote2016-08-24 01:08 am
FAQ/Mod Contact
FAQ
Who can I app?
How come my character can’t be from town?
But I don’t know anything about the time period! Is that a problem?
Will my character ever remember their canon?
What if my character is non-human in canon? Can they ever go back to their canon form in-game?
Can my character have a pet?
Who can I app?
All fictional or fictionalised canons are accepted. OCs are also accepted, and can be treated as canon characters or can be native to the setting. CRAUs, Rule-63 characters, etc. are not accepted, because that means multiple levels of AU are involved, and that's going to get confusing.
We do ask that you avoid playing more than two characters from the same canon, or playing multiple characters who share significant backstory or CR. This is to make it less likely that you end up playing your own characters off each other - RP is a collaborative hobby, after all!
Characters can be taken from any point in canon, up to and including the point of their death. They will not show any signs of fatal injury in this case.
We do ask that you avoid playing more than two characters from the same canon, or playing multiple characters who share significant backstory or CR. This is to make it less likely that you end up playing your own characters off each other - RP is a collaborative hobby, after all!
Characters can be taken from any point in canon, up to and including the point of their death. They will not show any signs of fatal injury in this case.
Wait, so how do these AUs even work?
Your character will come to Lethevale with memories of their life in Lethevale’s world, and an in-universe reason for coming to Lethevale. They can be from the next town over or from the other side of the world, and their reason for being here can be as contrived as you like. The only limit is that your character must be human, must not have magical or supernatural powers, and must not be from the town.
How come my character can’t be from town?
It’s a practicality thing. If your character is from town, they’ll be expected to know things about the town which are relevant to the mystery - for instance, “who lives in that spooky mansion?” is a very different question coming from a stranger than if it’s coming from someone whose entire family has worked in the spooky mansion for a hundred years. Lethevale’s game mechanics rely heavily on exploration and investigation, so having a character with no reason to explore is difficult to manage.
If you have an idea for a character/AU where a townsperson does not know about the town for some reason (amnesia, for example), please discuss it with the mods and we may be able to slot it in.
But I don’t know anything about the time period! Is that a problem?
Not really. Lethevale is based more on gothic tropes than on any actual historical period, so AUs don’t have to be 100% historically accurate. So long as they don’t contain blatant anachronisms (like electronics, or aeroplanes, or laser guns), anything vaguely Victorian-ish is fine. Similarly, don’t worry too much about the specifics of geography - just assume that Lethevale is in a world that only looks like ours.
Speaking of time periods, what about racism/sexism/general historically-appropriate bigotry? Do they exist in this setting?
The short answer is: they do if you want to play with them. If it works best for you to play your female character struggling against sexism, or your non-white character being discriminated against in their backstory, then include it. If not, then don’t.
In Lethevale itself, NPCs may not have an entirely modern understanding of things like gender politics or queer studies, but will not be overtly bigoted about these things. They have bigger worries, and you're all outsiders, anyway.
Will my character ever remember their canon?
The game mechanics at Lethevale allow for canon memory regains. These will usually be a result of investigating certain areas or asking certain questions, so the more mystery-solving you do, the more likely you are to find out things about yourself. If you'd like, your character may also find physical reminders of their canon selves - like items of particular importance, photographs of canonmates, etc.
In some cases, memory regains may happen as a result of game-wide plots or events. However, players are welcome to speak to mods if they want their characters to regain memories, and we can negotiate an appropriate plot contrivance. We’re all about the plot contrivances here!
Memory regains are never compulsory.
Memory regains are never compulsory.
What if my character is non-human in canon? Can they ever go back to their canon form in-game?
Changes do happen in Lethevale, and if you’d like your character to change into their canon form (or a gothic-horror version of it) at some point in the game, that can be arranged. We ask that you play for at least two months in human form before requesting a significant body-change, though - this means you can explore the world, at least for a while, in the AU that fits the setting.
Talking animals and obviously inhuman beings are not considered normal in Lethevale, and NPCs are likely to treat non-human characters with fear, suspicion, and confusion.
In terms of non-human characters, icons should be at least humanoid. If your character doesn't look remotely human, consider using a play-by or humanised fanart.
Characters can also regain powers from their canon, within reason (nothing that would destroy the setting or bypass the plot, obviously). This should be done in conversation with the mods, and again, we would ask that you play for at least two months before requesting power regains.
Characters can also regain powers from their canon, within reason (nothing that would destroy the setting or bypass the plot, obviously). This should be done in conversation with the mods, and again, we would ask that you play for at least two months before requesting power regains.
Can my character have a pet?
Yes! Characters can bring any animals with them into Lethevale, as long as the animal is one that could reasonably exist in the setting (i.e., is a real species and non-magical). If your character has a fantasy pet or companion animal, feel free to AU them too (for example, Korra's polar-bear dog might become an actual dog, or a dragon from Pern might become a very intelligent horse).
There are stables in Lethevale where you can rent a stall, and most of the town is welcoming enough to dogs - although if they're big enough and lupine enough, some people might give them a bit of a nervous side-eye.
In the rules you mention using warnings. What needs to be warned for?
Warnings should be added to any threads or posts which may make people uncomfortable. This includes sexual content (Lethevale is not a sex game, but sometimes that stuff happens), and also common triggers or sensitive subjects like abuse or bigotry. You might also consider warning for large images, and putting them under a cut - this can be very helpful for people with slow or unreliable internet connections.
We trust our players’ judgement in using warnings, but if a player is consistently failing to warn for something which is clearly a problem for someone, mods may contact you about it. Similarly, if the mods are failing to warn for something, contact us and we’ll talk about changing it.
We trust our players’ judgement in using warnings, but if a player is consistently failing to warn for something which is clearly a problem for someone, mods may contact you about it. Similarly, if the mods are failing to warn for something, contact us and we’ll talk about changing it.
What happens if my character is hurt or killed?
Lethevale is a horror game, and as such, characters will sometimes be damaged - either by mod-run characters, monsters, or events, or by other players. We feel that allowing permanent harm to come to characters increases the stakes and adds to the atmosphere.
If your character is hurt, the injury will take approximately as long to heal as it would in reality. Permanent injuries, such as scars or loss of limb, are… well, they’re permanent, and should be treated as a part of your character from that point. However, if you feel that your character’s injury is making it too hard for you to play the character, talk to a mod. We may be able to negotiate a solution.
If your character is killed, this is also permanent. However, they can come back in a changed form, as a ghost, vampire, or revenant. You can find more information about these changes here. If they are killed a second time, then you must drop the character - although it’s worth noting that killing the undead is a lot harder to do by mistake!
If your character is hurt, the injury will take approximately as long to heal as it would in reality. Permanent injuries, such as scars or loss of limb, are… well, they’re permanent, and should be treated as a part of your character from that point. However, if you feel that your character’s injury is making it too hard for you to play the character, talk to a mod. We may be able to negotiate a solution.
If your character is killed, this is also permanent. However, they can come back in a changed form, as a ghost, vampire, or revenant. You can find more information about these changes here. If they are killed a second time, then you must drop the character - although it’s worth noting that killing the undead is a lot harder to do by mistake!
So if I drop a character, do they die?
Not necessarily. When dropping a character, you should contact the mods to discuss what happened to them - so long as it doesn’t mean they physically left Lethevale, we’re open to ideas! Maybe they were attacked by wolves, or fell horribly ill, or just went mad with fear and ran off into the forest to live with the bears. Dead characters can come back to the game, but must be applied as dead characters, i.e. as a ghost, vampire, or revenant.
If you do not discuss this with the mods, including if you idle out of the game, then your character will be assumed to have disappeared mysteriously. They probably wandered into the woods or mountains and got lost. This allows for characters to be picked back up, if necessary, without taking a death change.
If you do not discuss this with the mods, including if you idle out of the game, then your character will be assumed to have disappeared mysteriously. They probably wandered into the woods or mountains and got lost. This allows for characters to be picked back up, if necessary, without taking a death change.
Someone dropped a character I really want to play! Can I apply with another version of them?
Yes! They do have to be a different version, though, with a different AU backstory. The new version of the character will not carry over any in-game changes from the old version. You should state in your OOC intro, when the character joins the game, whether you’re comfortable with them being recognised as similar to the previous version.
Mod Contacts
Currently, there is only one mod. However, more may be added if it turns out to be necessary. If you'd be interested in helping out, please let Jormy know!
![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
lethevale | lethevale_mods
VIEWED BY ALL MODS
jormandugr | jormandugr
Timezone: GMT
Currently, there is only one mod. However, more may be added if it turns out to be necessary. If you'd be interested in helping out, please let Jormy know!
MOD CONTACT
lethevalemods@mail.com | lethevale_modsVIEWED BY ALL MODS
JORMY
she_hunts_by_night@yahoo.com | jormandugrTimezone: GMT
writings ooc mods mod npcs | setting premise faq/mod contact gameplay | taken latest tdm application au workshop | hiatus/drop calendar latest hmd | |
no subject
You might regret asking this, because the mod is an anatomy nerd with a special interest in prosthetics and you have NO IDEA how hard I'm working not to fall down a rabbit hole of medical history.
The long story short is that he certainly could come in with an alternative prosthetic. There are lots of really cool 19th century prosthetics out there, which you could draw on if you wanted: Bucky could arrive in Lethevale with something like the examples in this article (can I recommend to you this fabulous Swiss Army hand?) in place of his canon arm.
If you wanted to work it into his backstory, you could also have the non-historical-but-very-Gothic option of mad science. It wouldn't be vibranium, probably wouldn't even be titanium, but if you wanted to have something more delicately-functioning than the actual 19th century had, well, there's plenty of space in this setting for steampunk.
no subject