FAQs
Have a question that you couldn't find the answer to in the Rules or elsewhere? You've come to the right place. If you don't see the answer to your question here, leave a comment and we'll answer you.
Last updated 10/19/11.
Prospective Player FAQ:
Is this a crack game?
Yes and no.
Yes in that the background the characters are stuck in is, as mentioned in the premise, a "bad fanfiction" - so they're subjected to all of the tropes and random whims of the Author, which means ever-changing plots as she refuses to make up her mind, events that are crack-laden, and all of that. The plots range from fairly serious/dangerous to just plain screwball.
No in that the characters, themselves, and how they're dealing with the setting is played a little more straight, and serious plots are perfectly valid; we do encourage long-term character development and relationships! Think of it as playing for meta/deconstruction of the usual tropes, good and bad; this is a setting where Genre Savvy is a valid survival skill and characters are expected to recognize that it's insane and doesn't always make sense.
What is the pacing like?
It's a sort-of medium paced game, and currently not a huge one, either. Time does pass 1:1 for day/passage, with backtagging and backthreading encouraged heartily; we have people in a lot of time zones. Of course, some plots are going to be busier than others, but we are trying to mind making sure there's enough time on big plots to deal with everything, and that there's enough calmer/quieter plots between for characters (and MUNs) to have some downtime and catch up.
How long do plots last?
Plots last anywhere from one week to three, depending on their depth and scope. Most of the crack plots - the genderflips, disappearing clothes, and stuff that's just comedy crack - are one week; plots with twists/changes will go from two to three weeks, with some plots running about a week and a half. New plots start on Monday; if a plot ends in mid-week, then as warned in the plot post, the effects of that plot will end on either Wed. or Thur., with the remainder until the next plot being downtime at the Manor with nothing special happening.
When do plots go up?
Sunday night or Monday morning, depending on the mods' schedules. We try to have things mostly ready ahead of time! IC'ly, the new plot is assumed to go into effect on Monday.
What’s a spoiler post?
Spoiler posts are, basically, the warning about the plot coming the following week. This gives the players time to plot and prepare. They go up generally in the middle of the week, with timing depending on the plot; bigger things or things requiring more MUN-planning or signups we'll try to have up Monday or Tuesday, while less planning intensive plots might lag a little on spoiler-posts.
What kind of plots are there?
Damn near anything. Most plots take place within the Manor environs, and generally fall into either "things that affect characters specifically" or "environmental effects"; an example of the former would be a gender-flip or characters getting haunted by a ghost of someone they knew that died, while the latter would be things like a tribble infestation, a slasher-flick killer on the loose, or an effect where clothes disappear in sunlight.
There's also some plots that will change the environment - for example, the Fairy Tale plot, when the Manor became a typical fairy-tale high-fantasy castle, with monsters inhabiting the forest. During these plots, your character's room will change to match, with all changes reverting at the end of the week.
The other major plot type are Field Trips; the characters find themselves somewhere that isn't the Manor. In most cases, instead of their room, they'll wake up in a hotel room or closest setting-appropriate equivalent, specified in the plot post; for things like city field trips, characters can be scattered across the city in question. In most cases, their possessions will simply be moved to the temporary quarters, although in some cases, like the Raccoon City plot, they'll simply find themselves in a room with what they'd usually carry on them in the room. The cities etc. for Field Trips ARE populated, and there will be appropriate wildlife; however, the population is "NPC's" - generally generic, forgettable placeholder-"People" as described in the setting information, unless otherwise specified.
If your character acquires things during a plot - shopping during a city field trip, picking things up that they want to keep during an environment change, etc. - it will be back in their room when the Manor reverts to "normal" at the end of the plot as long as they made some effort to keep it with them or keep it in "their room", with the below-mentioned exception of ammunition. This does allow for things like getting new clothes, books, trinkets, gifts, souvenirs, etc.. In most cases, anything living is exempt; you can't adopt a pigeon in Venice, and the Pokémon from that plot disappeared at the end of the week, although every once in a while there might be an exception.
Is there a chat or anything?
There is! It's on AIM blast chat badficmanor; if you have a hard time getting in or aren't sure how to get into a blast, feel free to ping one of the mods on AIM or PM (or Plurk) and we'll get you into it - we're online quite a bit and happy to help. If you have a question/comment/something to address to the RP as a whole, feel free to also use the OOC comm. Chat's generally pretty active, and we welcome new players and prospective players, just let us know!
Application FAQ:
What is the App Cycle like? What is the Reserve Cycle like?
Applications are reviewed and accepted/denied on Saturdays and Sundays. We'll try to be reading over apps in between, so if there's any questions or clarifications, we may ask for it during the week, so you can get it done before the weekend. We don't bite, so don't be afraid to answer questions, and revision requests are just that; we'll say so if there's an honest problem and not just something we'd like clarified or expanded. If somehow your app gets missed or there's something you want to discuss with us about the app, you can PM the mod account or e-mail us at manormods@gmail.com, or just ping one of us directly. Again, we don't bite and both of us are more than happy to help!
Reserves are also open. When you reserve, you have priority on that character for one week. You may receive an extension for another week, provided no one else is interested in that character.
What are you looking for in an app?
We're not horribly nitpicky, but we do want to see that you've got a good grasp on the character, and an understanding of your take on them. We're pretty friendly to filling in gaps with headcanon as long as it makes sense and fits the canon, and we know well enough that the same character can get variances in interpretation between different people! Extra brownie points go if you're making it so that it'd make sense to someone unfamiliar with the canon (which we might not always be!), and some creativity/having fun with it is encouraged. As long as it meets that criteria and does a good job explaining, it doesn't have to be a MASSIVE WALL OF TEXT or a huge thing, but if you feel like going on at length, there really isn't such a thing as "too long". We do appreciate some effort/a solid understanding on the personality section especially!
What are you looking for in the first person and third person writing samples?
For “first person,” it'll be basically action-spam/"script" format; it can be just about any sort of post-example you want, and doesn't have to be a network-post style, although that is a common and easy option. For examples, you can peruse badfic_manor, all interaction in that comm is in this form.
Links to interactions in dressing rooms such as sixwordstories or dear_mun are encouraged if you feel they will be helpful in our assessment of your application, but will not be accepted as substitutes for writing samples. If you need a prompt, consider what your character would first post to the Manor should they be accepted.
For third person, we mean just that. A third person, past tense scene demonstrating your character. Any scene in any context will do. We strongly recommend you to write samples that focus more on introspection than they do on action.
Are OCs and AU's allowed?
Because of the nature of the game, no. Since this is a fan fiction gone wrong the characters should be fandom characters from canon so the Author would know about them. As for AU's, we currently allow canon AU's - if there's more than one version of the story, if there's an alternate timeline shown in part of the storyline where you could confidently write an app, etc., but we are not currently accepting non-canon AU's at this time.
While we do allow fictional versions of historical figures - the British royals from The Tudors, Leonardo da Vinci from Assassin's Creed - we're not allowing actual historical figures or real, currently living people.
Can I reduce the powers of my character?
Absolutely, and at your discretion, too. Flat out "CAN AND WILL BLOW UP THE PLANET" power is probably best nerfed anyway, although anything below that's fine. Please mention this in the Notes section of your app. Keep in mind, however, that once you have set restrictions on your own powers, you can't just ramp them back up again without consulting a mod first. If it's approved, be sure to note it in the ooc comm as well, so everyone's on the same page with your character's abilities. Also if they're not going to NUKE THE MANOR AND EVERYONE IN IT, you don't have to nerf them - we have a DBZ cast, after all.
How many characters can a person app at one time?
The character limit is set at six, and while we will likely impose a limit of 3 reserves at a time, you're free to app as many of those six that you think you can be active with at one time. (Provided no one else has them reserved.) The only exceptions to this are a couple grandfathered-in cases that were in game before the limit was imposed, and who've proven they can keep up all of their characters.
The character I would like to app is a very minor character with little source material. Can I still app?
Absolutely! We had a Matt from Death Note, who gets a whopping 19 panels in his canon. If there's seriously nothing to work from, we reserve the right to decline, but particularly if you can show that there's something there to work from and you've put that much time and effort into extrapolating the character out from what's available, we're pretty relaxed about it.
My character is from something obscure, hard to find, or something that isn't available in an English translation. Can I still app them?
Sure - we already have a few odd ones. All we ask is to make sure you've got links to information or something for us to review. It doesn't need to be scripts or anything; FAQ's, decently detailed plot summaries, and wiki articles are fine, and don't panic if we ping you for a clarification - if we're not familiar with the canon, we do try to get an idea what we're looking at, so we might pester you with questions.
My character has a familiar/summon, can they still have it?
Tentative yes depending on the summon. (Yes, this rule has been recently revised/changed.) If the familiar/summon/whatever is a separate, independent entity that functions as a separate character in the series who's fully fleshed out and all, then it'll probably get turned down as something better apped as a separate character; an example would be Kir from King of Bandits Jing, who has ditched Jing a few times over the course of canon and is more of a partner, and Gouto from the Raidou Kuzunoha games, who might spend most of his time following Raidou around and be an "advisor" character, but is perfectly capable of functioning independently and is a perfectly rounded and detailed character on his own. Oz Vesallius and Alice from Pandora Hearts are another example; as much as Alice is technically Oz's Chain, Alice is, herself, a pretty clearly independent character. If you're not sure, feel free to ask; things that can speak but're more simplistic/less independent personalities are allowed, and it can be a hazy arbitration.
Symbionts, plural systems, dissociative characters, and things that share the body are allowed! This also goes for parasitic entities and possessing entities; Crona and Ragnarok from Soul Eater would be something we'd expect to be a single app from one player, for example, and we've had other characters in the past who had other personalities or other entities dwelling in their body. (Allelujah/Hallelujah from Gundam 00 are another example, or Akito/Agito/Lind from Air Gear.)
As for more classical summons, it'll be a little case by case; GODLIKE SUMMONS OF INFINITE POWER might find themselves nerfed, although again, it's a little fast and loose - if the summon is the character's main source of power and would put them on equal footing with the more OP characters here? It's probably golden. Animalistic pets/summons/weapons that're permanent/major parts of the character are also generally allowed; we've got a few KHR characters with their Box Weapons, for example. Persona characters would still have their Personae for the most part, although there's a note below.
If it's something from a setting where there'd be OODLES of summons/creatures at the character's command, all of them may not make the transition - basically, we'd just ask for it to be not a full "OMG I have 300+ Pokémon can I bring them all?" - and switched for what would be reasonable for the setting and transition. Pokémon trainers would have a team of six but not the ones they had in the box; Persona users or ShinMegaTen devil summoners would be something like six or seven.
My character already has a device/item that would fulfill the functions of the Blackberry. Can it access the network/can they use it as such?
Yes! Just note that it might not always do everything that's expected - a futuristic device won't give you any special edge on things like getting into locked entries, and the rest of the network won't support anything like holographic transmissions.
What's allowable/not allowable in terms of weapons, and is replacement ammunition available?
In most cases, you can assume that if your character has signature weapons or weapons that're among the normal possessions they'd have with them, then those will either be on their person or in their room. This can include enchanted/intelligent/etc. weapons, and living weapons that fit within the familiar rules above. As far as weapons with ammunition, like guns? It's been a long-standing tradition that those get annoying; your character will have what they'd normally carry with them and, at most, two or three reloads depending on the weapon, and will need to find other ways to replace anything used, whether through picking some up during plots or bargaining with the Author. If you want to really annoy them and cut down to just "here's the gun and what's in the chamber", feel free! This goes for canons that normally have some kind of unlimited ammo effect too, like Devil May Cry or Devil Summoner; unless it's established canon that the weapon generates its own ammunition, it's going to be finite, just because the Author's annoying that way. Note that you can't stockpile ammo during plots - it's one of the few exceptions to "things you acquire during field trip plots are returned to your room and kept"; you can replace what you had on arrival and that's it.
My character has a non-standard diet or special requirements for survival, how are those handled?
Case by case basis; if it's a case of something like Tali from Mass Effect, where it's just a matter of not being able to process human food and needing something tailored to their metabolism, assume that it can be found in the kitchen with a little rummaging; most canon-shift or field trip plots will, inexplicably, have things they can eat kicking around somewhere, and if you talk to a mod,we can work something out for survival plots. Vampires and the like are usually stuck looking for donors, although every once in a while you might find a bottle of blood somewhere in the kitchen if it's needed to prevent an outright rampage or death by starvation - just don't count on it. Energy-feeders are going to be case by case; depending on what they eat, they might either end up dealing with "finding donors", or if that's not feasible, we can be contacted to work out some kind of jury-rig! If they need some kind of specialized equipment or sleeping arrangements, that will be a part of their room; a Recupercoon for MSPA trolls, some basic necessary-maintenance equipment for a mechanical or cybernetic character, etc..
Medications can be assumed to be another thing that will turn up with a replenishing supply wherever seems most feasible; characters may not get excess, though, so destroying this would be a feasible way to mess with them if you wanted.
In the case of characters that would be too large/awkward to fit indoors, there'll just be some alternative worked out - Toothless, for example, lives in the barn out by the gardens.
My app is so long it would fill up 3878748483974 comments. Can I just link you to my journal?
Yes, please. We're perfectly happy with apps that're linked from the journal, but we do ask that it be left where the mods and other players can find it for reference while the character's in the game.
I noticed on the Taken Character list that certain casts have specified either Manga or Anime verse. Is it a problem if I would like to app a character from the opposite verse?
Assuming it's a case where the two versions are fairly different (like Kuroshitsuji), no, not really. As for apping into casts from a different canon-version than anyone else, if you don't mind the confusion that'd go along with the different storyline versions, you're welcome to app in; our current X-men cast is a good example - First Class movie!verse Charles, comic!verse Emma Frost. If there's a request up for that character from existing cast on the wanted list, it'd be a highly encouraged courtesy to check with them before apping into their cast with the other version, and we may take whether or not they're OK with the other version into account when reviewing the app.
Are duplicates allowed?
Generally speaking, no. If there's a canon!AU where the two versions have met and coexisted, that would be an allowable exception we'd consider; evilverse!Willow from Buffy and a regular Willow, for example, or Byakuran and Ghost from Katekyo Hitman Reborn!. (Granted Ghost poses a ton of his own problems as far as playability and ability to interact with others that would have to be resolved.) If it's a case of "duplicates" that're from wildly different versions of the canon, we may allow them on a case by case basis! An example would be something like, for Silent Hill, the movie version of Alessa Gillespie vs. the game version - where one version is a willingly demon-cooperating semi-ghost who intentionally created the nightmare realm to try to get revenge on the pseudo-Christian witch-burning cult that victimized her with a mother who was a bullied bystander, while the other is a woobie-destroyer-of-worlds victim of her mother, the leader of a pseudo-pagan apocalypse cult, who is trying to fend off being used as a vessel for a demon and was unwillingly used to create the nightmare realm. Another would be Sherlock Holmes from the BBC modern-AU series, as compared to movie!verse Holmes or Book!verse Holmes.
I’m apping a manga/anime character who doesn’t have a cast here yet. The canons between the two are very different. Should I mention the difference and which version I’m using so you can include it on the Taken Character list?
Yes, please do. It makes it easier for us to keep track of and for prospective castmates to know what they're getting into.
For non-anime characters, do these same rules apply for things like book vs. movie verses?
Yes, absolutely.
Okay, here’s one for you. You have certain characters who MY character would recognize, canonically, as being fictional. (i.e. Sherlock Holmes) Is that allowed?
Yes, if it's stated in canon that they'd have knowledge of that other character. We do expect this to be handled with some courtesy and respect for the other player, and it is encouraged to check with them before waltzing up IC and going "I READ YOUR BOOK YOU'RE NOT REAL WHERE I'M FROM!!". Lest you feel stressy about this, the current player base is very laid back and friendly, and we, the mods, encourage communication - nobody's going to bite your hand for asking if it's OK. If your character is someone like Wallace from Scott Pilgrim who's a gamer, feel free to ask people about recognizing them if they're from some popular media, or to put up a permissions post asking if it's OK!
Considering that the setting itself encourages painting the fourth wall, and several characters have realized that the author is only aware of them as fictional - plus a past event that allowed people to find their canons - we're more inclined to be lenient on this; this game lives and breathes on Meta, so as long as it's handled with some respect for the preferences of the other player on the matter, it's probably fine.
Does the same go for any possibly real life historical figures? (EG the Assassin's Creed Leonardo da Vinci, etc.?)
Yes, it does. Again, though, we're inclined to be lenient, and even moreso with this; if it's something like the example case, it's pretty easy to assume that a character from a version of Earth WOULD have heard of Leo if they're from the right time period, in the historical sense. Of course, it'd be assumed that your character would know the "historical" version - aka, what's in real-world history books, not the version from that canon.
How do canon-updates/canon-resets work here?
We tend to be very lenient regarding both of these. If you would like to canon-update your character, all you have to do is poke a mod, and write a note in the OOC community detailing what specifically will have changed about your character to keep everyone on the same page (ie. any new scars, height/weight changes, personality changes). We are very lax about canon-updates, however you must tell a mod about your intent to do so, and leaving a note on the Taken list with the new canon point is appreciated!
If you're having second thoughts about your canon-point and want to shift them to an earlier one instead of an "update" to a later point, we will allow for that! When the character is "updated", they'll wake up as if they were a new arrival; they'll have hazy, dreamlike memories of the Manor, and won't remember anything that would give them "spoilers" of their own future. (They can still end up getting such from canonmates with later canon points, but this can't be used to cheat and give a character foreknowledge.) While it might be a little awkward, it's safe to assume that they have a general idea about the Manor and how it works, even if it's hazy, and will have fuzzy memories of, and recognition of, other people enough to maintain past CR with possibly a hiccup of confusion.
We also allow for canon-resets if you want to start over fresh at canon-point, too - usually if character-development's shoved you into an uncomfortable corner with the muse; you do have the option of starting from an earlier/later canon point with this, as well as just returning to the same canon-point you'd used initially. In those cases, the character will lose memory of the Manor; other people will remember them, but they lose all knowledge of it - it's a start-over button to use if you seriously don't want to keep up the way things are going with them. As with canon-updates, just contact one of the mods if you want to request any of these, and drop us a note on the taken page to update their canon-point to if it's changing!
Misc FAQs
How did my character arrive at the manor?
That's largely your choice. It could've happened suddenly. Or they could've fallen asleep and awakened in one of the beds. Maybe they arrived here after their death in canon. There's a variety of ways they could've been "penciled in". In most cases, whatever they were last doing, they suddenly wake up in their bed, in their room in the Manor, unless there's some kind of special circumstance or you'd rather put them somewhere odd.
How does the dice system work?
The dice system is strictly optional. It's there in case of fights where the muns can't quite decide the damage and outcome; just ping one of the mods. We're also perfectly OK with whatever randomized system you might feel comfortable with if you're not sure how something's going to go and want to leave it to chance; it's up to you.
What happens if my character is injured but doesn't die?
Deaths are covered in the rules/info post. In the case of nonlethal injuries, they heal normally; characters can get scars and end up with long-term injuries. If you want your character to get maimed by something but don't want a permanent injury to be crippling, or don't want to deal with the whole recovery time, there's usually at least one or two characters kicking around with some kind of healing powers that can be contacted IC'ly, otherwise it's assumed that they'll be nursing the injury with whatever first aid/etc. is appropriate. If the character wouldn't broadcast asking for help, you can feel free to put up an OOC request or work out something with the other players OOC'ly to arrange something.
What happens when the house gets damaged?
It heals. It happens slowly, as if it was a person healing, the holes will get smaller, the dents will discolor, it will do something similar to scabbing. The bigger the "injury" the longer it will take for the house to heal, but it'll usually be intact by the end of the plot at worst.
What happens to my character while I'm on hiatus?
If you're comfortable with catching up, you can do a "so and so has godmod rights/this is what my character is doing in the background while I'm gone"; otherwise, well, it's a big sprawling story and the Author's a flaky teenager. Their name remains on their door, all their belongings are still in their room, they're just nowhere to be found in the Manor. When you return, the last thing your character remembers will be whatever they were doing when you went on hiatus and they got "forgotten", so it basically becomes a lost-time episode for them.
There's a plot I don't want my character involved in/around for, for one reason or another. How can I handle this?
There's a few reasons that you might not want your character subjected to a plot; things that would break them to the point that they're unplayable, things you're not comfortable putting them through, plots that'd be insta-lethal for your character, or things that would cause a muse-ragequit, are all examples of perfectly valid reasons! If you don't want to be involved in a plot with one or more characters, feel free to contact one of the Mods, PM the mod account, or leave messages on the plot/spoiler posts!
In cases like that, there's two ways it can be handled. If it's something where the basic environment is the same and it's something silly like a genderswitch that just affects individuals, and you're OK with it going on around you, you can just opt out of your character being affected; this can even go for things like the "Childhood fears" plot where characters were haunted by things they'd be afraid of - for that week, your character is still present, and can interact with everyone else while they're affected, but they, themselves, aren't a victim of the plot.
If it's something where there's a drastic environment switch, or being present at all would pose a problem, then characters can be put into the same kind of "absence" that would be used for long hiatuses; their nameplate is there, their room is still present with all their belongings (although non-roommates couldn't get in), but they're nowhere to be found, and when the plot is over, they're put back where they'd been before; it's lost time - to them, a couple seconds ago it was "a week ago" and the last plot.
Also, in the case of characters that're nonhuman/subject to special restrictions, if a plot is something they wouldn't be able to interact with or that would be inherently lethal to them, we do allow options to have them temporarily adapted - for example, whatever condition or weakness would make it impossible for them being "waived" for the week, a nonhuman character being turned human, etc.; one example that has happened is Alessa Gillespie of Silent Hill, normally played as "Her body is semi-comatose and in her room, what you interact with is a sort of psychic projection/'haunting'" - for something like the Titanic plot, where that would be prohibitive, she's had her body temporarily restored for the length of that plot. You are encouraged, if you choose an option like this, to take full advantage of how disorienting and/or confusing this might be for the character.
What happens when someone drops?
The character is written out of the story and sent back to their world. Their belongings disappear, their nameplate vanishes, their door locks.
For the app's writing samples, is it okay to link to threads we've already done, such as in a dressing room like sixwordstories, or do you want the samples to be written with this game's concept specifically in mind?
While we don't specifically require that you tailor your samples around Badfic, links will only be considered supplementary material. You must have a writing sample. There are an ample number prompts based on past events at Badfic. For instance, the Jurassic Park field trip, the epidemic plot, the high school event, and so-on. If you want to link them for added notes or added examples, that's alright, and if you've got a previously-written sample that's not blatantly setting-specific you can use it.
Who are the mods and how do I get in touch with them if I have an urgent question?
Birdy - (AIM) shirhanblade or jabberwockwings (jabberwock is a phone handle and response time may be slow), (plurk) kyanve - offline messages to the main handle are allowed if you don't mind waiting for me to log on!
Dubs - (AIM) theamazingdubs
Purple (onewithmuses) and Spandy (blueeyeskamikaze) are our TA and code monkey, and can currently help with technical issues, taken lists, etc.
You can also PM the mod account at any time.
NOT THAT I'D EVER WANT TO LEAVE, BUT Is any proper procedure for dropping my character?
YOU CAN NEVER ESCAPE THIS PLAAAAAACE Just a quick post to the OOC comm is sufficient. No worries, life happens. ^_^
Do the Blackberries list what year it is? (aka 2011, like all our journal posts do :D?)
No. The Blackberries list the month and the day in real time, but not the year. So your character is free to think it's still whatever year they came from. Keep in mind all technology is circa 2011, however, unless otherwise stated. So the farther back in time your character hails from, the more noticeable it's going to be that something's off, and the more disoriented they might be.
Last updated 10/19/11.
Prospective Player FAQ:
Is this a crack game?
Yes and no.
Yes in that the background the characters are stuck in is, as mentioned in the premise, a "bad fanfiction" - so they're subjected to all of the tropes and random whims of the Author, which means ever-changing plots as she refuses to make up her mind, events that are crack-laden, and all of that. The plots range from fairly serious/dangerous to just plain screwball.
No in that the characters, themselves, and how they're dealing with the setting is played a little more straight, and serious plots are perfectly valid; we do encourage long-term character development and relationships! Think of it as playing for meta/deconstruction of the usual tropes, good and bad; this is a setting where Genre Savvy is a valid survival skill and characters are expected to recognize that it's insane and doesn't always make sense.
What is the pacing like?
It's a sort-of medium paced game, and currently not a huge one, either. Time does pass 1:1 for day/passage, with backtagging and backthreading encouraged heartily; we have people in a lot of time zones. Of course, some plots are going to be busier than others, but we are trying to mind making sure there's enough time on big plots to deal with everything, and that there's enough calmer/quieter plots between for characters (and MUNs) to have some downtime and catch up.
How long do plots last?
Plots last anywhere from one week to three, depending on their depth and scope. Most of the crack plots - the genderflips, disappearing clothes, and stuff that's just comedy crack - are one week; plots with twists/changes will go from two to three weeks, with some plots running about a week and a half. New plots start on Monday; if a plot ends in mid-week, then as warned in the plot post, the effects of that plot will end on either Wed. or Thur., with the remainder until the next plot being downtime at the Manor with nothing special happening.
When do plots go up?
Sunday night or Monday morning, depending on the mods' schedules. We try to have things mostly ready ahead of time! IC'ly, the new plot is assumed to go into effect on Monday.
What’s a spoiler post?
Spoiler posts are, basically, the warning about the plot coming the following week. This gives the players time to plot and prepare. They go up generally in the middle of the week, with timing depending on the plot; bigger things or things requiring more MUN-planning or signups we'll try to have up Monday or Tuesday, while less planning intensive plots might lag a little on spoiler-posts.
What kind of plots are there?
Damn near anything. Most plots take place within the Manor environs, and generally fall into either "things that affect characters specifically" or "environmental effects"; an example of the former would be a gender-flip or characters getting haunted by a ghost of someone they knew that died, while the latter would be things like a tribble infestation, a slasher-flick killer on the loose, or an effect where clothes disappear in sunlight.
There's also some plots that will change the environment - for example, the Fairy Tale plot, when the Manor became a typical fairy-tale high-fantasy castle, with monsters inhabiting the forest. During these plots, your character's room will change to match, with all changes reverting at the end of the week.
The other major plot type are Field Trips; the characters find themselves somewhere that isn't the Manor. In most cases, instead of their room, they'll wake up in a hotel room or closest setting-appropriate equivalent, specified in the plot post; for things like city field trips, characters can be scattered across the city in question. In most cases, their possessions will simply be moved to the temporary quarters, although in some cases, like the Raccoon City plot, they'll simply find themselves in a room with what they'd usually carry on them in the room. The cities etc. for Field Trips ARE populated, and there will be appropriate wildlife; however, the population is "NPC's" - generally generic, forgettable placeholder-"People" as described in the setting information, unless otherwise specified.
If your character acquires things during a plot - shopping during a city field trip, picking things up that they want to keep during an environment change, etc. - it will be back in their room when the Manor reverts to "normal" at the end of the plot as long as they made some effort to keep it with them or keep it in "their room", with the below-mentioned exception of ammunition. This does allow for things like getting new clothes, books, trinkets, gifts, souvenirs, etc.. In most cases, anything living is exempt; you can't adopt a pigeon in Venice, and the Pokémon from that plot disappeared at the end of the week, although every once in a while there might be an exception.
Is there a chat or anything?
There is! It's on AIM blast chat badficmanor; if you have a hard time getting in or aren't sure how to get into a blast, feel free to ping one of the mods on AIM or PM (or Plurk) and we'll get you into it - we're online quite a bit and happy to help. If you have a question/comment/something to address to the RP as a whole, feel free to also use the OOC comm. Chat's generally pretty active, and we welcome new players and prospective players, just let us know!
Application FAQ:
What is the App Cycle like? What is the Reserve Cycle like?
Applications are reviewed and accepted/denied on Saturdays and Sundays. We'll try to be reading over apps in between, so if there's any questions or clarifications, we may ask for it during the week, so you can get it done before the weekend. We don't bite, so don't be afraid to answer questions, and revision requests are just that; we'll say so if there's an honest problem and not just something we'd like clarified or expanded. If somehow your app gets missed or there's something you want to discuss with us about the app, you can PM the mod account or e-mail us at manormods@gmail.com, or just ping one of us directly. Again, we don't bite and both of us are more than happy to help!
Reserves are also open. When you reserve, you have priority on that character for one week. You may receive an extension for another week, provided no one else is interested in that character.
What are you looking for in an app?
We're not horribly nitpicky, but we do want to see that you've got a good grasp on the character, and an understanding of your take on them. We're pretty friendly to filling in gaps with headcanon as long as it makes sense and fits the canon, and we know well enough that the same character can get variances in interpretation between different people! Extra brownie points go if you're making it so that it'd make sense to someone unfamiliar with the canon (which we might not always be!), and some creativity/having fun with it is encouraged. As long as it meets that criteria and does a good job explaining, it doesn't have to be a MASSIVE WALL OF TEXT or a huge thing, but if you feel like going on at length, there really isn't such a thing as "too long". We do appreciate some effort/a solid understanding on the personality section especially!
What are you looking for in the first person and third person writing samples?
For “first person,” it'll be basically action-spam/"script" format; it can be just about any sort of post-example you want, and doesn't have to be a network-post style, although that is a common and easy option. For examples, you can peruse badfic_manor, all interaction in that comm is in this form.
Links to interactions in dressing rooms such as sixwordstories or dear_mun are encouraged if you feel they will be helpful in our assessment of your application, but will not be accepted as substitutes for writing samples. If you need a prompt, consider what your character would first post to the Manor should they be accepted.
For third person, we mean just that. A third person, past tense scene demonstrating your character. Any scene in any context will do. We strongly recommend you to write samples that focus more on introspection than they do on action.
Are OCs and AU's allowed?
Because of the nature of the game, no. Since this is a fan fiction gone wrong the characters should be fandom characters from canon so the Author would know about them. As for AU's, we currently allow canon AU's - if there's more than one version of the story, if there's an alternate timeline shown in part of the storyline where you could confidently write an app, etc., but we are not currently accepting non-canon AU's at this time.
While we do allow fictional versions of historical figures - the British royals from The Tudors, Leonardo da Vinci from Assassin's Creed - we're not allowing actual historical figures or real, currently living people.
Can I reduce the powers of my character?
Absolutely, and at your discretion, too. Flat out "CAN AND WILL BLOW UP THE PLANET" power is probably best nerfed anyway, although anything below that's fine. Please mention this in the Notes section of your app. Keep in mind, however, that once you have set restrictions on your own powers, you can't just ramp them back up again without consulting a mod first. If it's approved, be sure to note it in the ooc comm as well, so everyone's on the same page with your character's abilities. Also if they're not going to NUKE THE MANOR AND EVERYONE IN IT, you don't have to nerf them - we have a DBZ cast, after all.
How many characters can a person app at one time?
The character limit is set at six, and while we will likely impose a limit of 3 reserves at a time, you're free to app as many of those six that you think you can be active with at one time. (Provided no one else has them reserved.) The only exceptions to this are a couple grandfathered-in cases that were in game before the limit was imposed, and who've proven they can keep up all of their characters.
The character I would like to app is a very minor character with little source material. Can I still app?
Absolutely! We had a Matt from Death Note, who gets a whopping 19 panels in his canon. If there's seriously nothing to work from, we reserve the right to decline, but particularly if you can show that there's something there to work from and you've put that much time and effort into extrapolating the character out from what's available, we're pretty relaxed about it.
My character is from something obscure, hard to find, or something that isn't available in an English translation. Can I still app them?
Sure - we already have a few odd ones. All we ask is to make sure you've got links to information or something for us to review. It doesn't need to be scripts or anything; FAQ's, decently detailed plot summaries, and wiki articles are fine, and don't panic if we ping you for a clarification - if we're not familiar with the canon, we do try to get an idea what we're looking at, so we might pester you with questions.
My character has a familiar/summon, can they still have it?
Tentative yes depending on the summon. (Yes, this rule has been recently revised/changed.) If the familiar/summon/whatever is a separate, independent entity that functions as a separate character in the series who's fully fleshed out and all, then it'll probably get turned down as something better apped as a separate character; an example would be Kir from King of Bandits Jing, who has ditched Jing a few times over the course of canon and is more of a partner, and Gouto from the Raidou Kuzunoha games, who might spend most of his time following Raidou around and be an "advisor" character, but is perfectly capable of functioning independently and is a perfectly rounded and detailed character on his own. Oz Vesallius and Alice from Pandora Hearts are another example; as much as Alice is technically Oz's Chain, Alice is, herself, a pretty clearly independent character. If you're not sure, feel free to ask; things that can speak but're more simplistic/less independent personalities are allowed, and it can be a hazy arbitration.
Symbionts, plural systems, dissociative characters, and things that share the body are allowed! This also goes for parasitic entities and possessing entities; Crona and Ragnarok from Soul Eater would be something we'd expect to be a single app from one player, for example, and we've had other characters in the past who had other personalities or other entities dwelling in their body. (Allelujah/Hallelujah from Gundam 00 are another example, or Akito/Agito/Lind from Air Gear.)
As for more classical summons, it'll be a little case by case; GODLIKE SUMMONS OF INFINITE POWER might find themselves nerfed, although again, it's a little fast and loose - if the summon is the character's main source of power and would put them on equal footing with the more OP characters here? It's probably golden. Animalistic pets/summons/weapons that're permanent/major parts of the character are also generally allowed; we've got a few KHR characters with their Box Weapons, for example. Persona characters would still have their Personae for the most part, although there's a note below.
If it's something from a setting where there'd be OODLES of summons/creatures at the character's command, all of them may not make the transition - basically, we'd just ask for it to be not a full "OMG I have 300+ Pokémon can I bring them all?" - and switched for what would be reasonable for the setting and transition. Pokémon trainers would have a team of six but not the ones they had in the box; Persona users or ShinMegaTen devil summoners would be something like six or seven.
My character already has a device/item that would fulfill the functions of the Blackberry. Can it access the network/can they use it as such?
Yes! Just note that it might not always do everything that's expected - a futuristic device won't give you any special edge on things like getting into locked entries, and the rest of the network won't support anything like holographic transmissions.
What's allowable/not allowable in terms of weapons, and is replacement ammunition available?
In most cases, you can assume that if your character has signature weapons or weapons that're among the normal possessions they'd have with them, then those will either be on their person or in their room. This can include enchanted/intelligent/etc. weapons, and living weapons that fit within the familiar rules above. As far as weapons with ammunition, like guns? It's been a long-standing tradition that those get annoying; your character will have what they'd normally carry with them and, at most, two or three reloads depending on the weapon, and will need to find other ways to replace anything used, whether through picking some up during plots or bargaining with the Author. If you want to really annoy them and cut down to just "here's the gun and what's in the chamber", feel free! This goes for canons that normally have some kind of unlimited ammo effect too, like Devil May Cry or Devil Summoner; unless it's established canon that the weapon generates its own ammunition, it's going to be finite, just because the Author's annoying that way. Note that you can't stockpile ammo during plots - it's one of the few exceptions to "things you acquire during field trip plots are returned to your room and kept"; you can replace what you had on arrival and that's it.
My character has a non-standard diet or special requirements for survival, how are those handled?
Case by case basis; if it's a case of something like Tali from Mass Effect, where it's just a matter of not being able to process human food and needing something tailored to their metabolism, assume that it can be found in the kitchen with a little rummaging; most canon-shift or field trip plots will, inexplicably, have things they can eat kicking around somewhere, and if you talk to a mod,we can work something out for survival plots. Vampires and the like are usually stuck looking for donors, although every once in a while you might find a bottle of blood somewhere in the kitchen if it's needed to prevent an outright rampage or death by starvation - just don't count on it. Energy-feeders are going to be case by case; depending on what they eat, they might either end up dealing with "finding donors", or if that's not feasible, we can be contacted to work out some kind of jury-rig! If they need some kind of specialized equipment or sleeping arrangements, that will be a part of their room; a Recupercoon for MSPA trolls, some basic necessary-maintenance equipment for a mechanical or cybernetic character, etc..
Medications can be assumed to be another thing that will turn up with a replenishing supply wherever seems most feasible; characters may not get excess, though, so destroying this would be a feasible way to mess with them if you wanted.
In the case of characters that would be too large/awkward to fit indoors, there'll just be some alternative worked out - Toothless, for example, lives in the barn out by the gardens.
My app is so long it would fill up 3878748483974 comments. Can I just link you to my journal?
Yes, please. We're perfectly happy with apps that're linked from the journal, but we do ask that it be left where the mods and other players can find it for reference while the character's in the game.
I noticed on the Taken Character list that certain casts have specified either Manga or Anime verse. Is it a problem if I would like to app a character from the opposite verse?
Assuming it's a case where the two versions are fairly different (like Kuroshitsuji), no, not really. As for apping into casts from a different canon-version than anyone else, if you don't mind the confusion that'd go along with the different storyline versions, you're welcome to app in; our current X-men cast is a good example - First Class movie!verse Charles, comic!verse Emma Frost. If there's a request up for that character from existing cast on the wanted list, it'd be a highly encouraged courtesy to check with them before apping into their cast with the other version, and we may take whether or not they're OK with the other version into account when reviewing the app.
Are duplicates allowed?
Generally speaking, no. If there's a canon!AU where the two versions have met and coexisted, that would be an allowable exception we'd consider; evilverse!Willow from Buffy and a regular Willow, for example, or Byakuran and Ghost from Katekyo Hitman Reborn!. (Granted Ghost poses a ton of his own problems as far as playability and ability to interact with others that would have to be resolved.) If it's a case of "duplicates" that're from wildly different versions of the canon, we may allow them on a case by case basis! An example would be something like, for Silent Hill, the movie version of Alessa Gillespie vs. the game version - where one version is a willingly demon-cooperating semi-ghost who intentionally created the nightmare realm to try to get revenge on the pseudo-Christian witch-burning cult that victimized her with a mother who was a bullied bystander, while the other is a woobie-destroyer-of-worlds victim of her mother, the leader of a pseudo-pagan apocalypse cult, who is trying to fend off being used as a vessel for a demon and was unwillingly used to create the nightmare realm. Another would be Sherlock Holmes from the BBC modern-AU series, as compared to movie!verse Holmes or Book!verse Holmes.
I’m apping a manga/anime character who doesn’t have a cast here yet. The canons between the two are very different. Should I mention the difference and which version I’m using so you can include it on the Taken Character list?
Yes, please do. It makes it easier for us to keep track of and for prospective castmates to know what they're getting into.
For non-anime characters, do these same rules apply for things like book vs. movie verses?
Yes, absolutely.
Okay, here’s one for you. You have certain characters who MY character would recognize, canonically, as being fictional. (i.e. Sherlock Holmes) Is that allowed?
Yes, if it's stated in canon that they'd have knowledge of that other character. We do expect this to be handled with some courtesy and respect for the other player, and it is encouraged to check with them before waltzing up IC and going "I READ YOUR BOOK YOU'RE NOT REAL WHERE I'M FROM!!". Lest you feel stressy about this, the current player base is very laid back and friendly, and we, the mods, encourage communication - nobody's going to bite your hand for asking if it's OK. If your character is someone like Wallace from Scott Pilgrim who's a gamer, feel free to ask people about recognizing them if they're from some popular media, or to put up a permissions post asking if it's OK!
Considering that the setting itself encourages painting the fourth wall, and several characters have realized that the author is only aware of them as fictional - plus a past event that allowed people to find their canons - we're more inclined to be lenient on this; this game lives and breathes on Meta, so as long as it's handled with some respect for the preferences of the other player on the matter, it's probably fine.
Does the same go for any possibly real life historical figures? (EG the Assassin's Creed Leonardo da Vinci, etc.?)
Yes, it does. Again, though, we're inclined to be lenient, and even moreso with this; if it's something like the example case, it's pretty easy to assume that a character from a version of Earth WOULD have heard of Leo if they're from the right time period, in the historical sense. Of course, it'd be assumed that your character would know the "historical" version - aka, what's in real-world history books, not the version from that canon.
How do canon-updates/canon-resets work here?
We tend to be very lenient regarding both of these. If you would like to canon-update your character, all you have to do is poke a mod, and write a note in the OOC community detailing what specifically will have changed about your character to keep everyone on the same page (ie. any new scars, height/weight changes, personality changes). We are very lax about canon-updates, however you must tell a mod about your intent to do so, and leaving a note on the Taken list with the new canon point is appreciated!
If you're having second thoughts about your canon-point and want to shift them to an earlier one instead of an "update" to a later point, we will allow for that! When the character is "updated", they'll wake up as if they were a new arrival; they'll have hazy, dreamlike memories of the Manor, and won't remember anything that would give them "spoilers" of their own future. (They can still end up getting such from canonmates with later canon points, but this can't be used to cheat and give a character foreknowledge.) While it might be a little awkward, it's safe to assume that they have a general idea about the Manor and how it works, even if it's hazy, and will have fuzzy memories of, and recognition of, other people enough to maintain past CR with possibly a hiccup of confusion.
We also allow for canon-resets if you want to start over fresh at canon-point, too - usually if character-development's shoved you into an uncomfortable corner with the muse; you do have the option of starting from an earlier/later canon point with this, as well as just returning to the same canon-point you'd used initially. In those cases, the character will lose memory of the Manor; other people will remember them, but they lose all knowledge of it - it's a start-over button to use if you seriously don't want to keep up the way things are going with them. As with canon-updates, just contact one of the mods if you want to request any of these, and drop us a note on the taken page to update their canon-point to if it's changing!
Misc FAQs
How did my character arrive at the manor?
That's largely your choice. It could've happened suddenly. Or they could've fallen asleep and awakened in one of the beds. Maybe they arrived here after their death in canon. There's a variety of ways they could've been "penciled in". In most cases, whatever they were last doing, they suddenly wake up in their bed, in their room in the Manor, unless there's some kind of special circumstance or you'd rather put them somewhere odd.
How does the dice system work?
The dice system is strictly optional. It's there in case of fights where the muns can't quite decide the damage and outcome; just ping one of the mods. We're also perfectly OK with whatever randomized system you might feel comfortable with if you're not sure how something's going to go and want to leave it to chance; it's up to you.
What happens if my character is injured but doesn't die?
Deaths are covered in the rules/info post. In the case of nonlethal injuries, they heal normally; characters can get scars and end up with long-term injuries. If you want your character to get maimed by something but don't want a permanent injury to be crippling, or don't want to deal with the whole recovery time, there's usually at least one or two characters kicking around with some kind of healing powers that can be contacted IC'ly, otherwise it's assumed that they'll be nursing the injury with whatever first aid/etc. is appropriate. If the character wouldn't broadcast asking for help, you can feel free to put up an OOC request or work out something with the other players OOC'ly to arrange something.
What happens when the house gets damaged?
It heals. It happens slowly, as if it was a person healing, the holes will get smaller, the dents will discolor, it will do something similar to scabbing. The bigger the "injury" the longer it will take for the house to heal, but it'll usually be intact by the end of the plot at worst.
What happens to my character while I'm on hiatus?
If you're comfortable with catching up, you can do a "so and so has godmod rights/this is what my character is doing in the background while I'm gone"; otherwise, well, it's a big sprawling story and the Author's a flaky teenager. Their name remains on their door, all their belongings are still in their room, they're just nowhere to be found in the Manor. When you return, the last thing your character remembers will be whatever they were doing when you went on hiatus and they got "forgotten", so it basically becomes a lost-time episode for them.
There's a plot I don't want my character involved in/around for, for one reason or another. How can I handle this?
There's a few reasons that you might not want your character subjected to a plot; things that would break them to the point that they're unplayable, things you're not comfortable putting them through, plots that'd be insta-lethal for your character, or things that would cause a muse-ragequit, are all examples of perfectly valid reasons! If you don't want to be involved in a plot with one or more characters, feel free to contact one of the Mods, PM the mod account, or leave messages on the plot/spoiler posts!
In cases like that, there's two ways it can be handled. If it's something where the basic environment is the same and it's something silly like a genderswitch that just affects individuals, and you're OK with it going on around you, you can just opt out of your character being affected; this can even go for things like the "Childhood fears" plot where characters were haunted by things they'd be afraid of - for that week, your character is still present, and can interact with everyone else while they're affected, but they, themselves, aren't a victim of the plot.
If it's something where there's a drastic environment switch, or being present at all would pose a problem, then characters can be put into the same kind of "absence" that would be used for long hiatuses; their nameplate is there, their room is still present with all their belongings (although non-roommates couldn't get in), but they're nowhere to be found, and when the plot is over, they're put back where they'd been before; it's lost time - to them, a couple seconds ago it was "a week ago" and the last plot.
Also, in the case of characters that're nonhuman/subject to special restrictions, if a plot is something they wouldn't be able to interact with or that would be inherently lethal to them, we do allow options to have them temporarily adapted - for example, whatever condition or weakness would make it impossible for them being "waived" for the week, a nonhuman character being turned human, etc.; one example that has happened is Alessa Gillespie of Silent Hill, normally played as "Her body is semi-comatose and in her room, what you interact with is a sort of psychic projection/'haunting'" - for something like the Titanic plot, where that would be prohibitive, she's had her body temporarily restored for the length of that plot. You are encouraged, if you choose an option like this, to take full advantage of how disorienting and/or confusing this might be for the character.
What happens when someone drops?
The character is written out of the story and sent back to their world. Their belongings disappear, their nameplate vanishes, their door locks.
For the app's writing samples, is it okay to link to threads we've already done, such as in a dressing room like sixwordstories, or do you want the samples to be written with this game's concept specifically in mind?
While we don't specifically require that you tailor your samples around Badfic, links will only be considered supplementary material. You must have a writing sample. There are an ample number prompts based on past events at Badfic. For instance, the Jurassic Park field trip, the epidemic plot, the high school event, and so-on. If you want to link them for added notes or added examples, that's alright, and if you've got a previously-written sample that's not blatantly setting-specific you can use it.
Who are the mods and how do I get in touch with them if I have an urgent question?
Birdy - (AIM) shirhanblade or jabberwockwings (jabberwock is a phone handle and response time may be slow), (plurk) kyanve - offline messages to the main handle are allowed if you don't mind waiting for me to log on!
Dubs - (AIM) theamazingdubs
Purple (onewithmuses) and Spandy (blueeyeskamikaze) are our TA and code monkey, and can currently help with technical issues, taken lists, etc.
You can also PM the mod account at any time.
NOT THAT I'D EVER WANT TO LEAVE, BUT Is any proper procedure for dropping my character?
YOU CAN NEVER ESCAPE THIS PLAAAAAACE Just a quick post to the OOC comm is sufficient. No worries, life happens. ^_^
Do the Blackberries list what year it is? (aka 2011, like all our journal posts do :D?)
No. The Blackberries list the month and the day in real time, but not the year. So your character is free to think it's still whatever year they came from. Keep in mind all technology is circa 2011, however, unless otherwise stated. So the farther back in time your character hails from, the more noticeable it's going to be that something's off, and the more disoriented they might be.