Player Guide
A Player's Guide to DramaDramaDuck
Here you'll find information on almost every aspect of dramadramaduck's gameplay. For more information visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Table of Contents:
1. How to Play
Gameplay on dramadramaduck is fairly simple, but there are some things DDD does differently than the majority of Livejournal RPs. Because of DDD's basic premise--that characters have been given access to a multi-verse nexus, linking multiple worlds and universes through the internet--much of DDD's gameplay focuses on blog-style personal journal posts and posting and commenting in the main community. In posts on journals and on the community there shouldn't be any actions included (unless you feel your character is actually the net-savvy type who would add *hug* and *flails* to their comments). For a little variety, though, a player might have their character make a video post in which they write out a post in script format (with action tags and lines of dialogue) as if their character was posting with a webcam, or a voice post in which their character is posting with a phone or microphone (these might consist of dialogue and some description as to how the character's voice sounds or what noises might be heard in the background).
Please note: when posting to dramadramaduck, entries should be tagged (using Livejournal's tag feature) with the character's name and the virus or event's name. Though the temptation may be great, please refrain from making extraneous tags on the main community. We're only allowed a limited number of them, and if everyone tagged with stuff like 'gay lawyers ftw' we would (and often do) run out fairly quickly.
Similar to Livejournal's actual features, posts and comments can be 'locked' or filtered (in whole or in part) to specific characters by adding a title like 'Locked,' 'Locked to --," or 'Private' in the subject line. Items that are locked are only accessible to the people they're directed at--if you have a highly skilled hacker and you'd like them to be able to access that information you can approach the other character's player for permission, but it's up to that player to decide whether the hack will be successful. Players who want to utilize locks should also keep their character's own abilities in mind; a character who's using a computer for the first time realistically wouldn't be able to lock their post from a skilled hacker, and it should take a very experienced user to be able to lock posts from gods and hackers. Posts that are locked entirely to only one or two characters should go in a character's journal, not the main community. For examples of how to use locks and more information about what belongs in the main community and what should go in a character's journal, see the FAQ.
Unlike a lot of the other Livejournal RPs, dramadramaduck's characters aren't restricted to a single location. Characters remain on their own worlds and in their own time-lines, and their main interactions with characters on other worlds will be through the internet, social visits, certain viruses, and other major events (see Section 5 for more details on community-wide events). Aside from the blogging, all of these are done through RL posts, and players are always free to decide what RLs they want to do with their character. The type of event will dictate where the RL will be posted: major, comm-wide events will go up in the events community, and smaller events only involving a few people can go up in one of the characters' journals.
Since all of these characters are separated by universes, these events wouldn't be possible without the community's resident world-hoppers. These are characters who canonically have abilities like teleporting or multi-dimensional travel, and they're able to transport characters to whatever world they want to visit. If a character's lucky enough they may even be able to save themselves the cost of airfare when traveling in their own world. If your character needs a world hop you can have them ask for one on the main community, or in some cases (like parties with world-hoppers standing by) the hops can be assumed.
Some players have adopted the IC Chatroom 'loliccrackchat' (...which, contrary to appearances, is LOL IC CRACK CHAT, not...loli crack chat) and personal IM logs as another venue for RPing. Many players have created AIM accounts for their characters, and use them in either the in character chatroom or in IMs between two characters. If all players agree, the events in chat and IMs can be considered part of DDD canon if and only if logs are posted in one of the character's journals. If too much development is happening behind the scenes characters can begin to look OOC to outside observers, so logs of character development need to be available for review by players and mods. The IC Chatroom can also be a great place to test drive new muses before applying for them, but out of courtesy for the players who have apped and been accepted for characters on DDD please do not bring in alternate versions of characters who are already members of DDD. If an alternate version of an apped character is being played in the IC Chat by someone other than the character's DDD player, that player will be asked to remove that character from chat. If you're interested in playing a character that's already a part of DDD there are many 'dressing room' RPs available, including thedressingroom and 8_dressing.
In an effort to prevent character sitting (when a player loses interest in a character and stops playing them, but doesn't drop the character to give someone else the chance to apply for them) DramaDramaDuck has adopted an activity requirement. For more information on what's needed and how to participate, see Section 6: OOC Events.
More relevant info:
Main Communities and Links
dramadramaduck - The main RPing community, where your characters interact with others through journal-style entries.
triple_d_ooc - The player community, where you'd go to make posts about plotting, introduce yourself to the game if you're a new player, and let your fellow players know about upcoming hiatuses. The mods also use this community to communicate with players on things like upcoming viruses.
ddd_news - The news community, where mods post...well, news. Policy changes are posted here, as are updates to the Events Calendar, the Player Directory, and the Concrit Directory.
triple_d_events - DDD's events community. Any events involving more than four or five characters belong in this community; smaller RL posts can go in characters' journals. All posts made here will be in RL format.
tripled_mods - The mod community. Here you'll find the applications page, hiatus post, drop post, the screened-comments suggestions post, the Friend Add List, and the permissions guide (see Section 2).
The DramaDramaDuck Wiki, where you'll find lots of info on the game's characters, funny in-game and OOC chat quotes, and other oddities. For the password to login and edit pages pop into the AIM chatroom dramadramaduck and ask another member or contact one of the mods.
The quick guide to DDD.
A few helpful tips.
The Requested Characters List, useful for players who want to app someone new but don't have any particular characters in mind. These are the characters our players are dying to see!
Side Communities
adddictions - A catch-all community for the various memes that spread like wildfire around DDD. Everything from OOC memes like our members' dragons to IC quizzes and other IC memes. Since its creation, Kink Meme has also been moved to this comm.
ddd_fst - A community to post FSTs, or fan soundtracks, for your character/pairing/etc.
tripled_fanwork - A community for fanfiction and fanart inspired by characters and events in DDD's canon.
capslock_ddd - DDD's crack community. Insanity goes here.
Comprehensive Checklist
(The stuff you might want to do within your first week or so at the game. Not all of these are necessary, but they may enhance your DDD experience~.)
► Join the main communities and any of the side communities that interest you.
► Review the rules, read the FAQ, and finish reading this guide.
► Visit the Taken Characters List and comment with your contact information.
► Intro yourself in triple_d_ooc and your character in dramadramaduck.
► Visit the Friend Add List and use the Admin Console to add all of DDD's character journals. We recommend adding a list a day, as the Admin Console only allows for 200 adds per day.
► Visit the Permission Guide and fill out info for your character's boundaries regarding what gods, psychics, and others can know about or do to your character. For more info see Section 2.
► If you choose to, make a Concrit Post in your character's journal (giving it a date in the far future will keep it at the top of the journal for easy reference) and comment to the Concrit Directory with a link so your post can be added to the list.
► Create wiki pages for you and your character.
As if that intro wasn't long enough, not that we've got the basics down it's time to move on to more in-depth information.
2. Hackers, Psychics, et al.
The community of DramaDramaDuck acts as a nexus where fanboys and girls, 1337 hackers, and people with incredible powers can mingle with more average characters. In this environment there are dozens of characters with access to information, and characters with the ability to exert influence over others. If one of those characters happens to be yours, you have the added responsibility of determining other players' wishes before utilizing your character's special gifts or knowledge. If your character is a god or has a god-like ability to control or manipulate others, has psychic abilities, or even if your character is a fan of the comic/game/series that another character comes from, you'll need permission from the other character's player before your character can actually use any of their abilities or release information on the community. Hackers also need to keep an eye out for 'hackable' and 'unhackable' tags on comments and posts. Some players will even stipulate that only very skilled hackers or gods will be able to access a locked post.
Permission can come from several places. These posts are handy reference guides to what is and isn't allowed for individual characters (be sure to post your own character's information in the most recent post, too). A lot of players keep a similar permission post somewhere in their character's journal, sometimes in the profile or in a 'header' post that's future-dated to remain at the top of the journal. There's also always the option of contacting the player directly: all player contact information is available in the Taken Characters List. (Don't forget to comment with your own contact info if you've just joined the game!) Finally, a lot of players who bring in a character with intentions of utilizing said abilities (like players who plan to have their character fangirl/boy over all the characters that comment to their intro post) choose to make an OOC intro post in triple_d_ooc asking which players want to offer their characters up for what treatment. The same can be used if you're planning a plot that uses those abilities, and you're looking for victims volunteers.
3. Sensitive Topics
At DDD we want players to be able to explore their characters and their environments freely, but to keep the game as welcoming and comfortable as possible we'd like players to exercise some caution when dealing with certain topics. Some subjects can be extremely sensitive, and will require more care and planning than the average plot or conversation. So, to prevent comm-flooding and to be sure the player understands the nature of the subject and intends to handle it maturely, the mods have determined that plots involving any of these subjects must be run by the mod team beforehand.
Such subjects include (but aren't limited to): rape, pregnancy (especially including means of ending it, such as abortion or miscarriage), self-harm, death, and suicide. This list isn't completely comprehensive; if you're planning for an event with a similar topic, or another topic that has a high potential to either offend many members or to serve as a trigger to anyone, you may want to bring it up to a mod here before planning further, just to be on the safe side.
Of course, plots aren't the only places where sensitive subjects can surface, and some of the characters that people can app are less family-friendly than others. If your character is about to take a conversation into an uncomfortable direction it's best to ask the other player if they're okay with handling such a subject ICly, especially if racist or other inflammatory language is going to be used, or a prejudice (such as extreme religion bashing or homophobia) is about to come into play.
For more clarification, please click here.
4. Viruses
The community-wide 'virus' is sure to be one of the many high points of your character's time on DDD. Similar to what many RPs call 'curses,' viruses will occasionally (once or twice a month) sweep through the community, randomly infecting members. The effects differ from virus to virus: some may affect a character's behavior or personality, while others will affect their bodies or even their environment. Viruses can have almost any effect: changing characters into animals or Pokemon, switching their alignments, making them treat everyone they meet as their therapist, etc. With many gods as members, and the sentient computer SHODAN always lurking in the community's background, the possibilities are almost endless.
Whether your character is affected--or whether they get to aid (or mock) the poor saps who are--is entirely up to you. Each virus will be announced in advance, along with the general guidelines of its effect. If you choose to participate, you're free to use your own interpretation and play it out in the way that works best for you and your character, but please keep those initial guidelines intact.
For example: The guidelines of the virus states 'Will cause characters to mentally regress in age.' The general interpretation would be that characters would mentally revert to their younger selves. According to what age the player chose to regress them to a character might act like they did as a child, as a teenager, or at any period from their past. Beyond that, they'd think they were that age, and would lose all memories of any events that occurred later in their life, but their body would remain at their current age.
If a player wanted to put a spin on the scenario, they may have their character revert, but keep their memories. They'd know everything they knew before the virus hit, but their personality would be that of a child/teen/etc. Physically they would still be their current age, and mentally they did regress, so that interpretation would be within the original guidelines of the virus. If, however, a player made their character's body turn into that of a child, whether their mind did or didn't regress, that would be outside the virus guidelines. The virus specifically stated a mental regression, not a physical one. If you have any questions as to whether your interpretation would be allowed under the guidelines of a virus and you want to be on the safe side, you can always run your idea by a moderator or mod assistant.
Viruses generally last four days, but if you want the effects to last longer you're free to stretch it out. Personal viruses--viruses affecting only one character--are also allowed, but must be cleared with a mod first, which can be done on the Mod Approval Request Post. One final note: ICly, viruses don't have names. They're given names for players to use, but aside from the ones whose names basically describe the virus' effect, most characters aren't likely to come up with the exact name on their own. Keep that in mind when deciding how your character will react to each virus.
5. IC Events
Secrets
At regular intervals Eros (revered-love), the Greek God of Love and Desire, will be offering the community the opportunity to post their deepest, darkest secrets under the veil of anonymity. Similar to communities like fandomsecrets, ljsecret, roleplaysecrets, and ic_secrets, the DDD Secrets posts allows characters to express anonymously things that they wouldn't be willing or able to say in person.
A week before the Secrets posts, Eros' player Norry (carnality) will make a post in triple_d_ooc as a place to submit secrets for your character. Once you've made your secrets (see the FAQ for tips on how to do so), upload them to any image hosting service, such as Photobucket or Tinypic, then paste the exact URL for each one into a comment on Norry's submission post. Don't worry about giving your identity away; Norry uploads all the secrets to her own host before posting them, and all comments are screened.
Parties, Tournaments, etc.
Sometimes an individual or group will open their world up to the community, inviting friends and strangers to share some event with them. Parties, weddings, and tournaments have all been hosted by members in the past, and birthday and holiday celebrations are especially common. Every year members can expect at least one main open invitation Halloween party and one Christmas party, and members can also start their own, more intimate holiday get-togethers. With many members from other worlds, your character may even get invited to a celebration for an entirely foreign holiday.
If your character receives an invitation they can arrange their own transportation with world-hopping friends who may be coming, but generally one or more people will offer to bring in guests who can't find a ride. The way the events are actually played may vary depending on the host's preferences and the nature of the event. For smaller ones a post may be made in the host's journal, and for larger ones a post (or several posts) may be made in the DDD Events Community.
Some events, such as tournaments, are more likely to be planned out in advance, while in others, like parties, the details will generally be left up to the participants. If your character is going to do something that may affect the rest of the participants be sure to run it by the host for permission. Along those same lines, try to keep assumptions to a minimum. A lot of events are going to be informal, but if the host gives you layouts, a specific order of things that will be happening at the event, or any other details or guidelines please follow them as closely as you can, and run any sort of changes or major liberties by the host before including them in your play.
Plots
If the numerous comm-sponsored events aren't enough to keep you busy, players are also encouraged to develop their own plots and subplots. Plots can be just about any ongoing storyline that your character is involved in. They can revolve around relationships with other characters, canon events that you and your canonmates want to act out in-game, or events taking place on the comm that affect your character in some way. If starting a plot that involves other characters, you should be sure to get permission from players before you bring their characters in. If you're starting one on a purely volunteer basis, where people choose to participate, consent is obviously implied, but if your character is going to be doing something that another character will be obligated to respond to, it's courteous to find out if the other player is willing to involve their character first.
There are very few limits on where you can take a plot, but if it's going to involve more than a few characters or have a wide-spread effect on the community's members you will need mod approval before you can go through with it. Certain plots, such as those dealing with sensitive subjects or ones that contain or end in a character's death, will also need mod approval. See the Sensitive Topics section for more details.
6. OOC Events
Activity Check
Activity Check is posted in triple_d_ooc every two months, and players will be required to comment to the post with links to twenty comments (ten per month) and/or posts made by their characters. The twenty can be any combination of comments and posts (blank comments and icon-only comments don't count towards the total), and can come from RLs or blog-style entries. They can also be from either month, meaning for the February Activity Check you can have comments from December and January, January only, or December only. It's best to keep track of whatever comments your character makes, whether via a text file you paste links into or through Livejournal's memory feature, so that when Activity Check rolls around you won't have to scramble to find comments to post.
Applications that were approved in the prior month are exempt from Activity Check, as are characters who are listed as 'On Hiatus' per the hiatus post only. Hiatuses announced solely in the OOC community will be missed during Activity Check. If you have current plots or threads going or just want to warn people of your hiatus, you're free to make an additional post in triple_d_ooc, but you must post in the current hiatus post to be counted when we're tallying exemptions.
Also, semi-hiatuses will not be considered for exemption. A semi-hiatus implies there will be activity, just diminished activity. As such, characters under semi-hiatus must still post to Activity Check. If you feel that you won't be posting enough to make Activity Check, go on a full hiatus instead. If you then find that you have the chance to play occasionally, we mods aren't going to jump you for RPing during hiatus. As semi-hiatuses don't count toward Activity Check, they also don't need to be posted to the Hiatus Post; a post in the OOC community warning people that you won't be around as much should be fine.
Each Activity Check we're also in need of volunteers who are willing to go through people's posts and verify they've provided their twenty comments. If you have a little free time to spend counting comments we're always grateful for the help!
HMD
How's My Driving (HMD) is an opportunity to give and receive feedback from your peers on how you're playing your characters. Once every three months a HMD post will be made in the appropriate DDD side community. Anyone who'd like suggestions on their RPing can comment to this post and others will respond to them with any constructive criticism they might have: things that were especially fun or really fit the viewer's understanding of the canon character, or possibly things that could be improved on or aspects of the character they'd like to see more of. You can also tell people how well they're playing, of course, but the most useful feedback is the kind a player can learn from, and it's highly encouraged for you to offer something they can build on, along with any praise you might have to offer.
HMD isn't mandatory, but the exercise can be very beneficial and the mods encourage everyone to participate. Anonymous commenting is allowed, but HMD is meant to be a place for people to safely discuss, encourage, and teach each other about RPing. People post to HMD looking for ways to improve. It's understood that not everything said is going to be positive, but if you've got suggestions to offer please keep in mind the way you're giving them--be polite, and include examples from DDD or the canon to support them. People posting to HMD should also keep that in mind. Responses may include these suggestions for improvement--politely accept them, then decide whether or not they apply.
Ideally HMD should be a learning experience on both sides, a great way to build up each others' skills and improve the game as a whole. Civil discussion is encouraged, but anything inflammatory or said with the sole intention of harming the recipient will be deleted and the thread will be frozen. HMD is intended as a safe space and the mods will do what is necessary to keep it that way.
Kink Meme
Ah, Kink Meme. The chance to live out our wildest fantasies and darkest nightmares while staying safe behind the veil of anonymity. Like many fandom-specific kink memes, DDD's quarterly Kink Meme gives people the opportunity to play with any possibilities, regardless of likelihood or in-game basis. Just about anything goes, as long as you remember rule #1: you don't talk about Kink Meme. Dire consequences will come to those who break this cardinal rule, so keep your lips zipped and maintain anonymity at all costs!
Kink Meme itself is simple. Once every three months Norry, as our Events Mod, will make a post in adddictions and from there the game is on. Use the simple form to anonymously comment with a pairing that you want to see; be sure to include a kink (if desired), and the applicable rating. If your request inspires a kind anon you might be gifted with a short fic in return! While the purpose of Kink Meme is, obviously, smut (particularly smut between characters that may never do it otherwise) your request doesn't have to include sex of any sort. You can also designate a preference for a friendly relationship, a familial one, etc., and 'kink' can also be replaced with a more general prompt. Your only limits are that at least one character has to be a member of DDD, all requests should be posted one per comment, and every request and fic must be posted anonymously. Anyone caught breaking anon will be forced to write brain-breaking punishment fic involving their own character. May Norry have mercy on their soul.
Now while you're waiting around to see if your request is going to be filled, why not take a look at the other requests and see if anything strikes your fancy? You can post as many requests to Kink Meme as you can come up with, but, to avoid us ending up with a really uneven ratio of requested prompts and filled prompts, try to fill out at least as many as you request. There are no penalties for not writing fics, of course, but any fics you do write will be greatly appreciated by the ones who requested them, and possibly others as well.
Oh, and did I mention that once a request has been filled, characters are allowed to comment ICly on the fic that was posted? Because they totally can.
Players are generally given about a week to request and fill prompts before a Kink Meme Reveal post is made. There, you can reveal what you requested and what you filled out, if you want to, and can shower people with any due praise or maybe receive some of your own in return!
7. OOC Chat
The OOC chatroom is the hub of OOC interactions on DDD, where players come to chat about the game, squeal over fandom stuff, or to share random brain-breaking links and horrible fanfiction. Getting in is simple--open whatever client you use to access AIM and invite yourself into the room 'dramadramaduck'. Leaving can be a little harder...especially when you and most of the other occupants are crawling into the wee hours of the morning, haven't slept more than a few hours in the past three days, and you're all simultaneously coming to the realization that everything in the world is absolutely hilarious.
Chat is meant as a comfortable haven for the players of DDD. As such, there are some guidelines that participants are expected to follow, all of which tie into one simple rule: respect your peers. Chat is not a G-rated environment, but if someone expresses discomfort over a topic or joke, we ask that you respect their opinion and discontinue that line of conversation, or take it to private IMs or another chat room. Chat is also bound by all rules of DDD's communities. Slurs will not be tolerated, regardless of intentions, and players should also use care when discussing sensitive topics (see Section 3, appropriately titled 'Sensitive Topics'). If you're talking about something that could be considered offensive by a reasonable person and another player expresses discomfort or asks for a change of subject, please respect their wishes.
On that note, everyone has a bad day once in a while, and there's nothing wrong with asking for advice, or for chat to help cheer you up. However, if someone offers to lend a sympathetic ear, please have the courtesy to take it to IM, particularly if it's more than just a bad day on your mind. Not everyone is comfortable discussing personal problems in a public chatroom, nor being present while personal problems are discussed.
Another aspect of making the most out of chat is maintaining a welcoming environment. We all love to squee over our favorite fandom's newest canon installment, our characters' relationships, or upcoming plots, but try to be mindful of chat's other occupants. If you find that not many people are familiar with the subject or that most of the chatting is being done by only a few of the players, that may be an indication that a change to a more general subject is needed. Chat can be a great place for short bouts of plotting as well, or quick discussions of current threads, but again you should keep in mind that not everyone in chat is going to be familiar with the characters involved. If plotting between a small group starts to dominate chat, it's courteous to take the plotting to private IMs or another room. Some canon groups have even created their own rooms for just that purpose. (Keep in mind that any side or unofficial chats are not considered a part of DDD. As such, the only chats that fall under mod jurisdiction are dramadramaduck, the IC chat, and any of the 'emergency' chats we flee to when DDD chat breaks down. All other chats are unaffiliated and un-policeable. Enter at your own peril.)
In a nutshell, if you're making someone uncomfortable, stop (out of common courtesy if nothing else), and don't bogart the chat, my friend.
8. OOC Conflicts
In a game the size of DDD there are always going to be a lot of opinions to consider, and, in some cases, those opinions may not exactly...mesh well. Sadly, conflicts are inevitable, but with some common courtesy and some common sense we can hopefully keep the damage to a minimum. The first thing to remember is RP IS NOT SRS BSNSS. We're all here to indulge in a hobby that we enjoy. If someone approaches you with a suggestion, some concrit, or a valid concern, take it in the spirit it was given. Try to look at it objectively to decide whether it applies to you or is something that could help you improve. In most cases such suggestions aren't meant to be personal.
That being said, conflicts can happen, misunderstandings can result in arguments, and sometimes steps need to be taken. If you find yourself involved in a conflict with another player please try to maintain as much courtesy as possible--the more level-headed players can be, the easier it is to resolve disputes. Above all we want players to try to work things out with each other first. With respect for each other and a little maturity, most situations can be handled without a need for others to get involved.
If a conflict develops beyond the point that you feel you can resolve it on your own, it may be time to bring it to the mods. There are enough members of the mod team and assistant mod team that at least one should be available on AIM at almost all hours. All of the mods' contact information, including email addresses and personal journals, are available in the Taken Characters List. When you approach a mod you'll need to present your side of the story. Stick to facts as much as possible. Keep records of anything relating to the conflict: IM logs, chat logs, posts, and comments made on comm journals or character journals can support your side of the situation and provide mods with any evidence they might need to make a decision on what action to take. Do not delete comments other people make in community journals. Comments shouldn't be deleted without the consent of both parties involved; if there are comments you don't want to be seen, please ask the mods for permission to screen them. Mod comments should never be deleted unless the mod has been contacted and the situation is resolved.
When it comes to taking action the mods will be as discreet as possible, meaning we'll only reveal to the other player what is necessary, but in return we will only tell you what's necessary for you to know. In some cases this will mean your only answer will be that a mod has talked to the other player, but rest assured that the mods take complaints very seriously and do take whatever steps they feel are required to resolve the situation. A mod may also be available to enter into chat with both players to serve as an impartial mediator or to contact a player on another player's behalf, but again, we prefer for players to take responsibility and do what they can to resolve the situation before escalating it.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the mods are DramaDramaDuck's mods. We can't police locations outside of DDD. If you want to bring up conversations in other places (personal journals, Roleplay Secrets, the RP Anon Meme, unaffiliated chats, etc.) as support for a situation that has made it onto the community the mods may use those to help gauge the situation as a whole, but we can take no actions outside DDD. Because of this, we ask that every player remembers that in any locations that focus on RPing, every player represents DDD. If a secret is posted at RP Secrets that references DDD or a specific player, how you respond to that secret is how the rest of the RPing community is going to view DDD. Please keep that in mind when discussing the game elsewhere.
Glossary and Helpful Terms
Canon: The source material for a character; the show, movie, book, game, etc. that the character is taken from.
Canonmates: Characters from the same series or source material as your character.
Concrit (Constructive Criticism): Suggestions from one player to another. These suggestions can be about the way they're playing their character, how they're handling a certain thread or an event, or even simply pointing out what has been working well or what the player is enjoying about watching the other's character. Concrit doesn't include personal attacks or unfounded opinions, and should include helpful suggestions, preferably with evidence to back them up.
Flames are not concrit, and concrit is not a flame. Concrit is given politely and is an effort to help the player improve their RPing skills; as such, it should be accepted in the same spirit it was given. A player is under no obligation to make any changes suggested, but should appreciate that someone wants to help them, and should review the suggestions made for anything they can use to improve. If you receive a flame--a comment with no valid suggestions, made with the sole intention to hurt and possibly using inflammatory language--you can either make an effort to handle it politely without allowing it to escalate, or bring it immediately to the attention of a moderator if you don't feel comfortable handling it on your own.
Fanon: Something that's widely accepted about a character but has no actual basis in canon.
Fandom: The fanbase that surrounds a source material, including all related output from said fans. Fandom runs the gamut, from people who express their love of a canon through discussion and squeeing, to those who express it through creative outlets like fanfiction, fanart, and RPing.
God-mode: Assuming something about a character or their property/environment without permission from the character's player, or controlling a character's actions in a tag without the player's permission. Can also be used to indicate a character who gives and/or uses information about another character that they shouldn't have. God-moding can be done by any character, but players of gods, characters with god-like powers, psychics, or hackers should take extra care not to overstep the boundaries other players have established for their characters. See also section 2.
IC (In Character): IC actually has two meanings. It can be used to describe actions or events that happen in the RP, as in things that happen to a character, or it can mean a character is being played close to the way they're depicted in canon, and the player is doing a good job of displaying the aspects of the character's personality and behavior that are represented in canon.
Meme: A cultural item or idea that is transmitted by repetition. Can be in the form of a saying or running gag that spreads across the internet, or something that is reposted in many different locations by many different people. Internet quizzes and the various Anon Memes also fall under this category.
Mun (Mundane): A roleplayer, i.e. you guys. ♥
Muse: Used in a lot of different ways, but generally indicates the 'voice' of a player's character, whether their unique voice or the mindset the player gets into to play the character.Can also simply refer to the character. Not to be confused with the voices in your head.
NPC (Non-Playable Character): A character (whether from canon or created to fill a purpose in the game) that isn't an apped character but is played by a player in RLs or journal posts or comments. For rules about using NPCs, see the FAQ.
OOC (Out of Character): The exact opposite of IC. Can either be used to describe interactions between players, outside of playing their characters, or to describe a behavior or personality trait that contradicts canon or is otherwise unrealistic for the character to display, based on canon evidence.
Post: An entry a character makes in their own journal or in one of DDD's IC communities. Other characters can comment to these, and start threads of discussion.
Pup (Puppet): A player's character.
RL (Real Life, Roleplaying Log): Narrative RP format. Unlike some other games DDD has no requirements for how these are written out, but the most common types are script (using action tags and dialogue, as in a movie or TV script) and prose (the style used in writing novels and short stories). While journal entries take place online, RLs are in-person interactions of two or more characters. RL is also a shortened form of 'real life,' as in 'RL is kicking my arse, I won't be able to play today.'
RP: Roleplay. What we're here to do.
Tag - A reply to a thread or post. Can also refer to the 'tags' added to a post for organizational or lulz purposes. (Disclaimer: When posting in the main community, lulz tags shouldn't be used, lest we run out of available tags too quickly. Tag community stuff with the character name and event name, and keep the lulz tags for the character journals kthx.)
Thread: A string of comments to a journal post, generally between two characters going back and forth, or a string of tags between characters in an RL. Threads in RLs can also be called logs.
World-hop: Transportation from one world to another. Hops can come from characters with a canon basis for transdimensional travel, like an ability to teleport, or from devices designed for the same purpose. For more information see Sections 1, 5, and the Frequently Asked Questions.
Here you'll find information on almost every aspect of dramadramaduck's gameplay. For more information visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Table of Contents:
- How to Play
- Hackers, Psychics, et al.
- Sensitive Topics
- Viruses
- IC Events
- OOC Events
- OOC Chat
- OOC Conflicts
- Glossary
1. How to Play
Gameplay on dramadramaduck is fairly simple, but there are some things DDD does differently than the majority of Livejournal RPs. Because of DDD's basic premise--that characters have been given access to a multi-verse nexus, linking multiple worlds and universes through the internet--much of DDD's gameplay focuses on blog-style personal journal posts and posting and commenting in the main community. In posts on journals and on the community there shouldn't be any actions included (unless you feel your character is actually the net-savvy type who would add *hug* and *flails* to their comments). For a little variety, though, a player might have their character make a video post in which they write out a post in script format (with action tags and lines of dialogue) as if their character was posting with a webcam, or a voice post in which their character is posting with a phone or microphone (these might consist of dialogue and some description as to how the character's voice sounds or what noises might be heard in the background).
Please note: when posting to dramadramaduck, entries should be tagged (using Livejournal's tag feature) with the character's name and the virus or event's name. Though the temptation may be great, please refrain from making extraneous tags on the main community. We're only allowed a limited number of them, and if everyone tagged with stuff like 'gay lawyers ftw' we would (and often do) run out fairly quickly.
Similar to Livejournal's actual features, posts and comments can be 'locked' or filtered (in whole or in part) to specific characters by adding a title like 'Locked,' 'Locked to --," or 'Private' in the subject line. Items that are locked are only accessible to the people they're directed at--if you have a highly skilled hacker and you'd like them to be able to access that information you can approach the other character's player for permission, but it's up to that player to decide whether the hack will be successful. Players who want to utilize locks should also keep their character's own abilities in mind; a character who's using a computer for the first time realistically wouldn't be able to lock their post from a skilled hacker, and it should take a very experienced user to be able to lock posts from gods and hackers. Posts that are locked entirely to only one or two characters should go in a character's journal, not the main community. For examples of how to use locks and more information about what belongs in the main community and what should go in a character's journal, see the FAQ.
Unlike a lot of the other Livejournal RPs, dramadramaduck's characters aren't restricted to a single location. Characters remain on their own worlds and in their own time-lines, and their main interactions with characters on other worlds will be through the internet, social visits, certain viruses, and other major events (see Section 5 for more details on community-wide events). Aside from the blogging, all of these are done through RL posts, and players are always free to decide what RLs they want to do with their character. The type of event will dictate where the RL will be posted: major, comm-wide events will go up in the events community, and smaller events only involving a few people can go up in one of the characters' journals.
Since all of these characters are separated by universes, these events wouldn't be possible without the community's resident world-hoppers. These are characters who canonically have abilities like teleporting or multi-dimensional travel, and they're able to transport characters to whatever world they want to visit. If a character's lucky enough they may even be able to save themselves the cost of airfare when traveling in their own world. If your character needs a world hop you can have them ask for one on the main community, or in some cases (like parties with world-hoppers standing by) the hops can be assumed.
Some players have adopted the IC Chatroom 'loliccrackchat' (...which, contrary to appearances, is LOL IC CRACK CHAT, not...loli crack chat) and personal IM logs as another venue for RPing. Many players have created AIM accounts for their characters, and use them in either the in character chatroom or in IMs between two characters. If all players agree, the events in chat and IMs can be considered part of DDD canon if and only if logs are posted in one of the character's journals. If too much development is happening behind the scenes characters can begin to look OOC to outside observers, so logs of character development need to be available for review by players and mods. The IC Chatroom can also be a great place to test drive new muses before applying for them, but out of courtesy for the players who have apped and been accepted for characters on DDD please do not bring in alternate versions of characters who are already members of DDD. If an alternate version of an apped character is being played in the IC Chat by someone other than the character's DDD player, that player will be asked to remove that character from chat. If you're interested in playing a character that's already a part of DDD there are many 'dressing room' RPs available, including thedressingroom and 8_dressing.
In an effort to prevent character sitting (when a player loses interest in a character and stops playing them, but doesn't drop the character to give someone else the chance to apply for them) DramaDramaDuck has adopted an activity requirement. For more information on what's needed and how to participate, see Section 6: OOC Events.
More relevant info:
Main Communities and Links
dramadramaduck - The main RPing community, where your characters interact with others through journal-style entries.
triple_d_ooc - The player community, where you'd go to make posts about plotting, introduce yourself to the game if you're a new player, and let your fellow players know about upcoming hiatuses. The mods also use this community to communicate with players on things like upcoming viruses.
ddd_news - The news community, where mods post...well, news. Policy changes are posted here, as are updates to the Events Calendar, the Player Directory, and the Concrit Directory.
triple_d_events - DDD's events community. Any events involving more than four or five characters belong in this community; smaller RL posts can go in characters' journals. All posts made here will be in RL format.
tripled_mods - The mod community. Here you'll find the applications page, hiatus post, drop post, the screened-comments suggestions post, the Friend Add List, and the permissions guide (see Section 2).
The DramaDramaDuck Wiki, where you'll find lots of info on the game's characters, funny in-game and OOC chat quotes, and other oddities. For the password to login and edit pages pop into the AIM chatroom dramadramaduck and ask another member or contact one of the mods.
The quick guide to DDD.
A few helpful tips.
The Requested Characters List, useful for players who want to app someone new but don't have any particular characters in mind. These are the characters our players are dying to see!
Side Communities
adddictions - A catch-all community for the various memes that spread like wildfire around DDD. Everything from OOC memes like our members' dragons to IC quizzes and other IC memes. Since its creation, Kink Meme has also been moved to this comm.
ddd_fst - A community to post FSTs, or fan soundtracks, for your character/pairing/etc.
tripled_fanwork - A community for fanfiction and fanart inspired by characters and events in DDD's canon.
capslock_ddd - DDD's crack community. Insanity goes here.
Comprehensive Checklist
(The stuff you might want to do within your first week or so at the game. Not all of these are necessary, but they may enhance your DDD experience~.)
► Join the main communities and any of the side communities that interest you.
► Review the rules, read the FAQ, and finish reading this guide.
► Visit the Taken Characters List and comment with your contact information.
► Intro yourself in triple_d_ooc and your character in dramadramaduck.
► Visit the Friend Add List and use the Admin Console to add all of DDD's character journals. We recommend adding a list a day, as the Admin Console only allows for 200 adds per day.
► Visit the Permission Guide and fill out info for your character's boundaries regarding what gods, psychics, and others can know about or do to your character. For more info see Section 2.
► If you choose to, make a Concrit Post in your character's journal (giving it a date in the far future will keep it at the top of the journal for easy reference) and comment to the Concrit Directory with a link so your post can be added to the list.
► Create wiki pages for you and your character.
As if that intro wasn't long enough, not that we've got the basics down it's time to move on to more in-depth information.
2. Hackers, Psychics, et al.
The community of DramaDramaDuck acts as a nexus where fanboys and girls, 1337 hackers, and people with incredible powers can mingle with more average characters. In this environment there are dozens of characters with access to information, and characters with the ability to exert influence over others. If one of those characters happens to be yours, you have the added responsibility of determining other players' wishes before utilizing your character's special gifts or knowledge. If your character is a god or has a god-like ability to control or manipulate others, has psychic abilities, or even if your character is a fan of the comic/game/series that another character comes from, you'll need permission from the other character's player before your character can actually use any of their abilities or release information on the community. Hackers also need to keep an eye out for 'hackable' and 'unhackable' tags on comments and posts. Some players will even stipulate that only very skilled hackers or gods will be able to access a locked post.
Permission can come from several places. These posts are handy reference guides to what is and isn't allowed for individual characters (be sure to post your own character's information in the most recent post, too). A lot of players keep a similar permission post somewhere in their character's journal, sometimes in the profile or in a 'header' post that's future-dated to remain at the top of the journal. There's also always the option of contacting the player directly: all player contact information is available in the Taken Characters List. (Don't forget to comment with your own contact info if you've just joined the game!) Finally, a lot of players who bring in a character with intentions of utilizing said abilities (like players who plan to have their character fangirl/boy over all the characters that comment to their intro post) choose to make an OOC intro post in triple_d_ooc asking which players want to offer their characters up for what treatment. The same can be used if you're planning a plot that uses those abilities, and you're looking for victims volunteers.
3. Sensitive Topics
At DDD we want players to be able to explore their characters and their environments freely, but to keep the game as welcoming and comfortable as possible we'd like players to exercise some caution when dealing with certain topics. Some subjects can be extremely sensitive, and will require more care and planning than the average plot or conversation. So, to prevent comm-flooding and to be sure the player understands the nature of the subject and intends to handle it maturely, the mods have determined that plots involving any of these subjects must be run by the mod team beforehand.
Such subjects include (but aren't limited to): rape, pregnancy (especially including means of ending it, such as abortion or miscarriage), self-harm, death, and suicide. This list isn't completely comprehensive; if you're planning for an event with a similar topic, or another topic that has a high potential to either offend many members or to serve as a trigger to anyone, you may want to bring it up to a mod here before planning further, just to be on the safe side.
Of course, plots aren't the only places where sensitive subjects can surface, and some of the characters that people can app are less family-friendly than others. If your character is about to take a conversation into an uncomfortable direction it's best to ask the other player if they're okay with handling such a subject ICly, especially if racist or other inflammatory language is going to be used, or a prejudice (such as extreme religion bashing or homophobia) is about to come into play.
For more clarification, please click here.
4. Viruses
The community-wide 'virus' is sure to be one of the many high points of your character's time on DDD. Similar to what many RPs call 'curses,' viruses will occasionally (once or twice a month) sweep through the community, randomly infecting members. The effects differ from virus to virus: some may affect a character's behavior or personality, while others will affect their bodies or even their environment. Viruses can have almost any effect: changing characters into animals or Pokemon, switching their alignments, making them treat everyone they meet as their therapist, etc. With many gods as members, and the sentient computer SHODAN always lurking in the community's background, the possibilities are almost endless.
Whether your character is affected--or whether they get to aid (or mock) the poor saps who are--is entirely up to you. Each virus will be announced in advance, along with the general guidelines of its effect. If you choose to participate, you're free to use your own interpretation and play it out in the way that works best for you and your character, but please keep those initial guidelines intact.
For example: The guidelines of the virus states 'Will cause characters to mentally regress in age.' The general interpretation would be that characters would mentally revert to their younger selves. According to what age the player chose to regress them to a character might act like they did as a child, as a teenager, or at any period from their past. Beyond that, they'd think they were that age, and would lose all memories of any events that occurred later in their life, but their body would remain at their current age.
If a player wanted to put a spin on the scenario, they may have their character revert, but keep their memories. They'd know everything they knew before the virus hit, but their personality would be that of a child/teen/etc. Physically they would still be their current age, and mentally they did regress, so that interpretation would be within the original guidelines of the virus. If, however, a player made their character's body turn into that of a child, whether their mind did or didn't regress, that would be outside the virus guidelines. The virus specifically stated a mental regression, not a physical one. If you have any questions as to whether your interpretation would be allowed under the guidelines of a virus and you want to be on the safe side, you can always run your idea by a moderator or mod assistant.
Viruses generally last four days, but if you want the effects to last longer you're free to stretch it out. Personal viruses--viruses affecting only one character--are also allowed, but must be cleared with a mod first, which can be done on the Mod Approval Request Post. One final note: ICly, viruses don't have names. They're given names for players to use, but aside from the ones whose names basically describe the virus' effect, most characters aren't likely to come up with the exact name on their own. Keep that in mind when deciding how your character will react to each virus.
5. IC Events
Secrets
At regular intervals Eros (revered-love), the Greek God of Love and Desire, will be offering the community the opportunity to post their deepest, darkest secrets under the veil of anonymity. Similar to communities like fandomsecrets, ljsecret, roleplaysecrets, and ic_secrets, the DDD Secrets posts allows characters to express anonymously things that they wouldn't be willing or able to say in person.
A week before the Secrets posts, Eros' player Norry (carnality) will make a post in triple_d_ooc as a place to submit secrets for your character. Once you've made your secrets (see the FAQ for tips on how to do so), upload them to any image hosting service, such as Photobucket or Tinypic, then paste the exact URL for each one into a comment on Norry's submission post. Don't worry about giving your identity away; Norry uploads all the secrets to her own host before posting them, and all comments are screened.
Parties, Tournaments, etc.
Sometimes an individual or group will open their world up to the community, inviting friends and strangers to share some event with them. Parties, weddings, and tournaments have all been hosted by members in the past, and birthday and holiday celebrations are especially common. Every year members can expect at least one main open invitation Halloween party and one Christmas party, and members can also start their own, more intimate holiday get-togethers. With many members from other worlds, your character may even get invited to a celebration for an entirely foreign holiday.
If your character receives an invitation they can arrange their own transportation with world-hopping friends who may be coming, but generally one or more people will offer to bring in guests who can't find a ride. The way the events are actually played may vary depending on the host's preferences and the nature of the event. For smaller ones a post may be made in the host's journal, and for larger ones a post (or several posts) may be made in the DDD Events Community.
Some events, such as tournaments, are more likely to be planned out in advance, while in others, like parties, the details will generally be left up to the participants. If your character is going to do something that may affect the rest of the participants be sure to run it by the host for permission. Along those same lines, try to keep assumptions to a minimum. A lot of events are going to be informal, but if the host gives you layouts, a specific order of things that will be happening at the event, or any other details or guidelines please follow them as closely as you can, and run any sort of changes or major liberties by the host before including them in your play.
Plots
If the numerous comm-sponsored events aren't enough to keep you busy, players are also encouraged to develop their own plots and subplots. Plots can be just about any ongoing storyline that your character is involved in. They can revolve around relationships with other characters, canon events that you and your canonmates want to act out in-game, or events taking place on the comm that affect your character in some way. If starting a plot that involves other characters, you should be sure to get permission from players before you bring their characters in. If you're starting one on a purely volunteer basis, where people choose to participate, consent is obviously implied, but if your character is going to be doing something that another character will be obligated to respond to, it's courteous to find out if the other player is willing to involve their character first.
There are very few limits on where you can take a plot, but if it's going to involve more than a few characters or have a wide-spread effect on the community's members you will need mod approval before you can go through with it. Certain plots, such as those dealing with sensitive subjects or ones that contain or end in a character's death, will also need mod approval. See the Sensitive Topics section for more details.
6. OOC Events
Activity Check
Activity Check is posted in triple_d_ooc every two months, and players will be required to comment to the post with links to twenty comments (ten per month) and/or posts made by their characters. The twenty can be any combination of comments and posts (blank comments and icon-only comments don't count towards the total), and can come from RLs or blog-style entries. They can also be from either month, meaning for the February Activity Check you can have comments from December and January, January only, or December only. It's best to keep track of whatever comments your character makes, whether via a text file you paste links into or through Livejournal's memory feature, so that when Activity Check rolls around you won't have to scramble to find comments to post.
Applications that were approved in the prior month are exempt from Activity Check, as are characters who are listed as 'On Hiatus' per the hiatus post only. Hiatuses announced solely in the OOC community will be missed during Activity Check. If you have current plots or threads going or just want to warn people of your hiatus, you're free to make an additional post in triple_d_ooc, but you must post in the current hiatus post to be counted when we're tallying exemptions.
Also, semi-hiatuses will not be considered for exemption. A semi-hiatus implies there will be activity, just diminished activity. As such, characters under semi-hiatus must still post to Activity Check. If you feel that you won't be posting enough to make Activity Check, go on a full hiatus instead. If you then find that you have the chance to play occasionally, we mods aren't going to jump you for RPing during hiatus. As semi-hiatuses don't count toward Activity Check, they also don't need to be posted to the Hiatus Post; a post in the OOC community warning people that you won't be around as much should be fine.
Each Activity Check we're also in need of volunteers who are willing to go through people's posts and verify they've provided their twenty comments. If you have a little free time to spend counting comments we're always grateful for the help!
HMD
How's My Driving (HMD) is an opportunity to give and receive feedback from your peers on how you're playing your characters. Once every three months a HMD post will be made in the appropriate DDD side community. Anyone who'd like suggestions on their RPing can comment to this post and others will respond to them with any constructive criticism they might have: things that were especially fun or really fit the viewer's understanding of the canon character, or possibly things that could be improved on or aspects of the character they'd like to see more of. You can also tell people how well they're playing, of course, but the most useful feedback is the kind a player can learn from, and it's highly encouraged for you to offer something they can build on, along with any praise you might have to offer.
HMD isn't mandatory, but the exercise can be very beneficial and the mods encourage everyone to participate. Anonymous commenting is allowed, but HMD is meant to be a place for people to safely discuss, encourage, and teach each other about RPing. People post to HMD looking for ways to improve. It's understood that not everything said is going to be positive, but if you've got suggestions to offer please keep in mind the way you're giving them--be polite, and include examples from DDD or the canon to support them. People posting to HMD should also keep that in mind. Responses may include these suggestions for improvement--politely accept them, then decide whether or not they apply.
Ideally HMD should be a learning experience on both sides, a great way to build up each others' skills and improve the game as a whole. Civil discussion is encouraged, but anything inflammatory or said with the sole intention of harming the recipient will be deleted and the thread will be frozen. HMD is intended as a safe space and the mods will do what is necessary to keep it that way.
Kink Meme
Ah, Kink Meme. The chance to live out our wildest fantasies and darkest nightmares while staying safe behind the veil of anonymity. Like many fandom-specific kink memes, DDD's quarterly Kink Meme gives people the opportunity to play with any possibilities, regardless of likelihood or in-game basis. Just about anything goes, as long as you remember rule #1: you don't talk about Kink Meme. Dire consequences will come to those who break this cardinal rule, so keep your lips zipped and maintain anonymity at all costs!
Kink Meme itself is simple. Once every three months Norry, as our Events Mod, will make a post in adddictions and from there the game is on. Use the simple form to anonymously comment with a pairing that you want to see; be sure to include a kink (if desired), and the applicable rating. If your request inspires a kind anon you might be gifted with a short fic in return! While the purpose of Kink Meme is, obviously, smut (particularly smut between characters that may never do it otherwise) your request doesn't have to include sex of any sort. You can also designate a preference for a friendly relationship, a familial one, etc., and 'kink' can also be replaced with a more general prompt. Your only limits are that at least one character has to be a member of DDD, all requests should be posted one per comment, and every request and fic must be posted anonymously. Anyone caught breaking anon will be forced to write brain-breaking punishment fic involving their own character. May Norry have mercy on their soul.
Now while you're waiting around to see if your request is going to be filled, why not take a look at the other requests and see if anything strikes your fancy? You can post as many requests to Kink Meme as you can come up with, but, to avoid us ending up with a really uneven ratio of requested prompts and filled prompts, try to fill out at least as many as you request. There are no penalties for not writing fics, of course, but any fics you do write will be greatly appreciated by the ones who requested them, and possibly others as well.
Oh, and did I mention that once a request has been filled, characters are allowed to comment ICly on the fic that was posted? Because they totally can.
Players are generally given about a week to request and fill prompts before a Kink Meme Reveal post is made. There, you can reveal what you requested and what you filled out, if you want to, and can shower people with any due praise or maybe receive some of your own in return!
7. OOC Chat
The OOC chatroom is the hub of OOC interactions on DDD, where players come to chat about the game, squeal over fandom stuff, or to share random brain-breaking links and horrible fanfiction. Getting in is simple--open whatever client you use to access AIM and invite yourself into the room 'dramadramaduck'. Leaving can be a little harder...especially when you and most of the other occupants are crawling into the wee hours of the morning, haven't slept more than a few hours in the past three days, and you're all simultaneously coming to the realization that everything in the world is absolutely hilarious.
Chat is meant as a comfortable haven for the players of DDD. As such, there are some guidelines that participants are expected to follow, all of which tie into one simple rule: respect your peers. Chat is not a G-rated environment, but if someone expresses discomfort over a topic or joke, we ask that you respect their opinion and discontinue that line of conversation, or take it to private IMs or another chat room. Chat is also bound by all rules of DDD's communities. Slurs will not be tolerated, regardless of intentions, and players should also use care when discussing sensitive topics (see Section 3, appropriately titled 'Sensitive Topics'). If you're talking about something that could be considered offensive by a reasonable person and another player expresses discomfort or asks for a change of subject, please respect their wishes.
On that note, everyone has a bad day once in a while, and there's nothing wrong with asking for advice, or for chat to help cheer you up. However, if someone offers to lend a sympathetic ear, please have the courtesy to take it to IM, particularly if it's more than just a bad day on your mind. Not everyone is comfortable discussing personal problems in a public chatroom, nor being present while personal problems are discussed.
Another aspect of making the most out of chat is maintaining a welcoming environment. We all love to squee over our favorite fandom's newest canon installment, our characters' relationships, or upcoming plots, but try to be mindful of chat's other occupants. If you find that not many people are familiar with the subject or that most of the chatting is being done by only a few of the players, that may be an indication that a change to a more general subject is needed. Chat can be a great place for short bouts of plotting as well, or quick discussions of current threads, but again you should keep in mind that not everyone in chat is going to be familiar with the characters involved. If plotting between a small group starts to dominate chat, it's courteous to take the plotting to private IMs or another room. Some canon groups have even created their own rooms for just that purpose. (Keep in mind that any side or unofficial chats are not considered a part of DDD. As such, the only chats that fall under mod jurisdiction are dramadramaduck, the IC chat, and any of the 'emergency' chats we flee to when DDD chat breaks down. All other chats are unaffiliated and un-policeable. Enter at your own peril.)
In a nutshell, if you're making someone uncomfortable, stop (out of common courtesy if nothing else), and don't bogart the chat, my friend.
8. OOC Conflicts
In a game the size of DDD there are always going to be a lot of opinions to consider, and, in some cases, those opinions may not exactly...mesh well. Sadly, conflicts are inevitable, but with some common courtesy and some common sense we can hopefully keep the damage to a minimum. The first thing to remember is RP IS NOT SRS BSNSS. We're all here to indulge in a hobby that we enjoy. If someone approaches you with a suggestion, some concrit, or a valid concern, take it in the spirit it was given. Try to look at it objectively to decide whether it applies to you or is something that could help you improve. In most cases such suggestions aren't meant to be personal.
That being said, conflicts can happen, misunderstandings can result in arguments, and sometimes steps need to be taken. If you find yourself involved in a conflict with another player please try to maintain as much courtesy as possible--the more level-headed players can be, the easier it is to resolve disputes. Above all we want players to try to work things out with each other first. With respect for each other and a little maturity, most situations can be handled without a need for others to get involved.
If a conflict develops beyond the point that you feel you can resolve it on your own, it may be time to bring it to the mods. There are enough members of the mod team and assistant mod team that at least one should be available on AIM at almost all hours. All of the mods' contact information, including email addresses and personal journals, are available in the Taken Characters List. When you approach a mod you'll need to present your side of the story. Stick to facts as much as possible. Keep records of anything relating to the conflict: IM logs, chat logs, posts, and comments made on comm journals or character journals can support your side of the situation and provide mods with any evidence they might need to make a decision on what action to take. Do not delete comments other people make in community journals. Comments shouldn't be deleted without the consent of both parties involved; if there are comments you don't want to be seen, please ask the mods for permission to screen them. Mod comments should never be deleted unless the mod has been contacted and the situation is resolved.
When it comes to taking action the mods will be as discreet as possible, meaning we'll only reveal to the other player what is necessary, but in return we will only tell you what's necessary for you to know. In some cases this will mean your only answer will be that a mod has talked to the other player, but rest assured that the mods take complaints very seriously and do take whatever steps they feel are required to resolve the situation. A mod may also be available to enter into chat with both players to serve as an impartial mediator or to contact a player on another player's behalf, but again, we prefer for players to take responsibility and do what they can to resolve the situation before escalating it.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the mods are DramaDramaDuck's mods. We can't police locations outside of DDD. If you want to bring up conversations in other places (personal journals, Roleplay Secrets, the RP Anon Meme, unaffiliated chats, etc.) as support for a situation that has made it onto the community the mods may use those to help gauge the situation as a whole, but we can take no actions outside DDD. Because of this, we ask that every player remembers that in any locations that focus on RPing, every player represents DDD. If a secret is posted at RP Secrets that references DDD or a specific player, how you respond to that secret is how the rest of the RPing community is going to view DDD. Please keep that in mind when discussing the game elsewhere.
Glossary and Helpful Terms
Canon: The source material for a character; the show, movie, book, game, etc. that the character is taken from.
Canonmates: Characters from the same series or source material as your character.
Concrit (Constructive Criticism): Suggestions from one player to another. These suggestions can be about the way they're playing their character, how they're handling a certain thread or an event, or even simply pointing out what has been working well or what the player is enjoying about watching the other's character. Concrit doesn't include personal attacks or unfounded opinions, and should include helpful suggestions, preferably with evidence to back them up.
Flames are not concrit, and concrit is not a flame. Concrit is given politely and is an effort to help the player improve their RPing skills; as such, it should be accepted in the same spirit it was given. A player is under no obligation to make any changes suggested, but should appreciate that someone wants to help them, and should review the suggestions made for anything they can use to improve. If you receive a flame--a comment with no valid suggestions, made with the sole intention to hurt and possibly using inflammatory language--you can either make an effort to handle it politely without allowing it to escalate, or bring it immediately to the attention of a moderator if you don't feel comfortable handling it on your own.
Fanon: Something that's widely accepted about a character but has no actual basis in canon.
Fandom: The fanbase that surrounds a source material, including all related output from said fans. Fandom runs the gamut, from people who express their love of a canon through discussion and squeeing, to those who express it through creative outlets like fanfiction, fanart, and RPing.
God-mode: Assuming something about a character or their property/environment without permission from the character's player, or controlling a character's actions in a tag without the player's permission. Can also be used to indicate a character who gives and/or uses information about another character that they shouldn't have. God-moding can be done by any character, but players of gods, characters with god-like powers, psychics, or hackers should take extra care not to overstep the boundaries other players have established for their characters. See also section 2.
IC (In Character): IC actually has two meanings. It can be used to describe actions or events that happen in the RP, as in things that happen to a character, or it can mean a character is being played close to the way they're depicted in canon, and the player is doing a good job of displaying the aspects of the character's personality and behavior that are represented in canon.
Meme: A cultural item or idea that is transmitted by repetition. Can be in the form of a saying or running gag that spreads across the internet, or something that is reposted in many different locations by many different people. Internet quizzes and the various Anon Memes also fall under this category.
Mun (Mundane): A roleplayer, i.e. you guys. ♥
Muse: Used in a lot of different ways, but generally indicates the 'voice' of a player's character, whether their unique voice or the mindset the player gets into to play the character.Can also simply refer to the character. Not to be confused with the voices in your head.
NPC (Non-Playable Character): A character (whether from canon or created to fill a purpose in the game) that isn't an apped character but is played by a player in RLs or journal posts or comments. For rules about using NPCs, see the FAQ.
OOC (Out of Character): The exact opposite of IC. Can either be used to describe interactions between players, outside of playing their characters, or to describe a behavior or personality trait that contradicts canon or is otherwise unrealistic for the character to display, based on canon evidence.
Post: An entry a character makes in their own journal or in one of DDD's IC communities. Other characters can comment to these, and start threads of discussion.
Pup (Puppet): A player's character.
RL (Real Life, Roleplaying Log): Narrative RP format. Unlike some other games DDD has no requirements for how these are written out, but the most common types are script (using action tags and dialogue, as in a movie or TV script) and prose (the style used in writing novels and short stories). While journal entries take place online, RLs are in-person interactions of two or more characters. RL is also a shortened form of 'real life,' as in 'RL is kicking my arse, I won't be able to play today.'
RP: Roleplay. What we're here to do.
Tag - A reply to a thread or post. Can also refer to the 'tags' added to a post for organizational or lulz purposes. (Disclaimer: When posting in the main community, lulz tags shouldn't be used, lest we run out of available tags too quickly. Tag community stuff with the character name and event name, and keep the lulz tags for the character journals kthx.)
Thread: A string of comments to a journal post, generally between two characters going back and forth, or a string of tags between characters in an RL. Threads in RLs can also be called logs.
World-hop: Transportation from one world to another. Hops can come from characters with a canon basis for transdimensional travel, like an ability to teleport, or from devices designed for the same purpose. For more information see Sections 1, 5, and the Frequently Asked Questions.