Once F.A.Q.


Overview

Starting Questions
+ How do I join?
+Okay, I've posted my character description. Now what?
+ Do I have to get my character approved?

Character & Roleplay Questions
+ Can I have more than one character?
+ What’s the problem with five or more characters?
+ What do I do if I find I've created too many characters?
+ Can my character be in more than one board at the same time?
+ Am I allowed to post all my character sheets on one board? For example, having all my characters under the topic "My Chars"?
+ What about just two characters? If I put them on the same character sheet, like siblings or something, is that okay?
+ Do I have to link my character sheets in my sig?
+ What is the minimum post length?
+ My character's species isn't found on your species list. Can I still make them that species?
+ Can I use a species/class I made up?
+ Can I use NPCs? What are NPCs?
+ What’s a “throwaway character”? Can I play one?
+ How is an NPC different from a throwaway character?
+ Can I double?
+ Can I double using my character and a throwaway?
+ If my character is HALF human, can they still have a class?
+ I've got a really cool idea for a character, but it's either from or derived from a movie, game, comic, cartoon, or anime. Can I use it anyway?

Site-related Questions
+ How do I PM someone?
+ Why won't my font work?
+ What does it mean when someone writes 'reserved' on a board?
+ What does it mean when someone writes 'open' on a board, then?
+ What is eating the board?
+ What is a “board already in progress”?
+ What is a “board”?

Miscellaneous
+ I've heard the terms 'Unnish' and 'Innish' around. What do they mean?
+ So, who is |||?
+ How do I remember the difference between your and you're?
+ Why do I have to get characters over 200 years approved with the admin?
+ What do you mean by "zeitgeist"?
+ You sent me an administrative notice! Do you hate me now?
+ I'd like to become an affiliate to Once. What do I do?
+ My question isn't here! What do I do?


Starting Questions

How do I join?
This is easy. You read the rules and the information section, you sign up for an account, and you post your character description in the Character Descriptions board. The form for the character description can be found in the Once Information section-- but don't worry, it's flexible. You can add more to the sheet, so long as you don’t subtract anything.

Okay, I've posted my character description. Now what?
Now, you roleplay. You do not have to wait to be approved. Once believes in giving people a chance to prove themselves in roleplay-- I mean, one application or one description isn’t a whole lot of information by which to judge someone’s roleplaying ability.

Do I have to get my character approved?
No, unless it specifically says so somewhere. Gods, demi-gods, and ancient characters have to be approved. If you have a very unusual idea, it might be good to check with the admin about it first. Normal characters do no have to be approved. (ie, see above.)


Character & Roleplay Questions

Can I have more than one character?
Yes, as long as you keep all of your characters active. If you have a character that you can't keep up with, contact the admin and that character will be deleted or put on hold. If you have created five or more characters, the admins will be taking a really close look at your roleplaying. If you continually cycle through characters-- making new ones, deleting old ones-- the admins are apt to get a bit annoyed.

What’s the problem with five or more characters?
While everyone has a different roleplaying style, we’ve found that when people create too many characters, they tend to develop each of these characters only a little bit—but when they create fewer characters, they develop these characters more. Since Once is a site that’s focused on character development, we’re going to try to make sure that our players don’t outstretch themselves and play too many characters. "Too many" is a different number from person to person, so we're just going to keep an eye on things around five.

What do I do if I find I've created too many characters?
If you find you’ve created too many characters, don’t worry—there are a couple of ways to deal with the problem. Firstly, if you’d like to remove some of the characters, PM an admin with links to the characters you’d like removed. It’s best to make sure that these characters are not involved in any long-term plots before removing them. Secondly, if you’d like to save the characters for a later date, you can put them ‘on hold’. To put a character on hold, either PM an admin with links to the characters and we’ll set them aside temporarily, or just mark them as ‘on hold’ in your signature links.

Can my character be in more than one board at the same time?
Yes, as long as you can keep track of them. You just say that the roleplays are occuring at different times-- Once is flexible like that.

Am I allowed to post all my character sheets on one board? For example, having all my characters under the topic "My Chars"?
No. For convenience, I ask that you please post each character on a separate board. However, you can link to your boards in your signature as much as you like, or even put links in one character description to your other character descriptions.

What about just two characters? If I put them on the same character sheet, like siblings or something, is that okay?
No, still not okay. One character per sheet, one sheet per board, thank-you.

Do I have to link my character sheets in my sig?
No, but it is recommended. Putting links to your characters in your signature will make it easier for people to look them up, in case they want to see who you play or reference some detail not already mentioned in your roleplay’s intro.

What is the minimum post length?
There isn't one. We trust you to use your discretion-- and if you don't, we'll let you know. The general rule of thumb is longer for introductions, shorter in the midst of conversation. Introductions are meant to set the scene, so keep that in mind. In the middle of conversation, on the other hand, things move quickly and typing up too much is taking up too much time between when your character speaks and when the other character can respond.

In general, though, this is a site for writers, and so you’re supposed to be a writer. Focus first on making a post good, interesting, and useful in terms of roleplay-- concerns about length really shouldn’t enter into it.

My character's species isn't found on your species list. Can I still make them that species?
Yes, as long as it is within reason. For example, I'm not adverse to you having a kitsune character, or a pixie, or something else-- keeping in mind that they would have to stay hidden. However, I don't want to see you making up an all-powerful species and joining as that.

If your species-which-isn't-on-the-list is one you've made up or is particularly complex or you're worried it may not fit in with the general scheme of things here, please PM a mod and check.

Can I use a species/class I made up?
Players are welcome to use species and classes that they have made up to fit their character concept. You are, however, strongly encouraged to contact an administrator before posting your character sheet, just to make sure that your character concept fits the site.

Can I use NPCs? What are NPCs?
NPCs are 'non-played characters', and the term stems from a different style of roleplaying, but has been carried over. An NPC is a character that you use to move the plot along but do not intend to play. An example would be a bartender, or a mortal for a vampire to feed on, etc. Some moderation is expected in NPC use. If you use them to boost your character's power or status in an unacceptable way, I'll send you a notice letting you know.

What’s a “throwaway character”? Can I play one?
A “throwaway character” is a character that is played for a single roleplay in order to further a plot. For example, when Jakob Glimmerman discovered that killing people gave him the energy from their life and went on a killing spree, I roleplayed a “throwaway character” who was murdered by Glimmerman.

If you would like to roleplay a throwaway character to help someone move their plot along, please PM me with the details—who, when, and why. Throwaway characters do not have to have a character sheet since they will only be used for one roleplay, but you do have to get my approval before using one.

How is an NPC different from a throwaway character?
An NPC is someone like a bartender in a bar. Either character can say “The bartender nods and slides (my character) a drink”. You don’t need admin approval to play an NPC. By contrast, the throwaway character is someone’s character for the length of one board. No one else can play them and you do need to get admin approval.

Can I double?
If we’re defining doubling as “playing two equally-important characters at once in a roleplay”, then I would prefer that you did not, though there’s no specific rule against it. If you choose to double, please do so in moderation and with a keen awareness of the pitfalls specific to the practice. If you're forced to double in one or two roleplays because of the way a plot is going, don't worry about it; it happens.

Can I double using my character and a throwaway?
Please don’t.

If my character is HALF human, can they still have a class?
Usually, no. If you would really like a character like this, and have an interesting reason, contact the admin.

I've got a really cool idea for a character, but it's either from or derived from a movie, game, comic, cartoon, or anime. Can I use it anyway?
Basically, no.

If you're really dead-set on it or you think it would still work well, PM a mod or ask about it on the Questions forum.


Site-related Questions

How do I PM someone?
PM stands for 'private message' and it is the message system that is a part of the site. If you look up in the top right corner of your page, just underneath the advertisement, you will see a list of links starting with "My Controls." The second link says Inbox, and it displays how many new messages you have waiting in your inbox. You can send a private message from your control panel, from your inbox, or by going to a user's look-up and clicking "private message: click here."

Why won't my font work?
The font tags on this site are just like font tags everywhere: you have to open AND close them. They are exactly like HTML, except that you use square brackets instead of <> things.

What does it mean when someone writes 'reserved' on a board?
Exactly that-- the board is reserved for someone, so don't join unless you're asked to.

What does it mean when someone writes 'open' on a board, then?
That means that the board's creator wants to make extra-sure that you know that anyone can join. The board is 'open', so it's not reserved for anyone. Most boards are ‘open’ unless they say ‘reserved’ or unless the board is already in progress (the original board poster has already responded to the other intros).

Sometimes, you'll see 'open for unnish' or 'open for humans' or something boards, and that means that anyone with that kind of character can join.

What is eating the board?
“Eating the board” is when two people out-post other people on a roleplay board. Imagine roleplayers A, B, and C are roleplaying, and C has to go to sleep for the night. If A and B continue posting, the characters and situations of the roleplay will move on without C, effectively writing C out of the roleplay. That’s pretty unfair to C, right?

That’s why we ask that you be polite and maintain some general sort of posting order.

What is a “board already in progress”?
A board “already in progress” is a board where the original poster has posted a second time. Let’s say that roleplayer A starts a board and roleplayer B posts with their character. If roleplayer A responds to that entry post, the board is “in progress” and you should ask before entering. If A starts a board and players B and C and D all write an entry, the board still isn’t “in progress” until the original poster posts a response.

You’re welcome to join any “open” board that isn’t in progress, but if a board is “in progress”, ask before joining.

What is a “board”?
“Board” is a colloquial term we use to describe any section of a roleplaying site. Once, as a whole, is sometimes called “a modern fantasy roleplaying board”. Somewhere like the Help Section can also be called a “board”, as in “the Help board”. Technically, invisionfree calls these “forums”. The F.A.Q. page inside the Help forum can also be called a board, and this is the way we mean it most often. Technically, this is called a “topic”.

If you’re confused, ask someone if they mean the site in general, a specific forum, or a specific topic. In this FAQ, when I say “board”, I mostly mean “topic”.


Miscellaneous

I've heard the terms 'Unnish' and 'Innish' around. What do they mean?
Unnish and Innish are the shortforms for Uninitiate (Unnish) and Initiate (Innish). They're easier to say and type. You might hear them around, both in and out of character.

So, who is |||?
||| is your friendly neighbourhood admin. She is nicknamed J, Jack, Jackamy and Amy; is an arts graduate living in Canada; and is watching you right now.

How do I remember the difference between your and you're?
There's a simple trick to it. Just look at your sentence and say "You are." If you can say "You are", then it's "you're." If "You are" sounds stupid, then it's "your."
Example 1: "I replied to your/you're post."
"I replied to you are post" sounds stupid, so it's your.
Example 2: "Your/You're online a lot."
"You are online a lot" sounds right, so it's you're.

This is important, guys; we kind of expect you to get it right.

Why do I have to get characters over 200 years approved with the admin?
I had been noticing that a lot of people were just arbitrarily giving their characters big, impressive ages with no respect for history, and it was kind of annoying. If your character is older than average, I expect you to have done at least moderate research on the era they were born and raised in, and have a general sense of the history of the years they lived through. The reason you have to apply is just to assure me that you're going to respect the history you're laying claim to.
The history of the world of Once is the same as you'd find in history books about our world (or on Wikipedia—look it up). Please keep that in mind-- I don't want to see you talking about made-up kingdoms and machine-guns in the 1600's and how dragons once burned down Paris.

What do you mean by "zeitgeist"?
You may hear me or other members talking about the "zeitgeist" of Once. We're talking about the roleplay's prevailing spirit-- its moods, themes, and precendents. A site's zeitgeist can be a hard thing to catch on to, so the administration is always willing to help out.

Basically, Once is a site that focuses on realism within the modern fantasy world, and has a lot of dark themes mixed with light humour. We are a site that's all about moral shades of gray, and in general prefer our themes to echo traditional mythology brought into the modern world. Sound cool? Good; we think so, too.

You sent me an administrative notice! Do you hate me now?
As the admin of Once, I occasionally have to let people know when they’re breaking the rules. The rules apply to everyone—they apply to people I don’t know, to my friends, and even to me. If I send you a notice, don’t take it personally—it’s my job to make sure that everyone follows all the rules, regardless of my personal feelings towards them.

I'd like to become an affiliate to Once. What do I do?
PM |||.

My question isn't here! What do I do?
You PM |||, who is the admin and always willing to answer questions. You can also ask on the chatbox, below, or AIM the admin if she's online. (evercroft)


Submit a question to the FAQ: PM |||.