Frequently Asked Questions
Aug. 10th, 2014 01:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)

2. APPLICATION FAQ
3. GAMEPLAY FAQ
GENERAL QUESTIONS:
Is this a journal based or a community based role playing game?
Kismet Loop is a community-based role playing game. All activity will take place on the community journals; one for video/audio/text posts and one for logs
What are the available Kismet Loop communities?
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
What is action spam/Is action spam allowed?
Action spam is when you shorten your prose to simple basics. It's mostly used for video posts to clearly show what's being seen on the video feed. When a video leads to characters meeting up the format merely remains the same.
Example:
Character A: [Grins] Hey! You still gonna meet me at the bar?
Character B: Of course! I’m on my way now. [Heads on over to the bar.]
Character A: [Sees Character B approaching and waves.]
And yes, action spam is very, very welcome, in both the main comm or log comm, though it's not generally used in logs.
What is activity check? How often does it occur?
Activity check is just a way for us to be sure of players' interest in the game. Activity check will be every other month. We don't want this to be a high pressure game. To pass activity check we ask that you supply two links to pieces of activity within the timeframe, be this a post in either the main or log comms, or a post you've tagged into with 10 comments by your character - details of acceptable AC items will be included with each AC post. We ask that you be aware of how much you play, if you feel like you're just barely making AC perhaps this isn't the game for that muse. Please don't character squat, if you're not playing a character much, let someone else have a chance to play them.
What's your policy on hiatuses?
Hey, we all get busy, life happens, and let's face it: real life comes before fantasy life. You can call a hiatus of up to one month. At that point you need to ask yourself if you are able to continue playing.
We do understand that sometimes life doesn't fall into a nice little block of time. If your hiatus is going to be over a month, and you're still reasonably sure that you'll come back when circumstances have passed, please contact the mods. We're people too, and will gladly work with you however we can, within reason.
What is God-modding/Is it allowed?
God-modding is when you dictate the actions or assume the actions of someone else's character. This is not okay. No one likes to have control of their character taken away from them, so don't do it to others.
Example of God-modding:
Character A: [leaps up and punches Character B square in the face, sending him flying back from the impact.]
Unless you and the player of Character B have discussed the scene, and have already agreed how things would play out, this is God-modding. If things have been discussed between players, it is still best to let the other player speak for their own character unless given express permission to assume things to move the scene along.
Above Example without God-modding:
Character A: [leaps up and throws a punch aiming to hit Character B square in the face]
Character B: [doesn't dodge fast enough and winds up taking the strike in full, sending him flying back from the impact.]
What is Kismet_Loop Rated?
Kismet Loop is rated R for the possibility of blood/gore, violence, language, and mild sexual content. Any explicit sexual content should be taken to
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
What constitutes "excessive" violence? When should I use a cut and warn for violent content?
~Acceptable in the main communities, no warnings necessary: non-graphic violence, such as hitting, minor cuts and scrapes, mentions of character death, and occasional swearing.
~Acceptable in the main communities, provided it is clearly labeled and warned for: graphic violence, such as onscreen character death, dismemberment, spilling of large amounts of vital internal fluids/blood, torture, and excessive/extreme language.
~Not acceptable in Kismet Loop (ie. scenes that should be taken elsewhere, such as a personal musebox, meme, or the Kismet Loop adult musebox): violence for the purpose of sexual gratification.
What constitutes "adult" and "explicit" material? When should I use a cut and warn for adult content?
~Acceptable in the main communities, no warnings necessary: kissing, hugging, non-graphic displays of affection, references to a character being in a sexual relationship or that they are having/will be having sex.
~Acceptable in the main communities, provided it is warned for: detailed discussions of the particulars of a character's sex life, ie. who/when/where.
~ Not acceptable in Kismet Loop (ie. scenes that should be taken elsewhere, such as a personal musebox, meme, or the Kismet Loop adult musebox): mutual fondling, foreplay, sex scenes, explicit references to characters’ genitals (or equivalent) and how they fit together.
Please refrain from specific discussion of methods of sexual interaction among aliens (Transformers included), or take them to the adult community/musebox. This is to be treated in the same way as all other headcanon, and should be avoided.
So what are your thoughts on drama?
DON'T!
Seriously, though, IC drama is...IC, not all characters are going to get along, and some are just the type to go looking for the best ways to cause trouble, but any OOC drama will not be tolerated. You'll have one warning on this, and only one.
APPLICATION QUESTIONS:
Can I copy/paste from another application?
If the application is one you wrote, copy away, if not then do not copy. Your application is to show us that you know the character. You can't show your knowledge and understanding of a character if you're copying from someone else's app.
What kind of character can I play? Does it have to be a Transformer? Do they have to be still alive?
You can play any type of character you wish! While the location of this game is set on Cybertron, the setting has adapted to support organic life forms as well.
As for living, no. A character who has just died can still be accepted into the game. They'll just find themselves alive again, how odd...
Do I have to nerf my character? Do I have to resize them?
Nerfing a character will seriously depend on just how powerful they are. We ask that you include all abilities in their app. If things need to be nerfed, we'll let you know, and we promise to be reasonable.
A character's size does not need to be changed (within reason). The world will easily accommodate both the super large (this is a world made for giant robots after all), and the human-like species will have plenty of places more accommodating to their size as well. If you're concerned about the size of your character, feel free to contact us.
Can I app an Original Character? Can I app an Alternate Universe version of another character?
In short, yes. Following is an in depth view of our definitions of what character types we accept and any specific rules we have for a particular character type.
Canon Characters All characters from any creative media are welcome. If they have a canon, feel free to app them. Even if there are several versions of them! For example, Kismet Loop accepts that there are various realities of characters. TFA Megatron is from a different universe as TFP Megatron, and both are from different universes as G1 Megatron. Even those each is from the same franchise (Transformers), for purposes of this game, they are considered three separate canons. Therefore, for this example, one of each of the above Megatrons would be allowed in the game at the same time.
CRAUCRAU's are canon characters brought over from another game, keeping the memories and character development gained from playing them. If your character is a CRAU, be sure to note this in your app and define any notable differences, including the game history as part of your app. Note that CRAU's must still look like they did in canon, and their personalities must still be recognizable as having come from canon (with reasonable explanations for any changes).
Kismet Loop currently accepts various versions of the same character, but not a Canon and Canon CRAU from the same canon. i.e. TFP Bulkhead and TFA CRAU Bulkhead can be in the game at the same time, but not a TFP Bulkhead and a TFP CRAU Bulkhead.
Canon AUsCanon AU's are based off of the original canon, with something changed in that world that would change the canon character. For instance, Bruce Wayne was actually a woman. What other things would be different in the universe if this was changed? These AU's can be more dramatic than just gender changes. We'll be asking for details that show where canon and the AU split, and how those changes affect the characters.
Obscure Canon CharactersThese are those canon characters you see for brief instances but you never get a real backstory on. Like the man with the cabbage cart in Avatar: The Last Airbender. He's there, he's part of canon, but he doesn't play a significant role. We do accept these characters, understanding that the history given will be heavily influenced by headcanon. Even so, remember to keep the headcanon reasonable.
OC's and Fandom OC'sOriginal Characters are welcome in Kismet Loop. You'll need to be able to give details on a character's world, as well as their backstory and personality. Keep in mind that just like over-powered canon characters, an over-powered OC may find their powers nerfed for this game.
Fandom OCs are original characters meant to fit within the world of an existing canon. There are a couple rules on fandom OC's that must be followed when apping. Failure to do so will result in the character being automatically rejected.
1. Fandom OC's cannot have direct connections to canon characters - any canon characters, regardless of whether they're being played currently in-game or not. This means your character cannot be the spouse, significant other, love interest, family member, offspring, best friend, or even a close co-worker with a canon character. Yes, your OC is allowed to know about canon characters, and even minimal interaction is okay (canon character is known for going to the same coffee shop every day, and your Fandom OC as one of the baristas is okay). After all, it's pretty hard for someone to not know that Superman is real, but if any of your Fandom OC's backstory might assume that Superman knows your character in any way, then you're stepping into the zone of god-modding, and that's not allowed.
The reason for this is to let the players of canon characters play their own characters as they wish, without getting pulled into someone else's headcanon - and alternately to allow a player to bring in a canon character without having to make him/her conform to someone else's personal headcanon to do so. Just because you normally write in your fanfictions that your highly-sciencey-minded OC is Wheeljack's lab assistant and there's "clearly" room for a budding romance doesn't mean that another player who is portraying Wheeljack thinks he'd react the same to your character or even that he'd want a lab assistant in the first place. The character's own player gets rights over those of another player to say what their character will or won't do.
2. Fandom OC's should not play a significant part in the canon they come from. This would change the canon they're supposed to fit into. The only time it'll fly to "change" canon is if your OC is from a time that is either before the start of canon or after the end of it, i.e. You have a Cybertronian character from a time long before the war started, or who was created after the war ended.
In general, if your Fandom OC would change anything with a canon character or the canon story line, then they'll not be accepted.
Can I app a character with a variable personal history? (e.g. Mass Effect's Commander Shepard, KOTOR's Revan) What category should they be apped under?
Yes! You may app avatar characters or malleable protagonists - characters who have some set traits/history but leave the rest up to the player's decision, such as many RPG characters - at Kismet Loop.
~ If there is a canon version of the character (Such as KOTOR's Revan or Persona 4's Narukami Yu), that version may simply be apped as the canon character. Any version of the character that deviates from the canon characterization should be apped as a canon AU.
~ If there is no set canon version of the character (Such as Mass Effect's Commander Shepard or Persona 4's protagonist), the character should always be apped as a canon AU. In this case, an exception is made and we allow two canon AUs of the character to make up for the slot "lost" due to the lack of a true canon version of them. Note that the canon AUs must be significantly different; e.g. different gender, origin/backstory choices, or paragon/renegade alignment in the case of the Mass Effect series. Also, this must stay within the parameters of what's allowed in the canon.
How many characters can I have here? How many can I app at a time?
To start, you may app one character. We ask that this be either a Canon, Canon CRAU, or OC. After passing your first AC, you may app 2 characters, of any type, per app cycle up to a total of 6 characters.
How many characters can I play from a single canon source?
~ You can play no more than two characters from the same canon, AND these two must be characters that do not interact in canon and would not normally interact in game.
~ Additionally you cannot play a canon, CAU, and CRAU version of the same character. In other words, you can play Optimus Prime from TFA, but then you cannot app an AU or CRAU of TFA Optimus Prime.
~ A CAU or CRAU character will count as one of your two canon characters from a given fandom, because despite the AU aspect, the character is still associated with the base canon.
Also note that we'll only allow one AU version of a character in game at a time. We don't need to end up with several G1 Skyfire's in game with six of them being AU's. It would just get confusing very quickly. We will however allow a canon or CRAU of a character and one CAU of a character from the same canon in the game at the same time, so long as the CAU is easily recognizable as being a CAU (and not being played by the same person as the canon or CRAU).
How many characters can I reserve?
You can reserve no more than 1 character per fandom at a time, and no more than 2 reserves per app cycle. All reserves will be reset at the end of each app cycle.
Someone reserved a character I want to play! Can I challenge them?
Sorry, no. Challenges can be made only when there is no reserve made. Otherwise, the one with the reserve gets first consideration for the apped character.
What does my character arrive with?
Whatever you'd like, within reason. We are allowing characters to come in with special items - by which we mean items that are far from mundane. Whether it be a magical artifact, a mobile armor, or anything else - if it's intrinsic to your character, you're welcome to bring it along. Please note that these items should not make your character more powerful than one of the Guardians.
If the item requires energy of any sort - while the Guardians may be able to help you set something up (assuming you gain one of their respect) or you may be able to do so on your own, most Earthen fuels still do not exist on this Cybertron. The one power source that is the most abundant is energon, though its natural form is too powerful and unstable to be used as a gasoline equivalent.
Items that would grant space travel will find themselves limited in scope, unable to reliably bring anyone off-planet. Whether by damage or a matter of them unable to properly modify the fabric of this reality, they simply cannot break atmosphere without somehow failing.
And please, be reasonable. While Captain Kirk and the Enterprise may go together like bread and butter, the latter is a bit too large in scope to be brought in to the game. If you're bringing in something larger than a Mobile Suit Gundam, give it some deep thought or save it for an item drop request.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact the mods. Mods reserve the final say in the matter of any special item, and may request you either tone down said item or leave it out entirely.
Can I include headcanon?
To a degree. The nature of RP implies you taking a character out of their canon and playing with what they'd do in a different setting...so that, in itself, is headcanon. However, try to keep things reasonable! We're far more interested in how your character develops in-game than in all of their exploits off-curtain. If the mods feel as though you're adding too much that changes the nature of a character from how they've otherwise been portrayed, we will ask you to fix things.
OCCs and CAUs- due to their nature - will have a lot more headcanon than other characters. However, the stricter application process (in play for one app cycle, etc) is meant to display that you're responsible with what headcanon you use - in general, so long as you don't go against what you've put in the application for these guys (or try to sneak something in that would change them), you'll be fine.
What are your thoughts on spoilers?
We are generally lax about spoilers, as we know that it can be exciting to play a character from a new canon. However, to give the rest of our cast time to see the material themselves, no character can be apped with a pull point that came out less than ONE MONTH from the time of apping. You must also wait a month after release for any canon updating.
After that, we do request you try to minimize spoilers on anything new, but if it comes up in character, there aren't any penalties.
Any other things to note before apping?
For the purposes of this game, we will be considering War For Cybertron/Fall of Cybertron/Exiles/Exodus to be one canon, and Transformers: Prime to be another. If you are applying for a character from either of these media, make sure to only include canon from one or the other.
If you're not, then don't worry about it!
GAMEPLAY QUESTIONS:
Who are these Guardians anyway?
The Guardians are a small group of demi-god like beings that have come to Cybertron for their own reasons. What those reasons are may or may not be hard to learn depending on the Guardian you speak with.
You are welcome to attempt to befriend any Guardian you wish, some are certainly more open to this than others; some may just wish to use you to further their own goals. If they take an interest in you, or you do good work for them, they may just grant you gifts or abilities. Befriending or impressing a Guardian could prove useful.
There are eleven known Guardians, though currently only ten are currently in Haven, and the fate of one is unknown. You can see a list of our Guardians and named NPCs on the Settings page.
There seems to be a lot of NPCs. What if I want to go to a place run by an NPC that isn't a Guardian?
All non-Guardian or other unnamed NPCs are considered incidental NPCs. So long as they have no notable power or influence - a policeman, a bartender, etc - these characters can be played by you to help set up the scene you want, just like with monsters, pets, and your comm drone.
If the NPC is one that would have some type of influence over the city, though, like the police chief or someone on the news crew, we ask that you contact a mod before assuming anything. For the most part, though, the NPCs are there to use as needed.
If you have questions, just ask as mod.
What can I do in the world?
Anything you wish! It’s your new home. Find a job, make a job, patrol the city, goof off, plant a garden, or try to tear the place apart. Really, it’s up to you what your characters do. Just remember that actions have consequences (like, for example, if you try to destroy or take over the city, there will be a response!) Also, be mindful of those bubbles of mist that seep up through the ground - the Miasma is unpredictable. You’ll also want to stay within the city.
What happens if I leave the city? And how big is the city?
Haven itself is about 200 miles in diameter, but the actual boundary reaches about 250 miles in diameter. Keep in mind this means driving at what would be considered freeway speeds, it would take approximately four hours to fully cross from one side of the city to another. Fliers and those able to go faster will take less time, and those walking...? Well, you’ll be walking for a long time. Don’t worry, though - there are faster ways to get about the city if you desire.
Outside of the city itself are various natural formations. You can find more information on this in the World section.
And I’m afraid you’re stuck within the “city”, well...kind of. A roiling mist surrounds the city. Within the boundary, you are relatively safe. The closer you get to the boundaries, the more likely you are to run into something nasty that’s been spit out from the mist...or something bizarre, or to have something strange happen to you. Entering the mists, the Miasma, is practically sure that you will encounter a horrible fate.
What is the Miasma?
The Miasma could be described as chaos, some might call it evil. Along the boundaries, a roiling fog of deep black-ish purple mists make a barrier around the city, and there are constant sounds of...things. There are growls and rumbles of massive beasts, the grinding of gears, the shout and howls of pain and fear; all there and abruptly gone to be replaced with momentary silence or another sound entirely.
What might happen if you venture into the Miasma? Who knows? But you aren’t likely to make it out alive.
The Miasma also bubbles up in the city at times. Like mist caught in a bubble, it rises up, sometimes small, sometimes large, bursting to let this essence of chaos and chance flow. If you’re caught in these flows, you may face horrors...or you may find some inexplicable change taking hold of you for a short time, or maybe you'll find that special teddy bear you used to sleep with as a kid. Not everything that comes from the Miasma is bad, it's just unpredictable.
There will be regular updates regarding the bubbles of Miasma within the city.
How will these updates work?
About once a month the news station within Haven will inform all residents on random events taking place around the city. These updates are to give players optional prompts or ideas to play with should anyone wish to use them.
These random events could be anything from the mundane to the more serious. There could be monsters in a building that need to be exterminated, or perhaps an item drop that can range from useful to just strange, or even areas with temporary effects, like making anyone within an area talk backwards until they leave the influence of the Miasma.
Again, participation in these random events will be optional. They will be changed regularly and offered as prompts to use for posts and CR. Have fun with them or ignore them, whatever you decide. If you would like to add some ideas to the list, anything from the silly to the serious, you may do so on our Random Events page.
How do I communicate?
Shortly after arriving you will find a small drone hovering about you, something similar to Weebo from the 1997 Flubber movie. This small drone can speak, but is not intelligent as you or I. It will provide all your text, audio, and video communication needs.
These communication drones come in various colors and sizes, with slight variations on appearance. The smallest are about the size of a dinner plate and meant for the organic population, the largest about the size of a large bean bag chair and meant for the larger, Cybertronian population.
If you’re unhappy with your drone, whether with its size or color, or if anything happens to your drone, a new one can be picked up from the Warehouse or directly from Wheeljack at his workshop also located near The Hub.
How do I get around?
There is always the traditional way of walking, but if you’re looking to cross the city and need to do so quickly, walking just won’t cut it.
Transports are also available, and some of the Cybertronian residents may be willing to give rides to some of the organic population, but that could still take 3-4 hours to cross from one side of the city to the other.
The final option, and the quickest, is to use a Gateway. Many major locations around the city have Gateways. These portals are ground-bridges built to help people cross the city faster and easier. Each Gateway has the brand name “Bulkhead” along the left edge. Unfortunately, these portals only connect with other Gateways within Haven and won’t be getting anyone home.
Where do I live?
There are plenty of places to live. The Hub has housing that is a mix of Cybertronian and organic accommodations, and there are various other housing options around the city. Don’t worry, finding a place to settle won’t be a problem.
How do I eat?
For the robotic population:
Energon is the main diet of Cybertronians, and occurs naturally on this Cybertron in three colors: pink, purple, and blue. In nature, it can be found in its plasma state, flowing occasionally from fissures in the ground like lava and eventually hardening into energon crystals. The brighter it is in each color, the higher the grade, with energon reaching nearly pure white if properly refined. However, much like petrocarbons, it is an extremely volatile substance and should be handled with care.
On that note, Cybertron has only supported organic life for a relatively short time. That means there are no fossil fuels to be found, such as gasoline. If a robot arrives that runs on gasoline or some other organic-based fuel, he will need to see the local medic/mechanic for a system upgrade.
For the organic population:
Cybertron has changed much over time. There has been an increase of organic materials, and so the planet is much friendlier to supporting organic life than it once was. There is a large farm located in the Southwest Sector that produces grains, fruits, dairy, and meat. Not all the animals are necessarily ones that would be recognized by someone from Earth, but if they’re on the farm, they’re edible, or there to produce milk for dairy products.
How do I breathe?
By pulling air into your lungs using the muscle in the abdomen known as the diaphragm. Really, now, how are you alive if you don’t know how to breathe?!
Don’t worry, though, this Cybertron has an atmosphere conducive to supporting organic life. In fact, the air quality is quite good now that there is some thriving flora on the planet.
How do canon updates work?
When you wish to canon update your character, they will find themselves engulfed by Miasma. This bubble will have a crystal-like structure about it, unbreakable by those outside of it. The mist within will be a lighter color as well, not the same, ominous black/purple of the regular Miasma. This bubble will remain for whatever length of time the player decides, lasting a few days or a month (handy if you need to call a hiatus).
While your character is trapped within their own personal bubble, they will find themselves home. There will be an odd feeling to it, like watching an old film of their life, only what they’re seeing hasn’t happened yet. They’re living their life, making their own decisions, etc, but will also feel somewhat detached from the experience.
Once the update is complete, the bubble around them will pop and life on Cybertron will continue. Any changes to their physical bodies during their update will be present once released from the bubble. Any items of significance will have to be approved by a mod, and any approved items will show up by them when they’re released from the Miasma.
What happens if my character dies?
If your character dies, and it is determined to be before their time, Death himself will see to it that they are returned to their bodies. If the body has been destroyed, a new one will be formed before attaching the soul to it.
I urge caution, though – there can be serious consequences from death.
If your character is going into a situation where death is a possibility, and you wish to take that route, please go to the Death App page. This is not so much for gaining mod approval, as your character is yours and you can kill them if you wish, but rather to keep track of how often your character has perished and how.
What other changes might I undergo?
There are two types of changes that can affect your character: Events, and gaining the approval of a Guardian.
Events – These can be planned, city-wide plots, or random events from the monthly news update. Details will be given about each event, and participation of the sort that would make changes to your character are optional. Examples would be things that would change a character’s personality, make a character an alternate universe version of themselves, or even physical changes like changing body types (male to female, flier to grounder, etc). Any event changes would be temporary and would cease at the end of the plot or within a week of encountering a random event.
Guardians – Some Guardians may grant gifts or powers to those they deem worthy. What boon or gift is given could be different depending on who the character is, what Guardian has taken note of them, and for what reason they have gained the interest of a Guardian.
If your character is granted a boon or gift we will contact your character from the respective Guardian's journal with details of the gift/boon. You are then welcome to store this information publicly or privately.
Can I get out of here? Can I go home?
Sorry, there is currently no way home.
At one time, many eons ago, there was a dimensional tear above the planet, and while some evidence remains of this rift, the rift itself is gone.
Your characters are welcome to try to find a way home, but there is currently no way of doing so. Though ask around enough and your character might finds hints of some item of power hidden out there that might be able to send someone home.
What happens to characters if I drop?
Characters dropped will be considered lost to the Miasma. This leaves open the possibility that they returned home, or perhaps are wandering lost in the shifting storm of chaos that surrounds the city. They will be overtaken by a bubble, much like for a canon update, but when the bubble bursts, the character is not there, and their fate is unknown.
How do you handle fourth-wall breaking?
In general we ask that you don’t. If your character really would know about another, then ask the player of that character. Please respect their choice if they say no. Their decision will be backed by the mods either way.
If you have any questions that are not listed here please post your question in the comments and we will get back to you with an answer as soon as possible.
no subject
Date: 2015-06-12 07:38 am (UTC)Given Furiosa's War Rig is technically smaller than a Gundam would it be safe to say that she could show up with it? I know she'd need to modify the engine to use energon, which might mean she'd have to actually talk to people like something approaching a normal human being! (hahaha as if)
Clearly the ride to make friends with!
no subject
Date: 2015-06-12 12:29 pm (UTC)Yes, we would allow her to show up with the rig.
no subject
Date: 2015-09-05 06:50 pm (UTC)In this case, it would count under the "published creative medium" rule, but some games don't want "real people," so I feel the need to inquire.
Lovely game!
no subject
Date: 2015-09-05 06:56 pm (UTC)Historical figures will be accepted. We would ask that the application form for canon characters be used.
no subject
Date: 2015-10-06 09:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-10-06 01:50 pm (UTC)Recurring characters are very welcome. As we do allow multiples of characters so long as they are from different canons (i.e. Batman from the comics would be a different person from the batman from movies and both could be in game at once) we would ask that you stick to just show canon for her. The short amount of canon would not be an issue either, as you would always have the option of canon updating her as new material is aired.
We hope this helped. Let us know if you have any other questions.