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SETTING BACKGROUND/FAQ
The Guardian Oath
| Do you vow to watch over the children of the world? To guard with your life their hopes, their wishes, and their dreams. For they are that we have, all that we are, and all that we will ever be. |
This page discusses all the different OOC and IC mechanics that are important for the game, like posting format, language translation, hiatus mechanisms, and the network.
The FAQ is at the bottom.
Fiction About Your Character | Reality Shard Missions | Activity Check | Gear | Plot Structure
Writing Format | Canon Updates | Hiatus and Slowatus | Intros and Drops
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longestnight: is the game's magical watch network, used for communication between characters. nightlogs: is where the game's main logs will be posted. goodbyemoon: is the comm for ooc communication and memes. [TOP OF PAGE]
Characters will be given communicator devices upon arrival to the Pole. These devices are in watch form but project magical holograms that display a screen and a holographic keyboard. The keyboard, when projected, is actually solid to the touch.
Characters can filter to whoever they want. Communications are extremely secure, due to their magical nature and additional technological reinforcement from several Guardians, blending the magic with subspace communication. Due to the blend of magic and secure communication technology, it is nearly impossible to hack into the network or hack through filters. The firewall to the outside world is even more powerful: outsiders can't tap into the Pole's network unless the user is particularly talented as a hacker and was also brought in by the the forces of Belief to be a Guardian.
If the magic watch is broken, the yetis can replace it with a new one the next time a character returns to the Pole. The watch will still work if removed, with the holographic screen and keyboard functioning, if a character wants to set it down so someone has a better view of them. The watch face can also detach and hover, following along with its owner, if someone is on the move and needs their hands free while talking on their comm.
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Congrats, your character can understand, speak, read, and write any language they hear. For some rarer languages or particular ancient languages, it may take time to kick in, but characters can now magically understand all languages.
This means they can speak in their native language and other PCs will understand them, and vice versa.
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Your character is seen as fiction in the game world but that doesn't mean they're not real, or that belief has created them. The many-worlds theory is at play when it comes to perceptions of your character in the game world. Just like everything is real in some dimension somewhere, a world where your character's story has been written by someone is real too.
Due to the nature of magic and belief in the Guardians' universe, the writers and content creators there are far more attuned to real events in other dimensions. Therefore your character's story has been written in some form of media that people in the Guardians' universe read, listen to, or watch.
Belief and Canon Sources
The belief of children and teens has brought your character into the game universe. If your character is heroic it may be that the children want the character to protect them, they identify with them, or the character reminds them of someone that makes them feel safe. If your character is villainous, it may be that the childrens' fear has brought them in, they want someone scary to protect them, or they just think your character is edgy and cool.
Any character can join the game, even if they're not from a kid or teen-focused canon, as teenagers often read or watch fiction outside their age demographic. Teens think edgy characters are cool all the time.
Formats
The character's story there is in the same format(s) it presents as in the real world, so if your character is from a movie IRL they're from a movie in the Guardians' universe.
The release dates of media will match their IRL dates. All media will match the same formats as IRL.
For OCs, players can handwave whatever format their character's canon took that they want. For tabletop OCs the character's canon would be a tie-in to the overall franchise, so World of Darkness characters would be tie-in novels, tv show adaptations, etc. If players have adapted some of canon for their character's background to be a slightly different take than the usual game, that can be a quirk of that tie-in's way of adapting the tabletop canon.
Canon Viewing
NPCs can consume your character's canon. Jack Frost usually won't, though Jamie might. He doesn't watch everything though and is polite enough to not mention a character's canon (most of the time.)
Enemies are also able to consume your character's canon to use knowledge of it against them but ally PCs can't unless your character gives them permission. If characters try to consume the media without permission it'll just seem like gibberish.
Characters can only nix canon that depicts them directly, so a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine character can make it so others can't watch Deep Space Nine but a Lower Decks character would have to be the one to nix it for Lower Decks.
Characters may allow some individuals to watch their canon but not others if they wish to share with specific CR. Verbal permission can be granted on individual or group basis.
Release Dates and Future Canon
Release dates of media would match the real world.
Characters who have had more canon come out past their canon point can either have the ability to watch it, or have it so they can't perceive it, based on player preference. If a player doesn't want their character's future spoiled by the existence of future canon, they can treat it as if any attempts to watch/read/listen past their canon point will just result in hearing/seeing static. Any attempts by any other characters to tell them what they saw in media that depicts the future (such as npcs like Jamie or castmates) would result in hearing static as well.
Characters may find that they have merch of their character in the game world just like it may exist in the real world. This merch may be at the Pole if they're from a kids' or teen canon. Merch of future events in canon can also result in visual static and an inability of the character to perceive what the merch is like by touch, if it spoilers for the future.
This future-blurring rule would not be in play for castmates that have future knowledge simply from being from a future canon point. Players will have to work out the usual time travel drama or handwaves.
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Alongside plots and events in the game universe proper, and plots where reality is altered by belief and fiction, shards of reality will fall into alternate universes, allowing mission-style plots to occur in them. When a shard mission starts, a massive door appears in the Pole. Manny will be able to peek through and may be able to give them some guidance as to what they're going to face, sometimes even allowing them to consume fiction that explains what's on the other side.
The characters will have to face a conflict on the other side until they can find the shard and bring it back to the door before reality breaks down. These plots can take place in any world, and players are expected to npc it for themselves. The mods will only npc the shard missions they run. Magic on the other side can sometimes limit characters' powers, based on player preferences.
Characters will find that their invisibility and conditional memory alteration of adults may be different, based on need for the plot, allowing adults to see and remember them.
Shard missions can take place both on worlds from actual canons or entirely original worlds.
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Activity Check is every 2 months, during the last 7 days of the month. Activity check requires only one proof, from one of the following options:
- (1) entry post to the log or network comm
- (1) top-level comment in a plot
- (5) comments (you can link to a single thread or to individual comments if they're spread out)
- or (1) player plot or event you ran for others, regardless of whether you participated as a player (just link to one of the plot posts)
Comment-based activity: Current-period comment activity can be hosted in older log posts or older plots, but to make sure people are active on recent entry posts, plots, and events, the original plot or entry post hosting the activity must have been posted within the last 4 months.
You can use new comments on a thread you already used for a past AC if it's still within that 4 month limit.
The mods will accept basic AC but may talk to a player about activity if they notice them consistently posting the bare minimum right at the end of the period after AC goes up.
What happens if I fail AC?
You can either use an AC skip or take a Warning and make double AC the next period.
If you play multiple characters, failing just (1) character puts you in a Warning Status or requires you to use an AC skip.
AC Skips: You have 2 AC skips a year, although they can't be used for 2 consecutive ACs. They are used up on a player basis for any AC where you failed AC for a single character, so they can't be claimed character-by-character.
Warnings: You can take as many Warnings as you need as long as you make activity for at least one AC in between them. (So passing an activity check by doing double activity to satisfy a warning counts.)
If you have multiple characters, you only need to need to make double AC for the characters that failed to make activity. If some passed AC, they're fine.
What happens if I play multiple characters and some pass AC and I only fail AC with one or a few, running out of Skips and potential for more Warnings for them?
If you kept making AC with some of your characters, but ran out of potential for more Skips or Warnings for another by running out of Skips and failing at double AC for them, you only have to drop the character(s) that you failed AC on. You can keep the others in game since you managed to keep active with them.
You can reapp any dropped characters in 1 month's time. The game's AC is pretty light so it's suggested that you use the time to assess what you can manage at the game, or if you need to come back later. We're rarely at cap so it'll still be there.
What happens if I fail AC for all of my character(s) and run out of options?
You'll need to drop but can reapp in 1 month's time. Just take the time to take care of yourself.
What happens if I missed AC due to IRL circumstances but noticed right after and want to put in my activity?
If you miss AC entirely due to IRL circumstances, please contact the mods right away. If you notice it right after the check happened, we may possibly re-add you without penalty. This is more likely if there's no past pattern of this and AC hasn't been processed yet.
What happens if I idle out without using the drop post and without following up and contacting the mods after AC?
You'll have to wait to re-enter. You'll be able to come back again in 1 months' time.
Do I have to make AC if my character is new?
If the character has been apped less than a month before your first AC you can just do a check in.
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Characters will be supplied with most belongings they could ask for, including clothing. The yetis also can provide components to allow the technologically-inclined to tinker. Plot circumstances may allow characters to obtain useful magical items to keep over time.
Most weapons will still work, including technologically advanced ones, but if they're particularly powerful, they need to be included as an actual power.
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Plots will have a variety of different structures, with mods setting up NPCed threads or players doing starters and prompts, as well as private plots or plotty setups for normal threads, but the game will have one special plot mechanism for some action or fighting-based plot posts, called a "free-for-all" post.
Free-for-all posts are meant to have fast-paced, prose-light, threadhop-friendly threads, much like network threads tend to be. The mods encourage players to keep these posts moving and to stay in touch with the other players in their threads so that issues like needing to skip a character for a tag round can be resolved quickly.
These posts will most often be used during plots where characters are on the move and doing something very action-oriented, or trying to discuss something in a large group in person rather than the network.
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To keep plots brisk, mod plot logs will be mostly be posted in bracketspam format (unless the level of npcing requires prose), but only "free-for-all" type mod plots will require use of bracketspam by players.
The network will also be in bracketspam format, but if players move to action in a non-plot network thread, they can either keep using bracketspam or switch to prose based on preference.
For non-plot logs or non-"free for all" mod plot logs, players can use either bracketspam or prose, based on preference.
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Players can contact the mods to request canon updates. In-game, the character simply gets zapped home, experiences the new canon, and is zapped back, no time having passed in game. Players may choose if the character remembers their Longest Night experiences while experiencing the new canon.
To request a canon update, ask on the mod contact page.
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When players hiatus or slowatus, you can handwave that a character is engaging in helpful missions in the background or helping in duties like tooth collecting during busy spells.
The hiatus page is here.
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When a character intros, they have a few options. One option is that they intro by appearing just outside the North Pole, where Manny can speak down to them, and the yetis can quickly bring them inside where it's warm.
Another is introing in the world beyond. They'll immediately be targeted by Kuk and Its forces, until encountering the Guardians, who will magically detect their appearance, and who can cast a charm that makes PCs much harder to magically track. Players can play out a hostile encounter with other players npcing villains, so the new character can be aided by current characters.
The mods are happy to work with new players to help them introduce their characters and work around plots.
When a character is dropped they're simply sent back home. Magic folds in the air around them, making them disappear, and briefly creates a fractal view of their homeworld beyond.
The drop page is here.
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What is the general pace of the game?
The game will have a somewhat atypical day ratio, since some plots can take a while to thread out. But when looking back to handwave how much time has passed, players can treat it as if the IC/OOC day ratio is 1:1, with the IC date matching the OOC date.
We're also big fans of backtagging and "bendytime" where players handwave different things happened at different times. (Such as players posting two plots on the same day and handwaving that there was some time between them).
How is character death handled in this game?
When a character dies, they've kicked the bucket, shuffled off this mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. They are an ex-Guardian. Revival from death in this game will be very limited and require very special (and magical) circumstances.
Can a character be apped post-death?
Yes. Dead characters can be pulled either from right before they died or magically revived by belief on a one time basis to be pulled into the Guardians' universe.
Does time pass back home for the characters?
It won't. Katherine verified this with her knowledge sources, and therefore Jack will relay this information to all new characters.
What is the comm's policy on NC-17 material?
It's fine if it happens but since the game's focus isn't really smut RP please take it off comm.
Will this game have a periodic gamewide hmd?
There will be no periodic hmd. We ask that players provide some form of receiving crit such as a private HMD. Since we will not dictate that they allow anon communication for this, the mods are also willing to offer services in passing along anon crit via the MOD CONTACT/HMD post.
How do players have to handle spoilers?
If it's within one month of the release of the spoilers, we ask that any major spoilers be cut and warned for if a player puts them in a post. If it comes up during a thread, we ask that players make sure to check with the other players involved to see if it's okay to mention the spoilers.
After the month has passed, players won't have to cut or provide any warnings for things.
Would a character from a canon AU, as in media variation of another media universe count as an AU or a canon character?
It would count as a canon! Some canons have multiple versions (such as a manga and a anime, multiple animes, comics vs. movies, multiple different comics timelines, etc.) and while characters in them may wind up duplicates of other incarnations, they're all considered canon characters because the canons were all what was published, put on TV, etc.
"AUs" are strictly player-made AUs.
What can my character bring from home?
Generally, they can have anything they would have on their person at the canon point they're taken from, even weapons, though some of these weapons and devices may cease working, depending on their nature.
However, if a player wants to bring a character from a canonpoint where they're missing a vital belonging, they can magically find it in their possession upon entering the game.
If they have an item that's particularly powerful or setting breaky please let the mods know when posting your "app" comment. If it's some kind of powerful weapon that grants superpowers or a power source please treat the item as if it's a power.
There is a space at the bottom of the game's "app" where players can ask permission for belongings to be brought to the game.
Can I "app" a character even if they're already a mod-played npc in the game?
Yes, you can! It just means your character would be from an alternate version of the Guardians' universe.
Are characters tracked by Kuk's forces?
Yes, they are. They're magically able to be tracked so Kuk's forces can attack and capture or kill them. However, they are magically hidden at the Pole, and Jack Frost can do a protective charm to help them avoid being tracked in the world beyond. This is why it's important for new myths that don't intro at the Pole to be picked up quickly.
Can my character's canon pet come in with them?
Yes, as long as the pet is non-sentient and belongs to the character and not someone else. They need not have been with the character at the time they were abducted by the belief and can have been abducted separately.
Can my character bring in another character from their universe that is some kind of intelligent animal companion/parasite/talking animal guide? Or do these need to be apped as separate characters?
This will be handled on a case by case basis, depending on how sentient the other character is, how independently they could be played, and how difficult it would be for the character to be played without them.
For instance, Toothless from HTTYD could be included in an app with Hiccup rather than apped separately. So could Jaime Reyes' scarab or Tikki and Plagg from Miraculous Ladybug. However, some Disney animal companions can stand on their own feet as a character, like Mushu from Mulan. Support companions that have their own ambitions and an evolving relationship with a protagonist are more likely to be treated as needing to be apped separately.
Animal companions will also be subject to the same power rules as their owners.
If bringing this type of character please note it in your "app" comment
How would a character that has an occasional monstrous transformation (like a werewolf) be handled in the setting?
In the case of a monster that has some kind of occasional transformation, you have a few options! You can have the character find a way to deal with it entirely in game, such as the Guardians setting up a place to lock the character up during the full moon (or other cause of transformation), or the character or someone else finding ways to brew potions to keep it under control.
If you'd like to avoid it entirely the belief can alter the character upon arrival to keep the transformation under control. It depends on how you want to handle it.
Can my character change their powers after they've apped, if I decide it's not working for me?
Yes, they can. For any power changes, players should ask the mods permission for the switch on the mod contact page.
How often will TDMs be posted?
The mod will do this every 1 to 3 months, based on whether or not a large plot is being run in that period. If there's a very large gamewide plot, the game's size, mod workload, and all-hands-on-deck nature means a tdm will be more spaced out.
Do they count as game canon?
Yes!
TDMs will be posted as events directly into the log comm.
They will be magical testing grounds where the magic of the world's belief tosses the characters into a random real situation in the game world. Some of these characters will remain tethered by belief to the game universe (those that are apped), others are attached loosely enough to go home after the TDM (those that aren't apped). That means that they count as game canon as long as all players are amenable. For players who don't want their characters to remember the events of the tdm, so their intro to the game or character interactions start off fresh, they can opt to have it so that the magic of connection to the game universe via belief erased the character's (and other characters') memory of the TDM events.
Feel free to ask more questions in the comments. Alongside answering in the comments, the mods will update the setting background or faq with answers.)
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