Rules

[section3mods]

• No underage players.
  
  We allow adult content, therefore you need to be of the age of consent in your country to participate.



• Do not break the fourth wall.
  
  It's a panfandom game, yes, but unless there is a very, very good reason, and unless it's been discussed with the mun of the other character beforehand, breaking the fourth wall is absolutely not allowed. No Star Trek jokes if there's a Spock in the game. No Harry Potter references if there's a Luna Lovegood. Etc.



• IC and OOC.
  
  Usually, this would be where the IC =/= OOC rule would be mentioned. We'd like to use a different formulation for that, because it's the nature of roleplay that IC and OOC will inevitably overlap to some degree. However, that still means that your character is not you.
  
  You're welcome, even required, to use pieces of yourself to make your character live. But on the flipside, you shouldn't take IC interaction personally--another's player character hating your character doesn't mean the other player hating you. If you ever feel yourself getting protective of your pup to a point where you feel you can't continue staying IC, or if there's any other OOC reason you can't continue a thread and stay IC, contact the other mun and work out a way to either continue the thread, or to handwave what's going to happen in the rest of the scene.



• OOC participation is required and expected.
  
  In order to write well with someone else, it's good to know what makes them tick. What they like in a thread, where they would like to take their character, what their squicks and possible triggers are etc. There's no way to find out other than to interact OOC, so you're required to be around not only IC, but also OOC.



• Character duplicates are not accepted.
  
  Since Section Three has such a small cast, character duplicates are not accepted. If you'd like to bring a character duplicate of a main cast member in for a cameo, please contact the mods at section3mods[at]gmail[dot]com.



• Body duplicates are allowed up to two characters.
  
  Meaning if your character is PB'ed by an actor whose face is being used by more than one other character already in the game, your character won't be accepted. No player is allowed to play two characters with the same PB.



• No more than three characters from any one fandom are allowed.
  
  Again, with such a small cast, we'd like to avoid one fandom taking over completely.



• AUs and OCs are as much accepted as any other characters.
  
  Whether your AU character or OC will be accepted or not entirely depends on how well you manage to integrate him/her into the setting of the comm, and how well you manage to create a credible character that readers can relate to.



• Anime and comic characters are accepted.
  
  ... as long as you find a human PB for them. Of course, to be accepted, your character also needs to meet the requirements of the application. Considering that anime and comic canon can be extremely complicated and over-the-top, you may have to tone down the crack a little to make your character fit the comm's environment. If you're not sure what would be acceptable, feel free to contact one of the mods about this.



• No drama.
  
  Arguments and discussions are cool and encouraged; irrational whining, butthurt, and self-entitlement will get you banned. There will be no warning system. If we see a problem, we'll contact those involved, as mods, and talk to them about it. If the behavior doesn't change, well, we may talk to those involved again, or we may put you out with minimal conversation involved. Mistakes now and then are inevitable, but we won't compromise the quality of the game to accommodate any player's sensitivities.



• You're expected to be around.
  
  Even if we don't have regular activity checks, we will keep track of this. If you're inactive for extended periods of time, you will be contacted by one of the mods, and then you can either come back or go on hiatus—or drop, if you've lost interest.



• You need a character journal to play.
  
  More importantly, you need to put basic information on your character in that journal's profile. This is required. Your character's name, canon, and your contact information, at the very least. Often, having links to your app from your profile can help other players learn about your character, as well. If you have an LJ character journal but no journal on Dreamwidth, please contact the mods for an invite code.



• On godmoding.
  
  You shouldn't write or assume major actions or reactions on another player's character's part without their permission. That's obvious. However, sometimes it's necessary to write (or assume) other people's characters' actions or reactions in order to keep the narration tight and the thread flowing. As with most other things, the key here is OOC communication. You've got an idea for a tag, but you're not sure if the person you're threading with would approve? Ping them on AIM or in a PM and ask them about it.
  
  How far you can go without permission always depends on how well you know the person you're playing with. If there's a problem, it's usually not intentionally malicious, but a misunderstanding. So if someone does something with your character that you don't feel is the best or most IC option, ask them about it. Maybe they can offer an explanation that will change your mind. If they can't, tags aren't set in stone. They can be changed.
  
  In short, be considerate about "mode"ing other people's characters, and on the flipside, don't be overprotective of your character. And as always, if there's a problem, talk about it.



• There won't be any permission posts.
  
  The mods will see to it that none of the characters will end up being a lot more powerful than others, but there might be mind-readers, and there might be characters with the ability or the intention to harm your character. No-one will force you to play anything that you're highly uncomfortable with—as long as you stay within reason—but on the other hand, you should definitely be willing to leave your writerly comfort zone now and again. Therefore, our game balance rules should be enough to protect your character without the need for permission posts.



• No canon-bumping.
  
  If your character is from an on-going canon, or if you take them from a canon-point that does not integrate all of the existing canon, you won't be able to canon-bump. So choose carefully.



• Please tag all your posts.
  
  Any IC post should be tagged with the name tag of the character in question, in the following format: player: character name. As soon as other characters tag in, their name tags should be added as well. If all participants of a thread have agreed that the thread in question is complete, it should be marked with a tag saying [complete].
  
  Cameo posts should be tagged with cameo: character name. This tag should also be added to IC posts where the cameo character in question tagged in the comments.



• The mods always have the last word.
  
  As stated previously, discussion and discourse are encouraged. However, when it gets to the point where a decision has to be made, it's up to the mods to make this decision. Sometimes, all you can do is agree to disagree, and in a case like that, choosing a course of action is the mods' privilege and responsibility—that's why there're mods. We would like to ask you to keep this in mind, so we can avoid situations going nasty.