FAQ

[TC]

• How do I join the site?
  
  • You have to register an account. Please use your character's name when doing so. You can register by clicking the Register button below the logo, or by clicking here.
  
  
  
• What is SC rated?
  
  • SC is rated PG-13. This means no one under the age of 13 is allowed to join. If someone under 13 joins anyway and is caught, they will immediately be banned from the forum. This rating also means that nothing above PG-13 can be posted here. We do not allow anything rated R or pornographic on SC. If you must post that way, do it off of the forum.
  
  
  
• Where do I post my character's join form?
  
  • You would create a new thread on the 'Character Join Forms' board. It's a sub-board under the board you're currently on. Or you could click here.
  
  
  
• Can we play canon characters? And how?
  
  • Yes, of course! To find out who's available and what's required to play one, check out this thread.
  
  
  
• Hi! Can you approve my character right now?
  
  • This is mentioned in the Rules, but we always seem to get asked it anyways. Please do not message us or use the shoutbox to ask us to approve your character. We will get to it as soon as possible. Remember, we don't approve forms until both the admins are on, since we discuss them. We also may have other things to attend to, and if there were other characters posted before yours, they will obviously get replies first. So, please, just be patient. And if you're dying to RP right at the moment, there's always the option of creating a human character, which will get approved much faster since it doesn't require both admins to discuss it.
  
  
  
• Is there any way to play without having to wait for character approval?
  
  • That was just answered in the last question, but sorry, no. All characters need to be approved. Human characters, however, only need one admin on to approved them. If you want to get into the RP quickly, then you won't have to wait as long if you make a human.
  
  
  
• I used a power off the 'List of Possible Powers' and it wasn't approved! Why not?
  
  • The Possible Powers list is only a list of suggestions. It, in no way, guarantees your character a certain power. We don't even encourage people to use things straight off that list, anyway. It's more for inspiration. See something on there you like? Run with it and make your character's power creative and original.
  
  
  
• Can I change my character's screenname and/or login name?
  
  • Yes and no. The difference between the screenname and the login name is quite simple. The screenname is how your character's name appears on the boards. If you go to the page to modify your profile, it's the 'Display Name' box. You can change that to anything you like, although the Rules require it to be some form of your character's name (unless it's your personal chat account). The login name, however, cannot be changed. Whatever username you register with is permanent. If you don't like it, you can delete it and create a new account, although please don't do this if you've already posted with the character.
  
  
  
• What should I do if my character is stuck in a dead thread?
  
  • There are a couple things you can do in that situation. You can PM the player of the character you're stuck with and politely ask if they'll be posting any time soon. If the player is no longer active on the site, you can simply make your character leave the thread. You can edit your last post and make your character leave IC, or you can just leave an OOC note saying your character is now gone. Either way is fine.
  
  
  
• No one's replying to the thread I created! What should I do?
  
  • This seems to happen a lot, when we get a surge of new characters created at once. A lot of people like to go out and start their own thread, instead of finding one to join. The problem with that, is that no one ends up RPing that way. So, maybe instead creating your own thread, try taking your character to someone else's open thread. Now, we know this isn't always possible, given plots and your characters' situations, so sometimes it is better to just start your own thread. We're not saying that you can't. We're simply saying to try joining other threads first. And if you do have a thread that no one is replying to, you can either make your character leave and go elsewhere, or you could try searching for someone to RP with using the 'Wanna RP?' board, located through the General Chat board.
  
  
  
• Can I have more than one character on the same account?
  
  • This is sort of a tricky question. Yes, it is allowed, but only under certain circumstances. We would much rather have every character on their own account. But if you have two characters that are with each other 99% percent of the time, we may make an exception and allow you to just play them together. You can find more information about this in the Rules.
  
  
  
• Will my characters be deleted if I'm gone for a long time?
  
  • Of course not! You character's accounts and join forms will never be deleted. So, you're always welcome to return, even after a long absence. However, you will lose your reservation on the PB list if you never reply to the activity checks, meaning other people can then come and claim that PB for their own character. Also, your characters will be removed from the lists at the Institute, if they're a student or teacher or anything there. But of course, if you are away for a long time, and do miss some activity checks, just let us know when you return and we'll try our best to re-include your character in everything. And if the PB is still available, you may obviously have it back. You're out of luck if someone else is using the PB by then, though. And of course, if you do plan on leaving for a long time, it's always nice to let people on the site know.
  
  
  
• Do we have to post writing samples when we create a character?
  
  • Pssh, no. We allow everyone, of any writing level, be it people who have never RPed before in their life or people who have years of experience under their belts. So, it would be absolutely pointless to make people submit a writing sample to get approved, when everyone is welcome. We have no idea why some sites require this when they also allow everyone anyways. I guess it's the cool thing to do. Anyways, the only time we do require a writing sample is if you're applying for a canon character, and our reasons for that are explained in the Canon Characters thread.
  
  
  
• I don't have a picture for my character. Can I still play them?
  
  • Yep! Having an image for your character is not required. Most people do like to have PBs for their character, since it makes it much easier for other people to visualize what your character looks like, and that makes it easier to make the RP more accurate. But no, it's not required. You can always get a PB later, even though you're playing your character right away. You just need to have a detailed description of your character in your join form.
  
  
  
• What if I don't understand something on the form?
  
  • The more complicated areas of the form are explained in detail in the Rules, right above and beneath the default forms. But if you still have questions about anything, you may always PM an admin or mod, and we'll help you out as best we can. If you're in doubt, we'd rather you message someone first and ask, rather than doing something wrong on the form and having to fix it later. It's just easier all around.
  
  
  
• Can I make changes to my character after they've been approved?
  
  • This really should be answered on a case by case basis. PM a member of the staff and ask if whatever change you have in mind would be alright. Here are some things to take into consideration, though. How much has your character been played? One that's been on the site for a day is more likely to be allowed to change than one that's been on the side for a year. How much your character has already interacted with other characters is a major factor. Also, how big of a change is it? Is it something simple like making your redhead into a blonde, or do you want to change their mutation entirely? The former is much more likely to be allowed than the latter. Also, information about changing the PB of your character can be found in the Rules.
  
  
  
• Can I play a character from a show/movie/book other than X-Men?
  
  • Sorry, but no. This is an X-Men role play game. While we do allow plenty of original characters, we would like all canon characters to be from the X-Men universe. We don't need Harry Potter and Legolas, or even Jack Bauer or Sydney Bristow, running around in the X-Men world. This also includes other comic characters. No, you can't make Batman. No, you can't even make Ghost Rider or Spider-Man. This is not an open Marvel RP. It's X-Men, and we'd like to keep it that way.
  
  
  
• Can my character be related to a canon character?
  
  • Sorry, but no, this is not allowed. While we do have a loose mixing bowl of different X-Men canons, from the movies to comics to the cartoons, that is still all canon. But by allowing your original character to be related to X-Men characters, it would be changing their histories and stories. Want to see what Cyke's life would've been like if he had a sister as well? Well, sorry, this isn't the place to explore that possibility. And where would we draw the line? If we let one person make a character related to Wolverine, then we couldn't deny that right to other people, and who knows where the 'canon' would eventually end up. So, it's a lot easier to just deny that flatout.
  
  
  
• Does my character have to have an affiliation? Can they join one later?
  
  • No, your character does not need to have an affiliation. The affiliations are there to add fun and flavor to the game, but you shouldn't feel restricted by them. Your character does not have to join any of these groups. And if you decide to make your character join one later, yes, that is absolutely fine. Just PM an admin or mod at that time, and we'll straighten things out then.
  
  
  
• What does [open] and [closed] mean on the RP threads?
  
  • These tags in the thread titles are to let you know if you're welcome to join the thread or not. If some people have their own plot figured out and don't want anyone else interrupting, then it will say [closed]. Please do not reply to a thread that says [closed] and don't PM the players asking to join either. If they wanted more people to join, they would have said it was [open]. Now, a thread marked like that means you're more than welcome to join! The person who created it is looking for more characters to join, so go ahead! The thread tags can be changed by modifying the original post and changing that part of the title line.
  
  
  
• Can I advertise my site here?
  
  • Sure! That's what the Show Off is made for, after all. To find out everything you need to know about our rules on advertising, simply take a look at this thread. We've also added boards for guest advertising, as long as we're able to link back. Read our guest advertising rules here.
  
  
  
• Can I become a staff member?
  
  • Sorry, we don't take on new staff members lightly. Unlike some other forum sites, we won't just give out power to any random person. That's a risk to the site. And after having the site cracked once in the past, we're extra careful about security now. We don't want anything like that to happen again. So, if we do happen to need a new mod some time, it would be us that comes to ask you, and not the other way around. No offense to anyone, but it's just how we handle things.
  
  
  
• Where is the Institute located?
  
  • It's within walking distance of Salem Center, in Westchester county, in New York state. It's about sixty miles from New York City, which has a drive time anywhere between one hour and two, depending on the start and end locations, traffic, and how speedy the driver is. It's about forty-five minutes from the ocean, in the neighboring state of Connecticut, if your character wants to take a trip to the beach.
  
  
  
• What are X-Cookies?
  
  • If you're familiar with other ProBoards forums, then you may have seen the Exalt and Smite options. That's all the X-Cookies are, except we've used a code to change the wording. Who doesn't want cookies? Anyways, they're just for fun. The amount of X-Cookies you have really doesn't mean anything important.
  
  
  
• I just joined and I'd like to know what's been going on in the RP before I post. Is there anything I can read to give me a summary of what's been going on so I don't feel so clueless?
  
  • Yep. Hop on over to the Thread Timeline! It's a list of all the threads on SC. It links each thread and gives you a small summary. It also tells you the order of the threads in which they appear in our current timeline.
  
  
  
• I have an idea for a plot! Is there some place I can post it where I can find others to join in or tell me what they think?
  
  • Sure is. We have a board specifically for plotting. It's located here. Any type of plot you come up with, feel free to make a thread! Other members can reply and tell you what they think or even join in on the plotting. It's a great place to think up character relationships and stuff like that.
  
  
  
• I have a question that wasn't answered in this FAQ. What should I do?
  
  • Well, first make sure you've read our Main Rules and Extended Rules entirely. If your questions wasn't answered there, then that's what our Questions board is for. Feel free to post any questions you may have there, or you can also PM a staff member with questions you don't want to post for everyone to see. Please don't ask questions in the shoutbox, though. That's not what it's there for.