How many characters can I make?
- There is no set limit on how many characters you can have. However, you need to be reasonable about it and base it on how active you are. If you post every day all the time, you can have more than if you just post once every 3 weeks.
Should I make a boy or a girl? Should they be straight, gay or bisexual?
- It's up to you, however, there is a gender/sexuality ratio here. We would like to keep everything as even as possible, but once again, it's all up to you.
How does time work? Is there a calendar? What about seasons?
- The Nirvani calendar consists of four seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) each having around 30 days. One day in real life is equal to one day in Nirvani time. However, time paradoxes are welcome. Let's say that Yoakim and Kade are talking in the salon on Spring 1st. Their discussion lasts four real life days, but only one role playing day. This is the same for festivals, which may span an entire month in real life time, but will fall on one day (as indicated in the first post of the festival thread) for the characters.
Talking about time paradoxes, can we make our characters be in more than one place at the same time?
- Yes, you can. Since a discussion can get lengthy in one thread, your character can be somewhere else and make it another day. Just don't go crazy with it. I don't want to see twenty Kades roaming Nirvani island! If the crew feels like you're doing too much, we'll let you know.
How do festivals work?
- Festivals are regular events for characters to meet new people, get involved in the town, and maybe participate in some contests or activities. Each festival will have a different focus and activity -- some will focus more on social interactions, others will focus on a competition or activity -- and will be season-based. Festivals are like holidays in that they fall on the same date every year, so you will never see Stocking Day held in Summer or the Tomato Festival open in Spring. The specifics of each festival can be found in the festival thread. We will try to have a festival open at all times, and we'll make an announcement when a festival is about to open so we can explain the rules for the festival and any deadlines for contest entries/the like. A complete list of all festivals can be found here and specific rules/explanations can be found in the first post of each festival thread.
My character's birthday is coming up! Can I make a party in the festivals subforum?
- No, the Festival subforum is for festivals only and maybe some special events later on, like weddings. If you want to make a party or anything like that, you should do it in the normal role playing threads and maybe make a request out of it at the Request Board.
How do I know if my character's pregnant? How does it work? When will I know the gender?
- Everything about pregnancies is explained here. As for the gender, your character can learn it (if they choose to) midway through, but the user is in complete control of what gender the baby will be, so you will know it right away.
What about sickness? Do we get sick?
- Yes, your characters will definitely get sick. The biweekly Quarantine Report at the TV Station will list characters who are sick, so you should check to see if one of your characters caught or is catching something. If you've been doing the naughty, you might also get an STD. Nothing major will be inflicted to you, however. You do not have to worry. If you DO want your character to develop something major, you should PM Seryn Nioreh to talk it over with her.
Do we have a money system?
- No, we do not. Just make it reasonable. If your character is a hobo, there's no way he should be able to afford a suite at the Inn and diamond rings for his hobo giraffe girlfriend. However, housing and living expenses on the island are much cheaper than found elsewhere, so it should not be difficult for anyone with a full-time job to afford at least a small house or apartment.
Can we make a phone call to other characters? What about sending letters?
- Yes, you can. You should post the call in the thread where the one who is getting the call is. (Their house, business, etc). Letters should be posted in the receiving person's home thread, or wherever their mail is delivered.
So, uhm... Guild-wide timeskips?
-Yes, there will be guild-wide timeskips. They will always happen at the end of the year and will push the year of the roleplay forward anywhere from two to ten years. The crew will decide when they will happen. The two main reasons of a timeskip happening are be a) things are slowing down too much or b) the island is getting overrun by babies and children. However, while we will be the ones deciding if there's a skip or not, the length of it will be left to the members. Everyone will vote through a poll for what length they'd prefer. After everyone has voted, another poll will be made, this time with only the top two votes of the previous one. The one with the most votes will be the length of the timeskip. This will be done at least a month in advance, so people have time to plot with people and prepare for the skip.
Here are the timeskips we have had so far:
Timeskip 1: Spring, Year 3 --> Spring, Year 5
Timeskip 2: Spring, Year 7 --> Fall, Year 16
Timeskip 3: Spring, Year 18 --> Summer, Year 25
What's the legal age in Nirvani?
- For most things, like smoking, drinking, stripping, clubbing, etc, the legal age is 18. In terms of sex, teens between the ages of 14 and 17 can sleep with people no more than four years older than them. (For example, a 14 year old could sleep with a 15 year old or an 18 year old no problem, but sleeping with a 19 year old would be illegal.) At 18, you can bang whomever you want, as long as it's human.
Where is Nirvani? What country is it part of?
- Nirvani is situated somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, between Europe and North America, around 45degreeN, 45degreeW. Being in international waters and "legally" owned by the Sonata Family, the island rules as its own little country.
Are [insert weapon name] legal?
- No. Guns or any other kind of weapon are illegal in Nirvani without a permit issued by the police department (good luck with that). You cannot have a weapon on your person or in your home. Now, of course, if your character chooses to have one, we cannot stop them. Just don't complain if they get thrown in jail because of it. The only people on the island who are allowed to possess guns are police officers.
How can I tell what season it is?
- Considering every four months = one year, we do end up having a monthly cycle of sorts to determine what season it is. The following is a list of seasons and the months that fall under it for reference.
Spring
January, May, September
Summer
February, June, October
Fall
March, July, November
Winter
April, August, December
What about cars? Should my character have a car?
- Nirvani isn't a very big place, and most of the houses and businesses are within walking distance from each other! You can get around really easily on foot, or at the most, bicycle or horse, so there's really no need to use a car. There are no parking lots or public parking spaces, and the streets aren't made to handle cars, so it'd be pretty inconvenient even if you tried to drive! If your character is a car enthusiast and wants to collect cars rather than drive them, that's okay, but don't be surprised if you get weird looks and/or tickets if you try to drive around town.
Do I have to make profiles for my entire family, even for the ones I'm not going to play?
- Profiles are only mandatory for characters you are going to play! If you have a character who is part of the family you're making (let's say, a parent to your teen, a roommate your character found online, a rich uncle who is letting your character live with him) but they will not be played by you or anyone else and will not exist in the roleplay beyond just a name and hints to their presence, that character is an NPC. NPC's do not need profiles, though you can certainly make one if you want, but it's not required in the slightest. You're welcome to make a full profile, or link to a picture, or just ignore them altogether, but you do not have to make a profile for an NPC unless you want to. It's entirely up to you. However, please make a clear note if the profile belongs to an NPC, so the crew does not end up adding them to the character list or the character statistics, which only apply to played characters.
What's this about fairies? What do the fairies do?
- Nirvani has nine fairies: the Lightning Fairy, Fire Fairy, Wind Fairy, Wood Fairy, Earth Fairy, Ice Fairy, Water Fairy, Metal Fairy, and the Dream Fairy. The fairies are special characters controlled by the crew who will sometimes make appearances during special events, such as the Pumpkin Moon Festival and Stocking Day. Sometimes they will also appear to play tricks or help out characters in need, but typically the fairies prefer not to reveal themselves to humans and remain out of sight. Every character that moves to Nirvani will be assigned to a fairy upon their arrival on the island, and from then on out will be that fairy's follower. Followers can improve their relationships with their patron fairy by visiting that fairy's shrine (usually placed somewhere in the wilderness) and by the choices they make in their own lives. Every Winter, the fairies will personally visit each of their followers and leave a gift and a letter. Please note that the fairies are the only real instance of magic or supernatural powers we will allow in the guild, and normal characters should typically be unaware that the fairies actually exist at all -- to the common Sonata Town resident, they are simply a part of the local religion/folklore.
How much of my character's everyday life should I play out? Should I show them going to work/school every day?
- Even though Nirvani focuses on the everyday lives of Sonata Town's residents, you do not have to make a post for everything they do. While Billy's first day at work may be worth a roleplay so he can meet his coworkers, you do not need to post Billy opening up shop every day. Unless it is contributing to the overall plot of the guild, relationships with other characters, or your character's own personal plot, you probably do not need to roleplay it out. This includes things like walking to school, eating lunch, doing laundry, contemplating the weather, and generally any moment that begins and ends within the same post. Of course, you're allowed to show your character eating lunch or walking to school or contemplating the weather, but it should ideally be done with other roleplayers. Roleplaying out every little mundane moment of your character's life is generally a waste of time. If you're stuck on where to start posting, however, you should ask someone in the OOC if they're available to roleplay, or you can check the Request Board!
More will be added later. If you have any other questions, post them here or in the OOC and they'll be added to the list.
