ACTIVITY CHECK

So, activity check.

The strikes on everyone have been wiped clean and we're starting over. That means everyone on this AC is only on their first strike, however we're working on a two strike basis, rather than three, right now. Due to how much time everyone has had to post with no Activity Check, if you're on this one and then again on the next one, you will be removed due to inactivity.

I realize that some people were on hiatus, but it's well past the date they posted, so unless a new hiatus has been made, they're still on the list.

Also, I know some people spoke to me about dropping characters, but without an official drop, you're on the list.

Please officially hiatus or drop your characters if you can't - or are unwilling to - post them within the next week.

Make sure all drops are done correctly, commenting to the Taken and Friend Add/Remove pages.

( ACTIVITY CHECK )

If you're still a member of apurgatorium, please rejoin both purgatorium_ooc, purgatorium_log and the main community.

Okay, guys. Things are beginning to change; the first change you're going to notice is that the temples Hera left are mostly gone, except for one temple of white stone in the east.

It's gotten a biiiiit bigger, and there is a statue in the front of a woman holding a jar, continuously pouring water. It's clean water and is there for drinking; however, depending on your progress, you might or might not want to. Those who are living basically good lives will find it tastes sweet and clear and cold; for those who are not, however, it is bitter and kind of mucky-warm. It will keep you from dying of thirst, but it tastes terrible.

Within the temple, incense still burns, though it is less thick and heady than it was. There is an altar for prayer and offerings, surrounded by out-of-season flowers; those who leave offerings or heartfelt prayers (to whomever they wish; the god to which this temple is consecrated is all-purpose and will pass on wishes to other gods) and reasonable requests for things other than food and the like may find their request when they return home, if they have been good enough. If not, however, there'll be nothing but a small flower.

Tending the altar is Alma, who has forgone normal clothing for simple dark blue robes; she is friendly as always, but your characters (particularly those who know her somewhat), will notice she is kind of distracted, as if she is hearing someone's instructions. Whose, she can't say.

More importantly, characters may, for the next week, hear snippets of song in the air; it's familiar, though different for everyone. Anyone who is psychically inclined or spiritual may feel a tinge of sadness and an overwhelming feeling of love, as if they are being looked upon by a loving parent who just wants to see their child on the right path. The song is strongest in the temple and in the Church.

For the cold weather, anyone is welcome to take shelter in the Temple for up to a week; it isn't particularly comfortable, as it's made of stone, but it's warm. And from here out, any new characters will spawn within the temple, where Alma will explain the basics of Purgatorium to them. They have a week to find housing; if they drag on longer than that week, they will find that though they are tired, they will be unable to sleep at all in the temple. Once two weeks have passed, they'll find they can't enter at all past sundown. This will last for two weeks before they can enter again.

This is also the post wherein characters will make requests; please remember that if they are not reasonable, they will not be honored. Be sure to write your prayer/offering in-character.

Also, your characters will be told to come here after a month for their powers to be unlocked and upper level to be accessible. Bad behavior will result in locking-out of first the upper level and then the powers; there will be no warning.

Right, now, about the after-effects and the state of Purg. (I thought I posted this yesterday; apparently, I spaced out and never hit post. Doh). I apologise! Anyway:

( Environment - changes )

The FAQ and all lists have been updated; if you see any screw ups or have any questions or comments, please do leave them here and I'll get right back to them.

Thanks a lot. Have a good Holiday, all of you. :)

Okay, everyone should have gotten in their chance to go through the trials if they were interested, so let's start finishing this thing. We're almost done; there will be only be some final wrapping up and exp events after this one! Beginning tomorrow morning, the fortress will no longer be open; if you're already inside, you'll have enough time to finish (or die) before your character's sent home. It will snow overnight (normal snow, not sulphurous), but there will be a lovely patch of Easter lilies growing outside the fortresses, mixed in with Amaranth. The ground feels strangely warm here. You can eat it (it's used for such a purpose in many places), but it will make you mildly sick.

Meanwhile, at the base of the clock tower, where it was blocked off before, a gate has appeared. The gate is made of silver and is studded with the seven jewels that were in the handles of the keys. Attempts to deface it will cause painful, debilitating muscle cramps. It will remain permanently in its place after the event but can only be opened at specified certain times and only by characters who have earned keys. (There will be future events in which your character can earn one, if you didn't get one during this event).

The following is inscribed over it: 'From here, the only return will be by the falling back on old sins.' The inscription will appear to be written in a character's native language.

In the middle of the gate is a large keyhole, accented with diamonds. Characters who completed the trials will be able to use the key they brought away to unlock the door.

( For those with Keys! )

For the rest, ( Famine details. )

There's only a little more before we segue into laboratory's plot events. Let's hang in there and have fun. I hope everyone's Holiday (whichever you celebrate) is going grand! (And that you all did well on Finals, for those that had 'em).

At the end of the event, the FAQ and information will be updated to reflect all of this as well as a text map if nothing more - so if you have any other questions you feel should also be listed, please feel free to leave them here. :) (And any other questions, of course). We'll also be making a list of people with keys and putting it on the upper-level page, so please comment there if your characters earned the key.

Hey there, you all. This is your friendly neighbourhood Activity Check, with a formidable (!) list of people who need to update within the week or risk removal.

Just a reminder of the basic rules of Activity Checks:

- If you're on the check, you can't pick up another character until after the next activity check, pending that you're not on the latter.

- If you're removed from this check due to inactivity, you can't apply for that same character for two weeks (or at all). This gives other people a chance.

- The Hiatus Post is here. If nothing was posted either there or in your character journal [even just the word "hiatus" would do], then I don't see it.

- If you drop, going to the taken characters/friend add&remove post ensures that you won't be put on an activity check.

I've gone back and looked at all of the journals, and if you haven't posted since the beginning of the month, and you aren't on hiatus right now, you've been put on. If anyone feels they've been put on this list in error, link me to an entry that proves I've mistakenly put you on here, and I'll take you off, no harm no foul.

AND A REMINDER: PLEASE update your hiatuses if you're going to be longer than what you've specified. I'm keeping everyone within a week of hiatus on this time, because of finals, but further than that and you're on the list.

With that, let's get down to business!

( ACTIVITY CHECK )

On another note, Suu (persephonics) will now be helping out around the community to keep everything updated and running smoothly. Thanks, Suu!

Hey, guys. While some of you are unfortunately on hiatus, there should be plenty of time between now and the end for everyone to have a chance to participate. :) This is kind of long, but do read it all.

First of all: Please remember to friend mastermephisto as well as purgatory_voice if you haven't already.

Things are coming to a head within Purgatorium, as it were. All characters who are participating in this plot will wake tomorrow morning to realise that they're covered in sores and bruises; attempting to ease the pain of these wounds will only make it worse. They will also find themselves inexplicably drawn to the fortresses on the lower level.

( Plot information under here, please read. )

The entire trial should take about four days to complete, for a character with seven sins; there are several terminals inside the trials with which they'll be able to post, but any attempt to indicate where, exactly, they are will result in malfunction. For each sin less than this, subtract half of a half day (twelve hours). It may take longer, depending on a character's petulance. If a character is stuck in a trial for more than fourteen hours, they will die and lose a memory. Please keep this in mind when participating if a character is likely not to make a real attempt to atone. They will also be stricken with, aside from aforementioned burning sensation, the Mephisto effects of their respective sins and will have the word 'unrepentant' written across their forehead.

For everyone, it's raining again, quite furiously; on the top level, the soil is turning into a reddish muck. There's no thunder, but there may be sleet and hail; watch for falling chunks of ice (ouch).

The aforementioned children, who are a creation of Purgatorium and are called Masters, are now roaming around with the same frequency of occurrence as the Mephisto. When first spotted, they will appear as they did before (e.g., children with the same hair and eyes as the viewer) before transforming into a childish version of the victim of a character's Sins, at which point they disappear and leave behind a faint smell of rot.

There are also small earthquakes in increasing frequency; you may also hear a whisper from under the ground, though you cannot make out what it says.

Simultaneously, it's possible to spy the Goddess Hera herself sitting on the top of the clock tower; as you might have noticed, she's been quite silent, something that isn't about to change. She has an ethereal bearing, a heavy build, draping robes, and a long veiling; she's holding a sceptre. Looking upon her, she will unmistakably be the new watcher of Purgatorium, even if a character would not recognise a representation of Hera. She will not react to anything; she will simply gaze down on the world with a displeased expression.

You're free to begin however you'd like after Midnight, Central Time. Any and all questions should be directed to whomever is around at the time; all feedback is more than welcomed. Thanks a lot, guys!

Once you've been paired up, the memberlist is here for reference.

Hi, guys. We're moving towards the finale of the plot at last, but it won't be happening until after Thanksgiving - some people have family, and some people will be busy or otherwise away (Such as Miyu, who will be in Missouri the day of and the day after), and there's not really enough time between now and then to give everyone ample time to react fully and whatnot.

( In the meantime, click me! )


As always, all of this is opt-in and completely non-compulsory! All comments and questions should be directed towards whichever one of us is around at the time.

Good afternoon. Changes are happening within Purgatorium, today, and there is a distinct feeling of unease in the air; empathetic or psychic characters might notice that the world feels decidedly 'on-edge'.

As the food supplies dwindle and dwindle to almost nothing, one might notice that, overnight, the earth has changed. Some of these changes are more obvious than others. Beginning this afternoon, around four, as it gets dark, it will begin to rain violently on both the upper and lower levels; no thunder or lightning, but a lot of rain, coming down hard - almost painfully so. If you become caught in it you might realise that it has a strange, quasi-metallic scent.

Tomorrow morning, the rain will cease, leaving everything feeling clammy and uncomfortable. Any characters attempting to dig into the ground after the rain will realise one thing - it bleeds, leeching up more and more blood the deeper one tries to dig. The river on the lower level is now running quite swiftly, and not with water - it, too, is quite red, and running with blood, which is starting to freeze along the banks. All lakes and ponds have also been turned to blood; some of it is entirely frozen over. _{(Chevalier ice lolly?)} And yes - it is nutritive, being that it is blood. Still, drinking it is far from the best option. From now on, it will rain twice a day - at six in the morning and eight thirty at night. This is where your drinking water will come from if you don't have a store of other fluids. Businesses will find that their running water isn't working.

The ground under your feet on the bottom level will feel shaky, even breaking out into momentary, highly localised earthquakes at times; it feels as though a giant earthworm is stirring beneath the surface of Purgatorium.

The fortress in the North-East is now open, and a similar structure has now appeared on the lower level in the South-West. If you are in the area, you will feel both a strange sense of foreboding and a painful, almost intoxicating sense of curiosity. Entering it through the now-open gates one will see an empty courtyard with sandy ground; it's silky under their feet, if they're barefoot, white lilies so vibrant they seem to glow are growing along the perimeter; there is a wind whipping up inside of the fortresses; there seems to be something under the sand, something big and moving, but you cannot get a good glimpse. The walls inside are engraved, the words filled in with in red ink, and each are the names of characters 'flagged' as participating in this plot (e.g., have the sins named across their heads, and yes, they can still appear now), and their sins are listed along the wall, with an image of them below it. As one walks further in, they may realise that they are sinking into the sand; if they don't stop and turn back then, they will be totally swallowed by it, waking up the next morning in their bed, entirely sure they saw someone in the doorway as they woke, though there's no one there now.

They did - a shadowy person of indeterminate sex and wraith-like build, hooded in scarlet clothing. They leave the smell of rotten flesh and an overpowering scent of lilies behind them.

They are the Mephisto, and they are a part of Purgatorium.

( Sour Times plot part two - details, sin list )

And that's it, for the time being. As always, everything is on a volunteer basis; also, please do not forget to friend purgatory_voice - a journal which will become quite important quite shortly.

As always, I welcome all and any suggestions - they're always appreciated.

How's it going, everyone? Three items of business today.

First, the plot. How's everything going? Enjoying making your characters suffer? We're almost ready to move on into the good stuff! Without giving away too much, there will be a lovely guest writer coming on board along with us for this event, someone you may or may not already know; we hope that it will be pleasing and pleasant for all.

Second, the activity check. It's been a bit neglected, as we are well aware. Next weekend will be the start of more regular activity checks - so make sure all of your characters are updated and ready to go.

Third, the community purg_info is now to be used for information about player-driven events/mini-events as well as business listings. If everyone with a shop could please post there and use the format given it would be very appreciated; it'll make it both easier to keep track of events, and more likely that lesser-advertised shops don't get lost in the shuffle. It should also be used to ask for participants for new player events, victims, etc. :)

P.S.: If anyone has the locations page Koi drafted up a long time back of the lower level of Purg on hand, it'd be appreciated if you could send it my way. We're currently getting together everything with intent on making the landscape a bit more spelled out. (Eric's even volunteered to draft up a map for us.)

ETA: All effects previously mentioned have already started, including the sins-on-foreheads and the accompanying pains.

Also, there are no luxury foods available on the top or bottom levels during this event, nor ingredients available to make them, just as a general note. Characters may have a small stash saved away, but nothing more.

As always, questions, comments, and suggestions can be directed to the mod email, to the LJ message inbox, the comments of this post, or over AIM. We're always glad to hear anything you have to say.

Hi, guys. It's time for some plot, as has been previously mentioned in chat and elsewhere. I apologise for the delay, as there was a number of reasons for it, many out of my hands. I do have a life, and it has a way of kicking me in the teeth at inconvient times. Not to make excuses, because they're not, but simply to make an explaination.

This event, or rather, series of them, will be an overarching one, and is intended as a catalyst for a variety of change, including destroyed the relative peace of the society within Purgatory. Of course, the ultimate goal will be to overcome temptation and the primal self -- and to be redeemed, eventually. However, the Gods (and Goddess) will be doing everything in their power to trip you, kick you around, and to spread animosity and chaos. Essentially, to act as an obstace course.

First of all, characters will have noticed, as the electrical storm ended, that the top level of Purgatorium seemed smaller somehow. It is, or at least more crowded. In the North-East, there is now a high gate, comprised of marble, and a wall, making a fortress that is about two miles across and oddly circular. You cannot get in, scale the walls, or damage them in any way. Even touching them will make your skin burn and peel. So don't. Or do; certain Gods find it funny. If you touch the wall, you'll find that your name has been engraved in the side of it in carved lettering, which is painted in in red. It's wise for your character not to touch the lettering, and especially not to remove it. If you do, for whatever reason, you'll find that you get sicker and weaker as you peel at it, and, if you insist on doing it until all the paint's gone, you'll die. Painfully. I'm not sure why you would, but all the same, if you do, that's what'll happen.

As this event begins, which is now, one might notice that there's less and less to eat around. Shops might notice that their stock is dwindling and there's suddenly nothing to restock with, even if they did have stock, perhaps creating a rush to stockpile, and an increase in pricing. On the top levels for those that live there, there will be enough to eat, but you might have to make an effort to find it. Food animals and plants are in increasingly shorter supply. Characters will go hungry if they're not crafty, fast, cute, quick to learn, or charismatic. You have several options, to this end: swallow their pride and or former religious convinctions and pray to the Goddess at the temples, get crafty quickly and learn to survive, stockpile and steal passively, or fight each other for survival. Character personality and development, of course, should be taken into account; there are plenty of options for everyone. But you all know that. <3 Also, for the duration of the event, in Purgatorium, you cannot die of starvation. You'll simply get thinner and thinner until you're skeletal. You also won't feel weakness, exactly. You might feel like you're dying, you'll definitely feel hunger pains. You won't be able to move quite so speedily. You will not however become so weak you can't move.

Over the next few days, a handful of characters will be singled out for preferential treatment while the rest of them go hungry. If you are selected, you will be contacted; if you don't want to be involved, you of course can refuse. If you definitely want to opt out of even being fingered for this plot, please comment or send me an email or LJ message. These characters will be selected at semi-random, according to the God(dess)'s resective types, and come from both the top and bottom level. These will change in a rather fickle manner, and as the plot progresses and favours change, muns will be asked to come forward with thieir characters to be selected from rather than having us select them. Also, if anyone would be willing to have their characters become a designated punching bag, put on display, and have their past laid out by the gods, then please volunteer.

The final aspect of the first 'book' of the plot, partly by suggestion of several, will be the naming of sins. This part is opt-in, if you don't particularly wish to participate in the plot beyond the overreaching effects. All characters who are opted in will have their sins (all of them) written across their forehead, and, if you feel like going a step further for tormenting, the effects of these sins displayed on their person in some ways. This is a chance for you to get creative. Some suggestions might be for a wrathful character's hands to constantly drip blood (ah, the Scottish Play. How I hated you) or for a lustful character to feel pain in certain body parts. Customise to the particular branch of the repective sin. I have a lot of faith in all of your writing ability, so show me your stuff! But keep it relevant, of course. I'm sure that won't be a problem. :D

This phase will go on for enough time for everyone to get in their reactions and realise that This is How Things Are, at least for the time being. Then we can get to the best parts. I hope that you find what we've got planned interesting, and if not, you can opt out of it. :)

Thank you very much for all your patience, and I hope you find this plot interesting. As usual, all suggestions, comments, and other feedback is welcomed in the moderator in-box or LJ message box!

- Mods Inc.

Hello, I'm glad that you seem to be enjoying yourselves lately. Now, it's finally time for some changes. To usher in some landscape changes, there will be a violent electrical storm from Sunday morning to Monday afternoon. If you're on the top level, it's going to be chaotic. Stay inside or go down to the bottom level; there's a good chance you'll get hit by lightning if you don't. Visibility will be almost zero. If you're on the bottom level, stay towards the centre (and off the beach, obviously). The temples are now accessible; if you move towards them and go inside you'll find that, should you be able to stand the smell of the incense, it's very calm and quiet within.

Coming also will be a revamped system for new entrance to the top level. Suggestions will be appreciated.

Thank you for your patience these past weeks. Things have been rather hectic of late. We appreciate all of your long-suffering.

Well.

Perhaps time in the other's shoes will increase your appreciation for those not like you.

Or your wisdom as to them.

--

Okay, guys, popular request demands it, and we're serving it up at last. This is a triple-aspected event, which means that you can choose one (and only one) of the following:

1. Sex-change, in which your character physically becomes the opposite sex
2. Body-swap, in which they switch bodies with another character currently in the game (with mun permission, obviously)
3. Age change, in which children become adults and adults become children. (Teenagers may be shifted either way. This change is mental as well).

The point of this is for character development and interaction, and to shake up the inhabitants of Purgatorium. Please try to think on how a character would realistically act in the situation. This event will be running from immediately (October 13th) to next Friday, at which time everyone will be returned to normal form. It is also completely optional, and if you have no desire to participate, you don't have to.

Happy playing,

- Mod squad

On another note, the landscape is no longer fuzzy, but characters may notice that something is 'off' that they cannot entirely place.

Hello, apurgatorium, how are you doing? It's been a little while since we've changed hands (again), and I think it's time for a little mod-post. Many details of the new changes are still being worked out, but we do have some things for you to read. First of all, after discussion and taking suggestions, we have a revised list of ( chat rules. ) These rules work on a three-strike system. After two strikes, considered as being official moderator warnings, you may be asked not to return to chat for a period (generally a week); if you show no change in behaviour after being allowed to return, you may be further reprimanded or, in extreme circumstances, removed from the game. If there is something you think needs to be added or there is something you disagree with, please feel free to IM a moderator, to email us about it, or to comment here, for that matter - all comments to this post are screened.

Moving on, as has been said, there will be new aspects and changes coming to this RP.

Please, first, remember that all moderators have different ideas about how things are best done. Indeed, these differences do not make one moderator inferior or superior. It's wise to remember that many of the former moderators are still around if not playing actively, that word travels fast on the internet, and that words may travel quickly past their intended target. Remember that we are living, breathing people _{save for PC, who is in actuality a robot} and that we are both not perfect and more than capable of being hurt by words. Of course, I expect the best from all of you; I know you're more than capable of showing maturity and dignity. :D

Speaking of maturity. We understand that problems and conflicts do turn up in a game with so many different people and personality types. We moderators are here to help with any problems you have. If there is someone you dislike or disagree with so intensely that speaking to them about your issues is difficult, then we are here to help you work out your problems and act as your mediators, be it IM, email, or LJ-message. That said, please do not go to such places as fandomsecrets or roleplaysecrets without even trying to work out your conflicts. Posting in such venues is essentially a public call to bully and harass the muns in question, which is neither a mature route nor acceptable behaviour. We will do our absolute best to work out any difficulties to everyone's satisfaction, so please, please give us a chance before going to other channels to vent your frustrations.

Moving on to happier things, here is a rough list of things that we will be working to implement in the future, in the IC realm:

- A large, neutral, overarching player-driven justice system
- A larger focus on redemption for those that want it and the development of characters within the game;
- A move towards a less egalitarian society within the realm, with defined 'classes'

The landscape will also be changing to some extent, likely sometime tomorrow. For the time being, characters may notice that everything looks 'fuzzy', especially on the top level. No, it's not your vision. You will also notice an invisible barrier around the clock tower, and that you cannot go within ten feet of it. The temples are also still inaccessible for the time being, but the sickly-sweet smell can now be scented all about Purgatorium, and shadowy figures move inside. Music can be heard from them as well.

On the OOC front, the applications system will be altered shortly. In the meantime, applications in the old style will still be accepted.

We would like all of your input, no matter how small, whether positive or negative. Feel free to send us messages via the LJ message system if you're not comfortable with email for some reason (and the mod email, as a reminder, is purg.mod@gmail.com), or, for this post, just comment right here - all comments are screened.

Thank you so much. I look forward to hearing what you have to say.

[ There's the sound of footsteps walking into the mess here. The sound of one set, nudging something with his foot-- and yes, it is a corpse of one of the Gods that died up there. After a few moments, there's a small clatter, like he shoved it out of the way, carelessly. There is the sound of stumbling feet and some mumbling of nasty words. The first voice that comes on is undeniably masculine. ]

How clumsy, Orea.

[ A feminine 'hn', as she shoves by and makes her way past him, tripping over something else. Then the male's voice comes on again, hardly lighter, almost unamused and confident. ]

Isn't that normal for beings despite being without age, never grew up. [ There's a few moments of shuffling, as if trying to clean up a little bit, but not much effort is going into it ] This place could use some clean-up.

[ A female's voice comes on now. ] I think so. What do you think would be more fun? Should we wipe them all out and find new sinners... or... just continue with the ones already here?

[ A short pause, followed by Thylas' Voice ] They've been there for so long, wiping them out would be easy. Breaking them more could be great more fun.

[ Orea's Voice, sounding almost lighter and more optimistic. ] You are more fun when you're like this, you know. Should we be kind to them at all? We might be able to make them do stuff~

[ Almost cuts her off ] There's no reason to be more kind, in fact, I think they, [ a clanking sound, kicking the corpses ], were lax. And that's why they're dead. We'll get them to do whatever we want them to. It's easy to get people to.

[ Muttering ] I guess... [ pauses ] ... but they'd make sweet pets, and I'd rather be adored by some. Maybe. Possibly... [ Sound of footsteps and a clap of hands, and voila, the lower level... just got a little bit darker ] At least adored by the ones I think we can use the influence of amongst their peers. It's good public relations! Something like that...

[ And for the first time, Thylas sounds amused ] Real cute, Orea. Their favor shouldn't be of that much value. In the end, toys are toys. They'll play our games because people are needy -- they need things that are wants. Those down there are getting a bit greedy, don't you think?

They are a bit spoiled, I admit. [ Her voice becomes quiet for a moment ] So... we fix that. It's not so hard. Take away their televisions and their theme parks up there... [ and she points upward, swirling the tip of her finger around, painfully tempted to amplify the motion into a full-out hurricane ] and make things as they should be. Purgatory? Let them attend to their sins and go back to their homes, where they can have their luxuries. What they have now should, ideally, be what they're deprived of in a place like this...

[ And a chuckle comes from Thylas, good humored, before the sound fades out. The two chatting. ]

[[ OOC: OKAY FOLKS, Here the two are. Neither are particularly nice. Except sometimes to each other. The siblings Thylas and Orea are now in control. And they're mean. A lot of the things that have been previously discussed are now implemented. That means televisions, radios, gaming systems -- gone, even on the upper level. The businesses that have been moved up on the Business Aspect are The Cafe, Max's Bakery, Devil's Nest, and Misa's Shop. All of which employees can access without upper level permissions -- however, only to work and as long as they maintain proper behavior. The upper level is more stark -- no movie theaters and frivolous things like malls. The resemblance is of a much more little town, not well maintained -- and definitely not as nice on the eyes, but still far better than the lower level. ]]

Hey All

A little less srs business post here to clarify and get through some things and etc. Basically addressing conerns and answering questions I've gotten through today and things. And also perhaps some helpful tips :3

First is~~

APPLICATIONS~

This is Katie goes off and babbles and gets some things together before this evening, as well as getting to the applications and accepting and things. I figured something like this could be helpful for people. Everyone may look at different things in applications, but in the end, what is important is the way the character is presented, or if we feel that there was enough to get a feel for the character in just a little bit.

350 Words is not a maximum. It is a minimum. If you need more to get the character across, please do so. Actually, definitely do. If 350 words more than covers it, that's fine, too. :D;; This is also to get a feel for how you write. <3 Feel free to ask questions here about this all you'd like. I don't mind :B

5 sentences is the same way on the sample post, BTW. MORE = A+++ I rarely think 5 sentences gets the point across unless you're Wonderwice or Nill, who don't really SAY a lot. Because lacking words shows character, too :B

Tips on Sample Posts
I know writing applications and sample posts isn't exactly the easiest thing ever for some people. In fact, it can be stumps them. Everyone will ask where they are, naturally, but do it in your character's style, like having Viral Scream, or Aaron be a bit more shy and timid on the matter. Y'get my drift. It helps mods get a feel for your character, probably more than personality does. You can write essays about Viral's [he's my example today :B] personality, but if you write a sample post like "Um...where am I?"...? Yeah.

If you want to, it doesn't have to be your first post. Pretend your character has been here a few days, pretend they are getting acquainted with the environment. Asking questions about places, locations to get things, do stuff. Things like you know, what may your character do after a couple days of being here? Address present canonmates, things like that? Like I said, they are by no means required to be your first post.

You can like…have your character talk about getting a job, discussing things they learned. Sample posts can be privated entries, voice posts, whatever.

I hope this helps anyone who may have problems or trouble coming up with ideas. ♥

Terminals

I GOT QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS. And perfectly reasonable questions that made me WTF slightly in realizations. Terminals are stationary. As in bolted in the ground and not going to pick up and walk with you. Do not take apart the terminals [though hack at will on them, we find that funny :D]. If you walk away from it, your voice would fade, if you stand too far, the recording will cut out. It won’t follow you.

On the Lower level: if any private residences have them, then there can only be one in them at all. And it may not be placed in any of the bedrooms. Once it is placed, it is going to be bolted to the floor. So it can not be moved. You can't let the terminal get broken, if it does, your loss -- we're not replacing them unless you pay for the repairs.

The only exception would be a place like an inn or the boarding house which will result in housing large groups of people. In which case there would be three, and they wouldn't be in any of the rooms, but in the main area of it. Bolted to the floor. If they get exploded because you're dumb, then too bad.

On the upper level they can be located within businesses, the cafe Misa's place, and in the hallways of the apartments.

Another change is that private//unhackable comments could not be seen by anyone other than those who they are addressing, even on someone else’s journal. HOWEVER, for courtesy purpose, if it will be a long chat on someone else’s journal, take it to AIM and don’t spam us with “…We need to talk.” XD

EACH AND EVERY TERMINAL IS EQUIPPED WITH THE MESSENGING SYSTEM OF P.I.M.P. the Purgatorium Instant Messaging Program. So don’t hesitate to use that for some of the more private conversations. :O There was a post awhile back with all the “Screennames” used for it, and I’ll be more than willing to pull that up again for everyone if they should want it? :D Or at least copy-paste the list again, and allow everyone to give their SNs for it….Mm, yes~

Anything can be read by the gods.

ANYTHING.

FOOD WATER & MONTERS
Food is accessed through berries in the forest, catching fish, and killing monsters. And if you can afford someone to deliver food from the café, you do it. But this is not a nightly thing, there’s no way anyone can afford that~ =X

There’s water in all the ponds and things and river and etc. Just purify it.

Monsters, I got some new monsters. And they are NOISE from TWEWY, as seen here. They are not run of the mill walk up to them and stab them with a knife and walk away. They’re animal like, or at least the pigs are, so they are edible [ie: you won’t die or get sick from eating them] and probably don’t taste too bad. But they are harder to kill than other monsters, and being that most are without powers, well then. Have fun. They also tend to mob on you, and if you attack them they become AGGRESSIVE, so be careful alright? :D Yes, I am going to make them harder than they are even in game. :B The piggies tend to run away very fast, too, so kill them quickly if they run, catching up to them is nigh impossible for those who lack a lot of powers, send a group of a couple powerhouses and you can have bacon for breakfast. >.o;

PRIVELEGES & BUSINESSES
What we got floooooooods of questions about and probably will FOREVER. BUT THAT’S OKAY. Any questions, feel free to ask again. I’m hoping this summarizes. :D I’m gonna summarize what was said yesterday in some ways and address some questions we’ve been asked a lot.

LOWER LEVEL
- Lower level does not have electricity. Any kitchen would be wood burning, and if they could find it – gas burning. You know, if they have a kitchen :B
- It’s back to the basics, kiddos. Just think logically here. :D Would it really be a punishment if you could turn on your TV and load up Mario Kart on your WII? Yeah…no. [Sorry matt ):] If you had it before, consider the new gods revoking it.
- Lower level doesn’t have running water. Businesses on the lower level won’t even need it, so tough luck here. SORRY GUYS. But none of you need a faucet to operate. If your character lives by their business or what have you. Electricity can not reach their rooms nor be used for cooking, and if they try wiring it there, the gods will cause it to short and you’ll get electrocuted. …or something Don’t do it so I don’t have to think of a way to punish you?~
- There is plenty of places water is. The river is no longer flooded, there’s an ocean, and probably as a result of some of the holes in the ground opening and closing up, some miniature ponds around to access water. You bathe in these unless you can afford the bathhouse. >P Bathhouse is one of the only privileges there, after all.

UPPER LEVEL
- Upper level has electricity and running water.
- You have to pay rent. Get roommates. :D
- Upper level has clothing stores, grocery stores, things like that. You can buy electric necessities like a toaster as Kaz said. Also would have bookstores as well, as the entertainment, and perhaps instruments. :B Normally play your PS2, learn how to play a saxophone. :D;; Also any home-improvement sorts of stuff, like screwdrivers, saws, things like that can be purchased on upper level. Paper, pencils, crayons Keep in mind these stores aren’t Walmart [there’s an RP for that 8D] You can’t buy TV dinners or something.
- Privilege is gained the same way as it was before. One Month and they can apply. It is the only way to obtain powers, also, they are required to be working. And they have to have good behavior…obviously. Because you gotta earn everything here. <3
- If you reside on the lower level with upper level priveledges, you can’t go up after dark, likewise if you live on the upper level you can’t go down after dark. The only exception is for So if you were planning to spend the night at Devil’s Nest, get there before it is dark. Also, the only exception to this is employment.

KILLING AND DEATH
Flatout, here’s the simple thing. If you kill someone, you get a month added. The only exception is when it is strictly out of self defense. So killing someone out of revenge, because they hurt your loved one, or because you attacked someone will cause a loss of those privileges. No exceptions. You lose your powers and are gunna get kicked down to the lower level to reevaluate life. Don’t worry, if they attacked and killed someone, they’ll get punished.


BUSINESSES
Actually, I want a list of every business here. >> So if you have one, post for it. Don’t need to post employees, just ownership and things. I’ll make a list here below. <3 And I’ll sort out the upper level/lower level and privileges that they have exactly. Some of you have already asked, so use the new information you have?

I’ll fill in the ones I already know about later. :D;;… Just want to find out what everyone had. OH! This includes Celestial Being and SOLDIER.

EDIT QUICKLY: I forgot to add this, but if your character works for an upper level business, and they don't have privileges, then they can go up there STRICTLY FOR WORK. And as long as they remain on best behavior.

<b>Business Name/What it is</b>: [ie: Devil’s Nest - Bar] <b>Owner</b>: SELF EXPLAINABLE. <b>Location</b>: Upper/Lower Level. <b>Privileges</b>: Running Water/Electricity/Personal Computers if applicable [note, would only be used for business and data purposes]. <b>Was it Sanctioned by the Gods</b>: IE, did gods give you the go ahead to start it? :D

Upper Level Businesses

Lower Level Businesses

IMPORTANT CRAP LISTED BELOW. PLEASE READ.

Okay! So basically, this is our Post of Stuff That Needs Addressing-- an apparently long-awaited acknowledgment of concerns and complaints that've been either brewing under peoples' skins, or actually brought to our doorstep via formal complaint. It's high time this post comes about, and as per usual, we will be looking for your input and reflections on what's discussed here. If you want to comment, comment. If you want to IM privately, you know where to reach us. Email, smoke signal, carrier pigeon... whatever you want, if you feel like you need to say something. We want it so we can talk about it, use it, laugh in your face, debate it... you get the idea. If we don't have muns, we don't have a game, so your contributions are sort of important here, y'know? ♥

Ready? Let's get to it.

Purg vs Crack
One of the major issues brought to us has dealt with the amount of crack in here. Some of you don't even realize it's happening, while many, many others are more or less ready to quit because of it. This is why it has to be addressed; we don't want to lose what apurgatorium was when it started. I myself joined just over six months ago, and when I got here, it was a serious-with-a-little-bit-of-crack game, where dramah would occur and people would die/be kidnapped/etcetera, everyone would be traumatized, and then the Gods would stage a bizarre event so we could all cool our jets. It was nice, and worked out well. As time went on, the amount of crack sort of... devoured everything else, and we were getting complaints from the muns of villains ((how we love them ♥)) that while they were trying to get srs plot going, their posts were being drowned out and missed altogether by random crack or spontaneous drama that'd last a couple hours, and be concluded with cutesy-wootsie fluff. That's fine in moderation, but it was getting to be an every day norm. :/ Someone would post something that had to do with the plot they were trying to get moving, and it'd be shoved to Second Page Status in half an hour with one-line, mini-drama posts. Again, those are fine... in moderation. We love that some of you guys exceed beyond the "one post a week" thing -- sometimes posting three or four times a day -- but we do ask that courtesy be applied here ((this can actually tie in with complaints about Purg moving really freaking fast)) and that you don't post every time your character has a new thought.

I'm straying from the topic here... what the hell was I talking abo-- ...

Ah. Crack. Yes, crack's fine and fun and good, but to be frank, this isn't a crack game, and never has been. Crack games exist, and they're loads of lulz if that's what you want, but it's become a trend in this comm for crack to overshadow serious plot and real, natural character development. It's become a problem, and we're hearing more and more everyday from people who are craving a shift back to old-school Purg. I understand that we all love to see how our characters react to certain scenarios and Three's Company-esque situation comedy, but... well, this leads right into the next issue:

OOCness
Yeah. No one likes to hear about this, but unfortunately, we have had it brought to us on numerous occasions as an issue. Sometimes the complaints are frivolous, and we can see that plainly, the complainant is just holding come kind of weird little grudge. Complaints of this stratum happen, and we let it slide, but some complaints are justified. :/

We won't be pin-pointing, and in the here and now, we will not be contacting the people who've been complained about. We're going to give you the chance to take responsibility for your characters into your own hands, and come to your own conclusions. All we ask is that you work with us on this. We'd like you to look very carefully at each of your characters, re-read your apps, maybe re-watch episodes or re-read manga, watch movies again, read fics-- get back in touch with your characters, and evaluate yourself. Are you playing them ICly? Do you really understand their motivations, their wants and needs? Do you know what makes them tick? Do you understand their mannerisms, their nuances and the itsy-bitsy things that make them who they are? Are you doing them justice? We have an amazing group here, and it's up to you to do this. Your choice. We have the utmost faith in everyone in this community, and everyone is more than capable of handling their kids. Everyone. Don't sit there and mope about how you don't think you play someone right. You can. We just want to make sure people know where they stand, canon-wise.

We're going to leave the OOC matter in your hands... but rest assured, if we start getting complaints again a month from now about characters being OOC, we'll have to take it to the source, and deliver the complaint to your doorstep. :/ But we figure this is the fair way to do it, in lieu of gathering the complaints we have right now and tackling down muns. No, we want to give everyone the chance to re-evaluate themselves, and see what they find.

OOCness and crack belong in communities where OOCness and crack are the foundation of those communities. Please keep this in mind, and make a conscious effort to take care of yourselves. We'll be there to strangle you if you decide to bring in Rambo and play him gayer than Elton John, but for now, we trust you to do what's right. If it means restarting characters, well, do it.

Drama
To keep this section short and sweet, I just want to reiterate-- take drama to us. Don't be afraid of the mods, alright? If someone is harassing you, trying to force you to take your characters a certain way, or making you generally uncomfortable even if they're not actually interacting with you, take it to us. Email us. Save chat logs, screen shots, whatever you think will help your case. We'll send emails, arrange chats, and do what we can to fix things. Drama doesn't START big, okay? It has to grow into a raging blob of non-lol, so don't give it the chance to. Nip it in the bud, and bring it to our attention. Don't panic, don't make it worse. Just say something. ♥ I firmly believe that any and all situations can be ironed out. It's just a game; not world democracy. Some problems take longer to handle than others, but this is where simple patience comes in. No complaint will go ignored, no bias formed, no child left behi--

... er, right. On to the next bit.

General Stuff

Gods
New Gods are coming, as promised, and they will not be as generous as the last ones. Purgatory is a place designed for redemption, lest we forget, so dishing out the supplies for a Sundae Shop and giving people a shitload of goodies so one character can give them to another for their birthday... it's not happening anymore, or at least not as easy as it used to. If you want something, you'll have to damn well earn it. You might earn favor with a God, maybe, but their graces don't come easily.

Death
Death has been abused and trivialized. Think about it... how much would it screw with your character's mind if their best friend in the whole wide world kept dying and coming back like, the very next day? It's been happening a lot lately, and honestly has to stop. :/ Death will come with a worse penalty now, in some cases, and you'll see what those are as we move along and handle deaths case by case. Also, if your character dies, they will not be able to return for three full days. After that? Longer; two days more than before.

Basically, if you have your character die tomorrow, they're gone for three days. They come back, die again, two days are added to the base time frame. That means they're gone for five days. They come back and die again? Seven days gone. If you have a question about this, let us know. Losing a memory is still happening, but as some people are running out of memories to lose, well, the Gods might have to do something worse. I would almost suggest using death as a means of going on hiatus, or putting one character on hiatus, once you're pushing seven days' worth of absence. |D; Point is, death shouldn't be something you do to your kid when you're bored. It's death. Make it mean something.

The Upper Level
The Upper Level is changing, people. Big time. It's still a part of Purgatory and is thus still a part of redemption. In that, no, there won't be amusement parks and movie theaters and whatnot there. No malls and no TV and nothing like that. :c It's a town, and still run-down, still dirty and generally unappealing. What your character will have up there in comparison to the Lower Level is running water, electricity, sunlight, and much nicer housing than the shanty shacks below. If you earn your way up there, you'll probably get a little more help from the Gods insofar as starting a business, and that really is a great way to give your character something to do, give other characters something to do, and have certain luxuries. You'll have a challenge opening shop, of course, but there's always a way to get things done. The only shops that exist up above are ones that sell your absolute necessities-- clothing, appliances ((not TVs or radios; we mean fridges and toasters)) and food. There are no Pizza Huts and no gourmet. Just groceries, and they're not the best. |D; As always, you earn money by working... unless someone gives you money, in which case you've made an excellent friend.

Upper Level privileges still take a month of good behaviour to earn. As per precedent, you can also still choose to live below with your evil little friends and have UL privies at the same time, BUT you will not be able to go up after dark. Likewise, people living on the UL who visit down below after dark will be snagged and punished. ): Not good. Be careful!

Uhm.

I think that's it.

As I really don't have a witty way to end this, I'll just say thanks for sticking with us. We want Purg to be a comm where people are happy, and where we don't see our kids popping up on Fandom Secrets for being blatantly OOC and over-ridden with drama. :/ We have a terrible reputation, and... well, we'd like to try to turn that around, for the most part. I know we can do it just from talking to you guys. You're a damn good group, you know, and we want to do what we can to make you enjoy logging in here, and not twitch in anticipation of what new drama has flooded into your playing space. ♥

So talk to us. Comment here with your concerns or questions, email purg.mod[at]gmail.com or contact a mod or co-mod directly. Our info is on the profile page-- Hoshino Masako for Katie, and gypsy savant for me. Our favourite little co-mod, of course, is Ferret. Find her at plum tengu.

Shalom~

I'm going to tryyyy and make this as un-wordy as possible, just due to the fact that I ramble when nervous or upset, and I am both at the moment.

This is Brandi-mod, or you can just refer to me without the -mod attached once again. I'm going to be stepping down as a mod here. I took on a responsibility without properly thinking things through, and I'm not really a good choice in mod for this game. There's been a death in my family recently that has left me emotionally drained, and I know that things are only going to get worse for me. So I'm going to be sticking around as a player, and the wonderful, fantabulous, scrumtrulescent (yes, she is so wonderful that I had to make up a word to use to describe her) Katie is going to be taking my place.

I'm sorry for stepping down so soon after stepping up, but the mod thing really isn't for me. :o

I'm much more of an in the background kind of girl, and I know that Katie is going to do an excellent job. ♥

Kaz and I are in agreement that we need a second co-mod. We need someone who isn't going to mind helping with updating the lists, resolving player issues, and keeping in close communication with Kaz, Ferret, and I.

Comments to this entry are screened, so please comment here if you are interested in becoming a co-mod. And you know you want to, because we have cookies. And candy. And various other tools of bribery.

Leave your e-mail or aim sn, as well as the reason why you'd like to be a mod here. I'll be speaking with interested people tonight, and over the next couple of days. ♥


Also, I wanted to let everyone know that I just updated the friends add/remove. So if everyone wants to keep their flist up to date, just go HERE.

As a reminder to everyone, the IC Requests to the Gods (both on the IC requests page, and the Upper Level applications) will NOT be responded to, until the new Gods come in to play. I understand that everyone wants their requests filled in a timely manner, but Medea and Asclepius are currently unavailable to handle the requests, due to the end of the world and all. :o


Also, we've had several people ask, and I thought I'd re-post it again here : Activity checks HAVE gone back to every two weeks.


And as a final reminder, we are aware that applications are needing to be responded to. But we simply haven't had the time to look them over, in between other issues we've been handling, as well as our real lives. In between Kaz working, and my finals, the apps have been overlooked the past four days. Please keep in mind that we will get to the apps, we haven't forgotten about them.

---

Well, that was an almost final reminder. There is one last issue that needs to be discussed. From now on, if you wish for your character to return back home and then return to Purg a time later, there are now guidelines.

- It can only be done with mod approval. So IM or e-mail the mods before sending a character home.

- It can only be done once per character. If you have already done it, you can't do it again.

- The character must remain gone for a period of at least two days (48 hours, if you'd rather hear it in hourly terms). They can't come back sooner, but you are welcome to keep them gone longer if you'd prefer that.

- Characters cannot return home if it is only to obtain new powers, learn of the future, or to get out of a situation that their player has gotten them into. If there is an actual issue, where another character has done something to yours and you're stuck in a rut and can't get out of it, that's another story. Come to the mods and we'll find a solution. We're not outright banning sending a character home, but we feel that it needs to be something done in a select few cases, not the majority.

I'm sorry if this upsets anyone, but some guidelines need to be established. ♥

Kaz-mod edit; Seconding everything here, of course. For those potentially making faces at the guidelines re: sending charries back home, well crap... what's the point in bringing them to a place to atone for their sins if they can up and leave whenever, and then pop right back in in a matter of days? :/ Blaaagh. Hopefully, you guys are okay with this... we've had quite a few complaints about characters up and disappearing for no apparent reason, and then returning very soon after. I think that what we forget much of the time is that what we do with our characters can vastly effect other characters-- taking someone's best friend away from them out of the blue can really sting, bbs. ): PLZ. THINK OF THE PUPPETS.

Now, as far as getting to requests and handling questions/apps/etc, everyone's patience is hugely appreciated. Many of you know we've had a whack of stuff land on our laps since becoming mods here, and unfortunately, they're matters that will have to take priority until they're sorted out. ): Between Brandi and I, lists are being updated, reserves are being noted, and hiatuses are being acknowledged, so don't worry about that. The IC Requests are taking a bit, but once the new Godly kiddos come into play, rest assured your IC requests will be tackled. :o

A post discussing changes we want to introduce to you and gather input on is underway, so watch for that. ♥ And as always, please, never be afraid to contact Brandi, Ferret or I with anything you guys need. ♥

Thanks.