respect

first and foremost, itm is a close knit family. which means that we will be mad at each other, love each other, and want to rip the hair off of each others heads. and, like all functioning dysfunctional families, we have a mutual sense of respect for one another that we will expect from every member, new or old. if you have an issue with a fellow member of the group, please bring it to the attention of one of your friendly admins. if you have an issue with an admin, talk to another admin about it. but, regardless of the issue, you will be respectful to one another and especially to the admins. the quicker an issue is brought to our attention, the faster it can be put behind us and we can continue to do what we all love--roleplaying.

posting

next, posting. we have a 400 word limit for all posts, past or present. as a semi-literate to advanced rp, we hold ourselves to a higher expectation than other games. if you are having trouble meeting the word count, ask for some help! we are more than happy to look over your post and help you elaborate, if you need it. if you don't think you can meet this expectation on a post to post basis, please don't apply. when you only write a paragraph response, it gives your fellow players little to work with. we want everyone to succeed here, and the best way to make sure that everyone is having fun is to produce quality posts. also, all posts are to be written in third person; quotes and thoughts not withstanding. these aren't journal entries and writing a third person response to a first person starter is close to impossible. everyone is allowed to be in three threads at once, not including any special event threads. if you feel a need for a fourth thread, it must be cleared by an admin before it can be started.

activity

we also want to see everyone making an in character post once a week, so that the game can move at a decent pace. if you are unable to post for any reason, please post a message in the absence thread so that everyone knows how long you will be gone. if you disappear for a week without a word, you will be given a formal warning and if you go another week without notice, your character will be removed, regardless of your position in the game. any posts made in the out of character section of the boards will not count as activity. it must be an in character post. ooc posts are a hell of a lot of fun, but do nothing to move the plot of the game along.

character creation

once your character has been approved, you will be able to join the rest of the game; jump into a thread and have fun! should you, once you are active with your first character, wish to create another character, you may do so. however, as soon as one character loses activity, it will be dropped. we recommend that you are well established in the game before creating a second character, so that your first does not completely lose their identity. at this point and time, the maximum characters allowed by a single player is two unless previously cleared by the admins. be aware that the mods and admins read all threads, so any out of character action will be noted and you will be contacted by an admin as a reminder.

power playing

god-modding is the act of playing out another character without the owner of said character approving beforehand. meaning that, "peter pushed paul onto the bed, causing paul to slap peter," is god-modding. if you use someone else's character with their permission, you will receive one warning. if you do it again, you will be removed from the boards, no questions asked. each player puts a lot of time and effort into the characters they've created and that deserves the respect of everyone. not only is god-modding rude, it's disrespectful. play your own characters and leave each post open ended--give your fellow players a chance to come up with a unique reaction. if, however, you have asked the player to move a character or give them a piece of dialogue, then that's alright. just be ready to get a friendly pm from a staff member making sure you cleared it first. and we will check to make sure both players agreed, so lying will get you no where.

have fun

while we run a tight ship here at itm, we want everyone to have a good time doing something we all love. leave the stress and worries to the mods and admins--that's our job. if you have any ideas, comments or concerns, feel free to send one of us a pm or leave a message in the questions/comments thread. we don't bite (unless you want us to) and we love being helpful. that is why we are here, to make sure the gaming process runs smoothly for everyone. while we have set rules, we understand that everyone is human and has a real life that can get in the way of our fun! we are very understanding, so just let us know when you need a break or won't be able to post. heck, there are times where we will be doing the same thing. communication with us is the key to making sure that everything is cohesive and fun. because, hey, isn't that the point?