FAQ

Q: What is the age requirement?

A: You must be physically at least sixteen (16) years of age to join our group. This does include systems- the host body must meet this requirement as well.

Q: Can I join the server without making a cat right away?

A: Absolutely. Take as much time as you need!

Q: As a horror RPG, how dark/extreme will the subjects of horror be in roleplay?

A: CCMM is a fairly dark group, however we are not grimdark, nor of the misery/torture p*rn category. While there will be bad endings for some of our characters and tragedy, we have a focus on hope, survival, and getting through to better times. There will be comedy and happiness to balance the tragedy. We will never make use of sexual themes, demonize mental illnesses or disabilities, nor use the content in our blacklist, and we will always tag + spoiler our content.

Blacklist, as relevant to things we won’t include in the writing: sexual assault, drugs, pedophilia, LGBTphobia, demonization of mental illnesses and disabilities

—- This blacklist can/will be expanded upon per player request.

In CCMM, you can expect: Body horror, psychological horror, cosmic horror, surrealism, unreality (hallucinations/delusions), unhealthy relationships (manipulation, gaslighting, abuse), mental instability, gore, cannibalism, religious themes and imagery (fictional), violence, death, emotional and physical trauma, child terror, adult fear

Just because we have these concepts does not mean we support or romanticize them.

Q: How exactly do my characters’ and my own choices influence the story? How does making the story work?

A: CCMM works on a system we call “Books”— contained plots structured like an actual book. Each Book feeds into the next to create an ongoing story, but is set up so new members can hop in without having participated in the previous Book. The owners of the server (Rren, Newt, and Spyder) will plan the overall theme and beats of a Book to provide structure for our players. The actions of player cats will influence these beats. Sometimes outright, such as when we hold votes, and sometimes behind the scenes (we are always lurking in threads). For this reason, not only are beats loosely planned, but so are the endings of the Books. We try to maintain a balance of player influence and structured storyline to prevent railroading while also giving our players direction so they don’t feel lost or unsure, as well as control, because writing a story together is the entire point of this group.

Through the use of our “Inworld Happenings” channel, we’ll give out flavor text, hold votes, and much more! This allows us to keep things happening without constantly requiring roleplay. Events that happen in this channel can be responded to in threads made by the players. Flavor text includes weather reports, how well the prey is running, summaries of what’s going on in threads, paranormal events (be they global or targeted), and so on.

Q: If general applications are closed, how could I go about inviting my friends to the rp?

A: When we close our general applications, unless we make an announcement stating otherwise, our current members with approved characters simply need to give staff a heads up that they plan to invite friends before doing so!

Q: How does the in-server currency work, and what is it used for?

A: CCMM’s currency is called orbs, and have no equivalent to real world monetary value. They are gained solely through participating in events and using the !work / !crime commands in our bot channel. Members can freely gift orbs or take commissions to earn them. Orbs are used to purchase special items, character slots, and “tickets” from the shop. Items include things such as enchanted accessories, with tickets allowing a player to have forbidden romance plots, a character with a mutation, a cat from Beyond the Mountains, etc.

Q: How do battles work in CCMM? (cw: gore / animal violence)

A: Battles in CCMM have no rolling system, and what happens during / the outcome is decided based on the players involved- with staff supervision. If we see things getting out of hand or becoming unfair out of character, we will step in. Even to the extent that we will decide a battle for the players, but that is not something we particularly desire to do. When battles are happening during an event, players will offer up their cats in the “roleplay finder” channel and pairings will be decided by staff. This is to ensure no one is left out. Once a pairing is made, the players will go to the channel the battle is happening in and participate in the battle thread. The following format must be used as well as the reply function:

> **Character name | pronouns | Clan + rank**

> BATTLING WITH @(user)

Fighting should be kept realistic, meaning no rending of limbs or epic disembowelment scenes, but there is wiggle room for artistic liberty to keep things interesting. Remember to look up references on how cats fight in the real world, keeping in mind their posturing and yowling. Cats have thin skin that tears easily, meaning a small cut can get worse with lots of movement. But this skin is protected by fur. Refer to the battle styles section of the Clan documents.

Remember, there is no personal shame in your character losing a battle. Losing is just as good for plot and character development as winning- and getting a stalemate with no losers or victors.

High Ranks

Q: How many high ranks can I have at a time?

A: You can only have one high rank at a time!

— High ranks are as follows: Leaders, Deputies, Witches, Witch Apprentices, Matriarchs, Matriarch Apprentices

Q: Are there special requirements for applying to a high rank?

A: As a high rank, you’re expected to be a familiar face around the group and engaged with the story. The character you’re applying with should have at least four (4) paragraphs of personality. Four (4) paragraphs is a total of sixteen (16) sentences. You will need at least three (3) sentences explaining why your cat will suit the rank (or not suit in the case of plot) in your submission.

When applying for a high rank, your character must first be submitted to #»character-submissions and approved before being submitted to the high rank submissions channel! High ranks are NOT first come first serve, and in-character opinions/personality matters!

Make sure to check the allegiances before writing or submitting a cat.

It’s a very good idea in this group to talk about your character concepts before completing and submitting anything, as we have specific requirements and availability may update!

Q: How are hiatuses handled for high rank holders?

A: The same as members who don’t have a high rank character! Simply let us know what’s going on by filling out our form, and we’ll be here when you get back.

Character Creation

Disclaimer: CCMM has rules and structure for the appearance and naming of the cats to create a more immersive and cohesive world. Please respect and follow our guidelines, which are enforced!

Q: How realistic should my character designs be?

A: Character designs should be plausible, with room for stylization allowed. Their designs should be comparable to the appearance of irl cats. Unnatural eye colors are not permitted, as they are part of our lore.

Q: How far can I edit/alter the looks and contents of the character template?

A: You can edit and alter freely, so long as everything from our template is still present and answered, and the submission is readable. If your submission isn’t readable, you’ll be messaged with a notification to edit it.

Q: Can my first cat be a high rank or apprentice?

A: Yes! Your first cat can be of any rank except a monarch (a dam, a cat who is pregnant) or a kitten. As a note in general, you cannot make a cat that is pregnant or a kitten.

Q: Can I make a Veil-Touched cat? (Blessed, cursed, exorcist, warlock, ???, ???)

A: Technically, no. You cannot make a Veil-Touched cat, as a cat must become one of these things over the course of roleplay. While you can create a cat with the intention of having them become Veil-Touched, they will need to be established in advance and work towards becoming Veil-Touched.

Q: If I don’t want a character I own anymore, how will their removal be handled?

A: There are several options!

• NPCing: The character becomes an NPC to be controlled by staff.

• Retconning: If your character has had no or minimal influence in-world, they will simply be retconned out of existence.

• Adopting: You are free to put the character up for adoption.

• In-World Death: Your character will meet their end, be it through in-world happenings or you rping it out!

Q: Do we have to follow the suffixes provided to us in the Naming System?

A: It is preferred that you select a suffix from our list / check if the suffix you want to use is there, as it is quite extensive and each suffix has a meaning for the world of CCMM. You are of course allowed to use suffixes not on the list, however they must follow the rules and overall vibes.

Q: What kind of prefixes are allowed, and what are the exact rules they follow?

A: Prefixes must denote the appearance of the cat, and must come from the biome their Clan belongs to. Stay away from abstract prefixes, though there is wiggle room if it’s from the name of an animal or plant (ex: Mourning- from mourning dove). Due to the eldritch nature of the Cauldron, the biomes are fairly wack; so any desert animal prefix could be used in DesertClan, for example, be they native to Australia or the Americas, as DesertClan territory will have it. Prefixes can also be the scientific name of an animal or plant. Prefixes cannot be religious or mythical in nature, even if taken from an animal or plant (ex: Vampire- from vampire squid wouldn’t be allowed).

Banned prefixes are: Moon, sun, star, mirror, day, night, eclipse, dark, mythological creatures, anything religious

In CCMM, we don’t allow repeat prefixes. This includes using an alternate name for the same animal. Ex: Using Crowned- from the crowned eagle when we already have a Crown- from the crowned eagle, or trying to use the scientific name for the crowned eagle.

Compound names are also not allowed, such as “Sandstorm”, even though on their own, the prefix and suffix are valid.

Q: What is allowed in terms of general backstory if my cat was born in the Cauldron?

A: Consulting the Clan lore doc is recommended, especially checking in on the “Recent History” at the bottom. So long as the backstory is reasonable and follows our rules / blacklist, we’re pretty lenient. If your character has a major event in their backstory that would impact the entire Clan (such as a major battle, a plague, an exile, etc), you either need to speak with staff before submitting or be okay with us telling you to delete/edit as we review. Cats in backstories must follow our naming and appearance rules as well. Half-Clan cats require a ticket from the shop to be made.

Q: If I make a cat from Beyond the Mountains, what's the extent allowed in terms of where they come from and their backstory?

A: We’re pretty lenient with the backstories of Beyonders, and you can get wild with it, so long as it follows our rules / blacklist! However, we will not allow any characters that could have meta-knowledge, or knowledge in general that wouldn’t mesh well with the world of CCMM. Deities and paranormal beings are a no-go, regardless of if they’re now a mortal cat. Use your best judgement, and make sure to consult with staff. We have characters from canon Warriors, the Backrooms, Silent Hill, and so on!

Q: If my cat was a former housecat, can they know of human items/terms?

A: Yes, to a reasonable extent! They shouldn’t have any knowledge that is meta or would disrupt the world of the Cauldron, such as human healing techniques. Knowing that a car is called a car is fine, for example. It is also canon that Beyonders introduced swear words as we know them to the Cauldron Clans in the past.

Q: Are we permitted to edit parts of our character’s submission after approval, be the edit minor or major?

A: Yes, you can! However, you’ll also need to let staff know. Go to our questions and suggestions channel, tag the staff role, and send a link to your character’s submission doc with an explanation of what’s been changed. Do NOT use this allowance to get past our submission process, as we will invalidate your character until they comply with CCMM rules.

Q: How can I get kitten characters / when can my character have kittens?

A: Kittens characters are only permitted when a player character has a litter. A player character can have a litter when they have completed ten threads with their mate(s), or in the case of a character wanting kits but not a mate, any ten threads at all. This latter option cannot be used as a loophole for a pairing to not have completed ten threads together. Who will roleplay kittens is determined by the players involved in a pairing. If you are chosen to roleplay a kitten and do not use them, the players are free to take them back after a month. So long as you have a slot, you are permitted to play a kitten born of your character.

This group is a slow-burn, and though we have liquid time, you may have to wait a while for your kittens to be born / become apprenticed. So long as they do not derail the story, timeline skips are permitted to speed things up. Time doesn’t always work as it should in the Cauldron, after all.

Lore

Q: How are mentors chosen for apprentices outside of IsthmusClan?

A: Mentors are chosen based on their personality and skill compatibility, so that an apprentice will have the best learning experience possible. Cats with the -path, -sky, and -light suffixes are more likely to be first pick for mentorship as they have notably suitable personalities for it. OOC, players can discuss with each other if they want their Apprentice to be assigned to a specific Mentor, which will then be approved by staff. If a choice isn’t made by the players, staff will assign the apprentice to a mentor.

Adoptables

Q: How do I claim an adopt?

A: To claim an adopt, either DM the poster or tag them in one of the character chatter channels to request it!

Q: When can I claim an adopt?

A: You can claim an adopt as soon as you join! However, that adopt can be taken back by the poster if you leave / do not use them.