Characters that members nurture and bring in are necessary for the server and world of Ever Rain to develop and grow in unique ways, as characters interact with and shape the world that surrounds them. They create their own stories to be told and influence future legacies, and are the lifeblood that breathes life into the five Clans of the temperate rainforest. Ever Rain does not aim to stifle creative liberty, allowing for lenient character designs and a wide gamut of personalities. However, there are some basic guidelines to consider when creating your character!
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NAMING CONVENTIONS
Three cats may share the same prefix. Once that prefix has filled its limit, it will be marked down as a ‘Closed Prefix’ in a designated channel. This is to prevent confusion regarding many multiples of the same prefix and mixing up character names.
Names follow the standard canon format. You may use hyphens for if the letter between the prefix and suffix is doubled, but no apostrophes or spaces between the names.
2a. The exception to this may be the usage of titles in Clans like Thornrush. These are not given lightly and are reserved for cats who have accomplished something great or acted with extreme selflessness. Examples of a title might be ‘Steadfast’ Exampleclaw, or ‘Duty-Bound’ Healerherb.
Wildlife and herb names are typically of British Columbia and Alaska inspiration, but for cats who have traveled far and seen much (such as a traveling kittypet), the exception is made. The cats of the pacific northwest won’t know what a tarantula is, but if added to their vocabulary and knowledge, the name may be sifted into commonly used ones.
Prefixes such as Gem-, Jewel-, or some sort of precious gem or mineral are allowed, and more odd names such as Zephyr- or Zip- are allowed as well. You are encouraged to get creative with your characters' names!
4a. Meta and joke names will be allowed within reason. If you present a wonderfully fleshed out and beautifully written character named Garfield. Well. You’ve earned it at that point.
4b. This does NOT include names that joke about serious topics or act as inflammatory.
Tribal names will not be used, and ‘Savage-’ as a prefix is not permitted to be used. This is to avoid anti-native racism or appropriation from being brought into the server.
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STYLE vs. REALISM & APPEARANCE
Ever Rain accepts a wide range of designs and style choices. Allowances include subdued or ‘tints’ of unnatural colors, as seen below showcasing blue, green, and purple undertones, as well as realistic art all the way to the other end of the spectrum with highly stylized, also seen below.
Intense and highly saturated colors are to be avoided, as well as neon colors. Essentially, Ever Rain does not accept sparklecats.
Unnatural eye colors are allowed within reason, again, as long as they aren’t neon. Heterochromia of all kinds are not barred or locked behind a paywall.
Regardless of what color the art is, you still must describe them realistically. Such as a black cat being tinted purple, would simply be described as a black cat with cool undertones.
Hairstyles are allowed, such as braids and so on. The Clans have the capability to craft clothing, they would likely be able to craft braids!
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PERSONALITY & HISTORY
A wide gamut of personalities are allowed within Ever Rain; it is open world, and realistically not everyone is going to be a saint or entirely evil. People have a wide range of emotions and values, personality traits, likes and dislikes, and so on. You are not going to be policed on the type of character you want to create.
1a. This does not mean creating a villainous character who is evil just because. What are their goals? What happened in their life to create this version of them? How do they feel about their negative qualities, do they feel remorseful as this is a necessary evil, or do they relish in it?
1b. Give your characters flaws! Even the best among us have them, they are natural and normal. How does your character handle their flaws? How have these flaws affected your character growing up? How will they impact your character as they get older?
A character's history will affect how they develop. How did your character's history shape them as they are today? These are all things to consider when creating your character!
You may not utilize anything found in the blacklist in your character's history. This is a strictly followed rule. Mentions of SA, self-harm, any sort of NSFW, graphic depictions of abuse, incest, are NOT to be used.
3a. You are allowed to utilize somewhat sensitive content in your character’s history, though. This MUST be vague and properly trigger warning’ed as to prevent people from being upset with the content found in your character’s history. Topics such as vaguely mentioned abuse (mental, physical, or emotional only. NOT sexual), bigotry, dysfunctional families, identity struggles, and so on are allowed, again, as long as it is presented very vaguely and does not go into graphic detail and in depth information. This is to keep people comfortable within the server.
3b. These above topics may not be used as shock value. This rule is highly monitored, and if something is found in your character submission that falls into the realm of too descriptive or not allowed, you will be messaged and requested to change it. If you fail to do so, your submission will be denied permanently.
3c. "Vague" interpretations of somewhat sensitive topic mean to write about it for a few lines in limited detail before moving on, and focusing more on how this situation has affected your character as they've grown. Sometimes describing how a character feels and thinks is just as impactful as outright saying what happened!
3d. Sensitive topics allowed in the server are allowed to be discussed in roleplay posts, ensuring that they are properly TW'd and spoilered, do not go into disturbing detail or imagery, and your partner is okay with handling these topics, which should be done during plotting.
With the above said, please bear in mind this is a collaborative storytelling server. If you play a character who is wholly unpleasant and ‘lone wolf’ish, do not push other people away who want to collaborate with you because your character has these traits. Find ways to include these traits while still being able to collaborate with others!
For backstories, each Opening will feature a specific focus as to have minimal ‘spawning’ in of character’s into the world. The first Opening Ever Rain will feature Clan cat only characters. Future openings will feature cats traveling into the area and joining the clans or being an antagonistic force. More information on this will be given out in each Opening.
You may create characters who have familial links to notable figures from the past. Do ensure that if your character romances another character, that they are not related through a shared historical family member.
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MUTATIONS
No mutations are locked behind a paywall. You are not required to purchase a mutation from a server shop. These include:
a. Albinism
b. Heterochromia (Any Kind)
c. Gigantism and Dwarfism
d. Polydactyly (Extra Toes)
e. Four Ears
f. Curled Ears, Rounded Ears & Folded Ears
g. Ringtails, Bobails, & No Tails
h. Polycaudal (Extra Tail or Split Tail)
i. Eyeless
j. Short Legs
k. Hairless & Patchy Hair
l. Chimerism
m. Curly, Wavy & Wiry Fur
n. Vitiligo
Mutations commonly associated with health issues do not require you to have your character be affected by these said health issues, though it is encouraged to look into it!
2a. For Example: A cat with the folded ears gene (Fd, fd+) will realistically have problems with development of the ears, joints, and bones. This can cause arthritis, spinal issues, thick tails or short legs. If your character has folded ears, you are not required to have any of the above afflict your character if you so choose. If you do choose to, you are encouraged to get creative with how your character deals with it! Arthritis might be helped by compression wraps or sitting in some hot springs, and spinal issues might be aided by a rudimentary brace!
2b. This does not include mutations or syndromes that are 100% fatal to cats that have them, such as kitten feline distemper, homozygous folded ears or manx genes, and so on.
If there is a syndrome or mutation that you are unsure about, please reach out to Staff and we will do our best to help figure something out!
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CONDITIONS & DISABILITIES
Conditions and disabilities, both physical and mental, are not locked behind a paywall nor barred from being utilized in character creation.
However, you are REQUIRED to research said condition, and play the character in a respectful manner. This is non-negotiable. Common issues that arise often come from complete misunderstanding of conditions such as DID or schizophrenia, with both often being portrayed as violent and scary. Another issue commonly seen is the complete infantilization of those who are autistic. If you are not familiar with said condition, please do your research, and understand that anyone with the same condition is not a monolithic entity.
2a. If your character is played in a disrespectful or otherwise unsavory manner due to a condition they have, you will be requested only once to fix this. A subsequent violation of this rule will result in your removal from Ever Rain’s server.
In conjunction with above, you are not allowed to roleplay ableism or bigotry towards a character who has a disability or condition, or otherwise has a targetable trait such as being LGBT or trans. This can often be triggering to some, or downright uncomfortable with most. This is not included under the ‘inside RP views do not equal outside RP views’ rule in Community Guidelines, as that refers to more political stances and feelings between characters, not downright discrimination between characters.
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IDENTITY
Identity refers to the character’s self and who they are. You are allowed to play a LGBTQ+ character or Trans (umbrella term) character, but please do so respectfully if you do not have experience with this in your personal life, and please avoid stereotypes.
1a. Stereotypes of the above may include trans women being portrayed as violent and crass, while trans men are portrayed as waifish and vulnerable, or that all nonbinary people are ‘AFAB +’. This is not to say that you cannot have a transfem character who is abrasive, or a shy transmasc character, but there is a notable difference between this and this but coming from a place of bias. Please just be mindful of how you portray your characters.
Intersex characters are allowed, but as above, please be respectful and mindful of how you portray your character, and avoid stereotypes.
2a. Intersex does NOT equal transgender. You can be cis and intersex, or trans and intersex. The two do not equal one another.
You can decide whether your character may be able to carry kits or sire kits, or be infertile. That is up to you!
Male calicos and torties are allowed, it is up to you whether you would play them as trans or not. Realistically, most male torties are sterile, but that rule may be bypassed in Ever Rain.
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ADOPTABLES & SLOTS
Once accepted into the server, you start with an extra character slot in addition to your accepted starting character that you may do whatever you wish with. This limit is lifted after a month of roleplay has passed, from there on you may create as many characters as you want.
1a. The month-long two slot limit is to allow everyone to get settled into the server and become familiar with one another, staff, and the overall setup of the server and world.
1b. This is also to prevent members from joining and creating a character for each Clan and overwhelming themselves trying to keep up!
With the above said, please only make as many characters as you think you can handle! If you feel comfortable with just one, there is no shame in that, and if you can juggle six characters, then by all means go for it!
Adoptables may be made both by staff and by members alike. Most adoptables will only be featured in-server for other members to pick up, but you can approach staff if you’d like them to be featured in an upcoming Opening!
3a. Having adoptables be featured in an Opening is an excellent way of allowing new members to seamlessly join into current plotlines and families, so do not be afraid to ask if you want to do this!
3b. As an Opening draws near, we will put out a bulletin stating that if you want an adoptable to be featured, now is the perfect time to submit them!
All adoptables require basic information to work with, such as a base personality, history, and so on. You are free to allow an adopter to choose as much as they like!
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NATIVE APPROPRIATION & RACISM
As stated at the start of the guidelines, Ever Rain will not be utilizing tribes or the tribal naming convention for any openings or characters. This is due to the insensitive fashion in which they are portrayed in the canon storyline
Medicine cats have been renamed, with Apothecary taking the main role, and medics and seers under their wing. Apothecary is still a title that was used in medieval Europe as someone who utilized both medicine and spiritual guidance, without the connection to native medicine men.
Feathers behind the ear are not allowed to be utilized in designs. This is once again due to insensitivity and appropriation of Native cultures, and the ‘Native Silhouette’.
Here is an excellent link that covers the issues with feathers and the Native Silhouette very well!
Please avoid allegories that are meant to mirror real life issues such as racism or colonialism. These are delicate topics that are typically not handled in a respectful way.
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If you have any questions about the above, do not be afraid to reach out and ask!
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