// f.a.q.

[nosotros]

Where are we? You're in El Sera, a city on the east coast of the United States. How did we get here? Your magical item brought you here! Magical item? Yup. The magical item is a trinket, weapon, piece of jewelry, or some other odd nicknack your character found one day--or perhaps he already had it! Regardless, it was suddenly imbued with magical powers from El Sera's world shortly before your character touched it, and when that happened he was brought to El Sera. All magical items are small or light enough to be easily carried. There's a lot of versatility in how they may appear and aren't necessarily just one item. Your character's could take the form of a pair of earrings or cufflinks just as easily as a ring, a bell, a collar, or a necklace. Magical items can also take the form of a weapon, though this weapon will always have a 'travel' form that's less conspicuous. A dagger may become a pocket knife, a sword might change into a brooch, or a whip may become a belt. Can we leave? Not reliably. People arrive and vanish from other worlds all the time, but leaving willingly is a trick no one has figured out yet. Xochipilli is working on a solution, but they've had no luck so far. What's Xochipilli? Outwardly, they're a company focused on providing guidance and solutions to other, smaller businesses throughout the country. While they are a legitimate business, in truth they're also a loose alliance of mages and magical boys seeking to push back against the various monsters that are lurking in the world. Wait, monsters? Yes, monsters! Monsters are... well, monsters. They come in all shapes and sizes and with a variety of different powers, but each and every one has the same desire: to consume as much life energy and magic as they can. To this end they'll attack regular people, but magical boys are the real prize. Do we have to fight? Not necessarily. But Xochipilli will be quick to point out that it's in your best interests. The more time they spend repelling monster attacks, the less time they have to focus on developing a way to send everyone home. More importantly, the monsters are drawn to the energy of a magical boy regardless of how strong he is -- the weaker he is, the harder it is for him to defend himself. What happens if my magical item is lost or stolen? If a magical item is stolen or lost then it stays missing at first and you have to hope you can find it the old-fashioned way. However, if it still hasn't been recovered after several days it will start to 'pull' at the character and he'll feel compelled to search in a specific direction for it. This method is similar to a game of hot-and-cold and it's terribly precise, but it at least gives a character a general idea of where to look. At higher levels (generally level seven and up) a character will be able to teleport his magical item to him no matter where it is, though there are ways to block this. Can the magical items be damaged or broken? Yes, they can be both damaged and completely broken. The more damaged a magical item becomes, the more a character's power is reduced, and his power will drop by half before the item breaks outright. If an item is only damaged it will gradually but continually repair itself as long as the owner isn't in his magical form, taking as little as two days to 'heal' if it's just a surface scratch or crack or as many as ten if it's all be completely broken. If the magical item is destroyed not all hope is lost, but recovering from that much damage takes longer. When his item is destroyed the magical boy in question will fall ill--he'll be weak, shaky, prone to dizziness, have difficulty keeping down food, and generally feel unpleasant and achy. The effects will be severe enough to leave him bedridden for the first day or two, but gradually lessen in intensity over the course of a week. Once a week has passed his magical item will finally reform and changing into his magical form will be possible again, but his magical item will be fragile and he'll tire out much faster, both in and out of his magical form. Once the the magical item has reappeared it will gradually return to its previous strength and restores itself at a rate of roughly one level every three days. This means that the penalty is almost negligible at level one, but very severe at level ten. Where do we live? Adults will be given a room in the Xochipilli employee housing. Students will be in the school dorms. Students don't have any other housing options until they graduate, but adults that decide to apply for a job will eventually be able to move into their own apartment. How quickly they'll be able to varies, with someone making minimum wage needing at least a month to move out, and someone making medium or higher only needing two weeks. What if my character doesn't want a job? They can still earn money by doing missions for Xochipilli! But if they still don't want to do that, they will be provided for, to an extent. The Xochipilli housing is free and all characters are provided an allowance. However, the allowance is extremely small and only provides them with enough money to feed themselves, with a bit extra every month so they can buy clothing, furniture, or assorted luxuries. So where are the girls? In Ella Sera, a city on the west coast. They're allies with Xochipilli and El Sera, but they're taking care of their own set of monsters. Why not live in the same city? Because certain monsters are only weak to a girl's magic, and some are only weak to a boy's. Unfortunately, telling which monsters are which at a glance is impossible. For a long time, the only way to know was to attack it and hope for the best. However, it was eventually discovered that the monsters were drawn to the magic they were weak against. It was more dangerous, but the reward was worth it to them. The leaders of the two factions at the time realized that keeping the girls and the boys in separate areas would make it easier to lure in and defeat monsters. What's the overall tone of the game? Light and fluffy, but still with plenty of drama and a fair amount of darker moments. We're not going to place a hard limit on what can and can't be done in the game and we simply ask players to be discerning in which plots they follow through with, and how they present them when they do. If a character is being devoured by a monster, the written equivalent of a gory discretion shot and hinting at the carnage more than outright stating it is fine. On the other hand, a graphic, torture porn-esque description of an eight-year-old being violently disemboweled is not. Can my character leave the city? Of course he can! Though characters aren't capable of leaving the world entirely, they're welcome to travel wherever they like -- there's even going to be plots that require this! However, traveling alone is extremely dangerous for magical boys, regardless of their skill level. How do we use the IC network? Upon arriving in the city, all characters will be given a cellphone, a crash course in how to use it, and a sheet of paper with a password on it. For the most part it functions like a normal smartphone--phone calls, texting, voicemail, internet, etc.--but it has one extra special feature: the Xochipilli Employee and Student Network. Regular employees and students are rarely ever seen on this network -- not that the magical boys know that. The password they're given allows them to access the network, where they're given the option to browse other posts or make voice, video, or text posts of their own. The network is meant to be fairly straightforward to use so even characters from low-technology worlds shouldn't have too much trouble getting used to it. There is an anonymous function for all posts. The network can be accessed by phones and computers besides those given out by Xochipilli, but it takes a little more technical know-how to access the network this way. Are there costumes for the magical boy forms? Absolutely. Except for those that already have an equivalent transformation sequence, every character will start with one of three basic outfits for their characters, which can increase in complexity with each level up. If your character does have some sort of hidden form that isn't in the style of then magical girl or Super Sentai genres, parts of that transformation may still be included in their outfits (e.g.: a werewolf might have wolf ears and a matching tail when transformed). The basic outfits are... - Black slacks/dress shorts, a black vest, and a white dress shirt - Black slacks/dress shorts, a white shirt, and a black cape - A Super Sentai-style suit of a single color with white accents The first two outfits can be accessorized with a necktie, bow tie, ribbon tie, cravat, hat, or pair of gloves of any single solid color. Please choose only one accessory per level, but all characters may have a simple mask in addition to any accessories they have. Can adults also be magical boys? Of course, though they aren't necessarily still called magical boys. There's no consensus on what the title for the men is, but mage, magus, wizard, and warlock are all used to varying degrees (though warlock is seen as somewhat insulting). My character doesn't want anyone to know who he is. Can he go under the radar? Absolutely! To start, all magical boys brought into the game are greeted individually, so the other PCs won't immediately knows who they are. Second, while the cellphones given to magical boys can be tracked, the technologically savvy can break this tracking feature and anyone with a basic knowledge of how to use the internet can access the IC network from other phones and computers. Finally, Xochipilli will outright encourage newcomers to err on the side of caution when it comes to revealing themselves to other people. Normal people are would react poorly to learning such a thing, and other magical boys may be willing to betray your character for their own reasons... Why is Xochipilli making it so easy for magical boys to hide from each other? Numerous Xochipilli employees are originally from other worlds, Jackson included, and they understand how dangerous and frustrating it is to be suddenly ripped away from your home and dropped into a world you've never seen before. While they encourage cooperation among the magical boys, they know better than to force it and have elected to look the other way when it comes to those magical boys that want to quietly withdraw into privacy. That said, they do still do some light surveillance of the magical boys of their own accord. While it's easy enough to evade if you know what to look for, they still try to step in should one of their off-world magic users get out of hand. My character doesn't have a mask in his magical boy form. How will he hide his identity? Currently the game operates on a rule of drama caveat, or the Clark Kent rule. Characters in magical boy form will be difficult to recognize as themselves unless the player decides they should be. How the other players handwave this is up to them. Maybe the light is somehow always right in their eyes, or it's too dark for them to make out the details, or the difference between how someone usually acts and dresses is too big for them to reconcile. Ultimately, it's up to you! What sort of events are there? FOR KIDS: assorted school festivals, sports, plays, etc; field trips (infrequent) FOR ADULTS: Assignments to leave the city; investigating some of the more grisly monster attacks; ~adult~ events at clubs and such FOR EVERYONE: monster attacks, mysteries to solve, odd areas of the city to investigate, crossovers with Ella Sera Can players run their own events? Yes! If you'd like to suggest or run an event, please contact the mods. How does death work? If your character dies in his normal human form, then that's it. That version of that character is dead for good and the only way for him to come back is for someone to reapply for him. If your character dies in his magical boy form, it goes a bit differently. When your character dies his body, if there's one left, is absorbed into his magical item, which then vanishes and reappears In the Xochipilli building's medical ward. Over the next 3-5 days his body will slowly reform until he finally wakes up. Any items he had at the time will be permanently lost unless they were handed off to someone else prior to death. When your character resurrects, any levels they had earned will be lost. He will have to start regaining his powers again from level one. Keep in mind that because magical boys are extremely difficult to kill when transformed that deaths are likely to be highly traumatic. The monsters of this world are attempting to eat the magical boys and will do so with gusto as soon as one of them is vulnerable enough to allow it, regardless of whether or not they're still alive. PTSD will likely be high among characters that have died. It's highly recommended that players keep these themes in mind if they choose to kill their characters. How do powers work? Characters that already have powers are allowed to keep them, and those that do not will be given one upon entering the game. However, all powers except for some passive skills will be useable only in a character's magical boy form. A detailed writeup on character powers can be found on our powers page. How do we regain powers? Powers are regained through practice and combat experience; friendships and other platonic relationships; and romantic and sexual relationships with other men. Because these feelings generate life energy, which is used to cast magic, romantic and sexual relationships with other men will increase powers by the most significant amount. Romance with women doesn't work nearly as well, only increasing it by an amount equivalent to practicing. What about characters that aren't gay or bisexual? What romance options are there for them? All characters entering the game will find themselves gradually growing comfortable with the idea of entering into a homosexual relationship. Please note that this change is gradual--a ladies man isn't going to suddenly lose interest in all women, but he will find himself more receptive to the idea of dating or sleeping with another man. Whether or not he ever acts on this is entirely up to the player. Can my character keep his pet or summoned companion? Yes, provided the pet isn't applicable on their own. Summoned companions like Final Fantasy Aeons/Eidolons/Guardian Forces will only be accessible a character's magical boy forms. Autonomous companions like Pokemon, on the other hand, will function as normal. Unlike the boys themselves the pets will not be given human forms, though especially large ones may be downsized or given a 'travel' form similar to Kero-chan from Cardcaptor Sakura. However, many of their powers will be sealed unless their 'owner' is in his magical boy form. Because of this it's up to the characters to keep their companions in check and hidden from the general populace. If your character has a pet you'd like him to bring into the game, please include the companion as a part of his powers section. Which characters can be applied for? Any male character from any canon may be applied for, provided they have enough canon information available to fill out an application without relying on excessive headcanon. Original characters are also open for application. Certain canon characters, such as the Dragonborn from Skyrim and the Grey Warden from Dragon Age, must be applied for using the fandom OC rules. What types of original characters are allowed? Currently, we allow original universe OCs, game-native OCs, and certain types of fandom OCs. Original universe OCs come from a world of your own creation and will be brought into the game just as panfandom characters are. Game-native OCs are characters born and raised within the world El Sera is set in. Game-native OCs must be human. Fandom OCs are original characters based off of currently existing canons. While fandom OCs are permitted, the types of canons you can draw from are severely limited. As of now, fandom OCs can only be played from canons that have a dedicated character creation aspect to them, such as tabletop games and MMORPGs. You must get mod permission before applying for a fandom OC. What about transgendered/transsexual characters? If the character's gender is male then they may be applied for regardless of whether or not they've undergone any sexual reassignment procedures. If your character is biologically male but female gendered (such as Ms. Hudson from Elementary), then she should be applied for at ellasera instead. Currently, word of god and in-canon confirmation are the main factors for determining if a character can be apped as trans, and which game they'll got to if they are. For example, even though Grell from Black Butler is treated as a joke by the narrative, Yana Toboso has confirmed that Grell is female and sees herself as such. Therefore, Grell could not be applied for at elsera. Can we apply for AU characters? You may apply for AU characters only if they are part of an AU considered canon. Alternate characters are considered separate from one another and applying for one will not prevent someone else from applying for another. However, these AUs must have enough screen time to stand on their own as characters before they can be considered for application. So for example, Cloud Strife as he's seen in the original game, in Kingdom Hearts, and in Dissidia may all be in the game at the same time. The same applies to Syaoran from Cardcaptor Sakura and Syaoran from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles; Dave Strider and Davesprite from Homestuck; and Nightcrawler from the X-Men cartoon and Nightcrawler from the X-Men film. Can we apply for genderswaps? No. The only genderswap or rule 63 characters we'll be accepting are those that exist as a part of official canon. What about characters that aren't physically human? The good news is that these characters will be able to keep their normal forms! The bad news is that for the most part, they'll look like regular humans instead. Some traits may either stay or simply be reduced--weird hair and eye colors are fine, an elf or Vulcan may still have slightly pointed ears (similar to a Stahl deformity), oddly shaped pupils can stay, those with claws may simply have harder nails than usual--but things such as horns, tails, extra limbs, glowing eyes, unusual skin colors, and the like will all be gone. That is, until the character is in his magical boy form. A character's true form will only be apparent in their magical boy form. Sentient animals or animal-like creatures, such as Kyubey from Madoka or Kero from Cardcaptor Sakura, may still have a humanoid body in their magical form but should retain some indication that they're not just human. Just having a nekomimi-esque tail or pair of ears is fine, but you can also play around with odd skintones, horn, scales, fur, oddly jointed legs, unusual skintones, etc. How soon after a canon's initial release can we app a character from it? This varies depending on the medium! The details are below, but note that these times have to finish before apps rounds open. So for books, if the three week wait is up on the 8th you have to wait for the next app round to apply. In the case of works adapted from other mediums, these dates are based on the release of the original work, except in cases where the two differ greatly in terms of plot or character development. Anime/Cartoons/Liveaction TV: Two weeks after the end of the season where the character is introduced. Books: Three weeks after the English release. Comics: Two weeks after the end of the story arc where the character is introduced. Manga: Two weeks after the end of the story arc where the character is introduced. Movies: Two weeks after the English release. Video Games: Three weeks after the English release. This applies to fan translations only if there is no announced official translation. Webcomics: Two weeks after the end of the story arc where the character is introduced. What is the monthly schedule like? A detailed writeup of the monthly schedule can be found here.

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Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Your rule about nonhuman characters seems directed at human-shaped aliens/creatures. So can we app characters who are sentient animals?
If so, does their magical form have to be their normal form?

[nosotros]

Alright, I gave this one some thought:

First, yes, sentient animals can be apped!

Two, no, their magical form doesn't have to be their normal form and they can retain a humanoid one instead, but there still should be some sort of indicator that they're not a vanilla human. Weird ears, horns, tails, scales, claws, odd skintones, etc. I'll leave the full degree of humanization up to the individual player. Shifting them so far that they only have nekomimi-esque ears and tails is fine, but so is not shifting them at all.