#cs:admin

Good evening, everyone. This is a very important admin announcement, so please like it once you’ve read it in full. 

Rule Update

In an effort to keep the members of this group safe mentally and emotionally, as well as foster an environment where everyone’s boundaries are respected, the following rules are now in place. 

While I have never allowed any character on the ship to exhibit racist, homophobic, transphobic, or any real life harmful, stigmatizing behaviors, I have allowed characters to make brief mention of the way stigmas in the world outside the ship impact them. Effective immediately, this will no longer be allowed. From here on out, we will use the opportunity of writing in a fantasy world to say that those harmful, real life stigmas such as homophobia, racism, transphobia, etc. do not exist. The fictional issues that come along with being a supernatural remain a part of the canon & lore.

Right now, I do not believe any character has mentions of these real life stigmas in their biographies or apps. If I have missed something, please change it immediately. Everyone has 48 hours to make any necessary changes to their bio. If those themes are present after 48 hours have passed, you will be subject to removal from the rp. 

There are “mature” themes to be expected in a pirate rp, including violence, but there are boundaries that should never be crossed in this rp. This should go without saying, but no member is allowed to write graphic details of abuse, gore, or horror on the dash, in their bios, or subject members to such themes in the dm’s, especially without admin permission. As a basic guideline, if what you’re writing is more graphic than what is contained in the lore on the main, you need to message me or change what you’re writing. If I see something on the dash that crosses a boundary, I will message you. Removal may be warranted if the post, biography, or message contains graphic details that put the emotional and mental wellbeing of other members in jeopardy. 

OOC / IC Issues

I know that it can be incredibly difficult to approach an admin when you are uncomfortable with something someone has said OOC or written IC. Those who have come to me know that I do my very best to listen to everything that you have to say and take care of the issue immediately while respecting your wishes in the situation. I want to make it clear that I am always here if you need me. If something is offending you, someone is making you uncomfortable, etc., I want to know about it. In most cases, if someone or something is bothering you, it’s probably bothering someone else too. 

Major Plots, Canon, and Lore

This is an incredibly collaborative group. I am always open to suggestions and take every single one into consideration. However, adding something into the canon or lore without running it by me isn’t allowed. While every adventure is subject to change based on what happens IC, I do have a rough outline of where the story is headed. That outline is based on the current lore and ideas I’d like to introduce later. I am more than open to shifting those plans if someone has a lore suggestion, but I need to know about it. 

Along the same line, please let me know if you’re planning any major plots. I rarely say no to them, but I’ve been caught off guard a few times in recent months. This is a small group, so if anything major happens to one character, it usually impacts the whole crew in some way. It’s important that I know about that ahead of time. 

First and foremost, I want to say Happy Ten Month Anniversary to the Cursed Serpent! This year has been incredibly difficult for everyone - myself included - and having a place to come online and tell a story with a group of dedicated writers has been much needed. Your contributions and participation is noticed and appreciated, and I can’t wait to continue to tell this story with all of you. 

Now, on to some housekeeping business. As you all know, there will be two periods of suspended activity checks over the next week and a half. During the past two months, I’ve put checking for open starters/replying to open starters, dropped threads, and bubble-rping on hold. It’s been a busy time, even during a pandemic, and I didn’t want to “punish” (I use that term loosely, because my goal is never to punish anyone, just bring awareness to the guidelines to create an inclusive environment) anyone for doing what they could during this time.  However, please note that after the current dash plot ends, these checks will resume. If you haven’t posted an open in two months or more, you’re only replying to the few same people, or you’re dropping threads without notice, you’ll be put on notice and given time to jump back in fully after this busy season. This isn’t meant to punish or embarrass anyone, so please, if you find yourself being notified, know that there’s no need to feel called out or ashamed and that I am not judging you. It’s just me reminding everyone to be inclusive and actively participate. 

As I mentioned in the suspended activity check notice, I plan to permanently change the activity limit to 5 days. I have not received any feedback about this, so I will be implementing the permanent extended limit this week. I still expect everyone to actively participate because we are a group that is very character driven with overlapping plots, but hopefully this will give everyone the grace they need during this difficult time and take some pressure off if you’re busy. As always, if you need a hiatus or an extra day to post, just message the main.

Finally, happy holidays to those who celebrate! I hope you have a safe, fun time. 

Hey all! With Christmas and New Year’s fast approaching, I wanted to update you all on activity expectations/checks during the holidays. There will be no activity checks between 12/23/20-12/27/20. Activity checks will resume for a few days starting on 12/28/20. They will pause again from 12/31/20-1/1/21 and resume officially on 1/2/21. 

After a lot of careful consideration, I believe I will be keeping the extended 5 day activity limit as opposed to the 3 day limit. I know most members originally joined with the expectation that the activity limit would be 3 days, so if you are opposed to this, feel free to send a message or inbox the main (anon is fine). I’ll take any opinions I get into consideration. 

Hey all! This is just a quick reminder that open starters are required to be posted regularly. In the past when I’ve been asked about how often regularly is, I’ve stated that I expect every character to have an open starter at least once a month. Looking at character blogs, it appears this rule is falling to the wayside again. Since we have an event coming up in the next week or so, I won’t be sending out official warnings until after that event ends, but please know that after that, I will be rechecking blogs and sending out official warnings, as this is not the first time I’ve addressed this issue. When I check for open starters, I will also do a mass check for dropped threads (without notice to the other writer) and bubble rping. So, if you’re concerned that these are issues you might be messaged about, you have some time to rectify them! 

IC:

What started out as a simple exploration of the deserted island the crew grounded at turned into an eventful evening full of questions and reunited family. While searching the island for animals to hunt and suspicious activities, the crew heard a human noise by the shore. A closer look revealed that the painful sound hadn’t come from a human after all. An injured merman was on the beach, helpless aside from the one weapon he carried.

Quickly, the crew’s musician, Lyra ( @siren-scng ), came to realize that the stranded mer was her brother, Arroyo ( @arroyo-sin-pollo ). Arroyo told them all, truthfully, that he was injured during the recent storm and carried far away from home by the vicious sea. Dozens of questions came to everyone’s minds, but there was no time to waste. Arroyo’s injuries were so grave that Captain Harper ( @jax-harper ) decided to transport the mer back to the ship in order to help him.

After Arroyo’s major injuries were tended to, the crew questioned him. Arroyo revealed that his colony, which is Lyra’s former colony, was engaged in a major power struggle between Lyra’s mother, Wylla, and their brother Ayden. Mers in the colony have begun to choose sides and the colony is especially vulnerable.

That wasn’t the only secret Arroyo had to tell. After the rest of the crew was sent to work on repairs and were out of earshot, Arroyo told Lyra and Captain Harper that Ayden took control of the jewel the colony protects - the Water Jewel. The severe storm that left Arroyo injured and the crew’s ship damaged was caused by Ayden’s unpracticed use of the Water Jewel, and if he isn’t stopped, more storms will surely follow.

At Lyra’s insistence, the Captain agreed to take Arroyo back to his colony, although they will stay some distance away from the actual territory to make sure Lyra is not in any danger of being spotted by those who exiled her. If she were to return to the colony, the punishment would be death. When they arrive, another mer will escort Arroyo home with a tale of finding him alone and healing from his injuries. This will also serve as an opportunity to determine just how bad the power struggle in Lyra’s colony is. No one on the crew, save Arroyo, Lyra, and Jax, knows that the colony is protecting the Water Jewel. However, if the colony is in chaos when the crew arrives, it might present the perfect chance to take hold of the Jewel - not only to save the world from the damage Ayden could do with the stone, but to add another jewel to the crew’s collection as well.

OOC:

All new starters should be set after the discord event. You are free to keep writing your pre-event threads.

No one except for Jax, Lyra, and Arroyo know that the mer colony has the Water Jewel, and no one else knows that the storm was caused by the jewel.

The crew has been informed that once the repairs are made, they will be returning Arroyo to his home.

Arroyo is telling the truth about how he ended up on the deserted island.

The crew will remain on the island to make repairs for the next week ooc and time may be extended if more threads are needed. Then, they will set sail.

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope everyone’s week is off to a great start. I want to remind everyone of our starter rule:

For now, there won’t be any starter rules. If people are being ignored in the tag, that will change. Please remember that you should be posting open starters at least every few weeks to encourage new members to write & plot with you and to interact with as many current roles as possible! (This doesn’t mean you need to take on more interactions than you can handle. Just remember to be inclusive!)

While this isn’t a huge problem yet, I have noticed that open starters are being posted less often (I’m guilty of this as well), and I want to address it before it becomes an issue. This rule is in place for many reasons, but there are two that are most important to me. First, it is important to have recent open starters in the tag to help new members get involved in the group right when they join. Second, it helps members who might be uncomfortable with pre-plotting or get anxiety from posting starter calls. Every single role knows the other roles on the ship. While there is absolutely no need for you to carry on a thread with all 15 roles at once, it is important to make sure that you are being inclusive and opening your role up to thread and plot opportunities. 

Happy Monday, everyone! As we head into the holiday season, I’ve decided that starting today and until January 3, 2021, our activity limit will be raised to five days. I don’t think three days is fair considering that for a lot of people the next few months will include spending time with family you haven’t seen since March. Obviously, if you can be on, I’d love for you to be, but the holidays aren’t about spending every waking moment online.

If activity stays consistent, I’m more than willing to consider making this a permanent change. I know all of you are extremely dedicated to the group, and that sometimes, life just happens. I’ll revisit the activity limit once we get into January of 2021, and we can all discuss it together!