♆ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ♆
♆ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ♆
This changes all the time, by the way.
✠ Where am I?
✠ The experiment.
✠ The theory behind the experiment's collar concept.
✠ How gameplay works here.
✠ In-character issues.
✠ What is the character count-per-player here?
✠ What is the activity requirement?
✠ Explanation of mandatory church mass.
✠ Explanation of "The Hole," a punishment source.
✠ "I never roleplayed before. Is that a problem?"
✠ I need to take a quick hiatus/slow-atus. What must I do?
✠ Unrelated question. Why the name Dickeys if this is a Catholic prison?
✠ How do I get an invite code?
✠ Uh. Who exactly is writing all the weird text everywhere from the mod journal here? Including the comments?
✠ Tell me exactly how the contact system works here?
1. Where am I?
You're in Saint Dickeys, a modern-day secluded federal prison on the outskirts of Seaside, Oregon. The reason you were brought here was because you were specially chosen for a unique experiment funded by the United States military.
2. ... Experiment?
Hold on. There's more. Here, you're not only a prisoner. But a human guinea pig. These Nobel Peace Prize-winning coats for the military have an idea. What if they found a way to successfully rehabilitate the most hardened and callous criminals into responsible, functional members of society? There could be less murder and crime, or murder and crime could be prevented before it even happens? How they want to do it? They want to forcibly encourage people to be affectionate towards each other. There's no way these murderers, sociopaths, rapists, and thieves would do it on their own. So an anchor was created.
3. What is it?
The scientists will attach a collar around your neck once you are transferred into the prison. This collar is attached by a microchip, embedded into the top of your spine. Once this collar is on, there is no possible way to remove it. Doing so could cause severe nerve damage, and soon painful death.
So it's best to leave it alone.
The collar is activated by your body temperature and nerve activity. These scientists clarified that your body goes crazy with nerve stimulus when you get touched intensely. Such as a hug, a fist-fight, a massage. Taps on the shoulder, or hand shaking isn't what makes the body come alive. It has to be very close contact with another person for prolonged periods of time. Not only does this give you good thoughts and feelings, they noticed a person or thing is less likely to do wrong in this state of being.
When a person doesn't get intimate contact for so long, the collar tightens. If you keep to yourself for a long enough time, the collar eventually tightens and snaps shut, slowly choking you to death. To keep that collar loose, you must have close contact with another person.
But some kinds of intimacy make the collar loosen longer, and some for a shorter period of time. The scientists found out that, well. Sex is the most effective way to keep the collar loosened for longer periods of time.
4. ... You mean I have to have sex to keep the collar loose longer?
Exactly. But if sex isn't as appealing, then prepare to hug the living hell out of strangers.
5. This sounds crazy.
Not crazy, per se. It's a healthy combination of lessons in sociology and crack. ♥
6. Hm. So how does gameplay work here?
dickeys is a community-based game. When you apply, you're asked to make a separate character journal you will use to take part in this community. Once approved to join both the main (dickeys) and OOC community (collaroscopy), you make in-character entries in the main community so others can reply to you. Thing is, whenever you need your collar to "loosen," you can start an "in person" log in the main community. What this means is that you set the scene where your character is at a place, and not simply writing a regular journal entry. Actions can be in brackets, and any speech is in first person-style. OR. If you're a third person, paragraph-form-logging purist, you can do logs with other people in third person paragraph, too. Whatever happens afterwards is at your own discretion (which is why I ask if you're at least eighteen-years-old).
You do not have to do this, but there is a helpful mass friend add tool listing everyone's journals in case you want to keep watch of other's entries.
7. I do not like how someone is doing their character! What should I do?
Very, very, very common question. If you hate someone's characterization, either tell them in person or go to the moderator complaint entry. Reason the entry is there is because the moderator can get busy and not be available as quickly when you are sending the complaint. All comments in the post are screened, so noone except the moderator will know about your comment content. Oh, and be positive you can give examples (provide links to any entries or threads if possible) on why you think this person is doing their character wrong.
What can result from characterization complaints? The moderator will simply request that you do better, or you'll be put on a temporary break until you can get a good swing at it. This will only happen if there are at least five (5) different complaints on the same character. Hopefully it will never be that bad.
8. Is there an activity requirement?
It's important to tag your entries so your activity can be checked accurately . Two posts a month at least should cover your activity during each check. And you ICly cannot get away with not having your character get "affection" for so long, because the collars start to tighten after the fifth day of each week. So making "collar friends" can help.
9. How many characters can we apply for?
At the moment, only two (2) per person. This will change in the future, though.
10. What is a PB?
A PB (or Played By) is a real-life person you have chosen to represent your character. Often times, Asian actors or singers are chosen as people's PBs. And that's fine. But you are more than free to use American-appearing people to represent your character, too! If you're unsure of who to choose, ask the moderator for some advice. To do research on your own, check here or here. Hollow Art is another good place for PB ideas and PB icons, but their downtimes/site slowness is crazy. If you can get into the site just fine, this will be changed!
11. What is this business about mandatory church mass?
Each week, prisoners must attend church. Before you give an odd look at this, remember that the prison itself has strong Roman Catholic roots. See, before the prison came into fruition, it used to be an all-male Catholic private school. So that interchanged within the prison's routine. To not go to mass results in a two-day's stay in "The Hole."
12. The... "Hole?"
The "Hole" is a lightless, windowless room that serves as a temporary punishment source for the prisoners. A typical stay in this cell is no more than three days. A stay in this room is not... pleasant by all means. Good idea to use an IC stay in "the Hole" if you're going on a very short hiatus, by the way.
13. There's a problem. I've never RPed before. Will this be a problem?
Absolutely not! You have to start somewhere? If you would like to take a hand in roleplay for the first time, then feel free to give it a shot! Trust us, we were all new at roleplaying in one shape or another. The moderator has interesting (and horrifying) stories of their first time that they will happily share if you still feel nervous.
14. I need to take a small break. Can I take a hiatus from the game?
Most certainly. Go to this entry and comment there, saying you need a hiatus from the game. For a "slow-atus," go to the same entry. Don't disappear without letting us know. You don't even need to make an OOC entry declaring your hiatus, but at least make a tiny comment in the hiatus entry.
15. Unrelated, but. Why did you choose the name Dickeys if this is a Catholic prison?
Once upon a time (last year), the moderator created a Naruto-centric game called Dickey's. It was where Naruto characters were escorts at a similarly-themed escort agency, and fun times were verily had. Once the game ended, the moderator had a different idea (and not enough funds for a re-name token. Oh, the calamity). So the community was changed into a prison-sex game. Or, if it's still important to you, the moderator is a small fan of Dick, Dikk, n' Dickey's.
16. How do I get an invite code?
When you apply and get accepted, carefully read the approved comment from the moderator. Not only does it have instructions to help set up your character journal, it will contain your federal inmate number, and your invite code. Keep the invite code for safe-keeping if you want any of your friends to join here. You only get one invite code-per-member, so once you give it away? That's it.
Giving an "invite code" out means that the application is much, much shorter and easier for the one you invite here. So it is worth it if you'd like more cast-mates here in a jiffy. For more information on the invite code feature, go here.
17. Uh. Who exactly is writing all the weird text everywhere from the mod journal here? Including the comments?
Oh? Now that is Friday, the head moderator. She likes writing like that because sometimes it's hard to remember that this game isn't all that serious. Plus, she makes those comments just to make you crack a smile? Isn't that swell? ♥
Though, if you really think she should write serious, blank, cookie-cutter responses? This is something she may consider. But it isn't nearly as funny. Or as interesting.
18. How does the contact system work?
The contact requirement for the collars varies in intensity. The following methods of contact are completely acceptable here: fighting, wrestling, any kind of sex (oral, anal, vaginal, threesome-... hm. Well. You get the picture. Anything except BDSM because that is not enough contact to be "intense"), hugging, kissing, fondling, and spooning for those romantic types. The more intense any of these methods are, the longer the collar is loosened enough. And you're in the safe zone.
But wait. We developed a nice chart for you in case you need more specifications, thanks to the magic of Photoshop:
The more intense and prolonged the action, the bigger the pay-off is. And collars start to tighten on the fifth day of each week without fail if you haven't received any contact yet. When you do get contact, it will be loose for the allotted time, then start to tighten around your neck each day you go without contact. Think two centimeters each day. That's pretty scary to imagine.
Have a question that hasn't been answered here? Comment and the moderator will get back to you as soon as possible!