-◙- GUIDE / FAQ -◙- [Work in Progress]

[df_keeper]

So you have questions, well, we have the answers here. And if we don't have what you're looking for, drop us a line in the comments at the bottom and one of the SUPREMELY AWESOME MOD TEAM will get back to you in a timely manner. ◙dystopian_flux : The MAIN role-play community.

• In dystopian_flux , there are no uses of magical communication devices. A post begins in 'real time,' or as an action post. In the first post, the mental thoughts of a character are not shown in action brackets. Emotion and expression should be clearly played out in description. The action post does not carry normal paragraphs and quotation marks, and can begin either as the character is already doing something, or telling a story to someone else.
• CORRECT EXAMPLE A: [She looks around the alley, her eyes wide and whole body shaking.] I-it's my imagination. I could swear I saw a ghost there! I did! [slides back around the wall, leaning heavily against it and sighing.] I can't let my imagination get to me like that again! How could I have been so foolish?


• CORRECT EXAMPLE B: Why, when I was your age, there were no zombies! Hard to believe, I know, but it's true. There was green grass and golden fields as far as the eye could see. We didn't have this Wall scratching the sky as it does. And there were people. People! As many as people as there were trees, thriving and living on this land like there was no worry as to what tomorrow would bring. That's what living is supposed to be, not this half assed existence where we don't know what's crawling through the holes in order to get our brains.


• INCORRECT EXAMPLE: [Sally looks around the alley, her eyes wide with fear and her mind filling in the blanks of the darkness with visions of spectres and other bumps in the night.] I can't let my imagination get to me like that again! How could I have been so foolish? [She slides her back against the wall, relieved to know that she was just working herself up again. She really shouldn't do those sorts of things to herself like this. It was going to be one hell of a night trying to get to sleep, tonight.] I could swear I saw a ghost there! I did!


• The first person/in action post is very important to our game, and it will be examined closely in applications. After the post is made in dystopian_flux , action threads can contain mental thoughts of the characters as needed. If you feel that the thread is beginning to take on the feeling of a log (a prose writing instead of action tag,) please begin a log in dystopian_logs and link the action thread to it and vice versa.



• All interactions here are done either dystopian_logs : The LOG Archive OR dystopian_flux : the main community


• Logs have a few different uses in a role-play community, and are sadly underutilized a lot of the time. A 'Log' is best described as a story-format way of role-playing, where you are writing in third-person style (think novel or 'round robin' story telling.)


• AIM LOGS are also accepted as long as they are complete and in dystopian_logs . The characters involved must be clearly labelled through the log in order to avoid confusion.

s1_s_anonymous : The Notifications community
• This community is where you will see moderator announcements popping up. Event announcements, event details, general for-your-information posts, etc.. It is imperative that you either check this community every day or so, or do the easy thing and track it for new posts to be mailed straight to you.

dfasscrack : The Out-Of-Character community
• This community is for everything else! Do you have a meme that you think would be fun? Maybe a question you’d like to ask that is totally random? Anything and everything that is not an official announcement [events, hiatus notices, mod posts, requests for plots] belongs on this comm! Have fun with it! Just remember that all mature content should still be locked, just in case! Really, anything goes (within reason XD)

• TRAVEL
  
  
  • To put it bluntly; no. There is no traveling outside of the settlement, no matter how badly your muse wants to. There are no roads leading to or from the place, no train tracks, no waterways. Nothing.
    
    
    • [Exception:]The only people who ever go outside of the walls are specific Soldier units. If your muse somehow manages to get out (of course by moderator permission), they are in for hell if they try to come back in or if they get caught. And that's not just because of the authorities; flesh-eating creatures are just clamoring for some meaty, living human morsel to slip over into their maws.
    
    
    • [Exception as of 4/2010]  A New Plot will be developing where there will be outside contact.  There is another settlement in an adjacent country that the Gate Walkers will discover and there will be an opportunity to explore the concept of moving!

• Timing and YOU
  • Time does not move at a normal pace here, as you may have noticed already. Instead of having the RP function on RLT (Real-Life Time), it moves on IGT (In-Game Time). As of right now, we have cut down the amount of days RLT equal IGT to 2 days to 1, and this is the official way which we expect muses to carry-out their lives.
    
    
    • [Further Clarification:] Night IGT spans the hours of 12am until 7:59am, in RLT this equals 24 hours. Day IGT spans the hours of 8am until 11:59pm, RLT another 24-hours.
  
  
  
  • There are two places where you can look to keep track of what the date is. One is on the right side of the dystopian_flux community's sidebar. The second place is in dystopian_flux 's profile.
  
  
  
  • Curfew: The normal hours of curfew span the hours of 11pm to around 6am. This means that people are not allowed out and roving the streets during this time, and if found to be doing so, will be subjected to questioning and inevitable harassment by Patrolmen.
    
    
    • [Exception:] The only exceptions to these hours would be someone having a profession which assigns them otherwise, or if an event or some other Official announcement says so.

• Cause and Effect


• As this is a game based on 'reality', we expect everyone to keep within the natural lines of cause and effect while playing. As there are rules to playing in the community as a Mun, there are also laws to LIVING in the settlement as your Muse. However, these are not laws which are to be laid out succinctly for reference. It can be assumed that any simple, common-sense laws of any society apply here.
  
  
  • If you murder someone, expect to be investigated and/or arrested by authorities, or perhaps gotten revenge on by a lover or family member. If you are committing crimes such as robbery, do not expect to get away with it every time, and be careful to cover all your bases. If you are plotting a coup against the government, know that repercussions if caught will be extremely dire if not life-threatening, or even life-ending. These are just examples, of course; there are always going to be smaller or larger things which may come up. In the end, all we ask is for everyone to think before they act, use some common sense, and always ask questions of your moderators if you are unsure of what may happen.


• Death
  • Here is where we definitely stray from 'realistic' into 'supernatural'. If you're wondering whether or not your muse can die, the answer is 'Yes, they certainly can.' But death will not be an escape from the Gate. If you desire to have your character get killed, have an accident, etc., the Gate will bring them back one day later, the same way they originally came in. Only, resurrection comes at a price, and it MUST be paid. A chosen punishment for death is decided by the Gate, be it a complete reduction of their powers for a week, changing gender, losing use of one side of the body.. the list is endless and variably sadistic.
  • [Note:] If your muse is going to be killed, you must contact a moderator beforehand with details and receive an 'okay'.

• GODMODING & POWERPLAYING

There are different kinds of Godmoding and Powerplaying, none of which are acceptable.

• Passive Godmoding
  
  
  • Occurs when a player describes an event or a series of events his/her character has taken against another or an interactive object, usually when something has happened to the player's character that they want to negate or reverse in the storyline.
    
    
    • [Example:] A character may be afflicted with a disease only curable by rare ingredients, yet another character is 'lucky' enough to find these ingredients in ten minutes. Godmoding is thus often used like a 'Get Out of Jail Free Card' when things don't go the way a player wants, rather than working with previously unfolded, or currently unfolding, events.
  
  
  • It is also used to describe the act of creating or playing with an invincible character or using 'perfect' equipment or possessing limitless power, etc.. Some players will create a brand new character, and that character is automatically gifted with skills, and nearly impossible to take on right from the start. In many cases, this happens when a newer character goes against an established one; the newer player may roleplay his or her character as if it were equal in power and rank to the more experienced one.

• Active Godmoding
  
  • Refers to the case where a player describes the outcome of their own actions against another character.
    
    • [Example:] If player A states: "A strikes B and B takes damage." they could be considered to be godmoding.
  • Another example of this might be where a character is facing multiple enemies, and they redirect one foe's attack onto another.
    
    • [Example:] Player A states: "B misses A completely, and strikes C instead." Similarly, controlling characters that belong to someone else is also a form of godmoding such as, Player A stating that "Character A throws a punch at Character B," and then Player B coming back with "Character B dodges the attack, grabs Character A and throws him out of a stained glass window. Character A flies at Character B, who warps behind him and slashes Character A in the back!" See how this is wrong?

• Powerplaying
  • The act of constant regeneration and/or dodging of attacks and actions. Acts such as this are not entirely meant to be on purpose, for they are hard to notice, however this classification usually halts the storyline from advancing any further, making the story both unfair and simply 'not fun.'
    
    • [Example:] "After being struck by the blade aiming for his jugular, Player B would immediately use his anti-matter shield to regenerate within a matter of seconds." This would repeat throughout the storyline halting it completely.
• (MASSIVE CREDIT to Wiki for info on all types of Godmoding)
• If you are in need of further examples or specification on the ideas stated above, please contact a moderator.

◙ HISTORY After the virus, it is estimated over eighty-five percent of the earth's inhabitants died. Died and became one of the undead. Survivors had a tough time, banding together to defend themselves. Veles is one such place where many have gathered, or maybe the Flux Gate drew them. No one really knows, but by two years after the worst of the virus, a sizable settlement had formed, the wall was built and society was being put into place. It has been eleven years since the initial outbreak and humanity is slowly picking up the pieces as best as it can. In this small section of the world, it is Veles.

• Location
  • Veles is the only known human settlement in the entirety of Europe and Asia. It is located in the former city of Minsk, in the Belrusian SSR. For greater details about the layout of the city, head over to the Locations Guide.
  • Outside, it's a wasteland, full of undead and strange, mutated creatures, humans, unknown oddities. No one knows if these man-eating creatures are from the Gate itself, or the result of the virus. (As stated above, the Locations Guide is the best place to look for more specific details on what kind of environment we're functioning in.)
• Speculation vs. Fact : Beginnings
  • The Official Story: Sometime during the later half of WWII, the Allied forces sought a way to push the Nazi's back, out of the Russian State of Belarus, then Poland. An experimental technology was used to try to annihilate the Nazis, only it went horribly wrong. Creating a tear in the fabric of space and releasing a dangerous eighty percent fatal virus know as Solanum. Veles grew up on the ruins of the city of Minsk, around the 'tear' now called the Flux-gate. It not only houses the few survivors, but keeps out the undead and undesirables that the virus left in it's wake.
  • The REAL Story: Known only to the Council of Six and a select few, the true story is much more sinister. The full story is located df-keeper.livejournal.com/21003.html here.
• Solanum and the Great Outbreak
  • The world was nothing less than doomed the moment it was unleashed. At its birth, an entire city was eliminated through the initial airborn strain.  However, Earth's atmosphere proved to be inhospitable to the virus/bacteria and can not only be transmitted through direct contact of bodily fluids.   As it stands, at least 3/4ths of the world's population has fallen victim to Solanum and it's inevitable environmental impact, be it zombification, starvation, or pestilence.
  • The actual nature of the Solanum virus is still unknown. Even with almost a decade of study dedicated to researching and dissecting it down to an understandable compound, still there are no actual explanations as to how and why it 'is'. All that is known for sure is that it spreads as easily as any plague and can infect any living thing with a semi-complex nervous system.
  • Virus Specifications
    • Solanum works by traveling through the bloodstream, from the initial point of entry to the brain. The virus uses the cells of the frontal lobe for replication, destroying them in the process. During this period, all bodily functions cease. By stopping the heart, the infected subject is rendered 'dead'. The brain, however, remains alive but dormant, while the virus mutates its cells into a completely new organ. The most critical trait of this new organ is its independence from oxygen. By removing the need for this all-important resource, the undead brain can utilize, but is in no way dependent upon, the complex support mechanism of the human body. Thus, creating the zombie.
    • Solanum is communicable only through body fluids. The most common way of contraction is by zombie bite, but is by no means the only way. Getting splattered with zombie blood in an open wound or brushing up against a bleeding zombie will do it too. If you manage to avoid getting eaten entirely when confronted by zombies, it takes twenty-four hours for the virus to kill you.
    • It is one hundred percent fatal.
    • There is no known vaccine.
    • The steps of Solanum-related 'death' go as follows:
      • Hour One - Four: Discoloration and pain at the infected bite (assuming it was a bite), purpling radiating out from it. A strong smell emanating from the area with the rapid clotting of the wound.
      • Hour Four - Eight: Chills, severe flu-like symptoms, with a fever of 100 - 102 F. Dementia and incredible pain in the joints, as well as at the site of virus entry.
      • Hour Eight - Twelve: A leap in the fever that can reach up to 106 F. Dementia becomes extreme as the brain begins to rapidly dehydrate, accompanied by hallucinations, loss of control of the extremities and numbing begins at the site of virus entry, moving up and through the body.
      • Hour Twelve - Sixteen: Total loss of bodily control and total body numbness. Hallucinations have worsened, delirium, dementia, paranoia rule what is left of the brain.
      • Hour Sixteen - Twenty-two: Coma
      • Hour Twenty-two to Twenty-four: Bodily death, stopping of the heart, 'apparent' death of the brain
      • Hour Twenty-Four: Reanimation, zombification.

◙ ARRIVAL AND POWER REDUCTION

• Arrival
  • Your character arrives nude as they fall from the Gate onto the cold, marble floor inside the Temple. Shortly after they regain consciousness, they will be aware of persons coming toward them from two directions. From their left, white-robed persons with hoods hiding their features, and from in front of them, a small military unit of perhaps three or four, guns trained on them at all times. The ones to approach and help your character to their feet with a sense of awe are the white-robed figures. They will give you a robe as well, escort you out of the Temple away from the Gate and go with you to the Military Debriefing HQ. There you will receive an identification bracelet and told not to lose it under any circumstances. As well, you receive housing information and vague explanations before you are shuttled off again for a routine medical exam, still accompanied by the robed figures. After the exam, the robed figures will take charge of the character, giving them a set of clothes (standard, drab, almost military issue pants, shirt, underwears, boots) and taking them to their rooming assignments. Assuring them that if they need anything, to come to the Temple by the Gate, for help and services.
    • Despite the 'warm welcome', you will note the wary glances of the townspeople, as well as the unkind nature of most Military personnel.
• Power Reduction
  • The first thing your muse may notice is the distinct feeling of having lost something much more than just their sense of location. Indeed, somehow they have been sapped of most of their 'powers', whatever they may be.
  • Degree
    • The nature of the Flux-Gate seems to lean toward a constant state of 'take' with hardly ever any 'give'. In this, any people who dwell within its influence are subject to this greed whether they like it or not. The rough percentage of power-loss is within the range of 45-50% at any given time as the Gate continuously draws whatever type of energy away from your muse that it can, be it Chi, Chakra, Supernatural Power, Soul-based Energies, or the like. This is to say, specifically, that any muse who has power beyond wholly natural-based ability is subject to this drain, as well as if they have an ability that can only be used through some kind of exertion or extra concentration. The Gate actually feeds off powers when they're exerted, even with the halving of their ability, it will drain and consume until whatever it is your muse is doing to produce this magic/power/chakra is diminished.
    • [Example:] Player A's muse has the ability to breath fire and summon a sword from his hand before he is brought to the settlement. After arriving, however, Player A's muse is no longer able to summon his sword and can only breath a small amount of fire before he is feeling fatigued and/or drained of energy.
  • Powers are not 'catching' - i.e. your character can try to learn another character's powers but they will not succeed. Each character has their own powers (or none at all) and it is their own, no one else's. Inuyasha cannot learn Harry Potter's magic or another example, Rufus Shinra cannot learn alchemy from Zorof Kimblee.  

• If you find yourself unsure of exactly what all this means or need advice on how you should go about reducing your muse, please contact a moderator.

◙ ECONOMY

• The Nature
  • Because there is no outside economy to effect Veles, the economy here is relatively tame. A local currency referred to as 'Credits' stand as monies, though there is only one type of Credit instead of different kinds worth different amounts. It's all based on how many you literally have whether or not you are wealthy in them.
    • Credits can be earned in as many different ways as there are to lose them. An actual job, odd-jobs, crime, etc.. It all depends on who you are dealing with.
• Evolutions
  • Veles is by no means an evolved society economically. Here you have your typical war-torn, somewhat hopeless post-WWII and Plague Survivor kind of society where just living to see a new year is of priority. Of course, amidst these normal ideals, there will always be a dark side, so to speak.
    • The Commercial district, or District Two, is where all legitimate business takes place. Shops of varying kinds, restaurants, pubs-- very cut and dry area here.
    • The Black Market is still young, but it is growing. Be it through means of unknown civilians, members of the government, or by Gatewalkers; a system of barter and trade, illegal goods, weapons, and other types of contraband are existant, you just need to find them.

◙ POLITICS

• Government
• Leadership
  • To the city at large, the person in charge is the 'President' of Veles, i.e. dictator. He makes periodic announcements, shows up amongst the people occasionally and generally acts 'presidential'. He is however, a puppet.
  • The real people in charge are the Council of Six; known only to the President and very few of the higher military elite. They never come out in public, meeting in private and making the decisions from the shadows.
    • Who are they? Some believe they are Flux-Gate born, the first people through the gate. Still, a few others believe they are Survivors, deformed by the proximity of the Gate. No one knows, but conjecture amongst the people aware of them is always alive. The Council of Six.
• Military
  • Aside from the city's walls as the first line of defense against outsiders, the military patrols the walls inside and out, as well as keep guard over the Gate. They are elite fighters who guard the city walls and prevent civilians from entering the 'restricted areas' of the city. Most restricted sections are either abandoned buildings that are unsafe to occupy, the government sector and possibly wherever else that has had shady activity recently.

◙ JOBS

• List
  • Check the post for listings
• Promotions
  • Obviously, you can not apply for a Promotion Only job. So how do you end up in that spot? Well, it's up to the Moderators. If we see that you have taken a particular interest in developing your muse's job plot-line, we may very well decide that you should be promoted for it. Also, the longer you're with a particular job, the higher your chances of promotion. Do not-- DO NOT --ask a Moderator for a promotion. We will be watching just fine on our own, reminders and nudges are not necessary.
• Exemptions
  • Unfortunately, children can not have jobs. Children being those who are under the age of fourteen. If you have a concern with this rule, please contact a moderator.

◙ SOCIAL SERVICES

• Universal Healthcare
  • All healthcare is provided by the government free cost. The hospital does not refuse people who are ill or injured, and if one is suspected of being exposed to Solanum Virus, they are quarantined immediately and subjected to a battery of tests. There are a few people out there who will provide medical services outside of the hospital, but they may require payment of some kind and be of lesser quality than what you'd really want.
• Food Rations
  • Even though there is a limited food supply, Veles is about survival. Every person in the city is considered valuable and the government has taken strides in assisting both civilians and Gatewalkers alike in providing sustenance.
  • Once weekly there is a rations call, where your character waits in line, gets their information recorded and they are handed a coupon book to redeem the following foodstuffs:
    • 2oz. of Butter
    • 4oz. of Bacon and/or Ham (subject to supply)
    • 4oz. of Margarine
    • 8oz. of Sugar
    • 1lb. 3oz. of Nondescript Meat
    • 3 pints of Milk
    • 2oz. of Cheese
    • 2 eggs
    • 2oz. of loose leaf tea
    • 1oz. of 'Fruit' Jam
    • 3oz. of Sweets
    • 2 loaves of thick crust bread (Rye)
    • The book contains coupons for the above listed items and are to be redeemed at any food seller within District Two. The amounts can vary per week depending on availability, and obviously, that's not enough to subsist for seven days. Your character will have to supplement with either braving the hospital cafeteria or purchase food items using Credits and/or eat out at a restaurant.
  • Though Rations Day is optional, all characters are encouraged to attend, for otherwise you will go without rations for a week. Even if you do not redeem the book, you can use it as another form of currency, bartering with locals or other players.
  • [update 2010] As the current time stands, Rations is held once a game week, or twice a Real Time month.  Because of this, Rations will have alternating "play out" and "assumed" events to prevent stagnation.

• Education
  • [Update 2010]  All children between the ages of 4 and 16 are to attend school. School hours are 9 am to 2 pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday and the year lasts from December 1st to September 1 with finals and 'opting out tests' on September 15th. The reason why school is on a 'half time' session and not daily like modern schools is that children are still expected to work in some fashion around the house. Also, higher education is not valued in terms of 'university' but in 'apprenticeships.' Those teens who apply for jobs who are still in school may not attend work before 6 pm and during school hours.
    
    If you are found skipping school, a Truancy Officer will find you. If you keep skipping school, a social worker may be assigned to you to escort you to your classes.
    
    There is one mid-term test May 15th, and those who wish to test out at that time may do so. The student wishing to test out may be no younger than 14 and be proficient in all subjects that are taught in the school.
    
    As for what the students learn, that is up to the teachers. As long as the teaching plans fall within the reality of the game, it will be accepted by the mods. If you have any questions about any plans/plots you're interested in, please contact a moderator for help.  Those who have come from the Gate and appear to be lacking in education will have to take the exams to avoid adult education. For example, if your character is illiterate and in their 20s, they will have to take adult classes to learn to read.
• Child Services
  • All children under the age of 15 are considered wards of the state. They will be assigned a 'social worker' to help guide them through the city's system of rations, living. and general care. Any Gatewalker who is a minor will be visited by their social worker to ensure they are attending school, receiving proper nutrition and are keeping out of trouble. The Mods will assign a social worker to you.
• The Library
  • The Library, located in District One, is constantly growing and open to all. To the Gate's credit, the library here has an unusually wide array of different reading and research materials which have been spit out from known and unknown universes alike. It is important that people take advantage of this wealth of information, but carefully, because every check-out is recorded and randomly looked over by Officials on a regular basis-- not that you know that, of course~

◙ RELIGION

• ворота поклонение : Gate Worship
  • Gate Worship is set up as a male hierarchy, with a High Priest at the top, followed by several Priests below him, then the Lay People. Outside the normal circle of power and the church but within the religion are the Temple Virgins, or the 'Faithful' Virgins. Young Men and women, who have joined themselves or been given to the Temple by their parents. They are the only ones allowed to get within close contact with the gate, because of their 'pureness.' It is because of that so called 'pureness' that they go about their other duties, besides the worship of the Gate. The duties are important for the faithful, according to the Temple, which are to 'commune' with the rest of the worshipers, in various ways. It can be by praying with them, mediating or.. what is most popular, sexual intercourse. All of the Temple Virgins were actual virgins before coming to the temple (some still are, having not engaged in THAT form of worship) and have pledged to dedicate their lives to the Gate and Temple. Any of the services of the 'Faithful' are available to anyone, for varying prices.

◙ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
YOU ARE FREE TO ASK Q&A TYPE QUESTIONS ON THIS POST. PLEASE JUST COMMENT WITH YOUR QUESTION AND IT WILL BE ANSWERED THEN ADDED TO THE FAQ. THANKS. (Note: If it's a question that will take some serious discussion, please follow the normal instructions for stuff like that. Contact a moderator straight up.)

Q: Can my character get married, have kids.. etc..?
A: Sure, if they happen to fall in love, and wanna get married, we're sure the Temple priests would be happy to marry them. As for characters having children, those will be dealt with on a case by case basis.

Q: Why hasn't my application been accepted/why was I rejected?!
A: As to the first part, we mods are human, we have lives. One of us will try to check applications daily, but if several go on hiatus and others are unavailable, it may be a couple days. Rest assured and be PATIENT we WILL get to it. We'll TRY not to let an app. sit for more than three days.
The second part, there may be a few reasons. A moderator will always tell you why your application has been rejected upon rejecting it, so please read fully what she or he had to say. If you feel that you are in of further discussion on the matter, please email the mod team at dystopic.flux.moderators@gmail.com and someone will get back to you as soon as humanly possible.

Q:  Can my muse get more clothing/items than regular military issue?
A: Yes, of course. But only logically. This means, no, your muse won't just magically own new clothing, and they certainly won't just find it laying out somewhere. They'll need to either scrounge up enough credits to purchase clothing/materials for clothing /OR/ get it through some other means. Either way, there is an A, B, and C to everything; you'll never just have things for free or by illogical strokes of luck.

Q: What happens when someone is in violation of the rules?
A: First, we hate having to discipline a player for rule violation. We just don't like to do it. Rest assured, before we decide to discipline a player, we will always thoroughly investigate any case presented to us and question all players involved before making that decision.

• These measures are subject to change and are constantly evolving while the game changes and grows.
  
  Q: Can I request a Job promotion?
  A: Nope. Sorry. Go read the Jobs post. =P
  
  Q: Can I update/reset my character?
  A: Yes, but only under certain circumstances. We like to keep this RPG as realistic and serious as possible. Part of that is to play through the settings and to work on character development from the point where you've taken your character. If you find that your character has memories of their past (ie: This is shown later in manga/anime/series) a part of your character's childhood is revealed, and the character you play is after that event, you may have your character remember that thing without a reset or update. All updates/resets must be done with moderator knowledge and approval. You need to email the mods with your intent as well as wait for approval to do so. All updates/resets require a 8 day waiting period. You must wait 8 real time days before playing with your updated character. There is a limit of 2 updates/resets per character That's right. You only get to do this twice per update/reset. Moderator enforced resets used to fix a problem in game will count in this as well. If you choose to update your character, you must decide which of the three penalties your character will take. 1. Lose ALL of their Veles memories [though they can come back slowly if it's for plot] and keep their room and item 2. Keep SOME of their memories; and keep their room OR their item 3. Keep their memories and lose both.
  
  Q. Are giant robots (aka. TRANSFORMERS) allowed into play?
  A.TRANSFORMERS: HOW DO WE FEEL ABOUT GIANT ROBOTS. We will accept a Transformer, but they will have the following restrictions. Since Veles is a smallish city with limited resources (10 miles in diameter) there can only be three Transformers or "Giant Robots" in play at any given time. Giant is defined as a robot taller than 10 feet. CURRENT NUMBER IN PLAY: 0 In order to keep game play fair, Transformers will have non-functioning weapons. And it's highly unlikely that one would be able to find the technology or the people with the know-how to arm them. Attaching period lead thrower weapons for use is okay, though. Jets will be unable to fly, but they can roll around (provided their wingspan can clear through the streets and alleys.) Remember that this is Small Town Russia, and the streets will be very narrow. All Transformers have the ability to scan a machine and take on their form. For game purposes, you are provided one opportunity to scan and take on the form of a period vehicle. This vehicle will be able to function and move as needed. We say this because most non-functioning road transports have most usable parts scavanged. (What? You mean you want RUBBER for those tires?) Bear in mind that if you are a fully equipped 1940s tank, the military may want to take you in for use or parts. All Transformers will be able to transform 4 times per game week. Turning from vehicle to robot counts as one transformation and robot to vehicle counts as a second transformation. If one attempts to transform more than the allotted amount, they will get 'stuck' in mid-form (see, you need to have a lucky can of oil) and are vulnerable to "parts people" or our dear Graham Spector will try to fix you before the end of the week. Also keep in mind that a 25 foot robot is less able to be inconspicious than a truck, so use your transforms wisely. How a Transformer will arrive in Veles: they will come in their vehicle form, unconscious. While the natives will want to tear the vehicle up for parts, they will be unable to touch the vehicle because it's still 'hot' from the Gate. In leiu of getting zapped, they will tow this 'piece of Flux Gate garbage' out to the junk yard, where the robot will wake up then. They will not obtain an ID bracelet or housing arrangements, since they are not considered a living creature like the other characters in play. So keep your identities a secret, lest you'll be taken over and used to smash zombies. Any event that may cause mass destruction or drastically alter the layout of the city (aka, knocking down buildings) MUST be cleared by the moderator team.

Q: Are pets allowed in Veles?

A: Any person who wishes to have a pet must go to the moderators for approval. The only request that will be honored is one that is emailed to the mod account [dystopic.flux.moderators@gmail.com]. When you request a pet, the animal requested must be realistic. Aka, no monkeys, unicorns, mutinous creatures, zombies. Please add how you found this animal in your request. The moderators will review this request and inform you of acceptance or denial. Please remember that all pets must be registered and licensed by the city veterinarian. An NPC will be provided should you choose to role play that aspect (any character development is always encouraged) After that, the only restriction is the number of pets one may have. If you are found to have more than one animal in your possession, you will be ordered to relinquish all but one. If you are found to have an animal that is unlicensed, it will be surrendered to the authorities immediately. Also remember that you are trying to keep an animal in a city with limited resources. There are not going to be any cans of cat food or dog kibble available for purchase. Your pet will subsist off table scraps, vermin, and the like. There's barely enough food for humans! There are people starving in Veles, and if your pet is found roaming unsecured, it may be snatched up for a stew pot. (Veles citizens have a fondness for rabbits and cats.)

Please remember how your charge will be affected when things happen in game! Though we give every player leeway in NPC usage, in cases of large scale upheavals, keep in mind that your pet may get loose. For example, if there is a fire or a zombie attack on one of the buildings, your animal may escape the apartment and you will have to retrieve it. If a disease is going around, your animal may become ill. Or if you leave a window open, you may have an escaped pet. It will be up to you to retrieve it, but if you have not in a reasonable amount of time, the possibility of your pet becoming someone's dinner is very, very real. If we find that the ownership of an animal is not being kept realistically within the game premise, we will notify you if we will be taking the pet back. The exception to this rule are creatures that have been brought through the gate as a Player Character's personal item. Animals randomly spat out via the Gate will be subject to the whims of the mods. Said animals will disappear once the Gate expends its energy for the animals or if a player emails a request to keep an animal, it may remain if it is approved.

Q: How does the economy and pricing work in Veles?  Will the character be able to find medicines if they have a chronic issue such as diabetes?  How about finding rare/expensive/otherworldly objects?

A: Veles:  THE ECONOMY AND YOU

Keep in mind that because of the socially retarded economy and the lack of barter systems with other neighboring cities, there's very little competition or room for capitalism. The hospital and other government run agencies are free of charge (This also includes the pharmacy, cafeteria, rations.) Any other services not government sanctioned (aka, market days, pawn shops, civilian and Gate Walker businesses) are subject to payment for services rendered.

The most important thing to remember is that money in Veles is supposed to enhance game play, not stunt it.

When you first arrive in our wonderful city, you are like a newborn. No clothes, no manner of food, no credits. The food items in the store will either look pretty good, or pretty bad-depending when you're from. Most of the items you find in the shops are pretty run down and thread bare. At best, modern technology will be in the 1940's era. At worst... you don't want to know.

If you think something should be in play, and it hasn't been stated yet, please feel free to look the item or concept up on Wiki or Google and email us with the information! We as mods can't think of everything, and we can only research so much. We will love you forever if you help us out!

There are a myriad of pawnshops and depots and textiles about, and nearly every day you can browse through them. You might have to borrow your roommate's cooking supplies until you get your own, but if you're embarking on a brand new, barely on its support beams apartment, look forward to eking it out on your own. Expect to use up a couple week's worth of credits if your pay is in the 10-25 c. range (that is, if you get a job).

Once you have found a job (or some means of income), you will then have the freedom of not being cafeteria slaves. This will open up a whole new world of possibilities for you! That is, after you've shelled out some credits for a uniform. But don't worry, allowances are made for proper work wear. Expect to own two sets of uniforms, two sets of 'play clothes', one pair of shoes or boots (perhaps one work, one play) and maybe one nice outfit for those special zombie occasions if you don't have a job. Accessories are key to making the man or woman in this society! If you do have a job and can sew, you are more than welcome to amass much clothing, but remember that this is Veles. Any more possessions than that will lead to sprained closets and jealous, sticky fingered roommates.

Food! On average, the use of credits per week for okay stuff you can live off of and not die is about 5 credits per week. If you want the really good stuff, you're going to give up 10-15 credits per week to avoid questionable meat and non-wilted carrots. Everything in Veles is up for barter, so you can either spend a lot on food, or nothing at all, depending on where you go.

And the food items available are what you would find in the area: Temperate Russia. You'll find potatoes, tomatoes, apples, and even soy and rice. What you WON'T find are tropical fruit, mangoes (because they involve mango groves) or any item that would have to be imported or cannot be supported by the greenhouses an environment of Minsk, Russia, where Veles is located.

Medicine! Most anything that's found in the 1940s will generally be present here. The quality won't be as high, and the quantity not as plentiful. If you are in need of any kind of medicine, a trip to the hospital will help you out, free of charge! What locals won't tell you is that you can also see 'unsanctioned' physicians and receive wanted medicines--for a price.

Can you find good stuff? If you look very hard (and know the right people). After all, in a post-apocalyptic world, you're lucky to have a washing machine and running lukewarm water. Can you find items that have come through the Gate? It's possible, but generally more difficult than finding good stuff. If you think you want to, you'll need to peg a moderator to see if it exists. This is especially necessary for items that have come through the Gate, or 4th wall items.