[insert cool subtitle here]
Hello there! If you're reading this, we're going to go ahead and assume that you're curious about what, exactly, this beast of a roleplay is. So we've taken to updating our original first post so that we can better give you the information you need--first, what this RP is all about and some important requirements, and then steps for joining if you think you're up for it.
So what is this thing, anyway?
Myriad Reality is a
multiverse RP. You may have seen those popping up around here, but they exist in many different forms--one setting, characters from different universes; larger scale; all OCs. Myriad Reality, however, is a bit of both. We allow both OCs (the majority of the characters) and established characters from other fictional settings (
all of which, by the way, are represented in MR). But instead of throwing them all into one single world, Myriad Reality has a massive scale. We do our best to make full use of the near-infinite world we have at our fingertips.
Arguably one of the most prominent examples of that is our casual treatment of really OP characters. We're not even just talking planet busting, here--it can get as far as exploding stars and taking all that energy for oneself, or even farther. The interactions in Myriad Reality are worthy of the scale they're set in, by far.
Okay, so how does it work?
Myriad Reality is a multiverse for thinkers. We don't follow one predetermined plot that must always go so-and-so. Instead, we all get to create our own stories. But we can't expect that our arcs will go exactly the way we want them to--here, it all relies on what the characters involved actually do. Here, you have to be willing to adjust--that's vital. If it doesn't go the way we want it to, we keep calm amd roll with it.
Because of this, we've developed a sense of urgency and involvement in Myriad Reality. Because the RP isn't predetermined, we can't be sure that everything will work out perfectly. Arcs here rely entirely on the characters. If we're not willing to work to save Existence, then Existence won't be saved. It's as simple as that.
The Dreaded Requirements
Perhaps you're thinking it's too good to be true. There's got to be some catch. And yes, we're not ashamed to say that there are some important requirements that you must be sure you can meet before you can effectively participate. First of all is adaptability: we've already mentioned it a couple of times, but you
need to be flexible. MR is different from "conventional" RPs in many aspects, which we consider a good thing. We're not going to change for you.
Second, we do enforce grammatical standards. If you can't grasp basic capitalisation, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure, then you can't join. That stuff
is important, even with our sparse posting style. (We'll get to that.)
Third, you need to understand how to show. You may look at our IC posts and think that this RP has no "meat" to it. In Casual, you may be used to lots of description--exactly what your character is feeling, what they're seeing, everything you can think of. Here, however, we create immersion by showing only what the five senses can perceive. That's it. Nothing else. But, paradoxically, this requires even more thought than describing it directly. If you want to convey something, you have to convey it in a way that other characters can see.
Fourth, you need dedication. A lot of it. There was a time when we posted
at least once a minute. We're not quite that prolific any more (we could be, but school has made us busier over the years), but we still post a substantial amount every day. This is not like most casual RPs, where you can check every few hours or even every hour. You'll get left behind if you're not always up to date.
Perhaps you're reading this now, after all that, and it seems... daunting. Well, you can trust us when we say that it is--one of our newer members took over a year to really get into it, but he doesn't regret it, over two years in. So if you think you're up for it, then keep reading.
Rules, Guidelines, Entry, and Extra Info
Besides those requirements we talked about, there are some rules you have to follow. They're pretty simple and easy to follow.
- Keep it PG-13! That doesn't include violence, mind you, but it does mean nothing sexual--and keep the cursing to a minimum, if you use it at all.
- Please, no homosexual relationships or activities of the sort. It'd be easier for all of us if it's not mentioned at all.
- Be respectful of other RPers and their characters. OP does not equal godmodding, so don't go around doing things and expect that they'll do exactly what they say you'll do. And when one of us tells you to stop doing something, stop. (It's okay to ask why, but don't keep doing it in the meanwhile.)
Now, a guideline or two:
- We have a special posting style, mentioned previously, that we believe makes for the greatest immersion possible. Any direct text is assumed to be speech. Actions are written in first person, inside action symbols--that is, asterisks. If you're using multiple characters, you can use NAME: or -NAME- to refer to them. Here's an example:
Hi there! *waves*
-Other Character- *I wave back* How are you?
-Doing great, thanks!
Marvin the Paranoid Android: Fine, unless you were me.
- You might have noticed that the first line has no marker to tell you who's speaking. This is because of another important guideline--we ask you to change your title, avatar, or (preferably) both to reflect which of your characters is most important.
Character Creation
There are several things to note when it comes to creating a character. Keep all of it in mind.
- Personality and biography are not too important to us. We usually want to find that out IC, not OOC--the fact that we know does not imply that our characters do. So you don't need to come up with some complicated description; just make sure you have your character straight in your own head, and we're happy.
- That said, be creative! Although all works of fiction are represented in Existence, and you're free to take ideas or even characters from them, the possibilities are practically endless. Do whatever you want, in vague, reasonable constraints, as follows:
- Make your character powerful--or, at least, make them worth helping save Existence. If their powers and/or abilities aren't strong enough to be useful, then they're not going to be useful.
- Don't make your character too powerful. Even here, there's a point where it's just too crazy. If your character has more than one power, then their control over each must be weaker, or there muswt be some diminisher. For example, a character might have special control over two powers, but might be easily superseded in other areas. Or maybe they can only use one power at a time.
- Don't expect that your character will immediately be able to take other, more established powerful characters one-on-one. We like to see development, and if you start at the top, there isn't much room to ascend until everybody else does.
- These guidelines aren't very specific, but you may still have trouble figuring out what's too much or too little (usually the latter, we've seen). If so, just tell us the skillset you're thinking of and we'll be happy to tone it down or scale it up to fit.
- You must have a picture for your character. It can be in any form, although graphics are preferred over real life. Even if you don't want to change your avatar, we'd like one to remember, anyway.
- We don't have a specific format for a character sheet. All we want is that, in the OOC, you give us a name, picture, and description of all their abilities. Anything else is optional. We'll study it and comment if necessary, and then once it's approved, you're good to go.
Entering the IC
So you've gotten your character approved and you're raring to get involved (hopefully). How, then, do you get in? What's going on in the IC at the time may not be very clear if you don't know the context and location, so just ask and we'll explain. If we're not currently battling for the fate of Existence, we'll be inside a secret base high up in a mountain on a barren, uninhabited planet on a backwater universe in the outskirts of Existence, none of which provides any reasonable amount of safety.
So, how on Earth (or "how in Existence", as we like to say it) do you get your character there? Well, that'll take some figuring out depending on the circumstances of your character. There are a lot of factors which go into this, most of which only matter to us, but the most important thing is the great danger of travelling between dimensions. The first time a being tries travelling between dimensions without any outside help, then if they succeed, they will be placed under extreme strain and rigour--if they don't have a strong enough will, they'll most likely spontaneously combust.
So, as a matter of course, it'll be a bit complicated to get your character in for the first time. But, once again, we'll be happy to help work it out with you.
And that's it! Other than the following extra information, with what you've read here, you're all set to start the process. We still suggest you read the extra information, just in case.
Extra Information
[path and source]
[most of existence is unaware of existence]
[major factions of aware existence, including deprecated ones]
