Holt Rules and Guidelines

Hidden Winds Holt

We have tried to keep the rules simple (although rather lengthy in their explanation) and adhere to common sense; we are here to have fun and we want you to have fun too.

Fun Legal Stuff

No canon EQ characters allowed. No, Cutter and Leetah cannot come to visit your elf because they are first cousins. While the elves of this holt share kinship with Pini elves, it is a distant relationship, and due to legal reasons and in the interests of promoting creativity, this tribe will never cross paths with canon EQ elves. Similarly, we will not allow half-breeds like Two-Edge, as his was a situation unique to the comics, or High Ones, as Timmain is the only one living at this particular point in time and she's not going to stop by for tea.

Participation

Before I start, let me say this: If you happen to be one of those people who goes around collecting elves in every holt that will let you join, and never play your character, don't even bother sending us a request to join. We require participation, and have little tolerance for elves that just sit there taking up space.

All members are required to participate on a frequent basis. When you first join, you will be given a one-month grace period to participate in the RP. If by the end of that month you have not participated, we will give you only one warning, and if you still do not participate, you and your character will be removed from the holt, unless the character was adopted, in which case it will go back up for adoption.

The main focus of this holt is the RP. Art and fiction are not required; however, they are very much appreciated and will endear you to us forever. RP, on the other hand, is required. We would like to see at least one post from you each week; this does not mean you can post one or two sentences of your character walking through the woods all alone once a week and call that participation. Participation means interaction. The more interaction, the most posts are generated, and the more fun and exciting the RP becomes. We, the holt leaders, will do our part to give you interesting scenarios in which to play, but you must be willing to actually play in them, or at least let us know what's wrong with them that keeps you from playing in them. I'm sure most of you are very creative people and can find something for your characters to do or say. We don't mind helping you find a place to put your people, in fact we ask that you come to us if you're having any problems finding the aforementioned place, but we can only do so much before we approach the line of playing your character for you. We shouldn't have to do that, and we won't. We'll help you get started, but after that it's up to you.

If you will be away for any reason, PLEASE let us know. We will contact you after a prolonged period of silence, and if we receive no reply, we will have no choice but to remove your character from the holt. This does not have to be a permanent removal; if your computer blew up or your ISP service shut down on you, or something similarly out of your control occurred, we will reinstate you and your character should you desire it. If, however, you just didn't feel like and most likely just won't feel like it again at some point in the future, don't bother asking to be reinstated.

Multiple Characters

To start with, you may only play one character. Once your grace period is up and you have shown sufficient participation, you may request another character. However, you must participate with two as much as you do with one. The limit is currently as many as you can comfortably play, though this may change if the holt becomes too crowded with characters all belonging to one person. In addition, due to the typical over-abundance of females compared to males, it is highly recommended that any second character you take on be male, unless your original was male. While not impossible, it will be much harder for a second female character to get approved.

Rating

There is an R rating on this holt's RP. Meaning that yes, you will most likely run across "smut" within your perusal of recent posts. Each post will be marked as adult at the subject line, so you can avoid these if you so desire. Consider yourself warned - if you don't like this sort of thing, don't request to join. It's that simple. Flaming will result in immediate removal from the holt with no chance of reinstatement. NOTE: This sort of thing has become a great deal less frequent of late, so if you're reading this and privately going "woohoo, elfsex!" please calm yourself and keep in mind that is the exception rather than the rule.

Recognition and Other Matings

Recognition happens when it happens. When we decide that a Recognition is called for, all the names of eligible characters will be put into a lottery. The two elves chosen from this lottery will Recognize; their owners will be notified by us and will be given the chance to discuss it between themselves before handling it however they choose, be it in story or RP. We will not allow two characters who belong to the same person to Recognize, as this puts the owner in the usually uncomfortable position of playing with him or herself.

In addition, anyone wishing their character to have a lovemate or a lifemate MUST run it by us first. This is to keep the holt from getting stale, as happens so often when the holt becomes all couples and their cubs and nothing else. Decisions of whether or not a character will mate are based entirely on participation. Do not ask for a lovemate for your elf if you post only once a week, or have not yet finished your grace period. However, relationships that are not meant to last, such as one-night stands, and/or things such as attraction or crushes are entirely within your purview. Just be aware that the elf your character carries a torch for may not end up with your character.

Member Conduct

Civility is expected. Lack of civility will result in expulsion from the holt. It doesn't take that much effort to be polite, so please don't let it come to this. On the whole, we're a friendly group, and rather easy to get along with.

This is not a requirement so much as it is a request. Speaking as one who occasionally indulges in the literary arts, I know how hard it is for some people to feel any enthusiasm for writing and/or art if their works, though displayed, are never commented on. In the interests of making it worth our while to express our creativity within the holt, I ask that all members at least give some feedback to anyone who posts their art or stories. It can be unadulterated praise or constructive criticism (note I said "constructive"), just so long as it's something. This is not a rule, so you will not be punished if you don't give feedback. However, lack of feedback often results in loss of the desire to continue creating. It doesn't take that much effort to tell an artist you liked their work, or a writer that you loved their story.

Privileges

Determined by participation and conduct. If you submit one piece of art or fiction a week, RP like a maniac, and are always impeccably polite, you get privileges out the wazoo. If, however, you submit only the requirement and are borderline rude, chances are you won't be seeing any of those privileges soon. We know that it's sometimes hard to be online often and devote a great deal of time to a holt, but what you may lack in quantity can be made up in quality. Conversely, quantity is not a substitute for quality. If you submit a drawing a day, that's awesome. If these drawings took you all of ten seconds and are scribbles of stick people, that's not so awesome. Submitting one or two things that you poured your heart into is better than submitting a lot of things that clearly took you very little time or effort.

That said, privileges are good things. You want them. If you have privileges, you are more likely to have all of your requests granted. Magics are distributed according to privileges and desire of the owner. Mates for your character (if you want 'em) are based on privileges. If you have enough, and you want your character to Recognize, we may even waive half the random choosing and pair your character with another eligible one. You are more likely to be approved for second and third characters if you so desire. We will involve your character more deeply in any RP plotlines we come up with, and be far more inclined to set up any plotlines you suggest. See? They're good things. Try to get them.

Leaving the Holt

If for whatever reason you leave the holt, be it our decision or yours, you have the right to take a character you created with you when you go. You may rework that character to fit into another RP, or sit it on a shelf until such time as you find something else for which the character can be used: whatever you like. That character is your property and therefore is yours to do with as you please. However, if you leave the holt without the intention of coming back, we reserve the right to kill off your character to preserve continuity; the character will only be dead to the elves in Hidden Winds, and may still be transplanted to another RP. You may also leave your character behind for us to place up for adoption. If you have adopted the character, that character will be yours for as long as you are a member of Hidden Winds Holt. When you leave, that adoptable once again becomes holt property unless otherwise specified by the holt leaders.

In the event of a long hiatus, such as summer camp or temporary loss of computer, and you wish to resume the RP with your character upon your return, you may have your character wander away from the holt or go missing until you return. Please let us know your intentions here so we know whether to expect you back or to write your character off as missing for good.

Yahoo Group

All members must join the yahoo group upon being approved for membership so that you can fulfill your RP requirements and keep up-to-date with the current happenings with the holt. You will be added when your request to join is approved.

Age Requirement

Due to the adult content of some of the RP and and stories in this holt, we prefer that people requesting to join are at least 15 years of age. We do not want to get yelled at by an irate parent for subscribing their ten-year-old to a list that contains elfsmut. However, if you are under that age (within reason) and have no problem with this sort of thing, contact us and we will judge this on a case-by-case basis.

My Obsessive-Compulsive Proofreading Disorder

CISs will be posted on this website, while art and fiction will be posted at the group. Everything that goes on this website is subject to proofreading. This means that, yes, I will be correcting errors in grammar and spelling that occur within any CIS you submit. I have a sense of pride concerning writing of any sort that is showcased on a website for which I am responsible, and some of the simplest mistakes are like fingernails on a chalkboard to my obsessive-compulsive little mind. Please keep in mind that I am in no way claiming that I will catch every mistake, or that I won't make some myself. I'm not perfect, but I do have a respect for the English language that I intend to honor to the best of my ability. You can make this much easier on me (and you want to make this easier on me, don't you) by spell-checking your character info sheet before submitting it. It doesn't take that long, and it makes my job a whole heck of a lot less frustrating.

Covering our Butts

We reserve the right to change and/or add to these rules at any time. We will notify current members of the changes.

Last, But Not Least

Have fun. This is important. If you are not having fun and it's due to something we're doing, please let us know so that we can attempt to remedy the problem.


	Hidden Winds Holt Holt Rules and Guidelines We have tried to keep the rules simple (although rather lengthy in their explanation) and adhere to common sense; we are here to have fun and we want you to have fun too. Fun Legal Stuff No canon EQ characters allowed. No, Cutter and Leetah cannot come to visit your elf because they are first cousins. While the elves of this holt share kinship with Pini elves, it is a distant relationship, and due to legal reasons and in the interests of promoting creativity, this tribe will never cross paths with canon EQ elves. Similarly, we will not allow half-breeds like Two-Edge, as his was a situation unique to the comics, or High Ones, as Timmain is the only one living at this particular point in time and she's not going to stop by for tea. Participation Before I start, let me say this: If you happen to be one of those people who goes around collecting elves in every holt that will let you join, and never play your character, don't even bother sending us a request to join. We require participation, and have little tolerance for elves that just sit there taking up space. All members are required to participate on a frequent basis. When you first join, you will be given a one-month grace period to participate in the RP. If by the end of that month you have not participated, we will give you only one warning, and if you still do not participate, you and your character will be removed from the holt, unless the character was adopted, in which case it will go back up for adoption. The main focus of this holt is the RP. Art and fiction are not required; however, they are very much appreciated and will endear you to us forever. RP, on the other hand, is required. We would like to see at least one post from you each week; this does not mean you can post one or two sentences of your character walking through the woods all alone once a week and call that participation. Participation means interaction. The more interaction, the most posts are generated, and the more fun and exciting the RP becomes. We, the holt leaders, will do our part to give you interesting scenarios in which to play, but you must be willing to actually play in them, or at least let us know what's wrong with them that keeps you from playing in them. I'm sure most of you are very creative people and can find something for your characters to do or say. We don't mind helping you find a place to put your people, in fact we ask that you come to us if you're having any problems finding the aforementioned place, but we can only do so much before we approach the line of playing your character for you. We shouldn't have to do that, and we won't. We'll help you get started, but after that it's up to you. If you will be away for any reason, PLEASE let us know. We will contact you after a prolonged period of silence, and if we receive no reply, we will have no choice but to remove your character from the holt. This does not have to be a permanent removal; if your computer blew up or your ISP service shut down on you, or something similarly out of your control occurred, we will reinstate you and your character should you desire it. If, however, you just didn't feel like and most likely just won't feel like it again at some point in the future, don't bother asking to be reinstated. Multiple Characters To start with, you may only play one character. Once your grace period is up and you have shown sufficient participation, you may request another character. However, you must participate with two as much as you do with one. The limit is currently as many as you can comfortably play, though this may change if the holt becomes too crowded with characters all belonging to one person. In addition, due to the typical over-abundance of females compared to males, it is highly recommended that any second character you take on be male, unless your original was male. While not impossible, it will be much harder for a second female character to get approved. Rating There is an R rating on this holt's RP. Meaning that yes, you will most likely run across "smut" within your perusal of recent posts. Each post will be marked as adult at the subject line, so you can avoid these if you so desire. Consider yourself warned - if you don't like this sort of thing, don't request to join. It's that simple. Flaming will result in immediate removal from the holt with no chance of reinstatement. NOTE: This sort of thing has become a great deal less frequent of late, so if you're reading this and privately going "woohoo, elfsex!" please calm yourself and keep in mind that is the exception rather than the rule. Recognition and Other Matings Recognition happens when it happens. When we decide that a Recognition is called for, all the names of eligible characters will be put into a lottery. The two elves chosen from this lottery will Recognize; their owners will be notified by us and will be given the chance to discuss it between themselves before handling it however they choose, be it in story or RP. We will not allow two characters who belong to the same person to Recognize, as this puts the owner in the usually uncomfortable position of playing with him or herself. In addition, anyone wishing their character to have a lovemate or a lifemate MUST run it by us first. This is to keep the holt from getting stale, as happens so often when the holt becomes all couples and their cubs and nothing else. Decisions of whether or not a character will mate are based entirely on participation. Do not ask for a lovemate for your elf if you post only once a week, or have not yet finished your grace period. However, relationships that are not meant to last, such as one-night stands, and/or things such as attraction or crushes are entirely within your purview. Just be aware that the elf your character carries a torch for may not end up with your character. Member Conduct Civility is expected. Lack of civility will result in expulsion from the holt. It doesn't take that much effort to be polite, so please don't let it come to this. On the whole, we're a friendly group, and rather easy to get along with. This is not a requirement so much as it is a request. Speaking as one who occasionally indulges in the literary arts, I know how hard it is for some people to feel any enthusiasm for writing and/or art if their works, though displayed, are never commented on. In the interests of making it worth our while to express our creativity within the holt, I ask that all members at least give some feedback to anyone who posts their art or stories. It can be unadulterated praise or constructive criticism (note I said "constructive"), just so long as it's something. This is not a rule, so you will not be punished if you don't give feedback. However, lack of feedback often results in loss of the desire to continue creating. It doesn't take that much effort to tell an artist you liked their work, or a writer that you loved their story. Privileges Determined by participation and conduct. If you submit one piece of art or fiction a week, RP like a maniac, and are always impeccably polite, you get privileges out the wazoo. If, however, you submit only the requirement and are borderline rude, chances are you won't be seeing any of those privileges soon. We know that it's sometimes hard to be online often and devote a great deal of time to a holt, but what you may lack in quantity can be made up in quality. Conversely, quantity is not a substitute for quality. If you submit a drawing a day, that's awesome. If these drawings took you all of ten seconds and are scribbles of stick people, that's not so awesome. Submitting one or two things that you poured your heart into is better than submitting a lot of things that clearly took you very little time or effort. That said, privileges are good things. You want them. If you have privileges, you are more likely to have all of your requests granted. Magics are distributed according to privileges and desire of the owner. Mates for your character (if you want 'em) are based on privileges. If you have enough, and you want your character to Recognize, we may even waive half the random choosing and pair your character with another eligible one. You are more likely to be approved for second and third characters if you so desire. We will involve your character more deeply in any RP plotlines we come up with, and be far more inclined to set up any plotlines you suggest. See? They're good things. Try to get them. Leaving the Holt If for whatever reason you leave the holt, be it our decision or yours, you have the right to take a character you created with you when you go. You may rework that character to fit into another RP, or sit it on a shelf until such time as you find something else for which the character can be used: whatever you like. That character is your property and therefore is yours to do with as you please. However, if you leave the holt without the intention of coming back, we reserve the right to kill off your character to preserve continuity; the character will only be dead to the elves in Hidden Winds, and may still be transplanted to another RP. You may also leave your character behind for us to place up for adoption. If you have adopted the character, that character will be yours for as long as you are a member of Hidden Winds Holt. When you leave, that adoptable once again becomes holt property unless otherwise specified by the holt leaders. In the event of a long hiatus, such as summer camp or temporary loss of computer, and you wish to resume the RP with your character upon your return, you may have your character wander away from the holt or go missing until you return. Please let us know your intentions here so we know whether to expect you back or to write your character off as missing for good. Yahoo Group All members must join the yahoo group upon being approved for membership so that you can fulfill your RP requirements and keep up-to-date with the current happenings with the holt. You will be added when your request to join is approved. Age Requirement Due to the adult content of some of the RP and and stories in this holt, we prefer that people requesting to join are at least 15 years of age. We do not want to get yelled at by an irate parent for subscribing their ten-year-old to a list that contains elfsmut. However, if you are under that age (within reason) and have no problem with this sort of thing, contact us and we will judge this on a case-by-case basis. My Obsessive-Compulsive Proofreading Disorder CISs will be posted on this website, while art and fiction will be posted at the group. Everything that goes on this website is subject to proofreading. This means that, yes, I will be correcting errors in grammar and spelling that occur within any CIS you submit. I have a sense of pride concerning writing of any sort that is showcased on a website for which I am responsible, and some of the simplest mistakes are like fingernails on a chalkboard to my obsessive-compulsive little mind. Please keep in mind that I am in no way claiming that I will catch every mistake, or that I won't make some myself. I'm not perfect, but I do have a respect for the English language that I intend to honor to the best of my ability. You can make this much easier on me (and you want to make this easier on me, don't you) by spell-checking your character info sheet before submitting it. It doesn't take that long, and it makes my job a whole heck of a lot less frustrating. Covering our Butts We reserve the right to change and/or add to these rules at any time. We will notify current members of the changes. Last, But Not Least Have fun. This is important. If you are not having fun and it's due to something we're doing, please let us know so that we can attempt to remedy the problem.