Official Site Rules and Stuff, (OSRS) Updated 6//12/08

General Rules

Be considerate. Here at DS, this is the number one rule. Every member has a right to be here and should be treated with politeness. If they are doing something wrong, contact an admin, but don't ever try to take matters into your own hands by flaming or spamming another user. If you do that, not only will they be punished; you will to.

Respect the staff. We work really hard to keep this RP running so as to give you guys an easier, more pleasant RPing experience. Therefore, try not to cause any trouble for us. Your (the average member's) cooperation makes things so much easier, I can't even express it.

No profanity is allowed. Althought moderate cursing and occasional sexual references are allowed in character, swearing and other questionable material will NOT be tolerated OOC (out of character). Also, if you're going to include anything IC, please keep it PG-13. If there's something that might go above that but is plot related, I may tolerate it in a marked thread (one that warns users in the title of any questional content), but in most cases I won't.

Use good grammar and spelling. This is a MUST in RPing as well as when talking OOC. No txt tlk, 1337 speech, etc. will be allowed. This is so other members can understand what you're saying and so I can keep my sanity. Of course, occasional spelling errors or typos won't be bothered; we all make mistakes, afterall. But if I see anything too distracting, you will be asked to change it. I know this doesn't seem like a big deal, but it really is important, and if you can't use good grammar and spelling, you won't be allowed to RP.

No Godmodding, Power Playing, or Meta gamming. For those who don't know, Godmoding is making your character more powerful than they should be, Power Playing is controlling another character without their player's permission, and Meta gamming is having your character know information they were never told, etc. This is such an important rule that if I catch anyone doing this, it will be an instant ban, ESPECIALLY in a battle. Mild Power Playing such as in a playful fight or other non-serious situations is alright, so long as you have the other player's permission. For more info on G-modding and PPing in a battle, see the "Battles" section of the rules.

No one-liners. This kind of ties in with the grammar and spelling rule. Basically, we want you to roleplay as well as possible here. This is a high intermediate to advanced RP, and at least a paragraph or two of posting is requested. Granted, we're not gonna go around counting sentences or anything. I perfectly understand that there sometimes is simply a lack of muse and there will be some posts that the writer is not proud of. But please, at least try! If you're having trouble with your writing, you can always PM me or another staff member (all who I have deemed as excellent RPers that are willing to help the less experienced) and we can give you some suggestions. Don't be afraid to ask for help; we were all n00bs once.

Please write in third person, past tense. I know some people are used to using first person or present tense, but it's easier for all of us if we use the same format. Hurts the brain less.

Write in paragraph form. If you don't know what that is, you probably aren't advanced enough for the RP, but for the random Austrian who doesn't speak a lot of English but is still a kick-arse writers, I will explain. Write like you're writing a novel, okay? No script writing will be tolerated or you'll be kicked out of here faster than you can say turtle. An example of script writing (the form that is NOT allowed, incase you didn't get that), is this (little Savers reference for you... if only it were that easy):

Once again, that's definitely something you do not want to do.

Don't skip from area to area. This is the only contient on the Digital World, so it's BIG. It should take a long time to get out of an area and into the next one. So try to spend at least a couple of dozen posts in one area, alright? I can't really put it any better than that.

There is no liquid time in this RP. Therefore, you character can not be in more than one place at a time. Also, any contents in one of your own posts must all happen after the contents of your last recent post with the same character(s). Violation of this rule will just confuse others, not to mention screw up the continuity of the game.

Stay active. Especially if you're involved with the plot, it's annoying to have members drop out without warning. I know real life comes before this board and if there is something such as grades, family matters, illness, etc. keeping you from here, I understand. But at least warn us in advanced, okay? That way we'll have time to kill off your character or do whatever else it takes to remove them from the plot. There is no way I can express how important this rule is. I've actually had entire sites die from a single person's inactivity, so please heed this rule.

Dub lovers beware. After awhile at this site, you'll notice I don't like the dub. At all. And I don't like using dub terms. But it's alright for my members to use dub terms, as long as everyone understands each other. However, I will use the Japanese terms, so to translate between original and dub, you may need these links. If you're confused as to a Digimon's Japanese name but know the dub name, you can go to TheDigiPort's DigiDEX, where they use dub terms but also provide Japanese name and attack counterparts. And at Megchan's Digimon Encyclopedia, they provide Japanese names with an explanation of the dub counterpart, so you can know what I or another "puritan" is saying. Also, if that doesn't help, you can ask me or another staff member. We're always willing to help. Just try these resources first.

Follow these rules. I'm not gonna mimmick other sites by saying "I know, rules suck and are hard to cope with, but follow them anyways," because I don't agree with that. These rules are all very clearly laid out and not hard to remember. If following them is a problem for you, you will be punished. Granted, some punishments will be less severe than others, and they can range from a simple warning to eternal banneditude, depending on the rule you broke. Along with this rule goes another one...

Use common sense. If something isn't in here but you know you shouldn't do it, please DON'T. By joining this site you will learn that I don't like excessive use of loop-holes, and I won't tolerate any excuses that go along the lines of "Well, it wasn't in the rules, so I thought I could get away with it." If there's anything here that I don't cover that you're not sure about then ask, but don't go around doing things that *might* be frowned upon, or you *might* be banned. It's that simple.

Have fun. These rules are here so you, the experienced RPer, can have fun and not be overrun by n00bs. 'Cause we all know n00bs are frightening creatures that can only be suppressed in two ways: rules and wet fish flogging. And trust me, you do NOT wanna have to go the second route.

Joining Rules

No canon characters. This is a completely different Digital World in a completely different universe, and no characters from another Digimon series will be allowed. I will not tolerate characters from other animes, either, unless you're just using their picture.

You may register two characters. One human, one Digimon. However, you don't necessarily need to register two characters. If you want, you can just play a human or a wild Digimon. Your character doesn't need to have a partner if you don't want, or you don't have to play them; another person can. Your Digimon could also have two humans partners, or your human can have two Digimon, just as long as you only play one human and one Digimon. Special exceptions to this rule can sometimes be made with my permission.

If you're joining a Digimon, they can start out at any level up to Adult. So your Digimon can be a Baby I/II, Child, Adult, or even a Digitama if you want (though unless they have a human partner, RPing a Digitama might be kinda hard). But remember, once your Digimon reaches a certain level, it cannot devolve to previous forms. More information on this will be included in the Evolution section of the rules. (NPCs and otherwise special characters are exempt from this rule.)

Please follow the guidelines in the registration form. They're there for a reason. Except for what's in the 'Other' section, I don't want you add, changing, getting rid of, etc. anything in the form. Some fields have post requirements. That's because this is a semi-Advanced RP, and I want to make sure everyone is role playing their best. If you don't meet the requirements, you'll be asked to change it and/or leave the board until your RPing improves.

Be patient. Us staffers are busy and might not get to your application right away. However, if three days pass without your form being moved to the Profiles section or being asked to change something, you can kindly PM one of us to have a look at it. Just remember that we all have lives outside of the internet and that those comes first.

If your application is accepted, it will be moved to the Profiles section. From there, you can edit it however you please, as long as you leave in the basic information on the form. Also, you will be given a set number of Bits (the currency used in the Digital World) if you are a human and a set number of Evolution points (usually set to zero) if you are a Digimon. It would be wise to include your cumulative Bits/EVP in either your character's profile or your signature.

Digisoul Rules

There is no digivice in this RP. Instead, a human must use a Digisoul to boost their Digimon's ability. However, Digisouls do not aid in evolution; they simply increase the Digimon's power and ability in battle. A Digimon must be able to evolve on its own, though once it's ready to evolve the Digisoul can help trigger the evolution.

Not all humans have a Digisoul. It is only available to those with a Digimon partner (special cases can be made for Tamers with deceased partners). However, you can not have a partner in the beginning and get a Digisoul when you finally do find your partner.

A Digisoul only affects the partner Digimon. Very few Tamers are able to use their Digisoul to power up a Digimon that isn't theirs, and to be one of those Tamers you must have special permission from me or another admin.

A Digisoul will not work if the human is weak. This is part of what your greatest strength/weakness is for in the application. Say your greatest weakness is a short temper. If your character gets really angry, the Digisoul will either not appear or will be corrupt. If you get a corrupt Digisoul, your Digimon will go mad with power and start attacking everything in sight. If the effects of the Digisoul aren't reversed, that Digimon could very well end up reverting to a Digitama.

A Digisoul will become stronger if the human is strong. Basically the reverse of the last rule. If your character fulfills whatever their greatest strength is, the Digisoul will be stronger; so much so that your Digimon will have power equivalent to that of a Digimon one level above it (ie: a Child's attacks will be equal to those of an Adult, an Adult's will be equal to those of a Perfect, etc.). When your Digisoul is like this is when evolution is most likely to occur, if the Digimon's EVP has been filled.

A Digisoul is activated by strong emotions, and the Digimon responds fully to those emotions. You can't just have your Digisoul pop up whenever, unless you've been training it a long time (by long, I mean long enough to have your Digimon evolved to Ultimate). Your character must be emotional about something to have his or her Digisoul appear. Overusing your Digisoul is considered Godmodding and can lead to severe punishments.

A trained Digisoul is enough to harm a Digimon on its own. Granted, it'll never be as good as a Digimon fired up with the Digisoul, but if your human has to fight on his own and has a well-trained Digisoul, he or she can do a moderate amount of damage to an enemy Digimon on their own. However, the stronger a Digimon is, the stronger the Digisoul will have to be, and in most cases, your Digisoul won't do more to a Digimon than stun them, or cause minor injuries.

There is no way to mod a Digisoul without driving me insane. Therefore, you guys will be trusted to have to show up at the right times and not overuse it, as well as knowing when a Digisoul might become more powerful or turn corrupt. So, basically, it's all on you guys. See? Just by trusting you my Digisoul power increased ten-fold! Granted, if I see someone abusing the power of a Digisoul, they will be punished.

Evolution Rules

It's evolve, not digivolve! This goes along with the Japanese terms rule, but since a lot of people don't realize evolve is the proper term, I'm mentioning it here as well.

Digimon need Evolution Points, or EVP, to evolve. EVP is basically a gauge to determine how close your Digimon is to evolving. To get to the next level, you need a hundred EVP, and you can't go above 100, so any extra EVP you reach after you hit that point is lost. Once your Digimon has evolved, EVP is set back to zero.

There are two ways to earn EVP. One is by posting. Any post bellow fifteen sentences gets you 0.1 EVP. Any post that's three paragraphs or more (at least 15 sentences) earns .5 EVP. A post that's at least one page in MS Word (size 12 font, Times New Roman) is worth 1.0 EVP. Another is by defeating and absorbing the data of an opponent. Here's a list of the EVP you get from each level of Digimon:

0.0 EVP for defeating a Digitama
0.1 EVP for defeating a Baby I
0.2 EVP for defeating a Baby II
1.0 EVP for defeating a Child
2.0 EVP for defeating an Adult
3.0 EVP for defeating a Perfect
4.0 EVP for defeating an Ultimate
4.5 EVP for defeating a Burst Mode

Of course, these are just for regular Digimon. If you managed to defeat an especially strong or legendary Digimon, such as one of the Holy Beasts or the Digimon of a well-known Tamer, you might be awarded more EVP. However, this exception would only apply to plot situations; no ordinary Tamer could fulfill it. EVP earned by posting is counted at the end of a thread by a mod.

Your human character's posts can not collect EVP unless that character has a Digimon parnter. However, if your human character does have a partner, you will still get EVP credit for posting as them, even if the Digimon isn't present in the post.

Once a Digimon evolves, it cannot devolve! Because there are no digivices, there isn't anything to store a Digimon's excess data once it is evolved. Therefore, once you evolve your Digimon, there's no going back (unless you were to revert it back to a Digitama by killing it off, but that's not very nice). So be careful when evolving your Digimon. Even if a higher level has more power, there are other factors (such as size) that may make keeping a lower-level Digimon more desirable.

Yes, Jogressing is allowed. For those of you who don't know what Jogressing is, it's when two Digimon fuse together to form one Digimon of a greater level (or the same level but more powerful). To Jogress, both Digimon's EVP gauges will have to be full and both players will have to give their consent. Then, with my permission, they can Join and Progress. Digimon who have Jogressed can have either two seperate personalities or one fused personality, with one or two players depending on your preference. If a Jogressed Digimon dies, two Digitama (or more if it was a multiple Jogress like Imperialdramon PM) will result with the original Digimon that Jogressed having their line hatch from it. Once Digimon have Jogressed once, it's hard to do again, though it's still possible in some cases.

Evolution past Ultimate (Burst Mode) is allowed. However, it requires a strong Digisoul and permission from me. The Digimon Burst Evolving MUST be an Ultimate-level, and it MUST have a full EVP gauge. Burst Mode is not permenant, and it can only last as long as the Tamer is emotionally pumped and is undergoing a full-body Digisoul. A negative Digisoul WILL result in Ruin Mode at ANY time a Digimon is capable of Burst Mode, and the Digimon WILL revert back to a Digitama after destroying everything in sight (amount of memory loss is at my discretion), so you'd better have a fully-developed character who can control their emotions before coming to me asking for Burst Mode permission. Only the best can use Burst Mode.

As a power-check (because Burst Mode Digimon are potentially more powerful than one of the four Holy Beasts), Burst Modes will be elemental. Basically, once you obtain Burst Mode, you will choose one of the four natural elements (electricity is an element reserved for Huanlongmon) (it much be reasonable for your Digimon; no water-element War Greymon, please), and your Burst Mode Digimon will be surrounded by an aura of that element. That means certain Burst Modes might be stronger than others in certain surroundings. Granted, the ultimate decision of how strong a Burst Mode is is determined by the strength of the Digisoul. But when that can't be clearly determined, this will make things a bit more interesting.

Battle Rules

Fight fair. I won't be modding every little fight as it is a pain in the arse to do, so it's up to you guys to determine who the winner is, how much damage there is, etc. when you are fighting amongst yourselves. Basically, one person will call out their attack and the other will say if it hit or not. DON'T GODMOD. Unless you're an Ultimate facing a Digitama, I doubt if you'll be able to dodge every attack and walk away without a scratch. So be warned; if I see anyone Godmodding, I'll either step in and mod the fight (something I don't want to have to do) or ban them. It all depends on the mood I'm in.

There's no hit points, attack points, defense points, or any other stat points. Incase you want to know, I debated a lot over whether to add these or not, but then decided against it. Good RPers should have to have their battles limited to a collection of random numbers. Instead, you'll have to take other stuff into consideration, like if your opponent is already wounded, what level they are, how the environment may give them an advantage, and what their overall power limit and battles capabilities are. Then you can decide how much damage you took, if any at all.

Be realistic. Your Agumon is not a ninja. Your Aquilamon can't swim. Your Sukamon can't soar through the air for an extended period of time (aka: flying), and if it can... that's one darn talented Sukamon. So don't pull off any impossible stunts in battles, okay? Sure, once or twice you may manage something lucky, but excessive impossibleness will be considered Godmodding. This also applies to the aftermath of battles. If you're wounded with a broken leg, you won't be running around much until it heals. And since there are no hospitals and no magical antidotes that magically cure all ailements in this game, then that healing will take a long time to do.

Be careful when fighting. Especially if it's a serious death-match-type fight, don't take it lightly. I know none of this is real and it doesn't really matter anyways, but your characters can get seriously hurt or even killed if they pick a fight with the wrong guy. If you're a Child, don't go around trying to fight an Ultimate, okay? I know Digimon never really die; they just revert back to a Digitama. But by doing that they will lose most if not all of their memory and not be able to regain it again until they're at least Child level, if then. And, of course, humans don't have this amazing re-spawning ability. We die once, we're gone. 'Cause no, the Digimon is not always the only one who'll get wounded it a fight, especially if there are a few *ahem* stray attacks.