FAQ

[beyondriftmods]

Basic Questions

When can my character come into the roleplay? Can I play a character who's been in the game world for a while?
That is entirely up to you. If you want them to already know about what’s going on in the world, or if you want them to just now be discovering their powers, walking through the rift, or awakening as an angel or demon… that’s all up to you. Feel free to contact other players if you want to establish relationships beforehand.

Is there an age requirement for joining the game?
No, there isn’t. Our requirements are maturity and writing skill. We’ve known 15 year olds who could write much better than 25 year olds, and 30-year-olds who write like the cliché teenager. We judge applications on quality and trust that if you’re under eighteen, you won't click on or participate in threads with explicit ratings.

Can I use the a character journal I’m already using in another RP, or do I have to make a new one for Beyond the Rift?
If you’re already playing the character in another game, you can still use the same journal here. We just ask that when they post entries in their journals, you indicate in the subject line what game that post is for.

Setting


Does everyone know about Rifts and wanderers in Chicago? What dangers exist for my character(s)?

Most people who are native to this universe have no idea that the supernatural part of it exists. They don't know about Rifts, and it's theorized there's actually some type of... psychic filter, which helps them to create mundane explanations for the strange things that happen.

Anyone who is supernatural (wanderers, angels, demons, supernatural humans) has a journal and can recognize these strange happenings. Some of those native supernaturals hate wanderers because they believe their presence here encourages more Rift creation which leads to more disasters. There is a group that can be violent against wanderers, and they call themselves the CLF or Chicago Liberation Front. 

In addition, the Rifts themselves exist as a potential way to do both harm and other shenanigans to characters. Monsters, disasters, and objects can fall through the tears in the universe, which can result in high amounts of dangers. Rifts can also do more funny things to anyone like forcing them into a costume for a day that they can't take off or sending the city into a fairytale for the week. It can send them through a 'rabbit hole' on a temporary adventure to another universe (like the Harry Potter one) for a day. There are endless possibilities.


What’s the deal on Chicago? Where can my character go in the city?
The world that this takes place in is a lot like our world – names, locations, etc. – but it’s different enough that if you don’t know our Chicago well, you're free to take creative license. If you’d like to know about the already-established game locations, take a look at the Locations page on the wiki.

Can my wanderer stay someplace other than the Kashtta Tower?
No. Absolutely not. There is nothing in Chicago other than the Kashtta. :|

…If you couldn’t tell, that was a joke. Your wanderer may absolutely stay somewhere different! Depending on where they come through the Rift and who they run into first, they might wind up staying at the Main Gauche Apartments, the Sanctuary run by Helen Magnus, or one of many anonymous and unplayed homeless shelters in the city – though if your character is homeless, this should have a visible effect on how they're played. If you play an original character native to this universe who didn't come through the Rift, they likely do own their own place somewhere. There are also wanderers and natives that own locations throughout the city and may take in wanderers.

You guys do know it's called the Willis Tower now, right?
It's the Sears Tower. The Willis Tower is a silly name for a building.

Characters

If I pick to use a fandom character, can I choose where they are in canon when I bring them into the game?
Yes, if you choose a fandom character, you can bring them in from anywhere in their canon, even if their are other characters from that fandom from a different part of that canon. Please, make a note of just where you choose to bring them in from in their profile or introduction so that other players will have some idea (even if their characters are amusingly confused).

Can I play a wanderer from an alternate universe version of their canon? What about a wanderer from an original verse, or an original character from an established fandom?
Yes, to all of the above. Applications will, of course, be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and if your AU character is too far or not far enough from their canon self or your original character is too over-powered, we might ask you to change a few things, but we have both AU and original wanderer characters. There may be one canon version and one AU version of a fandom character in play at a time - however, the AU has to have significant differences from canon to be acceptable.

If I play a wanderer, what can their rift change be?
The possibilities are nearly unlimited. They can become one of the supernatural types listed in character creation. They can gain an ability, have a change in appearance, or many other possibilities. There are restrictions, however. The Rift does not give power that makes a character too strong or that can influence or change the universe. The Rift also can not turn anyone into angels or demons (this is native original characters only for multiple reasons but you become an angel or demon through one of your parents being one), but the other supernatural types like werewolves or vampires are okay.

Species and Abilities

How do my character's powers work?
That is up to the player’s own discretion. Thankfully, powers vary in characters here like hair color and painting style. Powers, even of those native to this world, are more individually specific than some wide, general guideline. If you have any questions or concerns about powers and how they might work or not, just contact any of the mods, and we’ll be happy to help you.

My wanderer doesn’t fit [insert Rift-race here] when it comes to their magic, elemental powers, whatever. Is this a problem?
No problem! Wanderers have absolutely nothing to do with supernaturals, angels, and demons. They are not subject to the same rules and stipulations. However, if it makes it easier on you, feel free to have your Wanderer become a supernatural because of their journey through the Rift, and use the guidelines for that race. Just don’t worry about a Wanderer not fitting the mold.

My idea for a native supernatural human doesn’t fit any of the established Rift categories. Can they still have the power I want for them?
You are absolutely welcome to apply with a power that doesn’t fit the established mold for the supernatural humans, or to contact the mods to ask if they can have a certain ability. Unless it’s too extreme, there’s a good chance we’ll say yes - the Rift is changing things all the time, including the “generally accepted” categories of supernatural humans.

Can a demon/angel of one type have a child that’s another type? For example, can an archangel have a child that’s an angel of knowledge?
Yes! What, exactly, determines the type of angel or demon seems to be the factors influencing the child before they reach their sixteenth birthday, and while this includes genetics, it also takes into account personality and life experiences.

Journals

When does my character get his/her journal? How does that work?
When your character walks through the rift, awakens, or discovers their power for the first time, an appropriate journal will appear by their bedside. It could be a typewriter, a leather-bound or spiral-bound notebook, a laptop... that’s up to you. They can read other people’s entries and choose to make their own entries private to specific people. They can also comment on the entries that they read. The comments will appear under the entry with their name next to it.

In the game, your character’s LJ functions as their journal. Posts they make there are visible to all characters unless marked otherwise.

What happens if someone gets their hands on another person’s journal?
They can write in it and say whatever they’d like. For all intents and purposes, it will appear in everyone else’s journal under the name of who owns the journal, not who's writing. However, remember that journals return to their owner if their owner is stationary for a certain period of time (it varies from person to person - it could be a few hours, it could be a day or so). So if you take a journal too far from the person it belongs to, it might just disappear and return to them.

What does the term [Locked to...] mean when used in entries?
It means that only the characters that the entry is locked to can read that entry in their own journals. The entry simply won’t appear in anyone else’s.

Terminology

What is canon-puncture?
Canon-puncture is when one (fandom) character is told that s/he is fictional, often by virtue of another character mentioning to them the work in which they appear, or by finding the work itself. It’s generally considered bad taste to canon-puncture a character without the mun specifically asking for it, and there is a rule in this game against canon-puncture without mun approval. You can find a handy guide to dealing with canon-puncture here.
Everything Else

If you have any questions not answered here, feel free to email the mods at mods@beyondtherift.com or comment with them here.