RULES&FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

[incubators]

RULES
oo1: Respect your fellow players! The Golden Rule is still in effect, here! Be sure to ask for permission, and heed the rules. When in doubt, ask. Work with everyone, not against. It's no fun to be a stick in the mud, so go with the flow and the ride'll be fun.

oo2: IC does not equal OOC. Keep OOC issues out of the game, please. We're all here to have fun!

oo3: Absolutely no infomodding, metagaming, or godmoding. We will let you know how your character remembers each cycle. There is some information your character has no way of knowing, sometimes, even if you know it OOCly.

oo4: Due to potential content, we do not allow players under the age of fifteen into the game, at the moment. On that note, please try to keep the content around PG-13. Be sure to warn where needed. If things get intense, it's fine to lock the post.

oo5: HMD is not mandatory but AC is, so be sure to participate. If you don't take a strike, we're going to assume you're no longer interested in the game and remove you from it.

F.A.Q.

GENERAL

Do I need to be familiar with Madoka Magica to understand the game?

Not at all. The mechanics and whatnot are explained for your benefit, and any questions you might have we are more than willing to answer for you. The game is set up so that anyone can join, not just fans of the series.

Can you tell me about the premise?

Of course. Sis Puella Magica is a game set in the fictional city of Mitakihara. It takes place in the not-so-distant future. Mitakihara itself is a Japanese city featuring lots of European architecture. The intense concentration of magic going on in Mitakihara has caused a hole to appear in spacetime. Your character was expelled from their universe and sucked through into the universe where Puella Magi dwell. Some made it alive, surviving the crushing cold of hurtling through space and time at the same instant. However, some had to make contracts on their way in to survive, or die before they could make it. They're now stranded in Mitakihara. Coming from another universe, however, makes them an irregular, which by default makes the Incubators interested in them; characters brought in from different universes also find themselves being hounded by the Incubators, who ask for them to become Puella Magi and fight witches to save the world. Kind of.

Essentially, the game is a jamjar. Due to the time loops, a hole has been ripped in spacetime and is dropping people in Mitakihara, since it's the source of the problem. Characters may or may not arrive as Puella Magi, it's up to the player. Time rewinds every two ic weeks, to start of the game, but some characters might retain some memory of what's going on and what will happen.

I understand the premise, but can you explain how the game works?

Every two weeks, the game resets. We go right back to the beginning of the game. What this means is that everything is reset, so in some timelines, your character can be a normal person, and in some they can be a Puella Magi. Their wish can be different each timeline, and you have the option to have your character survive, kill them off, make them become a witch or--well, anything you want, really.

As time repeats, some characters will end up remembering some bits and pieces. For example, Madoka remembers the end of the previous timeline in a dream. Eventually, some characters might begin to fully comprehend what's happening, and they might begin to remember Walpurgisnacht. Walpurgisnacht is the most powerful witch in the universe, and defeating requires a lot of power. One or another, the world is destroyed and time is reset. Memories are rewritten and we're back at square one -- or are we?

Please note that mods will tell you how characters remember previous timelines; we'll let you know when you can recall major things from previous timelines.

Is there an IC age restriction?

Nope! Anyone can be a Puella Magi, as long as the Incubators are pinged by them. And Incubators are pinged by any and all irregulars, which just so happens to be what your character now is.

When does time reset in the game?

ICly, it's every two weeks. OOCly, this translates to every four weeks.

What is IC pacing like?

48 hours OOCly is 24 hours ICly. Or, two days OOC is one IC day. Whichever sounds better for you--they're ultimately the same thing.

Are you allowing magical boys? What about non-human characters>

Yep! Males in canon will remain males. As for non-human characters, hurtling through space and time goes a little different for them. They'll leave their homes, looking as they had, but they'll arrive as a human in Mitakihara. Of course, this might be kind of awkward for them since they're not used to human bodies.

Are there game-wide events?

Due to the nature of the game, we do not have game-wide events. However, Witches come in many shapes and sizes with different powers and barriers and whatnot. We encourage players to get creative with witch fights, should they engage in them.

To make up for the lack of game-wide events, we have smaller, opt-in or opt-out events that take place in the city. For example, the local arcade holds contests with fantastic prizes often. However, it isn't limited to just that, we'll have many more mini-events that you can partake in, that we hope will promote CR and make tagging easier.

I want to drop a character, how does this work?

How you drop a character is up to you. You can go out with a bang, if you want. You can kill them off, turn them into a witch, or you can quietly have them get sucked back into the hole. Your character can just be sent back at the beginning of the next cycle. It's up to you.

Can I canon update my character?

Absolutely. At the end of the cycle, merely submit a canon update application for your character and if it's accepted, your character will arrive as they had previously, but from the point you updated to. If it's not accepted, don't worry, you're still in the game. Your character just won't update.

What happens when my character arrives?

Characters are removed from their universes, sucked into the spacetime hole, and spit out in Mitakihara. The experience is incredibly painful, as though you're being pulled through a frozen lake, and traveling through space and time is hard on your body. Some don't make it alive, but Incubators often intercept and use this to get people to contract. Your character can survive the trip with or without making a contract. This can change from timeline to timeline, so in some timelines, your character will arrive as a Puella Magi, and in some, they arrive as a civilian.

Your character is expelled at the park. They arrive, somehow, perhaps dropped into the fountain or stuck in a tree. Thankfully, the park is large and full of people, some just as confused as your character. Three friendly looking girls approach your character and explain to them the situation. With them, they have a cute animal that they call Kyubey. They lead your character to the apartment complex that has been provided by the Incubators and help them move into their randomly generated room. Essentially, you're saved by a couple of veteran Puella Magi, and you're given a home by the Incubators.

On the whole it's a pretty safe arrival, if very disorienting.

The Incubators provide for us?

They do! Your character is given a room, perhaps a roommate and they're given a cellphone. The cellphone is a means for the Puella Magi you just met to contact you, but you're welcome to give your contact information to the others. In addition to functioning as a normal cellphone, the Incubators used fallen particles from when you arrived to make it translate everything into a language you can read, write and speak. Anything you say with the phone near you will be translated -- the same goes for anything your write. We encourage you to make an IC contact post on your character's journal if you intend to use your cellphones as a means of contact. Please note, however, whatever is threaded on these posts do not count towards activity.

Incubators will provide for you as long as you promise to eventually contract with them. Should you out-right refuse to become a Puella Magi, your room card will no longer work and you'll be kicked out and onto the streets. Of course, they'll be sure to warn you of that. You don't want to be alone, right...?

Cellphones? I thought the game didn't have communication devices.

It still doesn't. The cellphones are mainly a way for you to understand everything around you. They do come with a unique phone number, and you are encouraged to register an email. However, they mostly serve as translation devices, since it's highly unlikely everyone will speak the same language. They translate spoken words, signs, entire novels, and just about anything that would need translation. Each cellphone is different for each individual, so please feel free to pick one for your character.

The game, once more, doesn't have communication devices. Everything that happens in this game is face-to-face, not over a screen. You are, however, free to use your cellphones as you please. They do come with internet capability.

My character rejected a contract! Now they have no place to live! What do I do?

Bit of bad luck, that is. Luckily, there are a handful of people at the apartment complex and surely one of them is willing to let you live with them, as a guest. If you're a guest, the Incubators won't bother you, but they're not providing for you, either.

If you'd prefer not living off someone else's kindness, well, the parks are pretty well cared-for...

Where do we post?

sispuellamagica is the ic community.
pugnainfinita is the ic logs community.
coobiewhy is the ooc community.

What's AC like?

Activity Checks take place monthly. You must be able to prove one (1) post and a thread in which your character is responsible for ten (10) comments. If you cannot provide a post, you may provide two (2) threads with 10 comments each. You can request a strike if you fail to meet requirements, but failing to meet requirements two ACs in a row will result in being booted from the game.

APPLICATIONS

When are applications open?

Sis Puella Magica works on a rather simple cycle. Reserves open at the beginning of the last week of every month. Apps open on the first day of the next month. (I.E. reserves open on March 25th, apps open on April 1rst)

Can I apply for a character from the Madoka Magica series?

We're sorry, but applications for Madoka Magica characters are currently not open. Stay tuned, though, we'll be opening apps for them eventually. Just be aware we judge these applications very hard.

What can I app from?

We allow applications for both fandom characters and original characters. We'll take applications from any medium: books, visual novels, live action, anime, and yes, webcomics also. We allow applications from anything, for the most part, but if you're not completely positive, it's totally okay to ask!

What can't I app from?

As we said above, we'll allow applications from nearly anything. We cannot, however, allow things like creepypasta or... well, things like that. You also cannot currently apply for a character from the Madoka Magica series, but as we explained above, we will allow applications for them at a later point. Please just wait a bit!

I'm not sure how to fill out the Puella Magi section of the application!

Understandably, this is probably not the easiest part of the app. We ask you to fill this out, even if you have no current plans to make your character a Puella Magi. What we mainly want you to consider is what your character would be like as a Puella Magi. Consider their abilities and themes. Are they a loner Puella Magi? Do they help others? Why did they contract? What kind of things would they wish for? Feel free to take this more as a creativity section -- if you're still in doubt, you can ask a mod.

What do you look for in an application?

Mainly, we want to know you understand your character, and that you handle their unique voice well enough. We don't judge on how big your application is, but the quality of it, essentially. Please don't feel like you have to blow us away with length of your application -- telling us about this character is fine, but more than that, we want you to show this character.

We can use threads we've already done as samples?

Yes. If you think it shows the character's personality well enough, we will allow it. These threads can be from another game, a meme, or a musebox. If you choose to write a sample for your app specifically, we have prompts on the application page, and you're free to use them. Or , well, not.

PUELLA MAGI

Wait, Soul Gems? Grief Seeds? What are those?

Please view the glossary for a general overview as well as a visual aid.

Soul Gems are houses for your soul once you become a Puella Magi; the Incubators don't tell you this, but we'll let you in on a few secrets. The soul is removed so the body is better equipped for fighting Witches, you'll still age and your body will still function as it always did. Soul Gems, the more you use your powers, become more and more clouded with darkness. In order to cleanse them, you must defeat a witch and take her Grief Seed. Grief Seeds suck away the grief in a Soul Gem, which also become clouded easily through negative emotions and energy.

Please always remember that just because you have OOC knowledge doesn't mean your character has that knowledge IC -- there are ways to figure this out, of course, but Incubators will likely never tell you for sure that's the case.

How does fighting Witches work? Can you tell me about Witches and fighting in general?

Mods do not take charge of this, you can fight Witches as you please. They are in abundance and there's no shortage of them. You can make your own log, perhaps leave it open, or even just post to the main comm with your character coming in from just defeating a witch. Get creative. We encourage players to play this out as they want! Each Witch has their own Familiar(s), and it is generally accepted to let them go, as Familiars grow into Witches on their own. They do not drop grief seeds, so defeating Familiars only prevents more Witches spawning... but considering Witches hold your meal ticket, it might not be a good idea to go around killing off your means for survival.

Additionally, please be mindful of your soul gems. Every time you use your abilities, your gem darkens. It also darkens the more stressed or upset you become. The darker your gem, the darker your mood, so be careful.

You use a grief seed to cleanse your soul gem, but you cannot use the same grief seed over and over. This might revive the Witch.

It's up to you how you get grief seeds. Some Puella Magi seem to be willing to share them, some are not. It's said that sharing a grief seed with another Puella Magi is a show of friendship and alliance, rejecting a grief seed from another Puella Magi rejects their offer.

Can we join up with other Puella Magi?

Most definitely. This, ultimately, might be even easier for your character, since Witches can be very, very powerful, or very not powerful at all.

What kind of wishes can characters make?

Anything. ...Well, nearly anything. Don't get smart and think you can wish to be sent back home -- the Incubator you contract with might try, but they'll be unsuccessful. You also can't wish for is more wishes. Everything else, however, is allowed. Money, health, even a cake if you want. It's all a sentence away. Be sure to make it a good one, life's gonna change quite a bit once you're a Puella Magi!

What about powers? Where's the line? What kind of abilities can we have?

Powers are altered to fit each person's wish and personality. Mami Tomoe canonically has the ability to bind people with ribbons, and this is mainly a defensive ability. However, she has her trademark guns, because merely binding isn't exactly the best way to defeat a Witch. Everyone is given an equal chance at surviving. Sayaka Miki's sense of justice gives her swords like a knight, but her wish was for her friend to play violin again. Because of this, she is healed by a procession of music notes. This is just to give you an idea of how things work, but either way, you get an offensive and defensive ability.

The line is drawn at godmodding. We don't allow time altering powers, at least, nothing significant. We draw the line at things that affect the game on a whole. If you're not sure, please come to us and we'll let you know if something is too godmoddy.

If you're at a loss for what to do, consider your character's personality and things they accomplish canonically. If your character has magical powers in canon, you can retain those, in the context of a contract.

Please remember that although you are granted magical abilities you do not become a fantastic fighter over night. You learn to fight, fighting doesn't learn you (because this is not Soviet Russia).

So there's a place for our characters to practice their powers?

Nope! Your characters will receive an instructional video sent to them through their email, from the three veteran Puella Magi. They'll explain how fighting works, some simple battle tactics, and then you're plopped into fighting on your own. Learn to survive on your own -- no one ever said being a Puella Magi was easy.

How do you become a Witch?

If your soul gem becomes completely dark, then your gem turns into a grief seed. You die, essentially, but from your grief (negative energy), a Witch emerges. We encourage players to design their character's Witch and Barrier on their own, but we'll help if you're stuck!

You come back at the beginning of the next cycle, though, right?

Yep. Everything resets, even death.

My question wasn't answered here!

Please feel free to ask us here, or contact us with your question. We'll answer it as quick as we can!