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dc_nation_oocApplications and that Application Process
But I don't know canon!
That’s okay! In some cases, knowing canon is not even all that desirable. There is more on this in the canon section.
I’ve seen the quality of the work out here, and I’m not sure I’m up to what you guys are looking for.
You won’t know until you try. We only bite on request and we love, love, love to help newbies. Even the published people out here had to start somewhere, and odds are you’re better than you think. If you feel your writing needs help, feel free to tell us that and then someone will likely help mentor you.
What is the application process?
A player who wants a particular character fills out a form here letting us know they would like to play that role. One of the administrative team then takes the application and sets up a panel of players. These players play people who would be most likely to closely interact with the character in the applications – think teammates, close friends, spouses, “runs in the same circles,” etc. - while one admin oversees the process. The panel reads the application and then says YES, NO or TEST SCENE.
Test scenes are very common (80%) in the application process. We aren't looking for perfection. We're looking for the player's ability to represent the character well, to give and receive cues from their fellow players and if the writing is understandable. Once the test scene is underway, players can vote YES or NO. The admin overseeing the panel only votes in cases of a tie.
If you are accepted – welcome! Have your journals join the main community and the OOC.
If you are not accepted, we try to include some feedback on why your application did not go through. This feedback will come from the admin who oversaw the panel, but keep in mind, the admin is reporting the feedback of the panel, NOT making the decision itself. Trying to appeal to the admin to override the panel’s wishes is going to be futile. You are allowed to re-submit the application after a few months. We have that time off so that you can revise your work and approach and try again.
We should note that most of the admin team are in the education field. Certain times of the school year get busier and crazier than others. Feel free to e-mail us if you feel the delay has been too long on any given thing.
Am I allowed to know who is on my application panel?
No. The reason for that is to keep the discussions honest and open between players. If they say “no,” then odds are good that choice was reached after a lot of hard thought because no one wants to say no to a friend. The only person you are allowed to ask for feedback from is the admin who oversaw the panel.
Can my application be turned down for spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes?
Generally it won't be, but...Think of mechanical errors in writing like static on the radio. Too much static and you can't hear the song. We do have a few educators on the team that would be happy to tutor you on the mechanics of writing should you want the help. If you are not a native English speaker please say so upfront and we'll work something out.
Can I be turned down for previous behavior on another game?
We all make mistakes. If we know about it – and keep in mind we had people playing LJ RPGs for 7 years here, so the odds are pretty good one of us has heard something somewhere – we'll probably ask you about it just so the air is clear. It isn’t a deal-breaker, however.
The person I want to play is kind of obscure. / The person I want to play is a canon nightmare.
We have some useful sites we can recommend (including our wiki), and chances are no matter how obscure the character, you'll find that one of our other players can help you learn more about them. In fact, we WANT to help you. More good role-players = better community. If you have questions, ask. We love questions.
We also fix bad and crazy canon. We might even have a fix already in mind. That said, you’ll probably have some work cut out for you in order to get the character back to good.
As a brief aside, depending on how obscure they are and how many characters you already have which would be hard to replace it can affect how many more you can take on. If you have a roster of original and obscure character already, often panels of player will weigh another application for an original/obscure character more heavily than if this is the only character in your collection that would be obscure or original. Why? Because the community impact would be more significant if someone with a roster full of OCs just vanished than someone with a roster of canon characters would likely be. It’s generally not a reason for outright rejection, but in a close panel, it can tip the balance.
Can I bring in people from one of the animated series or movies?
It's best to ask about the specific character. We do have two characters from the Dini-verse in-game as semi-original characters. We wouldn't be adverse to some others. That said, Teen Titans GO and the Young Justice animated series among others have some very different takes on characters than has been seen in the comics. Due to their popularity, DC has been moving the depictions of some of these characters in the comics to be more like what is on the TV show. We aren't doing that.
Can I alter a character, like Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender, make him more “DC” and play him like an original character?
This is not a “no,” but it is a strong “most likely not.” There are several awesome pan-fandom games out there and we'll be happy to help you find one. We just are not a pan-fandom group, and we fear losing what makes us unique if we became pan-fandom oriented instead of focusing on the richness that can be found in 75 years of one company's comics. If you have a spectacular enough idea, however, we will at least hear it out. The rules for playing OCs would apply.
I’d like to write for comics someday. Will this help me?
It will probably do more harm than good. Sure, your writing skills will likely improve and we like to think we have a good reputation out there, but the major companies tend to have a very dim view of fan fiction. If you do apply for a writing job, leave us out of it! You can have people here give references, talk about skills you have built helping the community with various projects and the like, but do not mention us as a resume builder and, for God sake, do not pitch plots that were done out here even if you ran them! It’s not worth it on multiple levels.
I'd like to play, but my knowledge is limited / I'd like to play, but I don't know of any characters that would work. / I want to play, but my favorite is taken!
There are many, many useful characters who have very minimal canon who would come in with team contacts and relationships that would be able to get you started. Drop us a line and tell us what kind of character you'd like to play or some general characteristics. We'll probably be able to find a solid fit.
Can I app a character who is being played?
Ask the player if they would be willing to let you play the character instead. Some of us are willing to let go of a puppet to someone who promises to love them. If they agree to let you have a shot then we'll treat the application just like any other.
I don’t really know the DCU. Wouldn't it be easier to create an original character?
No. Playing original characters is actually much, much harder. Rewarding, yes, but harder. Being an OC still means your character has likely lived in the DCU all their lives and understands the culture around them which has been shaped by super powered beings. Second, OCs do not have established relationships. You can't just become Batman's sidekick overnight or become Jamie Reyes' girlfriend who adventures with him just because you suddenly appeared. That kind of relationship has to be seen and developed through storytelling. Everything for an OC has to be developed from the ground up and you will still need to learn canon anyway in order to know what your fellow characters are talking about.
I have this character I would like to “test drive” for a potential story I’m writing. Can I apply for them as an OC?
We’d appreciate it if you didn’t. Copyright is a tricky thing when it comes to fan-made work as is and what you do here we consider it community property which likely won’t jibe with the creative vision you are going for.
Sounds like you're down on people being OCs...
Not at all. We've had some truly brilliant ones that made this world our own. We have just have had problems in the past where people felt playing an OC was “easier” and then were sorely disappointed when their OC had trouble connecting with other characters for RP opportunities and plots. OCs are also irreplaceable should a player leave. Story-wise, we need to make sure a player can handle that kind of responsibility, and the best way to find that out is if they play a canon character for awhile, do well and then come in with the OC having some ideas as to know to get them established as their own heroes.
Chat and Internet
Why do you strongly recommend being available by chat?
Because we want to get to know you! We share jokes, talk about characters and each other’s lives and otherwise become a real team. You don’t have to join the chats to have this happen, but it helps immensely. For this purpose we tend to us AOL Instant Messenger because it’s free, fairly stable and does chats well.
How can I use G-chat to access an AOL chatroom?
Try this site.
I hate AOL IM or I just don’t want to install it on my computer. Are there alternatives?
AIM Express and Meebo are both browser based chat systems which will allow you to enter the nightly chats without downloading anything. G-chat has ways of accessing AIM logins through your Google account, which may also be an option for you. There are also multiple chat clients such as Trillian and Pidgin which have the ability to have any and all chat programs you want open and in one place. Trillian has better graphics, but Pidgin is add-free. None of these options cost anything.
Who can start the semi-nightly chats?
Anyone! If you see more than 3 people on, there’s enough to start talking to each other. Since we also have people who are in other parts of the world or who work odd hours, don’t assume it is too early or late for the “nightly” chatroom.
I have something going on and can’t be in the chat.
Then ignore the request when it comes in, or better yet, place your chat settings on “busy” or “invisible.” If it is a more technical problem, check with the admin and we’ll see what we can do. The “nightly” chat though is a bit of a misnomer. We have people on at most hours and most days.
Why do you recommend Firefox or Chrome? / Do you have recommendation on how to customize my browser for game play?
Both Firefox and Chrome have extensions which allow players to log in and out of their accounts quickly and easily. If you have more than one character, you will find this amazingly handy after awhile. It also allows you to store NPC accounts and access them quickly, which is also very handy. There are other extensions for Firefox and Chrome we also recommend here.
I’m having some trouble with getting things to work, can someone help?
Two of the admin are very tech-savvy as are some of the players. If you need help, ask for it and we will see what we can do.
Someone did something in the chatroom or in a private chat the admin did not see or didn’t seem to notice and I feel it’s not keeping with the “playing nice” rule. What should I do?
Record a log of the chat and send it to the admin with a comment regarding your concerns.
Teams
This is NOT a full listing. For further information, please check the wiki.
Justice League of America: The League is a little larger than one normally expects, comprised of approximately 26 heroes, not including auxiliary heroes (heroes who are part time, but members of the team) and retired or otherwise honorary reservists (former members who can still be contacted in case of dire emergency). If the auxiliaries and reservists are counted, the number of members doubles. While their charter covers actions taken around the world, most individual members are based out of and associated with America.
Justice Society of America: The original superhero team is a fair bit different from the Golden Age team that inspired it. This version not only accepts the legacy aspect of its being, but wholeheartedly embraces it. While it still has its roots as a team, it has also become a place for aspiring heroes who wish to benefit from the experience of the older heroes (or to learn from the immediate mistakes of the younger heroes). It is not an academy, or a place that attempts to be a school. It is more a place of apprenticeship: A place to learn directly from those who can provide a learning experience.
Global Guardians: The UN team that is made up of members the world over, the Global Guardians are those heroes given full UN military clemency. They are the ones primarily authorized to act in situation that require UN intervention. While individual Guardians are big names in their local countries, the Guardians as a whole are often overshadowed by their American-based counterparts, but they have legal jurisdiction (and sometimes a better reputation) to act in places the Justice League may not be allowed into immediately.
Big Ten: China’s premiere superhero team which is a rival for both the Global Guardians and the JLA. They are secretive, powerful and loyal to the motherland, though they are beginning to think in terms of being a global superhero team with the same reach as the other two teams. Overall, they deal with the Guardians much more successfully than the JLA.
The Outsiders: The Outsiders were once a team team of superheroic black ops members founded by Batman who try and root out the most dangerous and world shattering of threats in an often preemptive manner. The second Outsiders was an off-shoot of the JSA founded by Sand to combat mostly magical threats which hid behind legitimate facades and is currently recovering form the loss of half of its members due to death or retirement. (The Outsiders founded by Arsenal and Nightwing did not appear in DC Nation.)
The (Teen) Titans: Not one, nor two, but three times the Titans! The Titans have grown so large that they have been split into three teams: West, East, and South. Many classic members are still here, marking the team as no longer simply a training ground for the next generation of Leaguers but a team made up of adults and teens with their own philosophy. Often, they encompass those who are are too headstrong, independent and/or otherwise problematic to work within the Justice Society or Justice League.
Task Force X / The Suicide Squad / The Elite: A group made up of several super-powered ex-cons, The Suicide Squad (called so because of their high chance of death) have had many iterations, most of them under Amanda Waller and/or Rick Flagg. When the teams existence was revealed not long after the fall of the Luthor Presidency, most of the members and those leading have fallen by the wayside, waiting for the political smoke to finish clearing before getting back to work (whether they have a choice or not). While there have been efforts on and off to reform the Squad, political changes have made keeping the group going quite difficult. Most recently, the group tried a softer sell approach using somewhat questionable mercenaries instead of conscripted convicts and went by the name “The Elite.”
Birds of Prey: A largely-mobile team run by Oracle, the Birds are something of a cross between a detective agency and a cape team. Most of its operatives are female, the primary “agents on the ground” being Black Canary, Huntress, and Zinda Blackhawk, though others are occasionally called in for specific missions.
Lantern Corps (various): There are seven different space-based Lantern Corps’, one for each color on the spectrum. Earth is the home-base for several Green Lanterns (powered by willpower), a couple Blue Lanterns (powered by hope), and a couple Violet Lanterns/Star Sapphires (powered by love). At this time, they are primarily concerned with the events of Blackest Night, but while members of their own Corps are considered allies, members of the other Corps are either allies or enemies depending almost entirely on the individuals involved.
Checkmate: Established by Amanda Waller as an independent arm of Task Force X, Checkmate engages in top secret missions vital to U.S. interests. Very much “gray” on the black-and-white spectrum, it has recently come to light that the group is heavily infiltrated by agents of Diablo, a nilistic terrorist organization bent on destroying all ties of brotherhood across the world. It is currently unknown if they are capable of routing all of those agents and returning to their roots or if the group itself has been put into checkmate. Either way, they have a powerful presence in the city of Philadelphia.
Darkstars: Only a few members of this space-based organization still exist, though those that do continue to fight for justice throughout the universe. None are currently based on Earth. With the near-destruction of the Controllers, this group is at risk for fading into legend.
Doom Patrol: There have been three incarnations of this team so far. The first two ended in the deaths of all or most of the team, and the third was disbanded. Since the team, and their enemies, appear to have returned post-Blackest Night a fourth incarnation of this team is underway. Thematically, Doom Patrol gets the cases and situations too outlandishly crazy for anyone else. If you have 10,000 killer robots quoting Nietzsche being operated by a super-powerful, suicidal AI who only speaks in movie quotes, send the Doom Patrol.
L.E.G.I.O.N.: Founded by Vril Dox II, L.E.G.I.O.N. steps in where the Lanterns and the Dark Stars can’t -- for a fee, of course. They’ve been keeping themselves busy off-screen for the most part, their last major ‘event’ being Vril Dox II reclaiming L.E.G.I.O.N. from his son Lyrl.
Manhunters: After the destruction of the Green Lantern Corps, the Manhunters served Malvolio until Sinestro came and convinced them to work for him instead. Concerned that they wouldn’t be loyal to him, he found them a new Grandmaster in Hank Henshaw AKA the Cyborg Superman. When Henshaw was killed in the Sinestro Corps War on Earth, the Manhunters restored him to life so that he could continue to lead them. Since then, they have been lying in wait, preparing for their next attack.
The Rogues: The Keystone City Rogues are their own breed. Often not the most powerful of the villains out there, bit certainly the most colorful. They frequently work as a team and, oddly enough, often lack any real malice towards their main enemy, the Flash family. They are they type of people to crash Barry Allen’s anniversary party for the cake, leave presents for him, yet mug the rest of the guests.
Organizations
No Capes, No Gods, No Masters: A small but influential group, this one clearly sees itself on the side of the Angels. Its’ mission is to draw attention to how destructive and unreliable heroes can be, to the point where anyone who is wearing a cape should not be considered a hero.
The Tomorrow Party: Lex Luthor’s center-right American political party which has enough of a following to let him successfully run for two terms as President of the United States. While Lex has moved on from active politics others, such as Marcia Long have seized onto the core messages of human self-sufficiency, solid defense and technological advancement. The Tomorrow Party’s platform is set to go global.
Diablo: A nihilistic cult, they (naturally) tend to default to villainy to achieve their aims. Two of the recent messes they’ve had a hand in are “Killswitch” and “Filthy Lucre”, and they may have also had a hand in the death of Dr. Arthur Swenson that forced the Teen Titans to go underground for a time.
H.I.V.E.: Still a villanious organization that, in particular, plagues the Titans, H.I.V.E. worked with Talia Head and the League of Shadows to loose a disease inside of the over-crowded Arthur Kill Correctional Facility on Staten Island. They are also responsible for returning two Titans lost in the Crisis, albeit accidentally and eleven years after the fact.
Injustice Society: Vandal Savage briefly reassembled the team to go after the Justice Society while they were recruiting new members during the “Legacies” plot. However, Gentleman Ghost deliberately disassembled the explosive that he was supposed to plant in the Brownstone, explaining to Obsidian that fighting the Justice Society kept him entertained, so killing them would be counter-productive. Prior to that, the last time they were seen was when Johnny Sorrow used them as a distraction while he attempted to restore the King of Tears to corporeal form.
Monster Society: An new incarnation of this team teamed up with the villainous Dr. Light to steal several things from S.T.A.R. Labs' New Orleans, which they used to build an android to use as a weapon against the Justice League. The android chose the name Dr. Manhattan for itself. The Society attacked the Outsiders, to help Enchantress get revenge on the team, and while Dr. Light needed to rescue them, they did some major damage to the Outsiders too. They were also responsible for the plague let loose on the children of the world. When last seen, they helped Dr. Light overcome the brainwashing that made him think he was Lord Naga and teleported away to parts unknown.
S.T.A.R. Labs: Working diligently throughout the United States, S.T.A.R. Labs has continued it’s mission to provide scientific and technological advances to the world and to the heroes that protect it.
U.S. Government: Following the previous president's debacle with Gotham City and No Man's Land, he stepped down and prompted a special election, leading to president Lex Luthor's election. Luthor was elected formally in 2004. After Luthor stepped down, his vice president Ross became president, and Ross selected former Secretary of Education, Jefferson Pierce (former superhero Black Lightning), as his vice president. The current president, elected in 2008, is Prescott Rickard.
Any other teams and organizations you may have a question about will be on the DC Nation wiki.
Glossary of Terms
Admin
One of 5 people at DC Nation that does paperwork, handles disputes and otherwise takes care of day to day operations and basic leadership.
Canon
Coming from an Old English word meaning “standard rod for measuring,” canon means a list of the works of an author that are accepted as authentic. In the case of DCN, it means what stories and character moments create an official history for all characters in the game.
Comm / Community
Can either refer to the places where game action or out of character announcements are posted or to the DC Nation players as a whole.
God-modding
Having your character act or perceive of information they have no right to in such a way as to make other character look less skilled or block them off all together from appropriate action. For more details, see above.
IC
In-character or in the act of a player while being in character.
OC / Original Character
An original character is one created by the player to become a part of DCN’s canon. They have no comic book or other source history. They are irreplaceable if the player leaves, so we screen such characters carefully.
OOC (out of character)
Out-of-character or the act of a player being themselves rather than playing a character.
OOC (as in “post to”)
The DC Nation Out of Character community, where things like memes, announcements and plot planning takes place.
Ping, Pong, or Tag
Words used to indicate that a reply has been made to a post and/or scene. If you are being told this directly, it means that it is expected to be your turn to make a reply next.
Plot
An at least somewhat structured story with a beginning, middle and end and often a goal which characters encounter a problem and work to solve it. Individual posts making up a plot are called scenes. Plots are our main mode of storytelling in DCN, but character posts that are not attached to any specific story also have an honored place in the meta-story.
Post and Scene
A moment posted to the main community so that a player or players can interact or show some kind of game related thought process. It can be as simple as a superhero battle or a birthday party, or it could be an involved flashback showing a character’s origin or other important moment in their lives. If a post is specifically part of a plot, then it is a scene.
RP / RPG
Role-playing and role-playing game respectively. It means taking on the persona or a character while they are guided through an adventure. DCN is classified as one though we also have elements of fan fiction writing and even theater.
Thread
A part of a post or scene which is separated out because it either deals with another character or set of characters (like Batman and Robin fighting in one thread while Batwoman and Batgirl fight in another) or because it takes place in a later moment than a previous thread.
Wiki
A collaborative website whose content can be edited by anyone who has access to it. In this case, our “encyclopedia” which covers character changes is generally referred to in conversation and in documents as “the wiki” or “our wiki.”
But I don't know canon!
That’s okay! In some cases, knowing canon is not even all that desirable. There is more on this in the canon section.
I’ve seen the quality of the work out here, and I’m not sure I’m up to what you guys are looking for.
You won’t know until you try. We only bite on request and we love, love, love to help newbies. Even the published people out here had to start somewhere, and odds are you’re better than you think. If you feel your writing needs help, feel free to tell us that and then someone will likely help mentor you.
What is the application process?
A player who wants a particular character fills out a form here letting us know they would like to play that role. One of the administrative team then takes the application and sets up a panel of players. These players play people who would be most likely to closely interact with the character in the applications – think teammates, close friends, spouses, “runs in the same circles,” etc. - while one admin oversees the process. The panel reads the application and then says YES, NO or TEST SCENE.
Test scenes are very common (80%) in the application process. We aren't looking for perfection. We're looking for the player's ability to represent the character well, to give and receive cues from their fellow players and if the writing is understandable. Once the test scene is underway, players can vote YES or NO. The admin overseeing the panel only votes in cases of a tie.
If you are accepted – welcome! Have your journals join the main community and the OOC.
If you are not accepted, we try to include some feedback on why your application did not go through. This feedback will come from the admin who oversaw the panel, but keep in mind, the admin is reporting the feedback of the panel, NOT making the decision itself. Trying to appeal to the admin to override the panel’s wishes is going to be futile. You are allowed to re-submit the application after a few months. We have that time off so that you can revise your work and approach and try again.
We should note that most of the admin team are in the education field. Certain times of the school year get busier and crazier than others. Feel free to e-mail us if you feel the delay has been too long on any given thing.
Am I allowed to know who is on my application panel?
No. The reason for that is to keep the discussions honest and open between players. If they say “no,” then odds are good that choice was reached after a lot of hard thought because no one wants to say no to a friend. The only person you are allowed to ask for feedback from is the admin who oversaw the panel.
Can my application be turned down for spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes?
Generally it won't be, but...Think of mechanical errors in writing like static on the radio. Too much static and you can't hear the song. We do have a few educators on the team that would be happy to tutor you on the mechanics of writing should you want the help. If you are not a native English speaker please say so upfront and we'll work something out.
Can I be turned down for previous behavior on another game?
We all make mistakes. If we know about it – and keep in mind we had people playing LJ RPGs for 7 years here, so the odds are pretty good one of us has heard something somewhere – we'll probably ask you about it just so the air is clear. It isn’t a deal-breaker, however.
The person I want to play is kind of obscure. / The person I want to play is a canon nightmare.
We have some useful sites we can recommend (including our wiki), and chances are no matter how obscure the character, you'll find that one of our other players can help you learn more about them. In fact, we WANT to help you. More good role-players = better community. If you have questions, ask. We love questions.
We also fix bad and crazy canon. We might even have a fix already in mind. That said, you’ll probably have some work cut out for you in order to get the character back to good.
As a brief aside, depending on how obscure they are and how many characters you already have which would be hard to replace it can affect how many more you can take on. If you have a roster of original and obscure character already, often panels of player will weigh another application for an original/obscure character more heavily than if this is the only character in your collection that would be obscure or original. Why? Because the community impact would be more significant if someone with a roster full of OCs just vanished than someone with a roster of canon characters would likely be. It’s generally not a reason for outright rejection, but in a close panel, it can tip the balance.
Can I bring in people from one of the animated series or movies?
It's best to ask about the specific character. We do have two characters from the Dini-verse in-game as semi-original characters. We wouldn't be adverse to some others. That said, Teen Titans GO and the Young Justice animated series among others have some very different takes on characters than has been seen in the comics. Due to their popularity, DC has been moving the depictions of some of these characters in the comics to be more like what is on the TV show. We aren't doing that.
Can I alter a character, like Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender, make him more “DC” and play him like an original character?
This is not a “no,” but it is a strong “most likely not.” There are several awesome pan-fandom games out there and we'll be happy to help you find one. We just are not a pan-fandom group, and we fear losing what makes us unique if we became pan-fandom oriented instead of focusing on the richness that can be found in 75 years of one company's comics. If you have a spectacular enough idea, however, we will at least hear it out. The rules for playing OCs would apply.
I’d like to write for comics someday. Will this help me?
It will probably do more harm than good. Sure, your writing skills will likely improve and we like to think we have a good reputation out there, but the major companies tend to have a very dim view of fan fiction. If you do apply for a writing job, leave us out of it! You can have people here give references, talk about skills you have built helping the community with various projects and the like, but do not mention us as a resume builder and, for God sake, do not pitch plots that were done out here even if you ran them! It’s not worth it on multiple levels.
I'd like to play, but my knowledge is limited / I'd like to play, but I don't know of any characters that would work. / I want to play, but my favorite is taken!
There are many, many useful characters who have very minimal canon who would come in with team contacts and relationships that would be able to get you started. Drop us a line and tell us what kind of character you'd like to play or some general characteristics. We'll probably be able to find a solid fit.
Can I app a character who is being played?
Ask the player if they would be willing to let you play the character instead. Some of us are willing to let go of a puppet to someone who promises to love them. If they agree to let you have a shot then we'll treat the application just like any other.
I don’t really know the DCU. Wouldn't it be easier to create an original character?
No. Playing original characters is actually much, much harder. Rewarding, yes, but harder. Being an OC still means your character has likely lived in the DCU all their lives and understands the culture around them which has been shaped by super powered beings. Second, OCs do not have established relationships. You can't just become Batman's sidekick overnight or become Jamie Reyes' girlfriend who adventures with him just because you suddenly appeared. That kind of relationship has to be seen and developed through storytelling. Everything for an OC has to be developed from the ground up and you will still need to learn canon anyway in order to know what your fellow characters are talking about.
I have this character I would like to “test drive” for a potential story I’m writing. Can I apply for them as an OC?
We’d appreciate it if you didn’t. Copyright is a tricky thing when it comes to fan-made work as is and what you do here we consider it community property which likely won’t jibe with the creative vision you are going for.
Sounds like you're down on people being OCs...
Not at all. We've had some truly brilliant ones that made this world our own. We have just have had problems in the past where people felt playing an OC was “easier” and then were sorely disappointed when their OC had trouble connecting with other characters for RP opportunities and plots. OCs are also irreplaceable should a player leave. Story-wise, we need to make sure a player can handle that kind of responsibility, and the best way to find that out is if they play a canon character for awhile, do well and then come in with the OC having some ideas as to know to get them established as their own heroes.
Chat and Internet
Why do you strongly recommend being available by chat?
Because we want to get to know you! We share jokes, talk about characters and each other’s lives and otherwise become a real team. You don’t have to join the chats to have this happen, but it helps immensely. For this purpose we tend to us AOL Instant Messenger because it’s free, fairly stable and does chats well.
How can I use G-chat to access an AOL chatroom?
Try this site.
I hate AOL IM or I just don’t want to install it on my computer. Are there alternatives?
AIM Express and Meebo are both browser based chat systems which will allow you to enter the nightly chats without downloading anything. G-chat has ways of accessing AIM logins through your Google account, which may also be an option for you. There are also multiple chat clients such as Trillian and Pidgin which have the ability to have any and all chat programs you want open and in one place. Trillian has better graphics, but Pidgin is add-free. None of these options cost anything.
Who can start the semi-nightly chats?
Anyone! If you see more than 3 people on, there’s enough to start talking to each other. Since we also have people who are in other parts of the world or who work odd hours, don’t assume it is too early or late for the “nightly” chatroom.
I have something going on and can’t be in the chat.
Then ignore the request when it comes in, or better yet, place your chat settings on “busy” or “invisible.” If it is a more technical problem, check with the admin and we’ll see what we can do. The “nightly” chat though is a bit of a misnomer. We have people on at most hours and most days.
Why do you recommend Firefox or Chrome? / Do you have recommendation on how to customize my browser for game play?
Both Firefox and Chrome have extensions which allow players to log in and out of their accounts quickly and easily. If you have more than one character, you will find this amazingly handy after awhile. It also allows you to store NPC accounts and access them quickly, which is also very handy. There are other extensions for Firefox and Chrome we also recommend here.
I’m having some trouble with getting things to work, can someone help?
Two of the admin are very tech-savvy as are some of the players. If you need help, ask for it and we will see what we can do.
Someone did something in the chatroom or in a private chat the admin did not see or didn’t seem to notice and I feel it’s not keeping with the “playing nice” rule. What should I do?
Record a log of the chat and send it to the admin with a comment regarding your concerns.
Teams
This is NOT a full listing. For further information, please check the wiki.
Justice League of America: The League is a little larger than one normally expects, comprised of approximately 26 heroes, not including auxiliary heroes (heroes who are part time, but members of the team) and retired or otherwise honorary reservists (former members who can still be contacted in case of dire emergency). If the auxiliaries and reservists are counted, the number of members doubles. While their charter covers actions taken around the world, most individual members are based out of and associated with America.
Justice Society of America: The original superhero team is a fair bit different from the Golden Age team that inspired it. This version not only accepts the legacy aspect of its being, but wholeheartedly embraces it. While it still has its roots as a team, it has also become a place for aspiring heroes who wish to benefit from the experience of the older heroes (or to learn from the immediate mistakes of the younger heroes). It is not an academy, or a place that attempts to be a school. It is more a place of apprenticeship: A place to learn directly from those who can provide a learning experience.
Global Guardians: The UN team that is made up of members the world over, the Global Guardians are those heroes given full UN military clemency. They are the ones primarily authorized to act in situation that require UN intervention. While individual Guardians are big names in their local countries, the Guardians as a whole are often overshadowed by their American-based counterparts, but they have legal jurisdiction (and sometimes a better reputation) to act in places the Justice League may not be allowed into immediately.
Big Ten: China’s premiere superhero team which is a rival for both the Global Guardians and the JLA. They are secretive, powerful and loyal to the motherland, though they are beginning to think in terms of being a global superhero team with the same reach as the other two teams. Overall, they deal with the Guardians much more successfully than the JLA.
The Outsiders: The Outsiders were once a team team of superheroic black ops members founded by Batman who try and root out the most dangerous and world shattering of threats in an often preemptive manner. The second Outsiders was an off-shoot of the JSA founded by Sand to combat mostly magical threats which hid behind legitimate facades and is currently recovering form the loss of half of its members due to death or retirement. (The Outsiders founded by Arsenal and Nightwing did not appear in DC Nation.)
The (Teen) Titans: Not one, nor two, but three times the Titans! The Titans have grown so large that they have been split into three teams: West, East, and South. Many classic members are still here, marking the team as no longer simply a training ground for the next generation of Leaguers but a team made up of adults and teens with their own philosophy. Often, they encompass those who are are too headstrong, independent and/or otherwise problematic to work within the Justice Society or Justice League.
Task Force X / The Suicide Squad / The Elite: A group made up of several super-powered ex-cons, The Suicide Squad (called so because of their high chance of death) have had many iterations, most of them under Amanda Waller and/or Rick Flagg. When the teams existence was revealed not long after the fall of the Luthor Presidency, most of the members and those leading have fallen by the wayside, waiting for the political smoke to finish clearing before getting back to work (whether they have a choice or not). While there have been efforts on and off to reform the Squad, political changes have made keeping the group going quite difficult. Most recently, the group tried a softer sell approach using somewhat questionable mercenaries instead of conscripted convicts and went by the name “The Elite.”
Birds of Prey: A largely-mobile team run by Oracle, the Birds are something of a cross between a detective agency and a cape team. Most of its operatives are female, the primary “agents on the ground” being Black Canary, Huntress, and Zinda Blackhawk, though others are occasionally called in for specific missions.
Lantern Corps (various): There are seven different space-based Lantern Corps’, one for each color on the spectrum. Earth is the home-base for several Green Lanterns (powered by willpower), a couple Blue Lanterns (powered by hope), and a couple Violet Lanterns/Star Sapphires (powered by love). At this time, they are primarily concerned with the events of Blackest Night, but while members of their own Corps are considered allies, members of the other Corps are either allies or enemies depending almost entirely on the individuals involved.
Checkmate: Established by Amanda Waller as an independent arm of Task Force X, Checkmate engages in top secret missions vital to U.S. interests. Very much “gray” on the black-and-white spectrum, it has recently come to light that the group is heavily infiltrated by agents of Diablo, a nilistic terrorist organization bent on destroying all ties of brotherhood across the world. It is currently unknown if they are capable of routing all of those agents and returning to their roots or if the group itself has been put into checkmate. Either way, they have a powerful presence in the city of Philadelphia.
Darkstars: Only a few members of this space-based organization still exist, though those that do continue to fight for justice throughout the universe. None are currently based on Earth. With the near-destruction of the Controllers, this group is at risk for fading into legend.
Doom Patrol: There have been three incarnations of this team so far. The first two ended in the deaths of all or most of the team, and the third was disbanded. Since the team, and their enemies, appear to have returned post-Blackest Night a fourth incarnation of this team is underway. Thematically, Doom Patrol gets the cases and situations too outlandishly crazy for anyone else. If you have 10,000 killer robots quoting Nietzsche being operated by a super-powerful, suicidal AI who only speaks in movie quotes, send the Doom Patrol.
L.E.G.I.O.N.: Founded by Vril Dox II, L.E.G.I.O.N. steps in where the Lanterns and the Dark Stars can’t -- for a fee, of course. They’ve been keeping themselves busy off-screen for the most part, their last major ‘event’ being Vril Dox II reclaiming L.E.G.I.O.N. from his son Lyrl.
Manhunters: After the destruction of the Green Lantern Corps, the Manhunters served Malvolio until Sinestro came and convinced them to work for him instead. Concerned that they wouldn’t be loyal to him, he found them a new Grandmaster in Hank Henshaw AKA the Cyborg Superman. When Henshaw was killed in the Sinestro Corps War on Earth, the Manhunters restored him to life so that he could continue to lead them. Since then, they have been lying in wait, preparing for their next attack.
The Rogues: The Keystone City Rogues are their own breed. Often not the most powerful of the villains out there, bit certainly the most colorful. They frequently work as a team and, oddly enough, often lack any real malice towards their main enemy, the Flash family. They are they type of people to crash Barry Allen’s anniversary party for the cake, leave presents for him, yet mug the rest of the guests.
Organizations
No Capes, No Gods, No Masters: A small but influential group, this one clearly sees itself on the side of the Angels. Its’ mission is to draw attention to how destructive and unreliable heroes can be, to the point where anyone who is wearing a cape should not be considered a hero.
The Tomorrow Party: Lex Luthor’s center-right American political party which has enough of a following to let him successfully run for two terms as President of the United States. While Lex has moved on from active politics others, such as Marcia Long have seized onto the core messages of human self-sufficiency, solid defense and technological advancement. The Tomorrow Party’s platform is set to go global.
Diablo: A nihilistic cult, they (naturally) tend to default to villainy to achieve their aims. Two of the recent messes they’ve had a hand in are “Killswitch” and “Filthy Lucre”, and they may have also had a hand in the death of Dr. Arthur Swenson that forced the Teen Titans to go underground for a time.
H.I.V.E.: Still a villanious organization that, in particular, plagues the Titans, H.I.V.E. worked with Talia Head and the League of Shadows to loose a disease inside of the over-crowded Arthur Kill Correctional Facility on Staten Island. They are also responsible for returning two Titans lost in the Crisis, albeit accidentally and eleven years after the fact.
Injustice Society: Vandal Savage briefly reassembled the team to go after the Justice Society while they were recruiting new members during the “Legacies” plot. However, Gentleman Ghost deliberately disassembled the explosive that he was supposed to plant in the Brownstone, explaining to Obsidian that fighting the Justice Society kept him entertained, so killing them would be counter-productive. Prior to that, the last time they were seen was when Johnny Sorrow used them as a distraction while he attempted to restore the King of Tears to corporeal form.
Monster Society: An new incarnation of this team teamed up with the villainous Dr. Light to steal several things from S.T.A.R. Labs' New Orleans, which they used to build an android to use as a weapon against the Justice League. The android chose the name Dr. Manhattan for itself. The Society attacked the Outsiders, to help Enchantress get revenge on the team, and while Dr. Light needed to rescue them, they did some major damage to the Outsiders too. They were also responsible for the plague let loose on the children of the world. When last seen, they helped Dr. Light overcome the brainwashing that made him think he was Lord Naga and teleported away to parts unknown.
S.T.A.R. Labs: Working diligently throughout the United States, S.T.A.R. Labs has continued it’s mission to provide scientific and technological advances to the world and to the heroes that protect it.
U.S. Government: Following the previous president's debacle with Gotham City and No Man's Land, he stepped down and prompted a special election, leading to president Lex Luthor's election. Luthor was elected formally in 2004. After Luthor stepped down, his vice president Ross became president, and Ross selected former Secretary of Education, Jefferson Pierce (former superhero Black Lightning), as his vice president. The current president, elected in 2008, is Prescott Rickard.
Any other teams and organizations you may have a question about will be on the DC Nation wiki.
Glossary of Terms
Admin
One of 5 people at DC Nation that does paperwork, handles disputes and otherwise takes care of day to day operations and basic leadership.
Canon
Coming from an Old English word meaning “standard rod for measuring,” canon means a list of the works of an author that are accepted as authentic. In the case of DCN, it means what stories and character moments create an official history for all characters in the game.
Comm / Community
Can either refer to the places where game action or out of character announcements are posted or to the DC Nation players as a whole.
God-modding
Having your character act or perceive of information they have no right to in such a way as to make other character look less skilled or block them off all together from appropriate action. For more details, see above.
IC
In-character or in the act of a player while being in character.
OC / Original Character
An original character is one created by the player to become a part of DCN’s canon. They have no comic book or other source history. They are irreplaceable if the player leaves, so we screen such characters carefully.
OOC (out of character)
Out-of-character or the act of a player being themselves rather than playing a character.
OOC (as in “post to”)
The DC Nation Out of Character community, where things like memes, announcements and plot planning takes place.
Ping, Pong, or Tag
Words used to indicate that a reply has been made to a post and/or scene. If you are being told this directly, it means that it is expected to be your turn to make a reply next.
Plot
An at least somewhat structured story with a beginning, middle and end and often a goal which characters encounter a problem and work to solve it. Individual posts making up a plot are called scenes. Plots are our main mode of storytelling in DCN, but character posts that are not attached to any specific story also have an honored place in the meta-story.
Post and Scene
A moment posted to the main community so that a player or players can interact or show some kind of game related thought process. It can be as simple as a superhero battle or a birthday party, or it could be an involved flashback showing a character’s origin or other important moment in their lives. If a post is specifically part of a plot, then it is a scene.
RP / RPG
Role-playing and role-playing game respectively. It means taking on the persona or a character while they are guided through an adventure. DCN is classified as one though we also have elements of fan fiction writing and even theater.
Thread
A part of a post or scene which is separated out because it either deals with another character or set of characters (like Batman and Robin fighting in one thread while Batwoman and Batgirl fight in another) or because it takes place in a later moment than a previous thread.
Wiki
A collaborative website whose content can be edited by anyone who has access to it. In this case, our “encyclopedia” which covers character changes is generally referred to in conversation and in documents as “the wiki” or “our wiki.”
