1	we know the general guidelines of rp ettiquette, but we'll reiterate just to be thorough. be respectful of your fellow members! we do not expect all characters to get along (it'd be a boring game if that were the case), but you must not blend ooc into ic. don't bite off more you can chew with the number of characters you bring to yinz. if you are barely making activity requirements for your first, do you think it's smart to bring in a second? usernames should be in character as well as aim screennames. the rule of thumb for this is to keep it clean and simple, so underscores and excessive lettering will not be accepted. you do not need approval for mature lines, but you must do your research and be adult in how you handle sensitive subjects like addiction. when in doubt, always note your updates with trigger warnings.
2	in order to apply, you must have a set up journal with a friends only and contact post backdated. you must also have your best writing examples (two updates, two scenes) ready and viewable for the mods at yinz. this is our only determination of whether or not you'd fit into this environment, so bring your a-game. a link to the examples should be left in the appropriate dropbox and located in either your character's journal or a compilation journal. we will not look at examples messaged to us at all. if we cannot see your examples upon adds time, you will be rejected. quality is what we look for in our examples, and it will be the sole reason why you are rejected. if you feel as though you have better writing examples that show off your skill, feel free to reapply.
3	you are expected to introduce your character within 72 hours of adds. the specific date and time will always be in our welcome comment to your application so that there is no discrepency. once you have introduced your character, you are expected to post a full biography within a week of being added. this time frame is granted to writers so that they can take their time amassing important connections that may be integral to their character's history. we also know that sometimes you get a stronger feel for characterization and personality if you have a few days of interaction under your belt.
4	after you have uploaded your character's biography, we expect a substantial update within two weeks. after that, you'll be folded into the regular update period. a substantial first update can mean narratives, blog entries or anything else insightful into your character. we will not be allowing graphic heavy updates like instagram for a first update. in fact, we only allow graphics heavy updates for every other month you are due. we do not encourage slackers and feel like this will be one of the main ways to deter rolehogs. if you are still uncertain about what is considered a graphics heavy update, please inquire in our dropbox!
5	we do not do extensions since the general update period will be four weeks. you are free to be creative with your updates so long as they show some kind of effort. our update period also requires not only an update, but a certain activitiy requirement. an activity requirement is posting in pittsburgh with a significant amount of commenting. you can't just post in the subcomm and disappear after commenting once or twice and expect that to count. when you have fullfilled both your activity and update requirements, make sure to drop off the link to both entries in the requirement post.
6	the mods reserve the right to change things up in order to weed out dead weight. most of the time we will observe the pattern of players over the months and go from there. if you are constantly fullfilling your requirements at the last minute, you will be receiving a warning. after that, the mods can remove you for your inconsistency. we also will do activity checks for the friends button with minimal warning. we encourage you to be aware of the fp and not disappear into your customs like so many do when they become comfortable in their game.
7	we do overrides here at yinz! sometimes, a member will have an out of date friends list or failed to intro. in that case, if you hover the pb in the taken list and it says override, feel free to apply for that face. the member with that pb will then be removed instantly, but it does not signify you have an automatic acceptance.
8	ultimately, the most important thing to remember is that this a game. we as mods will do the best we can to make sure yinz runs smoothly, but the heart of the game lies with its members and their dedication. this is a team effort, and we will always have our ears open to suggestions and ideas that will make this place a better home for our writers.