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- Note that the description (the subheader) of the thread is "Joining!" You can also put join or just j, and this marker may also appear in the thread's title (the topic name).
- The first post and all subsequent posts in this thread are of the bare minimum length you should work to achieve throughout your posts. Although we do not enforce any hardline minimum, two paragraphs (roughly ~200 words) is the suggested minimum.
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- It is acceptable behavior to howl at the borders for attention, although repeated howling may be perceived as impatience. It is also acceptable to remain quiet and simply wait to be found. The most important part is...
- ... newcomers shouldn't trespass! Chikkun does not trespass onto the Awesomesauce pack's land. Trespassing is considered a serious offense to some packs; it is universally disrespectful. Liken the border to the pack's front door; the territory is their home. You wouldn't want someone barging into your house -- you'd get pretty upset, right?
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Chikkun had risen. He was without a pack and had been alone for a long time now. He was lonely and wondered if there were any packs nearby. Suddenly he could smell a wolf pack, and he felt relief. While walking towards the pack borders he thought about how to do this. He had never been in a pack before, so he felt that it was important for him to do things right. Invading the pack lands without the wolves' permission would be a bad idea. Chikkun stopped near the outskirts of the territory borders and howled for someone.
He knew he had to wait for someone to come and meet him. He was tired and wanted to sit down, but remained on his feet. He knew that he had to give the pack a good first impression, so he lowered his large, grey neck closer to the ground to show submission for the wolf that he hoped would come and talk to him. His yellow eyes were excited, for the thought of a pack and a home was something he had always dreamed about. The skies were cloudy above him and the grass was green under his paws.
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- Ranked members greeting newcomers who are seeking acceptance to the pack will sometimes display dominance toward that newcomer; this should not be considered insulting, mean, or overbearing. The member is simply testing the newcomers' reactions and ability to submit, which is perfectly natural given the situation.
- Even if the ranked member does not display signs of dominance, it's still a good idea to react as if they had. Most laid-back leaders will probably just tell your character to relax anyway, and more traditional leaders will certainly appreciate the extra mile of respect your character is giving.
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Azazel had been an alpha for a long time now. He was getting to be an old wolf, but that did not mean he was failing in his duties; despite his age, he was quite able to keep up with them. It helped that both his sons were in the leadership ranks, both patiently biding for their chance at alphaship. Neither was so ambitious as to knock him down or try to take the rank by force, but Azazel knew that did not mean peace would be easy after his death; the pair of brothers were littermates, of equal age and equal strength, and even he could not have chosen one to follow him. And so he hadn't -- perhaps that damned his pack to war and strife after his death, but he would be long gone, of course.
The familiar border of his territory stretched out before him, and he moved with a grace that completely denied his age. An unfamiliar howl stopped him in his tracks, however, and caused him to approach more carefully; there was a stranger afoot. "Hello. I'm Azazel, alpha of the Super Duper Awesomesauce Pack. What can I do for you?" he said, speaking to the stranger in an even, warm tone. Though there was friendliness about him, the old wolf's body was practiced in the duties of alphaship, and his body displayed signs of dominance -- his tail was raised, his gaze unflinching and meeting the other in the face, his head elevated above this stranger's. There was nothing angry in instinct, after all.
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- Even as the ranked member approaches, Chikkun remains clearly on the unclaimed territory, not stepping over the border. Once again, trespassing is considered offensive and disrespectful; acting in such a manner greatly reduces your chance of acceptance.
- However, if your character has committed a trespassing or other offense, you can still try to make up for it. Extreme submission (flattened ears, averted eyes, tail tucked between the legs, body lowered all the way to the ground or even rolling on the ground and showing the belly) can act as a form of apology.
- Even if your character is particularly hot-headed or has a temper problem, it is important to remain polite and respectful during the joining process. Such "angry" characters may do best as a loner first; if s/he is able to make friends within a pack, this can certainly facilitate the acceptance process.
- It certainly doesn't hurt to state outright that your character has intention of joining, though most leaders will simply assume a character on the borders is there to join.
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Chikkun waited at the edge of the pack's lands. He did not want to wait for a long time, but he knew that someone must have heard his howl. He had to be patient and remain where he was so that whoever was coming to meet him would know where he was. The gray lone wolf was lucky, because soon a pack wolf appeared. Chikkun felt very nervous now, because he knew that the pack wolf was much more powerful than he was, and he knew that it was important to remain polite and show the approaching pack wolf respect since these were his lands.
When the other male wolf came closer, the loner saw that he was displaying dominance. Chikkun huddled together and lowered his yellow eyes quickly. He knew that he should not look a dominant wolf directly into the eyes. His gray tail fell and clung against his light belly; another sign of respect for the older wolf. He said nothing while the pack wolf introduced himself and said that he was alpha of the Super Duper Awesomesaunce Pack. Wow, this was the alpha! Chikkun felt very nervous, but knew that he had to do this right. "Hello alpha of the Super Duper Awesomesauce Pack, I am Chikkun and I want to join your pack." The lone wolf's eyes continued to look at the green forest floor in respect.
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- Even if Azazel were the omega of the Awesomesauce pack, Chikkun would still be required to respect him, as even the omega is higher up in the pack hierarchy than the unranked wolf.
- The question Azazel asks is relative to the special and particular skills your character has. Your character will almost certainly encounter this during the course of your joining thread.
- The answer provided can be anything from the more basic skills -- hunting, fishing, running, jumping -- to the more specialized skills. This can be anything from healing, weaponry, equestrian pursuits, human items, reading and writing. The werewolf element allows you to have a lot of fun and creativity in this area.
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It was commonplace for young loners to come seeking a new pack; most of Azazel's siblings and his own children had departed in such a manner. He had seen five litters of children throughout his lifetime with two different women after his first mate had passed on. She had been a strong wolf and an even stronger mother, but the exceptionally difficult winter had claimed a few capable hands that winter. The pale gray wolf listened to the newcomer patiently, nodding his head thoughtfully as the other canine introduced himself.
"Well, Chikkun, we're not in great need of new members right now. There are a lot of good wolves here. What can you do for us if you're allowed to stay?" the wolf asked. Though once more he was kindly about these things, the grizzled man stated the truth; if a canine could not capably help the pack, they were more of a hindrance, and thus he could not afford to take them in. Azazel took a rather objective worldview; some alphas would be far more lenient and allow newcomers the chance to prove themselves once inside the borders. Even so, Azazel didn't take a terrible lot to impress -- he was an old-fashioned wolf, and so almost anything relatively new was impressive to him.
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- Even if Chikkun was not able to provide an extremely specialized and useful skill to give to Azazel, his skills were still useful for the pack. Characters are never turned away for lack of any skill; evidence that your character is able and willing to learn and contribute to the pack is generally sufficient even without a special skill.
- Wolves are naturally and instinctively aware of the dominance and hierarchy structure in which they live. Both their social structure itself and their awareness of it is incredibly more fine-tuned than humans; even if a wolf's personality is that of a "rebellious teen" there is still an overwhelming instinct to remain submissive.
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As the alpha spoke, Chikkun’s yellow eyes rose slightly to stare at the paws of the other. He whined silently in automatic response to the dominant wolf, and his ashen tail brushed against his hind leg in a crippled wag. This was a strong pack—a large pack and not in dire need for new wolves. He remained in his inferior pose, almost afraid for the leader wolf’s gaze. He thought hard about his own skills. Even if Chikkun had lived alone for a long while, he was within his weight class. He was a good hunter and had learned to fish in the rivers when he was a puppy living with his parents.
”I am a good hunter and I know how to catch fish,” he carefully answered as ears lifted slightly from the back of his skull. ”I am young and strong and I believe I would serve the Awesomesauce pack well.” The young loner bowed his head lower. The alpha male’s presence was terrifying, but his words sounded wise and fair. Of course, a pack life was no easy life either. He would have to work for a place in the hierarchy and serve its members loyally. He was prepared to do all this.
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- Though at this point it seems certain that Chikkun will be accepted to the pack, it is important to remain patient. You are not permitted to post anywhere but your joining thread until the joining thread has been completed (signified by the posting of the official welcoming message). Joining threads generally take between three days and a week and a half; if you feel you are waiting an extremely long time, feel free to contact your leaders or a member of the staff via Private Message.
- Please note that the initial wolf who greets your character may not necessarily be a leader or someone who is able to accept your character to the pack; scout ranks are common in many of the packs, and thus you can sometimes expect to see one of these lower-ranked wolves before the alpha.
- If this is the case, at some point the scout wolf would then call for a leader of the pack to come and officially accept your character. You will be asked to edit your first post and place "leader needed" in the topic title or description, as this calls the leader's attention to the thread.
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In addition to his mate and sons, there were several other wolves of the pack, a veritable troupe of canines to keep the year's litter fat and happy. Even so, Azazel was not an unkind wolf, and he looked upon this Chikkun with a kind of understanding. Not everyone could become the alpha of his father's pack; it had been Azazel's birthright as the oldest and the strongest, and so when his father had passed, the pack had become Azazel's. His sons would continue this tradition, maybe until time ceased to be. It did not truly matter on the grand scheme if Chikkun was allowed entrance to the pack, though maybe by some rare chance Chikkun himself would become the alpha of Azazel's ancestral homeland.
"Fishing is a good thing. We have many rivers and no expert fisherman," Azazel exclaimed. He was quite glad to find this -- he himself had eaten fish on a few rare occasions, when someone had found a few of them trapped in a pool or otherwise captured them by some similarly far-fetched luck. "You seem to be a fine wolf in good condition, Chikkun. I must ask you one more question -- why did you leave the pack you called home?" Azazel knew this could potentially be a tricky question, but it was one that he required an answer to nonetheless; if Chikkun had left his last pack on less than stellar terms, such a thing needed to be said.
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- Sometimes, leaders will want to discuss your characters' previous pack history. It's a way to get to know your character a little better and understand where they are coming from. In this case, Chikkun has never lived in a pack before, so the leader knows to help Chikkun adjust to the rank system and introduce him to the different jobs in the pack. The leaders aren't looking for your character's life story in most instances; a few sentences will suffice for this kind of answer. You don't need to go into extreme detail answering this question.
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The gray yearling’s nose twitched in response to the promising words of the wolf before him, and he felt a wave of thrill creep up his spine. He had not been certain if such common skills as his were appreciated if the pack was large. Most wolves knew the art of hunting well, and so he knew that he did not have anything unique and original to offer. An anticipating smile appeared on the nervous loner’s lips, but he tried not to openly show it. This looked promising. If he could assist the pack with fishing then he would be useful from day one.
The next question came as a surprise, and yet another small whine escaped the submissive form of the gray wolf. ”I have no pack, sir.” he said, stating the obvious. He quickly modified his answer. ”My parents were a pair of lone wolves and I lived with them until recently. Two moons ago we decided to separate, since I'm an adult now.” Chikkun’s eyes flickered with unease, but he was determined to keep his gaze on the ground. He had not wished to live a loner’s life, and he thought it was only fair that he set out to find a life of his own now when he was no longer a puppy.
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- At this point, the alpha officially accepts Chikkun to the pack. After your leader has posted the official acceptance message (found in the next post), you can get straight to posting! You do not need to wait for an administrator to title you; as soon as you see this message, you're good to go!
- If your character has been rejected from the pack -- for example, for disrespectful behavour or lack of ability or skill, you can try to join another pack or the same pack again (although later would be better, improving the flaws that were the reason why your character was rejected and making friends in that pack would be better as well before a second attempt to join).
- Remember, if you have any questions about the joining process, you can always post them to the Questions & Help forum.
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To some, the lack of experience in the social structure of a pack would have been an almost frightening prospect, but Azazel was confident that Chikkun would adapt quickly to the ways of the Super Duper Awesomesauce pack. They did not have strange traditions or rituals or even ranks; they were a simple, traditional folk who lived on a particularly nice stretch of land with quite a few rivers. There was a single human dwelling on their land, and most of the pack had not even seen the inside of it. His first mate had inspected it for a den for one of their litters, but it was not suitable for such purposes, as it had virtually no insulation.
"That seems par for the course," Azazel stated, nodding his head slowly. "I will accept you at the rank of subordinate -- we have a few specialized ranks in the pack; perhaps if you make enough of a name for yourself by fishing..." the wolf trailed off, smiling. He turned back toward the heart of the pack territory, indicating Chikkun could enter their lands as the newest member of the Super Duper Awesomesauce pack. "I will walk you to the main den. Most of the pack sleeps around there at night, but you can make your home anywhere you are comfortable."
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Hey, welcome to 'Souls. You've just joined the craziest bunch of wolf roleplayers on the vast internet. If you haven't done so already, you should check out the rp guide for detailed information about our werewolves and other general role playing information.
Now that you're accepted, you need to do two things:
___1. Update your profile with a bit of background information on your character. You can also start saving up points toward titles and icons and cool stuff. Check out the Open Threads and Thread Requests forum for people looking to roleplay. You can post random out of character chat in the OOC Garbage with us, too. |
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