NEWS -- Tons of updates from June!
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News & Updates: June 2011

RP Guide Updates

We have revamped some of the back-end of the RP Guide! Although it doesn't look much different now, the Table of Contents are now powered by jQuery and update automatically, making our lives a deal easier! Advanced, intermediate, and beginner tags are also auto-generated based; no tags!


We also have two new guides on the RP Guide -- the Graphics Theft guide, which details copyright infringement and avoiding it while using graphics, art, and other images on 'Souls. The (Mature) narcotic substances guide details potential and impossible narcotic substances in 'Souls.


Moderator Evaluations

We recently evaluated our Moderators, and we've decided to promote Marit, player of Dawali Amara, to the position of Senior Moderator for her hard work and dedication to 'Souls. Her promotion abilities include global moderation over the forums as well as the ability to make edits to the 'Souls RP Guide. Check the staff topic for more information about our moderation tiers and the different work they do.


Graphics Rules Additions

We have two new additions to the graphics rules. We have needed the signature rule for some time, and the avatars rule is, unfortunately, in response to some funky avatars as of late! Remember that newly registered members can see your avatars, and you may confuse them by using a human image or an irrelevant image to your character. Smile


By the way, we're perfectly okay with silly avatars of your character (e.g., a MS Paint doodle, or your character wearing a silly hat, or an odd photomanipulation). That's fine! We hope you don't think we're restricting your fun and creativity too much. c;


The new Graphics rules are as follows:


  1. Avatars must be relevant to your character. E.g., a photo of them or a drawing. Silly avatars are welcome, so long as they're still relevant to the character.
  2. Signatures must be no taller than 400 pixels high. You're welcome to use multiple images or as much text as you want in your signature, but they must not exceed this pixel height.

Pack Formation Update

Due to a recent influx and interest in various pack formations, we have also revamped and updated the Pack Formation guidelines to include more information about how to found a pack, and hopefully to streamline the process somewhat. Now, prospective leaders will be granted access to the Leaders' Handbook before their pack is officially founded, allowing them to get a good look at all the responsibilities leadership entails and how they are expected to set up their pack. If you're interested in starting your own pack at 'Souls, or even if you're not, we suggest you check the pack formation edits!


Mature Markers Update

Our Mature Topic Markers have been revamped, with an explanation of what PG-13 entails. Additionally, the markers themselves have been simplified -- now, there's only one mature marker to choose from, and editing is optional. Hopefully, this will make it easier for players to mark their threads as mature as necessary.


Info Discrepancy

For some time now, we have had the improper age for having puppies listed in a few places -- sexual maturity and breeding age in our Luperci is 1.5 years (18 months)! All new litters should adhere to this procedure.


X-Mas in July

We have our annual Christmas in July graphical gifting contest. Check it out!


New Pack?!

You may have noticed we have a new pack -- Ichika no Ho-en, founded from the remnants of Dahlia de Mai and Phoenix Valley, which are both no more. Check out their pack forum or website for more information! (Threads previously located in either Dahlia or Phoenix Valley have been moved to their correct neutral territory forum.)


IC Reorganization

There are a ton of new changes to the In Character territories! Check out the Territory Revamp topic for more information!


Spotlight & Community Souls

Congratulations to Alae, winner of Spotlight Soul for June 2011 as Alae Sidhe and Zero, player of Barrett, winner of Community Soul for June 2011! For more information, check out the Community/Spotlight Soul thread!


What.



Morbo: "Morbo can’t understand his TelePrompTer. He forgot how you say that letter that looks like a man with a hat."

Linda: "It’s a T, it goes tah."

Morbo: "Hello little man. I WILL DESTROY YOU!"


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Territory (Re)expansion

2008 Fire

In 2008, Gabriel de le Poer set fire to the territories north of current 'Souls, starting a massive wildfire that burned through much of the former Bleeding Souls territories and forced the occupants of the area to flee south. Since that time, the areas to the north have been forsaken, with few canines daring to travel past the mountains.


In more recent times, however, a few canines have been heading north of the mountain chain, exploring small pieces of the old, burned land. Whispers carried over the wind to those in the new lands, of a place burned and dead and filled with ghosts. Frightening as some found it, others heard only the call of adventure, and slowly, more canines began to make their way north.


What they found was disheartening -- most of the territory had only charred stumps and the burnt remnants of what had been a lush and green land. Three years have passed since some have seen this territory, though they find it hard to recognize now that the greenery has turned to black and ash gray. In a few sparse places, however, some life has slowly started to return -- small saplings, most stunted and still tiny, have taken root in places close to water, and in spring, underbrush and grass alike are able to grow. In winter, however, the land is as dead and lifeless as it had been before.


In general, however, the land cannot sustain continued life; thus, canines and other animals alike remain in the southlands, daring to venture north only rarely.


New Territories

These areas will open as neutral territories. The first, Withered Realms, will not be claimable by any packs yet but may eventually open up for pack claims. At the present time, however, it does not support enough prey to sustain a pack, as it is burned and decimated. Aelcrest Shore is claimable by packs.



Territory Information Shuffle

We've also decided to somewhat re-vamp the way the subterritories and their descriptions work -- now, you can look to the forum introduction for a small map of that individual area, as well as links to the various territory descriptions, Flora/Fauna information on the Wiki, and other helpful links. In addition, we have removed the "claimed" boxes from the territory description topics -- now, you can simply refer to the forum introduction to check and see which territories are claimed and which aren't!


New Territory Divisions

We have decided to re-name our neutral territories in the interest of simplicity and ease of spelling -- French and accented letters aren't easy for everyone! Wink So, we've changed the territory names, as well as which territories fall where in the different divisions/forums. Hopefully, with the new introductory headers, this won't be a very confusing change!


  • Bâtons et Pierres has become Sticks and Stones.
  • Élévation Orientale has become Eastern Rise
  • Sable et Rivages has become Seabreeze Brink
  • Dans l'Obscurité has become Western Tangles
  • Ashes and Ashes is the new territory encompassing Aelcrest Shore and Withered Realms.

In addition, the individual territory topics have received a revamp, including new images -- these images are (mostly) directly from Nova Scotia itself, hopefully providing a more in-depth, realistic picture of the actual area for potential roleplayers.


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