Chat Log Rules · 6:56pm Mar 2nd, 2015
Thank you for coming. I’d like a little fan input from fans, and hopefully a few chapters as well. In my story, there is a certain chat room where people are allowed to relax their public personas and be the people they want to be, at least for a little while. It is a place where ideas are shared, jobs are planned, and where fun is to be had. Many of these chat logs disguised as chapter contain important plot information, and some do not. Still, they are fun to make, and I’m offering fans a chance to create their own. I am more than willing to publish them alongside my own. Just toss me a PM before you start so we can have a brief chat.
I have a few ground rules to start with if you are so inclined to make your own chat log.
1. You must use the standard formatting I have used so far. This means when certain events occur, you must follow them as I have already shown.
The chapter name must be a pathway:
\\C:\whitelist\update.dat
Certain chat commands do certain things and have special formats, like when the user King Kludge opens the chat info:
* King Kludge -help info
########################
-op Captain Chaos King Kludge ZomZom -state open
Shadowlands Lounge, Magnasanti Hub, The Matrix
Personas Present:
~Adam
~Bone Collector
~Captain Chaos
~Eve
~King Kludge
~MrOrion
~Synergy
~ZomZom
The chatroom name, the hub name, and all personas present must be at the top of every chapter:
Shadowlands Lounge, Magnasanti Hub, The Matrix
Personas Present:
~Bone Collector
~Captain Chaos
~MrOrion
~Synergy
~ZomZom
You must follow this format for file sharing between personas in the chatroom:
> Bone Collector
Transmitting to ZomZom: June 12, 3043
Posting includes 10 kb of attached files
I will allow you to link to shared pictures, links, videos, and resources, but please have them all under a single directory, like another gDoc, first. If you want more chat commands, feel free to run them by me.
2. At least one moderator must be in the chatroom at all times.
I’m not too particularly concerned about what people in your chapters do, even the moderators, as long as what they are doing makes sense, and they do not do something too OOC. A moderator may not even do anything throughout the entire chapter, but they must be there.
3. You are free to create your own chat rooms or hubs on different planets.
I do not mind you creating your own chat room with your own unique characters. You must follow all other rules present, but creating your own is not against the rules. I’d still like to take a look and approve it, however.
4. You are free to use any characters I’ve created.
A pretty big caveat is that I must okay them to ensure they are not OOC, but if you want to use the Shadowlands Lounge or any of the users who visit it, go right ahead. There are not so many as of the first interlude, but I’ve got quite a few.
5. I’m going to be pretty lenient on spelling/grammar.
It’s a chat room. Spelling and grammar mistakes happen, so if characters misspell the occasional word or forget punctuation, I don’t mind. Your chat log must still be legible, however, and I must approve it before publishing. The allowance for typos does not give you free reign on typos.
6. Try to be consistent with your chapter titles.
For instance:
\\C:\Users\BigBlue\Video\30432306ZG.ZIP
This is the title of the next chat log. A good way for readers to know who made what chat log at a glance is to be consistent with your users and hard drive designations, like BigBlue and the C drive above. If you wish to create multiple chat logs, try to keep the same user/harddrive name.
7. Be aware that events will change the mood of the chat room.
The Shadowlands is a pretty laid back place, but what occurs there and what they say is influenced by current events. If you start creating a chapter now, and wait to send it to me after several chapters have been published, the mood may have shifted significantly enough where your story cannot be considered canon anymore.
This is something to take into consideration if you so choose to use my current characters, you must be aware that events can affect them deeply. I am open to retroactively placing a chapter earlier in the timeline, but I have the final say whether that occurs or not.
8. Have a little fun!
Make sure there is some underlying point to the chat log. They are bickering over some new piece of news or technology. The usual onslaught of name-calling and dick jokes comes up before the moderator steps in. They are trying to develop something on their own. Someone puts up a juicy bit of gossip and the remainder discuss it. Throw in some of your own OCs, carefully hiding behind online monickers. The sky's the limit.
