FAQ

[cyclicalitymods]

Do I have to know anything about Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA) or The Legend of Korra (LoK) to app here?

No, you don't! The goal is to set up the information pages so that watching either series isn't a necessity. Republic City (the location for Cyclicality) is meant to be a mix of all cultures. It's not necessary to know the entire history of any culture, because honestly, lots of characters don't know the full extent of their culture either. When info posts go up, any necessary background will be put up in the post. Calendars will have a summary of events and why they're happening. Still, it's a complex universe and so if anything is unclear, please ask. We're more than happy to help you!




Arrival

How did my character get here?

That depends! If it's a canon character, well, they probably live there, at least if they're from LoK. If they're from ATLA, see the next question. If it's an AU, they've either recently immigrated or have been there a generation or two, depending on your preferences for your character. If it's a canon character who's being apped as a non-AU, it's going to be a bit more jarjammy for them. The Spirit World pulled them in.

What about the mixing of ATLA and Korra characters?

Characters from ATLA who survived until LoK will remain as they are. Old man Zuko or Katara dropping in for a visit, etc. Younger versions of the characters may be apped, and they'll arrive in the same manner that non-AU characters arrive; pulled in via the Spirit World. Basically, lots of Spirit World shenanigans going on here for ATLA and non-AU characters.

Bending

What is bending?

"Bending" refers to the act of either creating or manipulating an element. There are four elements one may bend: earth, fire, air and water. However, a bender may only bend one element and potentially any of its subsets. Bending is based more on spirituality than genetics, so a bender doesn't need bender parents.

Where does the stuff to bend come from?

Firebenders are the only ones capable of creating their element. Airbenders, waterbenders and earthbenders rely on their environment. There's plenty of earth and plenty of air, so only unskilled waterbenders are at any real disadvantage.

What can't you bend?

There aren't too many restrictions except for those on the powers page. Basically, benders can only bend their element or their subsets with permission. No firebenders lavabending for example (that's earth). Earthbenders can only earth or sand and potentially any impure metals. Earthbenders cannot bend platinum.

What are subsets?

A subset is a type of bending that only benders of a certain element can do. Bloodbending, for example, is a waterbender only type of bending. Each element has at least two subsets. All elements and their subsets can be found here.

Multiple elements?

No. Only the Avatar may bend more than one element.

Characters

Who is appable?

This game accepts canon ATLA and LoK characters as well as characters from other canons and OCs. As this is an AU game, we ask that no characters be related to or best buddies with any of the canon characters from ATLA or LoK. (At least not before being accepted; then go wild.) Sentient animals or characters with animal characteristics are also allowed to be apped, although their circumstances are different: as the world is now filled with roaming spirits, characters who aren't fully human will be classified as a special spirit who is able to communicate with humans. Spirits aren't necessarily benders, although some can do tricks like fly. Non-ATLA/LoK OU spirits are treated the same as AU spirits in that they either have a watered-down version of their canon abilities as long as it can translate into the ATLA/LoK universe; alternatively, they can be given nature based powers. Keep in mind that spirits are not technically benders in the usual sense. If apping a mechanized character, such as a transformer, we ask that you at least partially humanize them, such as making them human with metal parts for an arm or leg.

How does this AU thing work with my character?

You have three options available to you. You can:

1. App a canon character from ATLA or LoK.
2. App a character from another series, but altering their history to match the canon of the more modern setting of LoK.
3. App a character from a different canon, but without changing their history.

What's the difference between apping a character as an AU or not?

AU characters will have their histories changed to match the setting of LoK. A character's family who was killed by a group of secret ninjas could instead be from an outlying Earth Kingdom village and have their family die in a firebender attack. They won't have memories of places from their canon, so no one from Tokyo. It's just the way the events unfolded that change. Do your best to meld their story to be more fitting to LoK's world. Obviously, some things won't be so easy to change. Basically, just keep things like giant living robots out and replace them with... Hiroshi's mechs.

If I am doing an AU, what does this mean about their hometown?

The game will take place in Republic City, the capital of the United Republic of Nations. You have the option of them being a brand new immigrant from one of the other four nations, or someone who's lived there their entire lives. Whatever is easiest to work with and whatever makes the most sense for your character.

Can I app my OC Avatar?

The only Avatars who are appable are the canon Avatars from the series. Allowing otherwise would make things too complicated.

What about Avatars without much canon?

Most Avatars have sufficient canon information to support their personality. So as long as the Avatar is named in canon and has an established personality, they're appable. No Jafarvatars.

If I app a canon Avatar, will their bending be restricted?

No, their bending will remain unaltered. Yes, there will be conflicts and confusion over there potentially being two or more Avatars.

What about Avatars talking to their past lives?

Since this game takes place from the canon point of the end of book 3, the connection between the Avatars is broken and severed. Yeah, technically Raava is alive and well inside the other Avatars, but... when you change the future, your change the past. Or something like that. It's basically to prevent NPCing of canon Avatars.

Do OU characters gain the ability to bend?

Initially, all OU characters who are pulled in will be without their powers and without the ability to bend. For players who are interested, there is an early plot planned for November that will allow some OU characters to gain the ability to bend an element. They'll still have to train to be any good at it. Characters who are apped after November will not have powers/bending and will have to make do with other options such as practicing swordsmanship, chi blocking, etc. If there's enough interest, there may be another plot in March or April 2015 to give OU characters a chance to bend. It's restrictive, but we feel that with some creativity, any non-bender can carve their way in the world just as easily as a bender.

Where do vampires fall on the human/spirit spectrum?

Because vampires are handled so differently across canons, we're going to leave that decision up to the player. We would honestly be fine either way. If you're more comfortable playing a humanized version of your character, that's fine. It's also fine if you prefer to make your character a vampire-like spirit.

If our character has a non-Asian name, should we change it for an AU?

In all honesty, we would prefer you don't change it. With the birth of Republic City, foreign names don't sound quite so foreign anymore. It's okay to be John Smith. Really!

What if my character follows a certain code, like Bushido?

You're free to make your character part of a similar group such as the Sun Warriors or the Yuyan Archers. If that's not close enough, you can make your character from a village/town/group that is a bit out of contact with the nation's capital or is otherwise more nature-based than the bigger cities. The Fire Nation is the most likely candidate to have special honor codes, but obviously it's not limited to just the Fire Nation.

I want to play an AU character. Is it okay to mold the canon hometown and whatnot to closer match the ATLA/LoK universe?

That's 100% fine. We encourage it in order to make your character fit in with the universe as much as possible. However, we do ask to keep it vague, especially if there are lots of characters from the same canon location. You don't want to decide an entire AU for a town 5 other main characters might be from. If it was a big town, make it a well off city. A small run-down village, well, there's plenty of those all over. This way, there's room to bridge the gap between two AU'd characters.

Do OU characters from other canons arrive carrying anything? E.g., currency from their world, food, swords, ordinary nicknacks, etc.?

In general, the basic rule is "things you had on your person" at the time of being pulled into the world. So currency, swords, food, etc. are all likely candidates.

What about items that are considered mundane in one world, but to the Avatar world would border on magical, like healing items?

More magical items that heal such as healing gels from Tales of Symphonia will have their consistency changed to be spirit water in gel form. So they'll still heal the same amount, but the reason for their healing will be different. Try to limit it to around 20 gels/healing items total and save them for a rainy day! And you should probably find a waterbender healer for the best application. Other magical items can still be brought, but they won't work. Like the Triforce from Zelda, for example. It could be in the game but it wouldn't work at all. Just a bunch of triangle shaped pieces.

OOC

How many characters can I app?

The current character cap per player is five.
Last updated: 11/20/14

How many characters can I reserve at once?

You can reserve up to two characters at once.

How many characters can I app per round?

You may app up to two characters per round.

Playing multiple characters from the same canon?

Because the cast of the Avatar world is so huge, we're allowing players to app two characters total from the series. It can be one from each canon (ATLA or LoK) or it can be two characters from the same canon. However, we do ask that the characters you select to app are not characters who would interact in canon. Something like apping Toph from ATLA and Lin from LoK wouldn't be allowed as they're too closely related (and literally related), but apping Toph from ATLA and Jeong Jeong from ATLA would be better. It's important to think about whether or not the two characters you plan to app would have a good reason to interact. With that said, we recommend that if you do app two characters from the Avatar world that you either app one major character and a minor character or two minor characters to reduce the likelihood of interaction. If they've interacted in canon already, it's probably not a good idea to app both characters. If you're not sure, get in contact with us.
Last updated: 11/20/14

What about characters who were in ATLA and are still alive in LoK?

For characters who were originally in ATLA but managed to survive up until LoK, both versions are appable, but only one version may be in the city at any given time. Younger versions will be pulled into the city via the Spirit World. Older versions will either be pulled in via the Spirit World if they're out of the city at the time of their canon point. If they're already in the city at the time of their canon point, they will just find it difficult to leave the city, what with the giant spirit barrier there for the first month or so.
Last updated: 2/27/15

What about animal companions like Appa or Momo?

Characters are free to arrive with their animal companions, even if their companions were far away. Thank the Spirit World. If you are AUing a character, you are free to have an animal companion as well. There are no restrictions except only Airbenders/Air Nation members are allowed to have sky bison and only someone who canonly has a dragon (ie Zuko or perhaps the Sun Warriors) can arrive with a dragon.

What will AC be like?

AC will be 15 comments spread across at least two threads. At least one thread must come from an open post. Keep in mind it's the thread that must be from an open post; you're not required to make an open post yourself. IC inboxes and logs are accepted as well, but the main thing is that no matter how many pieces of AC you offer, one must be open to the game as a whole to encourage CR building.
Last updated: 11/20/14

How will Book 4 be incorporated?

We do plan on incorporating any big changes into the game, but we're wary about doing it week-by-week. That would be predictable and probably not very fun for a lot of players. So, depending on how the book goes (if it even involves Republic City), we'll try to incorporate similar events spaced out over time, or compress big chunks of plot into more digestible bits of plot. It really depends on the content of book 4, so we'd like to wait for its release before we make any concrete decisions.

Do you accept challenge reserves/apps?

We don't accept challenge reserves, but we do accept multiple applications once reserves expire. Characters who reserved will be processed as thoroughly and quickly as possible so the app status of the character is known. If a character is apped but has no reserve, you're free to reserve to guarantee your app will be looked at before the first application's status is decided.

Do we need to make a request for any abilities besides the bending subsets?

No, not at all. As long as you keep it within reason, such as a non-convicted Equalist having Equalist weapons and knowing chi-blocking.

Regarding apps, can we use test drive/previous game threads for the sample? And can we use an OU character thread if we're apping an AU?

Yes, you are free to link to a test drive meme or thread from a previous game. The core personality of an AU character should remain as close as possible to the OU version since it's mostly the history that's changed. A different history will affect any character, but the differences shouldn't be so drastic that the character is unrecognizable. So with that in mind, it's perfectly acceptable to use an OU thread/post as a sample.

Comments

Regarding housing

[redcladidealist]

How does obtaining a house/apartment work for an OU that got brought in from another world? Presumably, these characters have no real money and haven't had a chance to get a job. Do they just start off homeless until something can be established, or is there an organized, I dunno, charity or something that will provide housing until they settle in?

Re: Regarding housing

[cyclicalitymods]

It's more likely characters will be homeless until they can snag a job. Alternatively, if another character (or kind-hearted NPC) would like to take in characters, that's also an option.

There is an underground shelter, though. It's full of non-benders and benders alike who get along pretty well. The shelter isn't exactly funded and the food's not good, but there's a solid sense of community there. You just have to wander around and get lucky enough to find an entire shelter underground.

[brainiac5]

Two questions.

A. Would Brainiac 5 as depicted as a robotic alien life form be considered a spirit or be form locked in his humanoid form without telscoping his limbs or changing to his hulking battle form?

Second, do you have any problems with a OC from an MMO?

[cyclicalitymods]

1. We leave that up to the player so it's less restricting. Whichever form is most fun for you. But yes, if you choose his robotic alien form he'd be considered a spirit (even as an OU) and his humanoid form would render him just another human in Republic City.

2. Nope! App away!

[sifukatara]

I had a question regarding housing and Air Temple Island! Would close family members (such as Katara and Sokka) of the air nomads and/or acolytes be allowed to stay on the island with them or would they also be required to find housing elsewhere?

[cyclicalitymods]

Sorry for the delay!

They'd definitely be allowed to stay there. It's just a general rule, but you know. Aang and his Avatarness. It probably wouldn't go over very well if Aang's friends were denied a place to stay.

So yes! Air Temple Island it up!

[paishodown]

Re: housing, would it be all right to put Asami in one of the upper class homes and roll with it just being the Sato Estate that she's lived in throughout canon?

[cyclicalitymods]

Yep! That's fine!

[(Anonymous)]

Regarding the language issue, if a character is coming from a different world and is OU'd and they're from an english speaking and reading country, how will that translate to gameplay?

[cyclicalitymods]

Being touched by the spirits will give OU characters the ability to speak and understand the language without even realizing there's a difference. To them, they'll be speaking and hearing English or whatever their native language is.

However, because reading and writing is not a natural part of language, they will not automatically recognize or understand the written part of the language. That, they'll have to learn with time.

[restoredhonour]

A few questions! In regards to characters that haven't yet been apped in, but should be major players in Republic City (Lin Beifong, for instance), should they be handwaved as NPCs or treated as MIA?

The question above about Asami made me realise I should ask -- is it okay to assume Zuko's residence in the upper class district is a residence usually used for Fire Nation royal visits? I'd guess as a city founder Zuko would have his own place there, even if it isn't used frequently.

Finally, does the spirit barrier affect communication lines with the outside world at all? So could characters still contact other nations via radio or telephone, or have those been temporarily knocked out?

[cyclicalitymods]

For any canon character who hasn't been apped, we would prefer that they're treated as MIA. This goes in hand with the fact that when characters are dropped, the spirits will remove them from the world. So technically, Republic City is without a president, something that won't be publicly known until later tonight or tomorrow when he's nowhere to be found.

Since Zuko is both a founder and Fire Nation royalty (even if he's retired), yeah, he would definitely get his own place used for visits. Boroughs are pretty huge and the smaller numbers on the housing page are just meant to indicate that it's a lot tougher to get enough money and status to live in the high class borough #1. Borough #1 is meant for people like Asami, whose family is incredibly influential, royalty, etc. You need both money and status. Borough #2 is meant for people who specifically are fairly rich but don't have an honorable status like royalty or highly influential people.

And finally, for now, yes the spirit barrier will affect communication with the outside world. Radios and telephones still work within the city, but no one would be able to telegraph outside of it.

Very good questions! Thank you for bringing them up.

[(Anonymous)]

minor note, but I'm confused and curious about this... but the people on the taken list with "mix earth/fire nations" for their nationality are all from Republic City. Wouldn't their nationality be "Republic of Nations", of which Republic City is the capitol?

[cyclicalitymods]

That was my fault for not making it uniform. The nationalities have been fixed now, and thank you for bringing it to our attention!

[creepycyclops]

So... economics question that is actually kind of important to Slade's civilian alter ego.

Does the United Republic have a stock market? In the show, Varrick buys a controlling interest in Future Industries which by definition (at least in our world) would require it to be a corporation with voting shares of stock. Also Cabbage Corporation is, I assume, a corporation which doesn't necessarily require stock, BUT for-profit corporations that don't issue stock are pretty rare (at least in real life).

[cyclicalitymods]

We're going to say that a stock market does exist in the United Republic, although on a much smaller scale. There are very few corporations that are shown, with Future Industries and Cabbage Corp. being the main contenders. Stocks have been around a long time and, being based around the 1920s, stocks have probably existed a while in the ATLA world as well.

[truestheart]

Regarding subsets, wouldn't spiritual purification be another subset to Waterbending? I mean, we see both Korra and Unalaq utilize waterbending to purify dark spirits (or in Unalaq's case try and destroy people's souls cause he's a jerk face) or would it count as some sort of specialization of healing? Since the wiki describes it as Unalaq using healing but then putting spiritual energy into his healing water to purify spirits. Obviously it doesn't really affect Henry here but I just was curious for waterbenders in the game.

[cyclicalitymods]

Currently, spiritual purification is listed as part of the waterbending healing subset. We can't be entirely sure if it is restricted to waterbenders alone as firebenders also have some spiritual/purification abilities (re: the fire sages who cared for Korra and who used fire to read her aura). Airbending was/is a rather spiritual, so it's possible airbenders could be capable of something similar as well.

We're erring on the side of caution, basically. It's entirely plausible that purification is restricted to waterbending, but until canon explicitly states it to be true, we feel safer keeping it as part of the healing subset and are open to other benders using spirituality in different ways with their elements.

[rebelling]

How much time has passed between the end of book 1 and the start of the game? Is it reasonable for a convicted equalist (potentially with a reduced sentence as a result of being young/well-behaved/a random mook who got beaten up by team avatar before they managed to do too much harm) to have finished their sentence by the start of the game? Or should I just say that my character never got caught?

Also, on AUs-

-How close does an AU have to be to canon? Would it be acceptable to replace an RPG protag's SAVE THE WORLD FROM EVIL BADGUYS business with participation in the equalist mess?
-Is it acceptable to just be somewhat vague about characters who have a big effect on your character? I doubt any other people will be apping in from my canon but I want to avoid making life difficult for anyone who is (unfortunately the canon in question involves a lot of heroic sacrifices), but removing them from the history altogether would mean removing a big part of the character.

[cyclicalitymods]

Hello, and sorry for the delay!

It's been about a year since the end of book one, so nowhere near the big time skip from book 4. Depending on what "activities" your character participated in, the length of jail time would vary. Still, that's not very fun and with Republic City in disarray and the police force disorganized without proper leaders, it's fair to say a character could have a reduced sentence. We do suggest you have your character refraining from murder unless you go the route of never being caught.

For AUs, what's important isn't so much the new history as it is your character's personality. You want to take a look at their personality and see what kind of lifestyle they would lead in this universe. So, you don't want to make the villain a hero in the AU because that's contrary to their core personality, but a thug or minor villain would fit in perfectly as a member of one of the triads or as an equalist, etc.

The history of an AU, on the other hand, is best kept vague, since one character's history can easily affect and alter another character's history. So if the big bad villain killed your character's parents, you probably want to keep that the same, just be vague on the circumstances, especially if the method of death doesn't fit in well with ATLA' universe, such as killed by a gunshot injury vs a violent bending assault. Things you want to watch out for is deciding another character's bender/non-bender status and, if a bender, what element they bend as those decisions might be conflicting with other players' ideas.

[frostedoverland]

Hallo~!

This is in regards to spirits as I am thinking of playing this one here. He's already a nature based spirit and can control the winter weather and such. However, he doesn't so much as control the wind as he can talk to it, ask for a ride and such (it's how he flies), would that still be applicable here?

Also, given that the Avatar-verse is already pretty spiritual, how easy would it be for people to see him? It was a big thing back in the movie that children (or anyone really, aside from other spirits) needed to believe in him to see him. Would that be the same thing here or would people just need to be a bit more spiritual and accepting to see him? It shouldn't change his character too much, I don't think, but I was just curious!

OH AND would it be okay if the Moon Spirit (I know it's Yue) be the reason Jack Frost is the way he is? Since it was the Man in the Moon in the OU that did the same. I mean, I'm not sure if the Moon Spirit has the same ability in making dead people spirits but, I thought I'd ask!

Thank you!

[cyclicalitymods]

We feel Jack Frost would fit in perfectly here as a spirit. In general, we like to leave most things up to the discretion of the player (ie whether or not people can see Jack) so that players are able to play their characters in a way that's fun for them. As a spirit, Jack would get to keep his powers as they're pretty nature-based anyway, and we see nothing wrong with Jack asking the wind for a ride, etc.

As for the moon, it's fine if you include the moon making Jack the way he is, although we prefer if you leave it as the moon and not Yue in particular. Since the moon gave a bit of itself to Yue to bring her from being a sick baby to being a healthy baby, when she grew up and sacrificed herself for the moon, she became a spirit. That's similar enough to what happened to Jack, so you're free to say the moon gave Jack a bit of its energy to pull him from the bring of death and make him what he is today. You can incorporate whether or not people need to believe in him/be spiritual into that history however you see fit.

[became_his_sheath]

If we're AUing but the details between canon an AU in terms of events are basically the same aside from changed locations, would linking to history be acceptable along with outlining the differences?

[cyclicalitymods]

As long as you outline the differences, linking to the history would be acceptable.

[extraavasate]

If I were to take Raava from near the end of book 3, would she be her spirity self or would it work that she was Raava in Korra's body since they were bonded at the time?

[cyclicalitymods]

She would be her spirity self. If you need a reason for her to be outside of Korra's body, the Spirit World can take the blame of ripping her from Korra's body.

[sanguine]

i don't plan on doing this any time soon, but i had to ask, just out of curiosity! no rush, but have you guys decided how the game's mechanics would handle player character deaths or anything?

[cyclicalitymods]

We want any deaths to be important and carefully considered; something that's not just a gentle slap on the wrist. The spirits, feeling that every character in-game has a purpose in Republic City, will bring them back to life, maybe at the cost of a physical sense or the character left feeling a permanent sort of weakness, or maybe after a good long week in the Fog of Lost Souls. Something like that, which will be up to the player to decide which path they want to take.

[innerdragon]

I know you guys allow pets, but what about Pokemon Trainers and their Pokemon? What's your policy on that?

[cyclicalitymods]

Since Pokemon is a different circumstance, we'd allow Pokemon trainers to bring up to three pokemon with them if they're OU. The pokemon would act as spirits that can be contained in their pokeballs and at their trainer's command as usual.

[winds_voice]

This is probably a stupid set of questions and I hope I didn't miss anything, but I'm potentially interested in apping my Wind Spirit OC here as an OU character and just wanted clarification on what he could and couldn't do!

1.) In his own world he's responsible for caring for the skies and all of his powers revolve around manipulating the wind (which he uses to move clouds, help migrations, spread seeds etc). He can also naturally fly. I saw that spirit's powers wouldn't technically be the same as bending, so would he keep these powers or would I have to tweak them somehow?

2.) He also comes with a human and dragon form which he can change between. His powers are the same in either form. Would that also be something he could continue to do here or would he have to stick to one form or the other?

3.) Is CR transfer/game transplant allowed here? Eley was best friends with Zuko in another game and also had a lot of development there (even though Zuko won't remember him but still) It's fine if not, just wondered since it'll alter how I play him!

Thanks. :)

[cyclicalitymods]

No, these aren't stupid questions at all! And besides, we're glad to answer them for you.

1. Because his powers are already nature-based, you shouldn't have to tweak his powers at all. The only thing you'd have to worry about is if anything were ridiculously OP - then we'd ask you to tone that back a little.

2. Spirits having both an animal and humanoid form are common in the series, so it's perfectly fine for him to shift freely between forms.

3. For the time being, we don't allow CR/game transplants. However, we do plan on putting up a post in the middle of the month asking the playerbase how they feel about the way certain aspects of the game are being run. We'll definitely add this to the post and see how the playerbase as a whole feels about it.

[yangarang]

Would we be able to play an AU brought in from the spirit vines/spirits from a different timeframe within the canon? For example, an AU character but during the timeframe from when Aang disappeared(/froze himself).

Edit: I realized I have another question! If we were to canon update a character, even though they return in the same position they left would their clothing, hair, etc be updated too? Like Ty Lee, if I updated her to at the end/after book 3, would she arrive in her Kyoshi Warrior gear if that's what she was wearing?

[cyclicalitymods]

For your first question: that's absolutely acceptable. After all, people from the past are already being brought in; a little further into the past wouldn't hurt, either. We just ask that if you do pick a point, make sure the canon has developed it like they have for Wan's time and the time leading up to the start of the Hundred Year War.

As for your second question, whatever they would have been wearing/have on their person at the time of their canon update is what they'd appear in. So Ty Lee leaving now and coming back from say the book 3 finale or sometime from the comics, she'd be in her Kyoshi Warrior gear.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi~♥

First off, I want to thank you for this game! Even if I can't end up apping, I'm so jazzed that this place exists.

Secondly, I come bearing questions!

1. So, I have a character that died in canon and I'm debating on how I would bring him in. Would it be alright to assume that after his death, he was reincarnated in Republic City? If so, would it also be alright for him to eventually remember his past life in his canon?

Alternatively, if I wanted to app him as an OU version of himself, could I just assume that he was transported directly after his death? So he shows up in what he was wearing when he died, with all his memories intact?

2. I see that vampires can either be humans or spirits, but what's your stance on beings that are, say, half human/half angel or something like that? Since they're still partly human, could the player choose to make them either/or?

Thanks so much for the consideration, and I'm sorry if I totally missed something!

[cyclicalitymods]

Hello! We apologize for the delay, but we've brought you some answers:

1. To make things fair for players, characters who died in canon will not be subject to the consequences of death listed on the death page, although you are free to use Tier 1 if you want to; we just don't want to force it on players who app character post-death. All subsequent deaths will need to post to the death page, though. We would prefer that you don't go the reincarnation route, because although reincarnation is part of Buddhism and the ATLA/LoK world, characters typically don't remember their past lives unless they're an Avatar. If you did bring him shortly before/after his death, he would pop up in Republic City in the clothes he was wearing, along with his memories and any items on his person.

2. Characters who have a mixed heritage have the option of being either a human or spirit; there are no restrictions in that case, but it's still one or the other just to keep things simple. So no humans with angelic powers and the like.

Hopefully that answers your questions, and thank you so much for considering Cyclicality!

character specific question!

[raavashing]

I'm considering apping Elsa from Frozen. Her ice powers aren't quiet the same as setting canon waterbending, but would she be able to keep them instead of being stripped of her canon powers upon entering the game because they're so close? Or would I be required to AU her for her to keep any semblance of her powers?

[cyclicalitymods]

Hello!

Unfortunately, all OU characters are stripped of their abilities as a side effect once they are pulled in by the Spirit World. As you know, bending and Elsa's abilities are based on different foundations, so for this case, we can't allow her to keep her powers unless she's AUed. If we allowed an exception, it wouldn't be fair to other current characters in the game who have similar elemental abilities.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi! Are there any plans to allow OU characters to regain their canon powers?

[cyclicalitymods]

There are! We originally planned for OU characters to regain their canon powers at the time of the second unrest event. However, as it has been requested by the majority of the game that we slow down the pace, we will be postponing that event until early next month.

[restoredhonour]

Question regarding the two-week travel rule! If characters are poofed back to Republic City after two weeks, is there anywhere specific they'd appear, or would it just be a random place in the city? And are there any consequences/side effects if it happens?

[cyclicalitymods]

Sorry for the long wait!

Characters will appear wherever the player wants, but as for a "default" place, that would be just outside the Spirit Wilds. As for consequences, there aren't many. Maybe some nausea/motion sickness since it's a quick but not instantaneous journey back. Other than that, there aren't any other side effects as of now.

[backbends]

Question about canon updates! After submitting the form are we auto-approved or do we need to wait for a mod to respond for approval?

[cyclicalitymods]

We're sorry for the delay!

You don't need to wait for our approval; whatever date you choose as the disappearance date is when the canon update begins. They can come back in three days, give or take a couple of hours.

[thebloodlink]

So I'm considering bringing Vergil here in, but I have a question!

Basically, a lot of his drive in his canon is linked to defeating Mundus, who had his family killed (or so he thought, since his brother survived without his knowledge) over a grudge he had against Vergil's father, Sparda.

Does this game have something like an OC "big bad" that plays into plots and events, that Vergil could have a similar revenge quest against? Or could I just say that Mundus is the leader of some underground organization and he's still at large while Vergil focuses on getting stronger?

Thanks!

[cyclicalitymods]

Hello! And sorry for the long delay!

We don't have any OC big bad right now per se. However, we do have a few canon antagonists that led big bad organizations. Amon for the Equalists, Unalaq and Zaheer for the Red Lotus. At the moment, both organizations are underground, but they're both still capable of its members performing some actions outside the organization, especially if it's personal. We do prefer that in cases like this, there's no direct linkage to the leader, but to rather link to one of its no-name members to prevent making a history one of those leaders may not want to take part in.

[alphatar]

Is there a Saves/Strikes system in place when it comes to Activity Check, or does A/C failure mean ejection from the game?

Asking because the end of the year holidays usually means a lot of people using those.

[cyclicalitymods]

Hello! Sorry for the wait!

We're willing to work with players who aren't able to make AC, especially right now since it's the holidays. Not checking in at all will equal ejection from the game unless you get in contact with us up to 3 days after AC, even if it's to say "hey I forgot to check in!"

Otherwise, you get a strike for not making AC and are expected to make up the remaining AC next month beginning in January in addition to regular AC. Two strikes in a row will equal an ejection unless there are extenuating circumstances.

Again, we're willing to work with players as much as possible! We do have to draw a line somewhere though to make sure no one's character squatting for months, etc., but yeah, for the holiday season like this, we expect it to be more difficult to make AC. That's why it's better to call hiatus for December if you think you'll be pretty busy.