Mass Check
Okay ladies and gents, it's time to roll up them sleeves and pay close attention. Aeipathy does not always run the same kinds of activity checks each time and we certainly don't run the same kind of checks as other sites. So, the following needs to be read very carefully.
This check is going to be both a site tidy up (so that we can ensure that old threads are closed and we're all efficient, shiny and forward-facing for the new site) and an activity check in one. It seemed stupid to get you guys to go through a big ol' check twice over and double your requirements. This way, if people owe posts to qualify for the AC, they can post to old threads to meet the site tidy up and use those posts towards said AC requirement and vice versa. So, while the following might sound a little complex, we promise you this is the best way of handling it all that gives you guys the least work.
Everyone will have seen, by now (I hope) the shout outs I've been putting out in the announcements channel about keeping trackers up to date, about how we only lock threads when they have reached some form of written conclusion, how this week's Bunny Slipper in the weekly broadcast was about focusing on old threads. Ergo, those who have been paying attention and getting stuck in will have nothing to be concerned about by this check. You'll actually, likely, have zero to do.
The Activity Check
In terms of the Activity Check requirements, we simply require all characters to have 3 posts to their name by the end of the AC. So, for those who have recently been accepted or have yet to post, that's 3 posts in two weeks. Which, as our guideline is 2-3 posts per week, should be doable. <3
As an addition to this, however, we have a few characters on the site who pop up, meet activity check requirement and then disappear again. We want to try and nip this in the bud so, to those of you whose character(s) was in the last activity check, this requirement not 3 posts but 5 posts since the last AC (regardless of how many you posted before it). As our last AC was back in February, 5 posts in that time is not a big ask and, even if your character has posted none since the last AC, is still within the high end range of our weekly requirement, so please don't panic.
So, to break it down -
Site Tidy Up
The way we have organised this part of the check (just so everyone knows) is that our entire thread database has been unlocked. Our staff have recorded, in a big database, every single IC thread on the site (for future use in comparing the new server to the old to make sure we didn't miss anything) and recorded who is posting in each. We have then marked off all those with satisfying written conclusions to be locked on the new site; everything else, was marked as on-going. The On-Going threads were then looked into and any that have not been posted to in over 3 weeks were marked and the character who is next expected to post recorded. Ergo, our staff now have a list of every single thread that has ground to a slow and which character is responsible for getting it back up to speed.
Less Work For You
But wait I hear you cry! This all sounds very complicated! How do I know which threads are on your list? What if my tracker doesn't match yours JD? Well, I'm glad you asked that invisible, hypothetical member because here's where your staff team have really outdone themselves -
Because, as I said above, it all ties in together. Say you have a character that signed our last AC but has only posted 2 posts since then? Well, that means they must post 3 posts before the 24th June in order to remain active. BUT if you have two threads that have been waiting on replies from that character for over three weeks? Well, that means that that character must reply to those two threads specifically to pass the AC but then only needs to post one other post (not three) to meet the AC requirement. See how this all ties together and makes your life easier?
And best of all -
We've worked it out for you!
Completing the Check
Over the course of the next hour, I will be sending DMs to each and everyone one of our members on the server. That DM will include all the information you need to ensure your characters meet the above requirements. A large number and high percentage of the messages will simply read - Good job! You're awesome! - and that's it - your characters are up to date and meet all requirements. And you can then just ignore this AC as if it's not happening at all. No need to post to this thread, no need to check threads. No need to faff at all.
To those who receive DMs with thread links and information in them, you'll be shown exactly what you need to do to meet the AC check... and it will look something like this -
Vangelis of Kotas
Must post in the following thread(s)...
Fictional Thread - <with the link here>
...plus one additional post to pass the Activity Check.
Persephone of Xanthos
Needs two additional posts to pass the Activity Check.
^^^ just as an example.
All the DMs will be fully customised and are kept on staffing record. Which means, there's no need to tell us when you've done it (unless you want to) or post in this thread here. It's all a long faff for those who have a lot of characters. Instead, our staff team will simply check, on the 25th June that all threads have been posted to by the appropriate characters and that said characters have met the post requirements needed and if they haven't the account will be removed from the system. It's really as simple and easy as that.
Please Note
Some of the threads sent to members may in fact have been posted in by your character last. If this is the case and it is still in your characters' list, this will be due to other characters in the thread no longer being active. At which point the choice is yours - either finish off the thread by editing your final post and adding a final paragraph that reads as a conclusion, request it to be locked and keep the thread in canon. Or request that the thread be moved to archives and have it never have happened for your character. Please note: a request to have the thread locked without making any changes will be denied. We do not have unfinished threads in canon on Aeipathy. It creates a feeling of "unfinished-ness", dissatisfaction and doesn't read well when others want to go back and revisit past stories. If the thread is in your character list it has already been established as reading as "unfinished". Therefore, you will need to make a change before it can be accepted as no longer outstanding. This change does not have to be huge - a short and simple paragraph will do.
Also - this check is per character, not per member. We are sending the DMs per member because this seems easier than asking members to check all their character accounts for PMs. If you are a member with a lot of characters and have a lot of posts to make to meet criteria it is up to you how you divvy up your time and attention. You are more than welcome to drop certain characters or allow certain characters to fail the check in favour of others if you want to. This check is not to judge you on your ability and dropping a character is in no way shameful. This check is simply to ensure that all characters currently claimed are active. And if you feel it would be better for you to drop a character in order to allow someone else to be active with them that is 100% perfectly okay. We're not here to judge. We're just here to keep our RP world moving forwards.
Just Remember
This is just a quick note to say. While no-one likes being told what to do and we sure as hell hate telling people (hence why we so rarely have an activity check), this is not a check to penalise you guys. Our staff team haven't spent the last three days cataloguing our entire site just to cause you guys issues. We genuinely believe that this will a) help tidy up the site and ensure our site move is a positive one, b) help old stories get closed up and allow people to feel a sense of completion and efficiency that we all like and c) will get characters who have been drifting, back into play or remove them so that other members can stop relying on them. And, at the end of the day, all you have to do to get these wonderful results, is to write. Which we're all here to do anyway, right?
On top of this, our staff team are here to help. Not to judge. Across our staff and mentor team we are roleplaying with every single member on this forum. No, seriously. Every single one. And we have characters in every single kingdom. If you need help to meet your posting criteria, if you need a plot or a thread or an idea to get yourself going - or just help finding your feet in an event thread or something (let's be honest, we have enough of them) - we're here to lend it. You guys have two weeks on this - it's longer than you think. And we're here to get you there. Not to mention all of our members who have met all the criteria and will be sitting their cushty, happy to help however they can
Looking forward to seeing all of your wonderful posts coming through! Remember to enjoy your writing, not just treat it like a chore. And remember to seek a staff member if you need help <3
10th June - 24th June
Okay ladies and gents, it's time to roll up them sleeves and pay close attention. Aeipathy does not always run the same kinds of activity checks each time and we certainly don't run the same kind of checks as other sites. So, the following needs to be read very carefully.
This check is going to be both a site tidy up (so that we can ensure that old threads are closed and we're all efficient, shiny and forward-facing for the new site) and an activity check in one. It seemed stupid to get you guys to go through a big ol' check twice over and double your requirements. This way, if people owe posts to qualify for the AC, they can post to old threads to meet the site tidy up and use those posts towards said AC requirement and vice versa. So, while the following might sound a little complex, we promise you this is the best way of handling it all that gives you guys the least work.
Everyone will have seen, by now (I hope) the shout outs I've been putting out in the announcements channel about keeping trackers up to date, about how we only lock threads when they have reached some form of written conclusion, how this week's Bunny Slipper in the weekly broadcast was about focusing on old threads. Ergo, those who have been paying attention and getting stuck in will have nothing to be concerned about by this check. You'll actually, likely, have zero to do.
The Activity Check
In terms of the Activity Check requirements, we simply require all characters to have 3 posts to their name by the end of the AC. So, for those who have recently been accepted or have yet to post, that's 3 posts in two weeks. Which, as our guideline is 2-3 posts per week, should be doable. <3
As an addition to this, however, we have a few characters on the site who pop up, meet activity check requirement and then disappear again. We want to try and nip this in the bud so, to those of you whose character(s) was in the last activity check, this requirement not 3 posts but 5 posts since the last AC (regardless of how many you posted before it). As our last AC was back in February, 5 posts in that time is not a big ask and, even if your character has posted none since the last AC, is still within the high end range of our weekly requirement, so please don't panic.
So, to break it down -
-- All characters must have 3 posts to their name.
-- All characters who signed the last AC must have 5 posts to their name since the 1st of March (when the last AC closed).
-- All characters who signed the last AC must have 5 posts to their name since the 1st of March (when the last AC closed).
Site Tidy Up
The way we have organised this part of the check (just so everyone knows) is that our entire thread database has been unlocked. Our staff have recorded, in a big database, every single IC thread on the site (for future use in comparing the new server to the old to make sure we didn't miss anything) and recorded who is posting in each. We have then marked off all those with satisfying written conclusions to be locked on the new site; everything else, was marked as on-going. The On-Going threads were then looked into and any that have not been posted to in over 3 weeks were marked and the character who is next expected to post recorded. Ergo, our staff now have a list of every single thread that has ground to a slow and which character is responsible for getting it back up to speed.
-- If you are in a thread that has been waiting on your character's post for over three weeks, you will be required to post in that thread to pass the activity check.
Less Work For You
But wait I hear you cry! This all sounds very complicated! How do I know which threads are on your list? What if my tracker doesn't match yours JD? Well, I'm glad you asked that invisible, hypothetical member because here's where your staff team have really outdone themselves -
Because, as I said above, it all ties in together. Say you have a character that signed our last AC but has only posted 2 posts since then? Well, that means they must post 3 posts before the 24th June in order to remain active. BUT if you have two threads that have been waiting on replies from that character for over three weeks? Well, that means that that character must reply to those two threads specifically to pass the AC but then only needs to post one other post (not three) to meet the AC requirement. See how this all ties together and makes your life easier?
And best of all -
We've worked it out for you!
Completing the Check
Over the course of the next hour, I will be sending DMs to each and everyone one of our members on the server. That DM will include all the information you need to ensure your characters meet the above requirements. A large number and high percentage of the messages will simply read - Good job! You're awesome! - and that's it - your characters are up to date and meet all requirements. And you can then just ignore this AC as if it's not happening at all. No need to post to this thread, no need to check threads. No need to faff at all.
To those who receive DMs with thread links and information in them, you'll be shown exactly what you need to do to meet the AC check... and it will look something like this -
Vangelis of Kotas
Must post in the following thread(s)...
Fictional Thread - <with the link here>
...plus one additional post to pass the Activity Check.
Persephone of Xanthos
Needs two additional posts to pass the Activity Check.
^^^ just as an example.
All the DMs will be fully customised and are kept on staffing record. Which means, there's no need to tell us when you've done it (unless you want to) or post in this thread here. It's all a long faff for those who have a lot of characters. Instead, our staff team will simply check, on the 25th June that all threads have been posted to by the appropriate characters and that said characters have met the post requirements needed and if they haven't the account will be removed from the system. It's really as simple and easy as that.
Please Note
Some of the threads sent to members may in fact have been posted in by your character last. If this is the case and it is still in your characters' list, this will be due to other characters in the thread no longer being active. At which point the choice is yours - either finish off the thread by editing your final post and adding a final paragraph that reads as a conclusion, request it to be locked and keep the thread in canon. Or request that the thread be moved to archives and have it never have happened for your character. Please note: a request to have the thread locked without making any changes will be denied. We do not have unfinished threads in canon on Aeipathy. It creates a feeling of "unfinished-ness", dissatisfaction and doesn't read well when others want to go back and revisit past stories. If the thread is in your character list it has already been established as reading as "unfinished". Therefore, you will need to make a change before it can be accepted as no longer outstanding. This change does not have to be huge - a short and simple paragraph will do.
Also - this check is per character, not per member. We are sending the DMs per member because this seems easier than asking members to check all their character accounts for PMs. If you are a member with a lot of characters and have a lot of posts to make to meet criteria it is up to you how you divvy up your time and attention. You are more than welcome to drop certain characters or allow certain characters to fail the check in favour of others if you want to. This check is not to judge you on your ability and dropping a character is in no way shameful. This check is simply to ensure that all characters currently claimed are active. And if you feel it would be better for you to drop a character in order to allow someone else to be active with them that is 100% perfectly okay. We're not here to judge. We're just here to keep our RP world moving forwards.
Just Remember
This is just a quick note to say. While no-one likes being told what to do and we sure as hell hate telling people (hence why we so rarely have an activity check), this is not a check to penalise you guys. Our staff team haven't spent the last three days cataloguing our entire site just to cause you guys issues. We genuinely believe that this will a) help tidy up the site and ensure our site move is a positive one, b) help old stories get closed up and allow people to feel a sense of completion and efficiency that we all like and c) will get characters who have been drifting, back into play or remove them so that other members can stop relying on them. And, at the end of the day, all you have to do to get these wonderful results, is to write. Which we're all here to do anyway, right?
On top of this, our staff team are here to help. Not to judge. Across our staff and mentor team we are roleplaying with every single member on this forum. No, seriously. Every single one. And we have characters in every single kingdom. If you need help to meet your posting criteria, if you need a plot or a thread or an idea to get yourself going - or just help finding your feet in an event thread or something (let's be honest, we have enough of them) - we're here to lend it. You guys have two weeks on this - it's longer than you think. And we're here to get you there. Not to mention all of our members who have met all the criteria and will be sitting their cushty, happy to help however they can
Looking forward to seeing all of your wonderful posts coming through! Remember to enjoy your writing, not just treat it like a chore. And remember to seek a staff member if you need help <3
This Activity Check Closes at 23:00 GMT 24th June.