What Does Creative Look For?

1. Quality, not quantity. We look for depth within the posts. Writing 10,000 words is impressive and might make for a good post, but it does not guarantee a win. We look for many things beyond post length. On the other hand, we do not grade your posts for grammar and spelling. That does not mean that we won't take it into account if your entire feud is a horrible mess. Everybody misses a comma or reverses a letter when typing here and there. We accept and understand that. If it is every word that is messed up, we will factor that into a decision.

2. Focus on the feud at hand. It is not essential that you strictly base your posts on your present feud. Factoring in character development as well as side stories, etc. is perfectly fine and encouraged. However, it is when the side stories dominate and overshadow your current feud that we begin to take exception. This is not fair to your opponents in that it does not help to move your feud along. It simply leaves them with nothing to develop further.

3. Character inclusion and accuracy of portrayal. This is along the same lines as the last one, but focuses on a more specific area. Character inclusion means just that, include your opponents and/or partners in your posts. Simply mentioning them by name is not including them. An interaction of some sort is important. That does not mean necessarily engaging in conversation with your opponent at every turn. It simply means that they have to be a part of your story. They both have to be used in a logical manner that brings the story further ahead. Along the same lines as that is accuracy of character. It is important to try and portray someone else's character(s) as accurately as possible. Making a character that is a tough guy seem like a crying baby might be funny, but it does not do justice to their character. Nor would it encourage them to do the same with yours. It is understood that it is very difficult to do another person's character perfectly. Dialogue, actions, etc. will always be a bit different and that is fine. However, it is the attempt at accuracy that we look for.

4. Overselling/underselling. No matter how tough your character might be, having them always come out on top can make for a very difficult feuding session. Always make sure that you give a little and take a little. Do not constantly win, but do not constantly sell your character short to make your opponent look good either.

5. Assumptions. Please do not assume that you have a match won. No matter how much you are convinced that your posts were better than your opponent. The reasons for this are simple: Creative decides, not you. We do not look at posts and matches the same way that a person would look at their own. We attempt to look at them as objectively as possible. Granted, sometimes that is not always easy, which is why there is more than one member of the creative team. Holding the blame on one person for losing a match is not kind, nor is it fair to that one person. The majority makes the decision.

6. Be careful with possible offensive material. Do not assume that, just because it does not bother you, that certain material might not bother your opponent or others reading. Things dealing with death, rape, racism, etc. can be potentially dangerous issues and should be mulled over carefully. If you aren't certain about a plot line you are thinking about pursuing, check it over both with your opponents and with creative.

7. Cross-Feuding. If you wish to include a character from outside of your feud make certain that you have their permission to do so. This does not include mentioning a character by name, or having your character pass by them on their way out the door. This is in reference to using a character in an interactive capacity. If you are unable to contact the creator of said character, check with creative. That way you cover your bases in case someone happens to take offense.

8. Overall attitude. We are not judges. We are not paid to make objective decisions. We are your peers. Coming at us with an attitude every time something does not go your way will not help us to look at your posts with an objective eye. We understand that this is your character(s) and that this is a creative outlet for you. We also appreciate that you have a passionate outlook on your character(s). However, this is a forum based on creative fun. This is not real life, nor is there a prize for coming in first. Winning and losing should NOT be your only concern. The biggest reason that this Fed exists is so that you can be creative and have fun while you do it. So please remember that before you get upset over losing. On the other side of it, remember that what constitutes a joke for one person might not be the same for another. If you aren't sure if a comment you are about to make or a picture you are about to post will be taken badly, I would advise you to simply take the higher road and not post it.

9. CHECK WITH CREATIVE. There are several situations that require you to do so:

- Important changes to your character: anything that involves alignment changes, stable changes, tag teams, etc. need to be cleared with creative first. Notice the word "first." That means that you should check with us before you do it. This is not because we like to rain on your parade. It is because we need to know in advance so that we can set up matches for future shows. Only on extreme circumstances will creative ever deny this. We have no wish to hamper the creative direction of your characters. In fact, we encourage you to develop them as much as you can. They are your creations and you have every reason to use them as you see fit. All that we ask is to be notified.

- Issues with your opponent(s): We would like to think that we could all be amicable and friendly, but that is admittedly not always possible. If you take exception to something that your opponent posted or implied, notify creative. We are not psychic and cannot tell if you are bothered. Telling us after the fact is not helping us either. Nor should you get revenge on them by reciprocating in a post of your own. NOTIFY US.

- No-shows: This has been discussed about forty-five thousand times, but I'll reiterate it. If you cannot feud, please let us know. That is all that we need, a PM saying that you can't is fine. We do not need nor want a novel describing your troubles. That is your business. We simply need to know so that your opponenet is not left out of feuding. It is not fair to them. Nor is it fair to us. No-showing will not be tolerated any more and will be enforced. Notifying us after the fact, unless you are absolutely unable to do so beforehand will not work either.