IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS !

[❥ CAPTAIN CHAR]

[atrb=style,width: 350px; background-color: efefef; background-image: url(http://24.media.tumblr.com/0478144b9f16c95a37367d1aca56b45c/tumblr_mkfax8tDxp1s97ldco1_500.png); padding: 5px, bTable] IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT 01 PLEASE READ PLEASE READ PLEASE READ PLEASE READ PLEASE READ

I suppose the topic of this announcement can be summed up in four words: We are a family.

In the roleplay world, a vast majority of scenarios can happen, and fortunately, Backseat Serenade is free of most of them! But, of course, we’re not perfect. Lately, the administrators and even a select few members have noticed a development of cliques in the site, which is far from the vision Lam and I wanted when we created opened. I’m certainly not pointing fingers, but considering more than one member has stepped up to confess their concerns, I feel this announcement is necessary in order to preserve the fun, welcoming roleplay community we hope to be.

Trust me, I know how difficult the temptation to make a dozen ships with a roleplayer you’re familiar with is, especially if you’ve been left betrayed or disappointed previously by a roleplayer you opened your heart to. Let’s face it—creating a ship with someone is very similar to building a relationship in reality. Comfort zones are named as such for a reason. They’re comfortable. Unfortunately, an excess of running back to the same rp partners make others feel like outsiders, so something must be done.

I want you to think for a second: do you have multiple ships with the same person? Do you tend to thread with one or two people exclusively? To be frank, having more than a couple ships with the same person is ridiculous when you have a site full of wonderful writers. If you make one ship with someone, try making your next with someone else. It’s only fair. Talk to people. Plot with people. If you isolate yourself to one person, I can guarantee you’ll miss out on some awesome roleplay experiences, so give it a shot! Step out of your comfort zone! (;

A new rule has been added as of June 9, 2013:

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VI. Please avoid favoring one member over another, especially in threading. In order to combat the uncomfortable favoritism that can be seen on some roleplay sites, the administrators at Backseat Serenade will enforce a policy of fairness in terms of plots and threading. This is a public forum, which means new members will constantly be joining our community, so it's important to include everyone!

It’s also come to my attention that many of us have huge character queues, which is fine, but the methods that the staff and select members have been seeing to achieve the said characters are not. As you all know, each character after your second requires fifteen roleplay posts to gain a new character. I assumed that this rule would force members to spread their wings and interact with others, but instead it seems the same members are threading with the same members to get their fifteen posts. I’m not speaking to anyone in particular, I can assure you. Even I am guilty of doing this. However, if this continues, Lam and I are more than willing to implement a couple modifications, them being:

a. The post count will be raised to twenty posts per new character as well as
b. A set amount of characters can be created in a given time frame. For example, we may only allow one character per month.

You’re all very active, ambitious roleplayers, and I know character whoring is a growing disease on this site. I know for a fact you’d hate me and Lam for putting something up like this. All it takes is opening up your comfort zone to newbies, offering to thread with someone new, and scattering whom you’re making your ships with! It’s easy, and Lam and I hope to see an improvement in the next month. If not, we’ll implement the terms recorded above.

In addition to playing fair in the roleplay world, I’d also like to point out that the cbox is NOT a place for personal stories and excessive plotting, as stated in the site’s regulations. I’m not discouraging you from speaking in the chat, but personal problems are better off being shared in a private setting like private messaging or AIM. We’d also like to keep past roleplay experiences that do not relate to the site on the downlow as well, for not everyone was one such and such site. Specific topics may scare people away or even offend them, so it’s only courteous to watch what you say on the cbox! Remember: anyone could be lurking!

Please know I didn’t write up this post to be mean. I seriously hate pulling the strict admin card, but something had to be said before our community became tainted with bad mojo. Haha. Please, please, please don’t be afraid to come to any of the administrators for your concerns. We’re here to help, and we want you to feel as safe and secure if this roleplay community as possible. If you’d like to give us some feedback on this announcement, please message me on my admin account! I hope you have a wonderful day! I love you all incredibly! <3 Thanks, guys! [/div] [/td][/tr][/table]

[lam]

[atrb=style,width: 350px; background-color: efefef; background-image: url(http://24.media.tumblr.com/0478144b9f16c95a37367d1aca56b45c/tumblr_mkfax8tDxp1s97ldco1_500.png); padding: 5px, bTable] IMPORTANT AMENDMENT 01 PLEASE READ PLEASE READ PLEASE READ PLEASE READ PLEASE READ

Hey everyone! I know this topic has probably been beaten and brought back to life, but there are new parts of it that need to be addressed. Essentially, an apology is in order.

Char and I have honestly been concerned about this whole issue regarding plot circles and such. Unfortunately, instead of directly asking the members whom it concerns, we took the issue and did not deal with it properly. However, with recent and eye-opening events, we have new ideas that might surprise and please you. It certainly relieves us a ton, and we'd love to see how it turns out.

Before BS was created, Char and I encountered a great deal of trouble with sites that weren't very welcoming. Once we were free of that sort of stress, we realized that we needed a site that could promote true community. We finally have a way of promoting major plots without making each character rare (fifteen posts takes a long time for those of us who are very busy). So here is a new rule that is a real wildcard. ARE YOU READY?

An old rule has been altered:

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III. We do not have a character limit. I believe that every single one of you know your limits. If you can’t name all of your characters off the top of your head, you obviously have too many. In order to combat character whoring (I admit, I’m guilty of this), each character must have five legitimate roleplay posts before creating another after your second. This means you have two free slots when you first join. [added June 22, 2013]

The purpose of the original fifteen-post rule was to prevent "character whoring," which was happening, despite the limit. So here's our solution, which seems counterintuitive. Each person can now make a character each five posts, which means you don't have to worry about people losing interest while you're trying to gather fifteen posts in order to make your next character for some planned plot. This gives an opportunity to make characters quicker, but with at least five posts to anchor them before starting a new one. The anchor can be created with anyone, really, and five posts usually equates to one or two threads. Mostly, we want to see characters who are anchored with people you have not plotted with before. That is the goal.

With that being said, we are wary of those who wish to create numerous shallow characters or an unreasonable amount of characters to plot with one particular person. Please keep in mind that the purpose is not to make a million characters, but to open the doors to plottable characters you can share with new members when your older characters are all plotted up and busy. Also, activity checks have not been altered, so if you can't keep up, natural selection will sort out which characters you are keeping active and those you are not. But I'm sure you all know what you can handle, so we're not too worried about that! (:

Before you react, please know that we did this because we believe that everyone has a say in how things are run around here. Any suggestions should be passed onto the admins, and we will stay updated with what your needs are. If there is anything we can do to make your roleplaying experience more enjoyable (and reasonable), don't hesitate to provide suggestions. Advice may not always be taken, but it is always considered deeply. Sid, thank you for being a voice of reason for us when we couldn't find a proper solution.

All of you are really wonderful and supportive. I don't think words can describe how much we appreciate your consistent activity and loyalty. I can't get too cheesy here, but you guys are a really wonderful family to have. Enjoy the change and happy plotting! <3[/div] [/td][/tr][/table]

[❥ CAPTAIN CHAR]

[atrb=style,width: 350px; background-color: efefef; background-image: url(http://24.media.tumblr.com/0478144b9f16c95a37367d1aca56b45c/tumblr_mkfax8tDxp1s97ldco1_500.png); padding: 5px, bTable] IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT 02 PLEASE READ PLEASE READ PLEASE READ PLEASE READ PLEASE READ

Hello, hello, hello!

In relation to the previous two announcements, the Backseat Serenade administration team has decided to reiterate a couple of rules on the site. Lately, we’ve seen a lot of competition for face claims, which is unacceptable by all means. The rules clearly state:

VI. Claim your claims. Claim your claims. Drill that into your noggin’! They’re first-come, first-serve.

If there is a face claim you’d like to use, you’re not guaranteed to have your desired choice if it isn’t published on the updated face claim list. I don’t care if you had a super awesome plot attached to the character. Asking someone who had claimed a specific face claim to share or give them up will not be tolerated. Like I’ve said before, I know the temptation of creating a plot for a face; however, please don’t forget about common courtesy.

New characters are great, but the staff would hate to see previous characters becoming inactive due to newer ones. Rather than set a character limit, Lam and I have decided to set a new policy for application acceptance. From now on, we’ll be avidly checking your characters for plots as well as character development. We must see that you’ve attempted to integrate your character on the site before moving onto your next character in order to gain acceptance. What does this mean? Well, for starters, plot them around! Post in shipping pages! Thread! Simply posting five open threads for the sake of gaining five posts doesn’t count.

As I mentioned in the cbox earlier today, the “queue” talk is beginning to become a problem. Again, I as well as other members are sensing a greater focus on the characters to come rather than the characters already alive and usable on the site. If you truly have a burning desire to talk about your assembly line of characters, take it to AIM or somewhere private. Rather than working on a billion character biographies, you guys should be posting with the characters you do have.

Now I don’t want to bring out the “bad admin” card, but I definitely thought these issues needed to be addressed. Lam and I absolutely hate setting new regulations, so we ask you reign in your “character whoreness” a bit. If worse comes to worst, we’ll have to implement a character limit, and trust me, you don’t want that. I seriously love all of you folks. Your dedication to the site never fails to astound me. You’ve made me the happiest administrator in the world. (: Just be sure to login to ALL your accounts EVERYDAY. Oh, and don’t forget about your babies<3

Until next time, go plot your hearts out!

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[❥ CAPTAIN CHAR]

[atrb=style,width: 350px; background-color: efefef; background-image: url(http://24.media.tumblr.com/0478144b9f16c95a37367d1aca56b45c/tumblr_mkfax8tDxp1s97ldco1_500.png); padding: 5px, bTable] IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT 03 PLEASE READ PLEASE READ PLEASE READ PLEASE READ PLEASE READ

Hi Backseat Serenaders!

Guess what? It's time for some snitchy drama, and this time, your characters have been pulled into her fun and games. After all, who doesn't like to play with their food? Eleven characters have been randomly chosen to investigate eleven other randomly selected characters for the purpose of a blog post to come. How does this work? Well, it's simple!

1) Eleven members have been texted the picture and name of the person they're obligated to investigate. The line up is as follows, and no switches will be permitted:

- Niamh Donoghue will cover Abel Adams
- Fiona Petrov will cover Bailee Ross
- Vince Moore will cover Conor Callahan
- Desiree Ambrosio will cover Joseph Lovell
- Lillian Hastings will cover Noelle Brooks
- Analiese Juniper will cover Georgia Cannes
- Josef Norling will cover Scarlet Mills
- Serenity Johnson will cover Timber Wayne
- Seth Victore will cover Mack Del Torre
- Jack Bailey will cover Brittany Aldridge
- Tiffany Prescott will cover Axel Sawyer

2) As the texts indicate, failure to find some type of dirt on the character they've been assigned will result in the exposure of their secret. For example, if Desiree fails to find a secret about Joseph, The Snitch will expose her night with Paul. Obviously there are high stakes here, and it's in your character's best interests not to blow off The Snitch's demands.

3) You may be wondering how to fulfill your side of the bargain. As easy as it'd be to send The Snitch's account a quick PM with information you've found out of character, you must have in-character evidence of your character finding dirt. Some examples are: threading, in-character chatting, and texting. You must provide evidence of your characters' interaction in the PM you send to The Snitch's account once completed.

4) Keep in mind, these secrets don't have to be their secret listed in the secrets claim. This can be as simple as a crush they have that The Snitch may find scandalous. This may be about a big promise they broke to someone. This could be about them backstabbing their best friend. As long as it's not something as obscure as what they ate for breakfast that morning, anything will do (and if it doesn't, i'll be sure to tell you).

Okayso, get snooping! For now, I have not put a deadline on this event, but you will be notified when I do! If you have any questions, feel free to message me over PM or AIM. Also be sure to look out for other Snitch events! She's ready to stir some drama in Brunswick!

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