Balamb Garden

Another new player! Yay!

2007-05-20T01:32:30Z

Hey everyone..we have a new player! Laura will be playing Aria, a transfer from Galbadia Garden. Her MSN is ringomelody

The game's really starting to grow ^_^

Characters have been updated. And Laura is in dorm 14. For right now, she's by herself. :-(

Friday Five, Mod Stuff

2007-05-18T16:27:47Z

Friday Five

1. If you were a nocturnal animal, what nocturnal animal would you be?
2. Which is better: to obey the law to avoid punishment, to obey the law because the law makes sense, or to obey the law because everyone should?
3. What is your favorite type of movie?
4. Are any kind of ethics involved in wearing a hat?
5. When is the best time for you to take a 20 minute nap? Why?

Also...

The SeeD ball is supposed to be tomorrow. I know a lot of you are in the middle of other threads and you don't want to start new ones yet, which is good. Just keep in mind that the SeeD ball is coming up, so try to wrap up what you are working on. We can delay starting the thread for a few days, since there isn't anything coming up immediately after this one, but I'd hate for anyone to not be able to use their character just because they have other threads going on. And, after about a week (or so) we'll just close the thread. There's no real way to bring it to a closing point

All students level 9 or older are allowed to attend (which is everyone but Riou), SeeDs are 'encouraged' to be there.

It will be in the Quad. And speaking of that! The Quad has been revised to fit our game better. The part that you can see in FF8 is the part that has already been described, with couches, TV, etc. Sort of an all purpose room. There are several doors off to each side of the room that house various other things, like a weight room, etc. One of those extra rooms is a social hall where the dance is held every year. It's pretty much just a big open room that can be used for other things through out the year, and has a door to the outside that is locked the rest of the year.

New Questions

2007-05-04T18:26:47Z

This week's Friday Five:

My life would not be the same without this...

1. song/movie/book:
2. person:
3. place:
4. event:
5. self indulgence:

The festival goings-ons

2007-05-01T18:11:10Z

The festival, obviously, is going to give people about a hundred opportunities to start a thread. Since it's supposed to be a big deal at Garden, it'll give everyone a chance to think of LOTS of things their character might be doing that weekend.

But to keep things somewhat organized and not !!MASS CHAOS!! I figured the easiest way would be to give everyone a week for "group" threads. So, for example, the pancake dinner. Anyone who wants to be there can start the thread and whoever else joins, joins. Then, after a week, we'll just close it. I'll put up a warning like a day before, so everyone has a chance to make any last comments they want to get in.

Like I said, that's just mainly to keep things from being totally nuts. If I start a thread for EVERY SINGLE event, we might not use half of them, so anyone can start any thread they want. If someone wants to do more than one game of laser tag, then they can; if we don't, then we don't have empty threads.

And, this stuff could go on FOREVER, especially the more people that get involved.

Of course, if you make up your own "extra" things that happen this weekend, you don't need to finish those in a week.

Mod-ly type things

2007-04-27T18:36:36Z

1) I never really made this clear before but, if you need to use a character who is around Garden but isn't being played, that's fine. I mean, we all assume they're there somewhere, so go ahead and use them. Just try to not do anything totally strange to the poor, defenseless character....and speaking of that-

2) I'm going to start playing as Cid. He will only pop in and out as he's needed, but if anyone needs to talk to him, now you know he's there.

3) I thought it'd be kind of fun to post some questions every week that we can answer as our characters. You don't have to do it, it's just for fun if you're interested. I was in an RPG that did this (it's from

thefridayfive) and it gives you a chance to think about some of the random details of your character, kinda make up a little more story to go behind them...

So here's the first ones:

1. Who was your first crush?
2. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
3. What is your favorite non-sexual thing you like to do with the love of your life?
4. Name one quirky habit your partner (or ideal partner) does that either annoys you or makes you grin.
5. Do you believe in monogamous relationships?

Another new player

2007-04-25T13:56:14Z

We have another new player. Brit will be taking over as Rinoa (thanks to Jen for recruiting her!) Her AIM is heres a raincoat

I was also toying with the idea of having student government elections. Would anyone be interested in having their character run? As far as what you'd have to do...well, that's really up to you. If you use it as a chance to start a petition for better cafeteria food, or if it's just a title for your character..that's your choice (funny, that's the way student government really is!)

New Player

2007-04-20T01:03:14Z

We have a new player ! Jen will be playing Quistis and also North Anthony. The friends add list has been updated here
Or, you can just go to his journal to add him bg_north_anthon
North is sharing a room with Reagan in 17, and will be taking Espionage with Quistis, Driver's Ed with Dante, Conner, Addy and Prof. Eamon, First Aid with Dante and Quistis, Battle Strategy Lv. 3, and Combat Lv. 7.

Jen's AIM is InoFan for anyone who wants to get started on a thread with her.

Update for a couple things

2007-04-19T20:19:44Z

First, I just want to say I'm really pleased with how things have started! It's gonna take everyone a little while to get all your characters "tied" together, especially between original and in-game ones. But I'm really impressed by how much everyone has done so far. We've got a lot of threads going (some really long ones, too!) for a game that just started a few days ago.

Also, there's been a lot of development from before our game started - how people feel about their roommates, who has been friends with who, so on. The people that have in-game characters had that a little easier, but other players have made up for it...so, yay!

Since everyone either seemed excited by the idea of everyone having birthdays, or at least said they didn't really care, we're gonna go with, yup, they age. I didn't want to upset someone who absolutely didn't like the idea, but I think it gives us players more room to do things we couldn't do if they never got any older. Like have a birthday party, if nothing else. LOL.

AND, finally...I'm playing as Quistis right now and Laurie is playing as Rinoa, only because no one wanted either of those characters and I hated to write them out altogether. Someone's working on a Quistis application right now (yay!), but no one's been interested in Rinoa yet. So, my point is...we're fine and good and it's working, Laurie doesn't mind playing her for awhile, but if anyone has a friend who would want to apply as Rinoa...it looks like she's taken, but not really. Just an FYI for everyone in case you know someone who wants to play Rinoa - she's really free!

balamb_mod @ 2007-04-12T23:58:00

2007-04-13T04:13:47Z

New map!!

It's just a rough Paint sketch, but it should be good enough for what we need it for. By the way, I know the rooms are all different sizes - that's just my sloppiness. The lobbies and laundry room and whatever are different sizes, but all the ROOMS are the same size (like room 6..it's not really twice as big as room 7...no one's that lucky, lol).

Dorm housing, first floor

Dorm housing, second floor

Seed housing, 1st floor
By the way, I forgot to put the stairs in. They're in the same place as in the dorms - at the end of the hall, on both floors.

Second floor

Question for everyone!

2007-04-11T19:35:20Z

Do we want our characters to age? Every time I've played an original character before, they've gotten older every birthday. But in this game, there's canon characters too..do we want them to stay forever 17, like they were in the game (well, most of them), or get older?

What do you all think?

Spring Schedule

2007-04-09T17:26:32Z

Classes

Since this game is beginning in April, we are halfway through the spring semester. It's sort of an awkward time to start, but I think we can work with it!

I'm going to list each player, their age, and their level, then their schedule. The level really doesn't mean much once you are a junior classman (you can technically be level 8, but be taking History 10 and Combat 2, for example), but at least you know what it is. To put it into "real world" terms, level 13 is like being a senior (or maybe a super senior, if you've been at it awhile..). Levels 1-5 are elementary or primary school, levels 6-9 are middle school/junior high/secondary school, and levels 10-13 are basically high school. Since a) this is all one school and b) they can graduate or become SeeD at 15, this isn't a GREAT comparison, but it gives you an idea of where they'd be.

I do have a system for how I determine the schedule and classes, but it comes from a lot of factors and would take me a long time to explain. Considering I don't think anyone really CARES, as long as I get it done, I'm not going to bother...but if you have any questions or concerns, just ask.

Adalia - 15 -Level 10 - History 9 (9-9:50), Science 10 (10-10:50), Driver's Ed (with Professor Eamon) (11-11:50), Combat Lv. 3 (Prof. Eamon) (1-1:50), Ancient Centra (2-2:50)

Riou - 5 - Level 1 - Math 1, History 1, Science 1, English 1, Phys Ed (Class is from 9:30 to 3:30, he stays with one teacher all day)

Conner - 15 - Level 10 - Math 9 (10-10:50), Driver's Ed (With Professor Eamon) (11-11:50), Combat Lv. 3 (Prof. Eamon) (1-1:50), Etiquette (With Prof. Eamon) (2-2:50), Battle Strategy 2 (3-3:50)

Reagan - 14 - Level 10 - Math 9 (10-10:50), Science 9 (11-11:50), Combat Lv. 3 (Prof. Eamon) (1-1:50),  History 9 (2-2:50), Weight Lifting (4-4:50)

Lore - 16 - SeeD Prep. Her adviser is Prof. Eamon.

Dante - 16 - Level 11 - Combat Lv. 4 (9-9:50), Galdadian Dialect (10-10:50), Driver's Ed (Prof. Eamon) (11-11:50), First Aid (2-2:50), Codes and Encryption (3-3:50),

North - 16 - Level 11 - Espionage (10-10:50), Driver's Ed (Prof. Eamon) (11-11:50), Battle Strategy 3 (1-1:50) First Aid (2-2:50) Combat Level 7 (3-3:50)

Rinoa - Rinoa is not technically a student, but she is allowed to participate in SOME of the elective classes for fun. Rinoa will be taking etiquette (with Prof. Eamon) (2-2:50) and sign language (3-3:50).

Zell - SeeD, will not be taking extra classes

Squall - Stress and Your Health (1-1:50), Etiquette (2-2:50), Codes and Encryption (3-3:50), and Weight Lifting (4-4:50).

Irvine - Stress and Your Health (1-1:50), Esthar's Customs (2-2:50), and sign language (3-3:50)

Quistis - Espionage (10-10:50), Stress and Your Health (1-1:50), First Aid (2-2:50), and Codes and Encryption (3-3:50),

Selphie - SeeD, will not be taking other classes

Spring Calendar

The semester began at the start of January, and will finish the end of May. The Garden Festival will be May 4, 5, and 6. SeeD testing will be sometime between 14-18. The SeeD Ball is May 19. The semester will end May 25th, and summer break begins.

Dorm Assignments

In the Dorm housing, there are two stories.

Floor One
                     GUYS                                                                  GIRLS

Room 7 |   hall    |  Room 8                            Room 16 |                 | Room 15
                  |   hall    |                                                              |                  |
Room 5   |   hall    |  Room 6      |------------ |   Room 14 |                | Room 13
                  |             |                      | Elevator |                      |                  |
Bath-        | hall      -----------------|               |-----------------                  | Bathroom
room        | hall                                                                                        |
                  |                ____________________________              |
Room 3 |             | Room  4        | Entry       |     Room 12 |              | Room 11
                  |             |                       |  Way       |                        |              |
Room 1 |             |  Room 2                                 Room 10 |              | Room 9
                  |             |                                                                   |              |
                    ------------                                                                  ------------
                  stairwell                                                                   stairwell

Floor Two
                   GUYS                                                                  GIRLS

Room 23 |   hall    |  Room 24                         Room 32 |                 | Room 31
                  |   hall    |                                                              |                  |
Room 21 |   hall    |  Room 22   |------------ |   Room 30 |                | Room 29
                  |             |                      | Elevator |                      |                  |
Bath-        | hall      -----------------|               |-----------------                  |
room        | hall                                                                                        | Bathroom
                  |                ____________________________              |
Room 19 |             | Room 20      | Laundry   |   Room 28 |              | Room 27
                  |             |                       |  Room      |                    |              |
Room 17|             |  Room 18           and           Room 26 |              | Room 25
                  |             |                          Cleaning                        |              |
                    ------------                        Supplies                        ------------
                  stairwell                                                                   stairwell

Adalia and Lore are roommates. They are in Room 25.

Conner is in Room 6, with Dante.

Reagan is in Room 17, with North.

Riou is in Room 4.

SEED HOUSING

SeeD apartments are set up almost the same as the dorms, except that they are singles.

Floor 1

            |             |                                                  |         |
Apt.   3 |             | Apt. 5                                        |          | Apt. 10
            |             |              |                 |    Apt. 7     |         |
            |             |________| Elevator    |_________ |         |
Apt.   2 |                                                                          | Apt. 9
            |            ____________              _________           |
            |          |Apt. 4             | Lobby   |   Apt. 6    |          |
            |          |                     |             |                |          |
Apt. 1   |          |                      |            |                |          | Apt. 8
            |          |____________ |            |_________|          |
            |          |                      |            | Laundry |          |
            |______| Supply Closet |_____ | Room       |______|
              Stairs

Floor 2

            |             |                                                  |         |
Apt. 13 |             | Apt. 15                                       |         | Apt. 20
            |             |              |                 |    Apt. 17   |         |
            |             |________| Elevator    |_________ |         |
Apt.  12 |                                                                         | Apt. 19
            |            ____________              _________           |
            |          |Apt. 14           | Common|   Apt. 16 |          |
            |          |                     | Area     |                |          |
Apt. 11 |          |                      |             |                |          | Apt. 18
            |          |____________ |             |_________|          |
            |          |                      |            | Laundry |          |
            |______| Supply Closet |_____ | Room       |______|
              Stairs

Zell is in Apt. 18
Squall is in Apt. 6
Prof. Eamon is in Apt. 3
Rinoa is in Apt. 12
Quistis is in Apt. 15
Selphie is in Apt. 8
Irvine is in Apt. 20

Friend Add List

2007-04-09T15:17:44Z

To make things easier when you are trying to add all the players, here is a list you can use. Make sure you are logged in as your character. Then just copy everything below. Go to www.livejournal.com/admin/console , paste it into the box, hit execute, and you're all set!

friend add balamb_mod
friend add bg_squall_leonh
friend add bg_north_anthon
friend add bg_zell_dincht
friend add bg_irvine_kinne
friend add bg_rinoa_hearti
friend add bg_irvine_kinne
friend add bg_quistis_trep
friend add bg_selphie_tilm
friend add bg_cassius_eam
friend add bg_riou_levant
friend add bg_lore_antalya
friend add bg_dante_spiers
friend add bg_reagan_rhine
friend add bg_adalia_leren
friend add bg_conner_blake

Also, please be sure you have joined and "watched" (aka friended) both the OOC community and the RPG community.

Meet the Players

2007-04-05T17:56:54Z

Here is a list of all the players and their characters:

Player: Matt
AIM: gaiar28
Characters:
* Riou Levant - A five year old boy who is just starting at Garden.
* Squall Leonhart

Player:Jamie (AKA the mod)
AIM: gritinyrgrunders
Characters:
* Lore Antalya - Lore came to Garden when she was 10. She's hoping to become a SeeD soon. Lore is a rather energetic girl, who is typically nice but can also get a bit..feisty, if provoked.

Player: Jen
AIM: InoFan
Character:
* North Anthony: North is a confident and open-minded person who prefers to surround himself with a few close friends. Though he doesn't go out of his way to be sociable, North can speak his mind when needed. North is a hard worker who spends a lot of time focused on his school work.
* Quistis Trepe

Player: Sarah
AIM: Zellie Kinneas
Character:
* Zell Dincht

Player: Laurie
AIM: mixedmolotov
Characters:
* Adalia Leren - Adalia tends to be quiet and softspoken, though she can be more talkative around comfortable friends. Adalia is a good listener, and tends to play the "peacekeeper" when the situation arises. She dislikes arguing and drama.

Player: Brit
AIM: heres a raincoat
Character:
* Rinoa Heartilly

Player: Kate
AIM: beserkate
Character:
* Conner Blake - Conner is 15. He is very sensible and practical, and what he lacks in strength he makes up for in tactic. Conner has a special talent for music.
* Irvine Kinneas

Player: Jill
AIM: jillybean982
Character:
* Selphie Tilmitt

Player: Dave
Contact: problemtopathos@gmail.com
Character:
* Reagan Rhine - Reagan is 14. Reagan is a strong fighter, but can sometimes let over-confidence become a problem. Reagan tends to be easy-going and a bit of a joker.
* Dante Spiers - Dante is 16. Dante is very good with computers and machines, and hopes to join SeeD as a specialist in reconnaisance. Dante is fairly serious and down to earth.

Player: Taku
Contact: Natakuuu5@yahoo.com
Character:
Cassius Eamon - Professor Eamon is a transfer from Trabia Garden. He has been teaching at Balamb for approximately 6 months, coming shortly after the end of the war. Professor Eamon expects the best from his students - slacking is not acceptable, and he makes his expectations clear and direct. Though he can be a bit strict, he also remembers what it was like to be young once.

Player: Laura
Contact: ringomelody on MSN
Character:
Aria Byron - Aria is a transfer from Galbadia Garden. Aria descends from a proud noble military family. She has a strategic mind and skill as a swordsman. Aria has a tendency to appear elitist.

Class list

2007-03-09T16:04:35Z

This will be updated as I think of more and people suggest new ones..it's very rough right now.

Math Level 1-10
English Level 1-10
Science Level 1-10
History Level 1-10
Physical Fitness Level 1-5

Physical Fitness - Running (Can be taken twice for credit)
Physical Fitness - Weight Lifting (Can be taken twice for credit)
Physical Fitness - Endurance training (Can be taken twice for credit)
First Aid
Stress and Your Health
Driver's Education Level 1-2

Languages and Culture
Sign language
Written Estharian
Galbadian dialect
Shuminese
Esthar's Customs and Culture
Ancient Centra
Regional Customs and Avoiding Offense (Can also be taken as a Language requirement, but can only be used for credit once)

General Battle:
Combat Levels 1-8
The Art of Defense
Magic as a Weapon
Magic as Defense
Limit Break Development

Tactical Skills:
Makeup and Disguise
Espionage
Codes and Encryption
Battle Strategy Levels 1-3

Social Skills:
Dancing Levels 1-2
Etiquette
Winning Confidence, Gaining Trust
Regional Customs and Avoiding Offense (Can also be taken as a Language requirement, but can only be used for credit once)

Sorcery:
The First Sorceress War - A Tactical Breakdown
The Second Sorceress War - A Tactical Breakdown
Sorceresses Through History
The Power of a Sorceress

Independent Study - To benefit students whose academic interests are not best provided for in the typical classroom setting, we strongly encourage the use of our independent study program. Interested students may meet with their advisor regarding an independent study.

Service to Garden - During their academic career, students are expected to assist at Garden by providing service hours. These service hours will count for classroom credit, but can not be used for credit more than 3 times. Students can service Garden in a variety of pursuits which engage their interest. Students can discuss service hours with their advisor to establish a program.

SeeD Preparation Courses - Students who have completed all graduation requirements and plan to take the SeeD exam are required to remain enrolled in class as an active and participating student until they attain SeeD status. Your advisor will assist you further. In the spring, SeeD candidates will be enrolled in SeeD Preparation courses instead of traditional coursework.

Education and SeeD

2007-03-09T15:40:40Z

About the education at Garden:

GENERAL:
Students are admitted after age 5. Once they have completed the required coursework, there are two options. Students may graduate and leave Garden. As a graduate, they can request Garden's help with job placement in any military force. Students may also choose to remain at Garden and take the SeeD exam. Students are eligible for the SeeD exam at age 15. All students must leave the Garden at age 20, SeeD cadets being the only exception.

COURSE OVERVIEW:
Students between the ages of 5-10 are automatically enrolled in a math, English, science, social studies, and physical fitness course. Students begin at level one in all of the courses. If they complete the course successfully, they will graduate to the next level each year. Students who demonstrate excellence in any subject may be advanced more than one level at the headmaster's discretion, but this is rare. The intended goal is for all students to be enrolled in level 5 courses by age 10. Students who are below level five are considered an elementary classman.

Once completing level 5 coursework in all classes, students graduate to the rank of junior classman. As a junior classman, students are now permitted to design their own schedules with the assistance of their advisor. A placement test will be taken in math, English, science, and social studies. The results of this placement test will guide each student into a course at the appropriate level. Success in coursework, along with suggestions by instructors and the advisor, will determine how the student moves through their courses. For graduation, students must successfully complete level 10 in all four subjects.

Students must also complete at least one language course, five combat courses, two magic courses, one strategy course, one social skills course, First Aid, and Stress and Your Health. The required coursework is limited, as to allow students to find their own individualized area of focus. Students must complete 50 classes to be eligible for graduation. These classes are combined both of the required courses and electives. Classes taken at the elementary level (level 5 and below) do not count towards graduation.

SEED:
Students who are interested in becoming a SeeD must complete all the necessary graduation requirements as listed above. Once eligible for graduation, students will be permitted to take the SeeD written exam. The exam is administered twice in the spring semester. Students who do not successful complete the exam will be permitted to retake the exam once during the semester. No student who has not fully completed the graduation requirements will be permitted to take the test.

After achieving an adequate score on the exam, students will be required to take place both in a pre-requisite field trial and field exam. Details will be provided to eligible students at the time of the exam by your advisor. REMEMBER to talk to your advisor frequently. Academic success at Garden is dependent on communication with your advisor, especially in becoming a SeeD. Your advisor is here to help you succeed!

Anything not clear?? Let me know..I'm trying to be specific without being confusing...

Garden rules, cont..

2007-03-09T01:21:34Z

More specifics on the Garden:

Dorm behavior - Genders are not permitted to mingle after hours, or to use each other's bathrooms. Curfew is at 11, and after 11, students are expected to stay on "their side" of the dormitory. Quiet hours go into effect at 11. Students are permitted to be out in the hallways (unlike in the game where faculty is watching them), but most everything is closed, so there's really nowhere to go but the training center or Quad.

Guests and travel - Students are permitted to have guests in the dorm as long as they are signed in at the front desk. The same "no gender mixing" rules are in effect, however. So if your character wants a girlfriend to come visit, he better find a female friend who will sign her into her dorm to stay over! This is not true for SeeDs and instructors. As far as leaving Garden, students are not monitored. However, if they miss an excessive number of classes...

Missions - Two things to say here. The first is that, now that NORG is gone, Cid is not as concerned about the money. He's a lot more discriminating about what missions he takes, and so SeeDs are not sent out as frequently as they once were. With that said, though... yeah, the SeeDs should be going on missions, at least once in awhile. It is why they're at Garden, after all. But the fact is, I suck at this kind of stuff. So you're more than welcome to come up with your own mission ideas and make suggestions to me, because I'm horrible at it and will put off coming up with missions just because I suck at it.

Pay and rank - will be decided by the mods when your character is approved. I don't see this being integral to the story, so I wouldn't sweat it.

The second floor is where the classes are. Students WILL be registered for classes, but we aren't really going to sit through classes :). If your class has a teacher, the player can let you know what sort of work your character could expect.. If not, a teacher will be made up and you can decide for yourself if your character will say anything about the classwork. I guess if a bunch of people are in the same class and feel ambitious enough to want to start a class thread, it could be fun, but I'm not too worried about it. Just realize that it's assumed your student is in a class at some point in his life. Once your character is accepted, we'll discuss their class schedule.

SeeDs are somewhat randomly going to be expected to take "continuing education" courses. Things to refresh their memory when they haven't been a student for awhile, and don't have missions lined up. This is really mostly just a plot device in case you a) need your character to hang around Garden and not go on mission or b) want them in a class for storyline reasons. I'm not going to spend a lot of time assigning these classes, it's more there for the players who want to use it. I'll post a subjects list later.

SeeDs mission- Now that the only sorceress left is Rinoa, SeeDs mission has been altered. It was originally to defeat the sorceress, but Rinoa's not hurting anyone, right? Ultimecia's gone and in the past. SeeD has not been disbanded, because Rinoa does still have her powers. However, they aren't going to seal her up when she's not doing any harm. It's been decided that, being a sorceress, Rinoa cannot become a SeeD at Garden. But it is sensible for her to remain at Garden where she can be protected. And so, their mission has shifted to protecting the last living sorceress from evil and to encourage her powers to be kept safe .

About Garden

2007-03-08T21:21:43Z

Some basic info on the Garden. This turned out to be SUPER LONG so it's divided into two posts. This one is more about the layout and areas of the Garden, the second one is more specifics on "how Garden works".

The Garden is the same as in the game. The layout is the same, a sort of half-circle shape that starts with the infirmary on the left, then the quad, then the cafeteria, dorms, parking garage, training center, and library. The elevator to the second floor is in the center, in a line with the infirmary and the library. I'm not going to go into too much detail because I assume you guys know it, but I can clarify if it's needed.

Front desk: A student or employee is on duty at all times here for security reasons. Students have an ID card that can be swiped to open the front door. If they forget their card, the person on duty can let them in, but random strangers don't have access to the building. This is also where guests to Garden sign in (more on the "Garden cont.." page)

Infirmary: Dr. Kadowaki is the resident physician of the building. She is in the infirmary from 9 a.m. til 6 p.m. A second staff member is on duty from 12-8. After 8, the infirmary is closed. In case of emergency, there is a buzzer on the door. If a student needs assistance after 8, they can use the buzzer and one of the other staff members will respond.

Quad: The quad is where most student activities take place. It is something of a "rec" room. There are benches, tables, a pool table, several couches, a large TV, and vending machines. It is open at all hours.

Cafeteria: The cafeteria opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m. Students ID cards are also used to purchase food. At the start of each semester, they are given a "meal plan" and all the food they purchase comes off the balance on their card.

Dorms - The dorms are in the same location as in the game. The hallway leading to the dorms is the same, but the dorms themselves are two stories, and SeeD apartments are in a separate area. The dorms are in an "H" shape on both floors. The guys are on the left, the girls are on the right, and are connected by a hallway. There is a bathroom in each hallway, and the residents of that hall must share. The connecting hallway has an elevator and janitor's closet. There are also stairs at the end of each hallway.

Dorm layout - Students share a dorm. It is a basic square with two beds that can be bunked. They can arrange the room however they like. There is a long desk built into one wall which the students have to share. They can decorate the rooms however they like, but flames, heat, etc., are not permitted.

SeeDs and instructors have their own apartments. The SeeD apartments are attached to the same hallway as the regular dorms, but have a separate extension. It would look like this:

                 Dorms
SeeD----- | hall |
                  | hall |
                  | hall |
Does that make sense? So the SeeD apartments and the dorms sort of come together in an "L" shape. The SeeD apartments are singles, meaning everyone gets their own. The only time they would have to share is if there is a shortage of rooms. Each apartment has a small living room/kitchen/dining area (picture a square with a sink in the corner and maybe a mini-fridge and microwave, LOL), a bedroom and a bathroom. These are NOT high class living, but they're better than the dorms.

Parking garage - students can sign out vehicles in the parking garage for Garden related business. SeeDs and faculty can sign out vehicles for any reason.

Training center: It's the same as in the game. It's open at all hours, but there's no staff on duty so it's "at your own risk". The secret area in the back of the center is a popular after-hours place for students.

Library : The library is open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. It is primarily run by students on the library committee.

General Gameplay

2007-03-08T18:58:07Z

Once you are accepted into the community, here's some more specific stuff on how the game will be played:

Plot - I have a general plot in mind, but a lot of it will depend on a) the characters we get and b) how the game goes . I'm always open to saying, "Hey, I thought that THIS would happen, but instead THAT happened, and that's even better!" . But, if the story is dragging because it has nowhere to go, certain plot elements will be introduced as needed.

ROLEPLAYING:
I'm not going to repeat all the stuff about god-modding and stuff, because if you've been accepted, I'm assuming you read the rules (and I sure hope so). Entries should all be in the RPG's main page.

If you're starting a thread, please try to include who, what, where, and when. This just makes it easier for people to follow. Also, please put tags in for all the people in that thread. It's easier to look things up later that way.

Writing should be done in third person. Ex - "Zell jogged into the cafeteria, nearly bumping into Rinoa. Rinoa laughed. "What's the hurry?," she asked.

do NoT tYpe LiKe thIs. Also, please try to at least pretend like you understand basic grammar. I'm not going to be super strict and freak out over commas and stuff, but if you know the word is whatever and not wuteva, don't type it incorrectly. Try to write like this is a story (because, really, it is..). I'm not going to be ridiculous about it...there's probably mistakes all through what I'm writing, but I'm not an English major. I don't expect you to be either. Just be sensible and coherent about it.

JOURNALS:
The Garden, seeing how Selphie's journal took off, has given the students their own journals and e-mail access. Journal posts should go in the character's personal journals, and should be in first person. Ex - "Man! I'm so bummed! I can't believe.." . If you really want your character to do some kinda strange third-person thing, because it fits the character, you can...but for the most part, write it like..well, like someone would write in a journal. In personal journals, there's more room for "bad English". If your character types in all lowercase, well..that's just what they do. It's a journal. But please don't get ridiculous and make it impossible to read.

IF YOU PLAY A CHARACTER WHO IS NOT AT GARDEN, you will NOT have a personal journal. Sorry. There's just no way to explain why Ma Dincht is in the Garden's journals. If you play a TEACHER, you need to treat your journal as such. Teachers are given journals, but a teacher who wants to keep their job is going to be careful about what they post publicly, and it should probably be treated more as an educational tool. There is the option of having private posts. Private posts should be marked as private before the actual "posted" material starts.

An example:
PRIVATE ENTRY
I'm just so mad I could kill him. How could he..

JOURNAL FORMAT: Each character's journal and account should be set up as bg_firstname_lastname . Examples - bg_zell_dincht or bg_squall_leonhart . PLEASE NOTE that the entire name might not fit. If your character's name doesn't fit, just put as much as you can. In other words, Selphie might end up becoming bg_selphie_tilmi .

E-MAIL:
The students have been given e-mails in addition to the journals. E-mails should also be posted on the student's personal journals. The student's e-mail addresses are: firstinitiallastname@balambgarden.edu. So, qtrepe@balambgarden.edu or rheartilly@balambgarden.edu . AGAIN, if you are not a student or teacher, you DO NOT have a Balamb e-mail. However, you can have a private e-mail. Laguna can e-mail Squall from a personal account if he wants, but it will not be a Balamb Garden.edu e-mail address. Private e-mail addresses can be whatever you want. Also, once again, there's more room to type how you want here. Fit the character. If they type in lower case, or have bad spelling, it's okay for the CHARACTER to send an e-mail that way. It's NOT okay in a thread. But, please still make it readable. If you have some crazy 1337 speak going on and no one understands what you're saying, it doesn't do the game much good. : )

By the way, Rinoa is the only exception to the student rule - she's not a student, but has a journal and e-mail. Since she stays at Garden, it just seems mean to leave her out.

RATING:
I'm not going to start any real rules about rating issues. Just try to be mature. All graphic or sexual posts should be behind a cut that warns the other players. I don't want to say that there can be NO R-rated posts, but I also don't want the game to be ruined because we see nothing but smut. And try to stay true to the characters. There's absolutely no reason in the game to say that Irvine has a thing for Zell. "Because I really want to see it" is not a good enough reason to put it in. Now, if the characters develop that way, and there's enough decent threads leading up to something...that's another story. I know that leaves it very "gray" as to when it's okay and when it's not, but there's not really any other way to do it without ruining the fun of the game. The final call is going to be up to me, the mod.

CHANGES TO THE STORY:
Overall, I'm really not too picky about what happens. I've already given my opinions on censoring and ratings, and you know all about the godmodding rules from when you filled out the application. If you want to do something DRASTIC, I'd appreciate a heads up. This is mainly just because I don't want the fun of the game to be ruined by someone killing off a major character or totally altering the story in a horrible, horrible way. I've seen it in other RPG's (anyone who has played before probably has). It's pretty unlikely that I will tell you not to do something, but I may have a suggestion or compromise. Something that will get you what you want, without offending or upsetting other players. So please just warn me so we can discuss together what the best way is to do something.

ALSO, please be careful when messing with things that are considered "assumed" in the storyline. Since this game takes place after the story, it's important that we don't mess too much with what happened in the game. For example, don't suddenly decide that Seifer never grew up at the orphanage with the other kids. He did, the game says he did, all 5 of the other kids say he did... just because something else fits nicely into the story you WISH happened doesn't mean you can start changing it around and confuse all the other players.

OOC:
Any out of character talking should always, ALWAYS, ALWAYS be done on the OOC journal.

If I forgot any general details here, please post a comment and let me know. I will make another post about Garden rules.