Discussion: The Rut 2016

The Rut will take place 26th Sep - 10th Oct.

It's good to see everyone getting so hyped up again!

The page can be seen and reviewed here (don't post). If anyone has any suggestions or critique then let us know.

The mods so far are: Vee, Aivilo, Unplugged, and Ammy.





And discussion-wise, I'd like to bring up just one subject this year: loyalty.
While I'm not opposed to characters behaving true to their nature, I'd like to advise that if anyone wants to play a Judge who's loyal to one Competitor/Challenger, they should move them over to Involved Non-Participants. This is so that the Competitors and Challengers don't have to spend time trying when the character won't be interested. It'll hopefully prevent frustrations and keep the game fixed for everyone.
Also worth noting: Those Judges who are out looking to have offspring this year: Even if your hearts are set on one, it's still okay, and wholly encouraged to judge other Competitors and Challengers.
I hope this is reasonable!
WayfarerHart's picture

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Aivilo's picture

♥

Kamaya's picture

I vote for the Rut to last

I vote for the Rut to last two weeks as I am sure some will be too busy and have less chance to participate if it lasts only one week.

I just think so, maybe they do not. But in my opinion, it would be better to plan large to be sure everyone who wants to participate has a chance to do so.

Draak's picture

Quote:Mature Content: This

Quote:
Mature Content: This event is supposed to be friendly to all audiences, so please behave in a manner safe for all ages. We don't want to see any adult behavior!

Would it be a good idea to add on for clarity that this should go for bio stuff too? Although it wasn't too bad, sometimes you'd read something kind of super suggestive and it can get kind of awkward/uncomfortable if you're browsing through someone's bio to work out who's nearby.

"But that's what disclaimers are for!!11"

Yeah true, but sometimes people's disclaimers are micro or hard to spot on the bio and you don't find them easily so said warnings are null and void.
WayfarerHart's picture

Woop yeah sorry, I've edited

Woop yeah sorry, I've edited that rule just now so it's:

Quote:
While we recognize that some people will participate in mature themes as a result of this rut, all we ask is that you keep it hushed and private. This event is supposed to be friendly to all audiences; we don't want this sort of material to reflect on the event itself.


So ya. We get that mature content will happen no matter what, and we do understand that characters do have mature content warnings for their bios. We can only ask that people just don't go over the top with it; we just don't want the rut to be overly sexualized.

Freyja's picture

10 days sounds perfect imo,



10 days sounds perfect imo, at 2 weeks the tail-end would probably be very quiet and inactive (but hey, I might be wrong)
Evern's picture

10 days is perfect imo. (:

10 days is perfect imo. (:

t.

t.
lisa.zombie's picture

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Aquilo's picture

t! 10 days sounds like a

t!

10 days sounds like a good median.
Player & Character Hub
Discord: Gulonine#4267

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<:
much excite!!
LostintheEcho's picture

Awh yis.

Awh yis.

Sigi by Wake

ShrinkingRose's picture

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yes

yes

Pegasicorn's picture

I just tied up the vote.

I just tied up the vote. Oops. 8D;

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CydaLuva83's picture

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Signature By Aihnna, Avatar by YaraMyst
ChocolateTabbyKat's picture

ye

ye

Track

Track

&hearts;


Sig: Aihnna

Wyldflower's picture

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By Draak ♥
Chizzu's picture

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kiwara's picture

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Avatar © Squeegie & Siggy © Caiir + other
Acurna's picture

I await with antici.....

I await with antici.....






















0baf0's picture

The hype is official! I'm

The hype is official! I'm glad to see the subject of loyalty being addressed because it was something I and others brought up after last year's event. It can be very discouraging for Competitors and Challengers when their attempts to impress the Judges are to no avail. But I'm just repeating myself... Laughing out loud
Icon - ahimsa.Signature - Qanat. ♥
Unplugged's picture

watching

watching
hadoukin's picture

&hearts;

Tavra's picture

(No subject)

<3!!


Comen's picture

Beep

SirAwesomeness's picture

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Ophela
thelittleraven's picture

I think we had a 10 day rut

I think we had a 10 day rut last year and everyone burned themselves out within the first 3 days. It was sort of rough for those of us with not-so-popular competitors and iffy computers.

I think the 7-day exclusivity of it should keep activity levels somewhat higher, and thus actually more enjoyable for those with limited time frames.

also yeah seeing some really suggestive bio stuff was sort of offputting and it seems to be getting worse as years go by, saw some suggestive art too and while you can do whatever you like with your characters i'd really prefer not to see such intimate glimpses into it when i just wanna see who they are
Jacklo's picture

I feel like I had a massively

I feel like I had a massively different rut experience from everyone else lmao

Although I agree with the no favouritism judge role I also kinda wanted to push it for the competitors and challengers too cause more than once someone dropped their herd because their ohsofavourite!! Came online. I mean it's their loss but it's still awkward and weird for anyone in the judge role who are trying to support and linger around their chosen champ who just sold them all out.

Also where is this suggestive rut art I haven't seen any?? And I never saw anything in updates that weren't words like "courted with ___" or "did the wiggly woo" or just "mated with".

I like long ruts because I work weird patterns and get serious FOMO haha


Jacklo's Characters/Hub
Discord: Daddy#4977

^ with Jacklo all the way.

^ with Jacklo all the way. 'wiggly woo' or 'frickety frack' was totally the worst i got in updates, tbh.
Aquilo's picture

Like 0baf0 said, I've noticed

Like 0baf0 said, I've noticed that in last year's Rut in particular, there were Judges who seemed to disregard the heart of the event and stick with their favored Competitor unconditionally. I get that it may be IC for a deer to stick to their friends and family, but imo people should set that aside for the sake of the sporting event. I mean, it's only going to last several days, so...

As for Judges attacking Challengers who attempted to spar with the Competitor, I witnessed it a few times and ??? wat
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IvyChain's picture

Excited for this year!

Excited for this year!
Aivilo's picture

August 30, 2016 - 5:27pm —

August 30, 2016 - 5:27pm — thelittleraven wrote:
I think we had a 10 day rut last year


Last year's was 14 days
Bayleen's picture

&hearts;

mainpage
Draak's picture

For the suggestive bio things

For the suggestive bio things I'd rather not name names and/or has forgotten who's bios they were cos it was a year ago, but I know it was there.
Saying stuff like "mated with" "wiggly wooed" "banged" "bumped uglies" with is fine. But what was written didn't really have to do with people's deer doing the do, it was more people describing in detail what their does were feeling and showing and smelling.

And yeah I'm also with thelittleraven in regards to accidentally stumbling across rut art on here as well only to be left uncomfortable with what I saw. I don't think it was marked as NSFW.

People also have to remember that not everyone has the same levels of comfort in regards to what they're comfortable with in reading/viewing. What's fine for you might require eyebleach for someone else.
kiwara's picture

LTR wrote: I think the 7-day

LTR wrote:

I think the 7-day exclusivity of it should keep activity levels somewhat higher, and thus actually more enjoyable for those with limited time frames.



Just putting my two cents on this, since I've been quiet on it for... oh...3 or 4 years.

On some level yes, I agree with what's written up there. And you'll (referring to everyone reading this, the metaphorical you, not singling you out TLR) either go ahead and ignore me, or just say "Well that's your loss" as I have said to myself for the last...few years now. But, I recognize I'm not the only person with this problem, so I'll speak for them as well as myself. As much as I want to participate in this event every year, I can't get the game to connect well/if at all when more than 50 + players are online (and 99% of that can ruled out as the server being a jerk, so...) so having a longer event, while might be a pain in the butt to those of you that can connect all the time, as you please, would give those of us who do have connection problems always, get a chance to partake.
Not to mention this always, without fail, happens when I have to focus on other things in my life, but that's my problem.

Either way, so yeah, longer event would be nicer. Less people online gives those of us that want to partake, but can't for the life of them get the game to connect or find themselves in a sea of Nameless, a chance to. It's not fair to say 'yeah a week's the best bet' because it's really not. It's not. It's good for you guys that can get in, but frustratingly impossible for those of us that can't get the game to connect at no faults of our own.

Feel free to ignore me and carry on. ~
Avatar © Squeegie & Siggy © Caiir + other

YESSS DRAAK. "What's fine for

YESSS DRAAK. "What's fine for you might require eyebleach for someone else." SDFLKDFJS v true

I wasn't around for last years rut (although I've been filled in by others/reading things to understand the situations), but I really genuinely hope people at least put...warnings on these things. And come to an understanding that some people are more freaked out by even suggestive things let alone the art of it actually going down.

ALSO ALSO ALSO think of the younger ones on here. Even if they're not participating, they could wander on certain themes that aren't the.. most appropriate.

I believe the last time I

I believe the last time I participated (which was several years ago), the rut lasted about two weeks which I personally thought was just about perfect. I seem to remember there were more people participating during the first week and more activity. But with less people connected during the second week, those who had trouble connecting before or were less active in general, were able to get a decent chance at participating. I thought it turned out to be a pretty good balance. I'm not sure if 10 or 14 days would be better, but I definitely think it should be longer than 7 days.

As for bios, I'm not sure why anyone even needs to mention mating at all. No one except the involved players need to know. Not suggesting that as a rule, but I just figure if you don't even mention it, there's no need to worry whether or not your language is "appropriate". But some people like to be really thorough with their updates and such, so *shrugs*....

Too bad I don't have any deer that would make sense to participate in an active manner anymore. I might just put some as "involved non-participants".
Paleray's picture

t!

t!
WayfarerHart's picture

Without Judges who Judge, the

Without Judges who Judge, the event is broken. I just hope this year there'll be more understanding and consideration for others over one's self. Or just move to INPs where it'd be less harmful for everyone.
Judges are allowed to drive away unwanted Challengers and Competitors, but they should only do that for their own reasons, not to support their currently approved. The Judge role can actually be pretty dynamic, and last year I did see some awesome Judge drama take place. That was good, I hope we see more of it.
Another note is Teaming up. It's allowed, but I would like to see it Judged more harshly: what's a Competitor who needs help to fight their fights? They could easily be setting themselves up to be seen as weaker.

As for Competitors who ditch, that is their loss. It's okay to Judge it as a reflection of their performance. Nothing needs to be said about that.

As for the subject of sexuality: there was definitely a huge focus on it last year. I admit I neglected to worry for a while but there were lists of who went with who. There was a lot of focus on who's in estrus. I don't recall the art - but that's not to say it didn't happen.
I'm not going to stop people from engaging in adult content, but I would massively appreciate it if those themes were to be kept a lot more subtle, because those themes reflect on the event as a whole and I don't want that for an event meant for all ages. Lists aren't needed - use Notepad if you really want to remember. You don't need to directly state your character is in estrus. I'll be dealing with this by having my character do any actual choosing on one unspoken day of the rut only, this will only be discussed over Skype - but she'll still be Judging the entire duration of the event.
But if you really want to, just say their hormones are spiked/at peak and that's it. (Also lil tip: a cervines estrus only lasts a few hours, not days.)
Art? Just post it on Tumblr. Maybe post it on an art blog behind a NSFW label after the event has ended (without mentioning the rut pls) so that it won't be part of the rut's umbrella of responsibility.
End note: isn't it actually illegal to expose minors to adult content? Please put up a very obvious warning. Sad

On another topic: exclusion. This one's difficult to bring up since some participants are Feral Deer who'd have a natural fear of predators. Keeping IC there is fine, but remember that the rut isn't all about feral deer, it's a concept reenactment for all sorts of characters. I'd like to see more nonferal characters accept predatory characters as valid participants in their role too. At least try as best as we can.

Jacklo's picture

Man where is this art I feel

Man where is this art I feel like I'm missing out on an underground smut peddling ring someone link me on Skype

Also agreeing with what Vee said, it'd be nice to have some none ferals in the rut cause I know multiple characters last year wouldn't compete for or if judges not even hang around my entrant because he wasn't a deer. You don't have to wheel your ferals out of storage just for this one event.

Also also, maybe beating a dead horse but there's nothing wrong with entering with chars you just want to make friends not have bred. I think the issue with that pulls back to the ferals with me, my human minded chars can't really befriend animals and quite a lot I never saw again after the rut.

Secondly or thirdly idk I don't agree with describing the things mentioned like heat cycles but at the same time there usually warning on bios yo, I know they're only supposed to stretch so far but that's what they're there for.

Jacklo's Characters/Hub
Discord: Daddy#4977
Draak's picture

Quote:End note: isn't it

Quote:
End note: isn't it actually illegal to expose minors to adult content? Please put up a very obvious warning.

Yeah, and considering there's no age restrictions for TEF you have no idea if the person that's reading your character's bio is underage or not, so the author could be unknowlingly exposing a minor by posting said details.
How TEF hasn't been pinged for COPPA violations I have no idea, but I'm not going to derail the thread about it.

We had a really good post about it on Arokai, I wish I could get it back.

But basically it's considered harmful to minors and is against the law. There's a bit about it on Wikipedia
Kamaya's picture

There are some people here

There are some people here (at least I have seen two bios of this case) that put a black page with a warning in the middle before the bio page.

Personally, I put a big and obvious red warning around the top of my biography pages when they have adult/mature content (although I rarely write sexual things because I feel uneasy doing so)
Aivilo's picture

August 31, 2016 - 2:45am —

August 31, 2016 - 2:45am — Draak wrote:
How TEF hasn't been pinged for COPPA violations I have no idea, but I'm not going to derail the thread about it.


It's a gray area, I think, since they are in Belgium, or they may even fall out of its jurisdiction.

Wikipedia wrote:
While COPPA is an American law, the Federal Trade Commission has made it clear that the requirements of COPPA will apply to foreign-operated web sites if such sites "are directed to children in the U.S. or knowingly collect information from children in the U.S."[25] Since the law is U.S. federal, it's applicable only to websites that are run:[1][9]

  • by websites under U.S. jurisdiction;
  • by websites which are hosted on servers in the U.S.;
  • by websites with owners headquartered in U.S. territory; or
  • by commercial websites.


Regardless, let's not get ToT in trouble for it, yeah? Be considerate with your writing/art and liberal with your NSFW warnings ♥
TreeDancer's picture

I have a plan for eloa to

I have a plan for eloa to turn into a tree and it will grow fruit that provide energy and healing (limited of course) and I'd make a blog for it to explain and use as a rp spot for the rp and such Laughing out loud
Laryal's picture

Watching this i never had

Watching this i never had Cheveyo in one of these before not sure if he can be since i have him as a protector thought.
Laryal pic by EmiliaYO
Aquilo's picture

Also, I was going to chime in

Also, I was going to chime in again about the length of this year's Rut:

I think 10-14 days is ideal, even if activity dies down after the first 7 days. So what if it dies down after the first week? You've participated, you've had fun, and nobody is forcing you to continue. However, for those of us (us = community members, not necessarily me included) who for some reason aren't able to participate much, those few extra days can give players a chance to still get out there and have their fun.

Point is, I don't see how having a longer event hurts anyone. If anything, it just gives more people more chances to get involved (:
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