October 2019 Announcements

October 2019 Announcements

What, more!?
I know, I know. We just put out a massive announcement of all the stuff you need to know for the new site. If you haven't look at that yet, make sure you do so! The rest of this are smaller tweaks, rule changes, and things we did after coming back up.

Buttons Galore
The 'drafts' button is now visible to all members, allowing you to manually save drafts if needed. We've also added a horizontal rule button (just right of the link button), which puts in a nice line, like so:

---

Don't put anything in the middle.

Post Macros
Post Templates are back, with a new name: post macros. You can find them in the same place (your user menu, accessed by clicking your avatar in the top right), and have some new features. Macros will be displayed in alphabetical order, and are less clunky in general.

App Length
Looking over the general length of applications that we get, we've adjusted our character rules to more accurately reflect how big apps usually are to let new members get a good idea of what to expect. While previously we said apps generally stayed between 500 and 3000 words, checking over most of our applications found only a very limited number went over 2k words, and almost always only when they'd been expanded via app updates or upgrades.

Odds and Ends
We've retired the 'fulfilled' prefix. If you need a want ad archived, just drop it in mod requests.​

Claims Changes
We're seeking to simplify things as much as possible, and one of those changes is the introduction of grade and major tags. These are mod tags which will be handled by the staff, but will replace the student claims entirely.

You can see the new system here, and everything will be automatically converted over throughout the course of the day.

As part of this change, we've also decided to readjust the positioning of scouts in training. Being a scout in training is now considered on the job training, which is a paid position, and thus scouts in training are now classified as academy staff. They'll all be moved accordingly.

Happenings around the Island
I strongly encourage everyone to make sure they are subscribed to the Island Happenings forum to stay up to date with what's going on with the new site plot. Information is still trickling out, including this rather concerning rumor...

You can expect to see more through the end of the month, including at least one ICC event.

Staff Change
@bijou has stepped down from staff to focus on real life for the time being. We wish them the best!​

Important Setting Changes
After a lot of leadup, and quite a bit of discussion on staff, we're pushing out two changes. The first is a change to the way we handle Common Magical Items. The second is a nerf to mental auras and the way they're handled on the site.

You can find both here, with all the details.

The Masquerade Begins

A yearly tradition, the masquerade ball is open at last. We do not have anonymous posting this year, but still encourage being secretive!​