Writing on Canis

What you need to know to write collaboratively here.

To support a collaborative space, Canis operates under a Creative Commons Attributions license.

Content Rating

Canis is a flexibly rated space. We are 3-3-3 for those who are 18+ and 3-2-2 for minors. This means there may be uncomfortable content that you encounter while reading and writing with others. To avoid people feeling harm from this content, we require you to tag your post with "Content Warning". Cite the reason for the content warning.

If in doubt, tag your posts! Nobody is perfect, of course. If you see a post that should have a content warning but doesn't, just request it!

Graphic Content
In order to view graphic content (that which falls in the 3-3-3 rating), you will need to enter a birthday. Members under the age of 18 cannot view graphic content. We hope that this allows for flexibility while maintaining comfort and safety.

Checking in

When you tag your post with a content warning, that's a sign that you should check in with the players you're writing with, especially if it's a topic you haven't broached before. Everyone has a different lived experience, so things that might not make you uncomfortable can make others feel discomfort or even harm.

Check in with the players and let them know about the content warning. Offer to go light and have them exit the thread or fade to black if it's something they aren't wanting to write about with you.

Remember, harm comes in many forms. We know you are not your character! Some topics are just too painful or just plain distasteful for others, and that's okay!

Activity

Canis is meant for flexible activity. There are three states of characters:

  1. Active: You plan to post soon with this character.
  2. NPC: Your character is present in game and can be referenced by other players in the background. This is a good option if you would like your character to remain in the game, but do not plan to post with them for a period of time. You may still post occasionally to cameo in important threads. Your character cannot be used to aid in conflict scenarios while on NPC.
  3. Hiatus: This is for people looking to permanently or long term remove their character from the game, though they are still welcome back at any time!

Players are encouraged to switch their characters to NPC or Hiatus if they know they will not be available for quite some time. This lets your thread partners continue without you. If you are not available for a long period, a pack admin or staff member may reach out to ask what you want to do, and may move your character freely. We strongly encourage pack admins to reach out and communicate with their members before doing so.

Low Priority Mode

Characters can be set to low priority when they are meant to be played at a relaxed pace and are not a primary focus. Low priority characters typically don't get rank promotions and won't be as "seen" in character.

Player Submitted Lore

Content submitted to the Compendium becomes shared lore and is not owned by anyone, even though the original submitters are credited. If a player leaves and wishes to have the content they submitted removed from the game, staff will work with them to find a solution that does not impact players more than necessary.

Adoptables

Canis RPG has its own adoption contract. This is relevant whenever you adopt a character on Canis, be they puppy or adult and whether or not art is included.

  • Character-related play is defined as any "in-character" posts.
  • Player is defined as any person who writes "in-character" posts.

When any character is adopted to a Player, the following terms apply:

  1. Any adopted character becomes the Player's character after 50 self written posts of Character-related play
  2. Any designs by the Player who adopts the character becomes theirs after Point 1 is reached.

You are, of course, free to use a different adoption contract. Please make sure there is proof of its existence and a timestamp. If a different contract is not available, the contract will fall back to Canis.

scroll to top