the premise.

Taking a leaf from the storybook of the ABC television show Once Upon a Time, Voidville is capturing the idea of fictional characters given real lives and what happens when the divider between fantasy and reality begins to thin.

This is a panfandom game and does not strictly adhere to the fairytale universe depicted in the television series, as this game is not literally based on the television series and is in fact an original setting, with new rules and new metaplot. However, in inspiration and thematic qualities, there are certainly similar aspects.

Please visit the setting and story pages for more details on the in-game world, the rules page for how the game is being run, and the FAQ if you have any lingering queries.

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There is an island off the Eastern Seaboard that hosts a town full of remarkable people who are not exactly awake to how remarkable they may be. Time does not move forward, and even as the sun rises and sets to the east and west, the moon remains a witch's crescent when night falls. Everyone steps out to a new day, even as yesterday becomes dimmer, soon to be filed away in the general haze that becomes distant memory.

But something is creeping in. The winter fogs have stayed from when they rolled in from the coast, making the distant mainland of America invisible even from the lighthouse. Although everyone suffers vivid dreams, dreams in which they were princes and fairies, witches and werewolves, heroes and villains, the edges between dreaming and reality are starting to fade.

Welcome to a world where there is no love at first sight. Welcome to a world of random chance. Welcome to a world where nothing ends, let alone happily.

Welcome to Voidville.

~

premise ∫ faq ∫ rules
taken ∫ application ∫ cr meme
setting ∫ story

the faq.

Is this game open?

We're currently set to Invite Only, meaning, the mod would like to know who joins. This may never change. It may restrict itself further. It may expand. For now, I'm making no predictions.

Better to think of this as a sandbox, for now.

As such, all posting in the game community has been set to members only.

This is based on Once Upon a Time? Do I have to have watched the show?

Kind of, and no. This game relies on the premise of fictional characters brought into a normal world, their memories and identities stolen from them, and what happens when it begins to eke back. As well as a fairytale slant, this is as much as it has in common with OUaT. It is otherwise an entirely original game and has its own rules and story, so you do not have to have watched the show.

What kinds of characters can I app?

There aren't any rules regarding this, and it doesn't have to be a strict take on the fairytale premise. But the more different and less ordinary your character's existence in canon is, the more that contrast will play well in this sandbox. If the difference is subtle (characters from contemporary Earth-like worlds, for example) then the dream/reality aspect will be less extreme. However, the premise should work for any fictional character.

The only hard rules are that the person they are in Voidville must be human, even if that means you have to humanise them. To keep the theme strong, too, please try to avoid apping very cracky or straight up comedy canons, like Adventure Time or something. A grain of human realism in apped canons is appreciated.

Can I app OCs? Or canon-based OCs?

Yes! OCs are more than encouraged.

Multiples and AU versions of apped characters?

Depends on the AU. Generally, it wouldn't really work with the premise, as each character represents their own world and having multiple versions of the same character would be odd, but try me.

How many characters can I have?

As many as you feel you can manage. As this is currently a closed sandbox, there will be no monitoring of activity levels and alt restrictions.

Can I app Once Upon a Time characters?

Of course. If you want to translate these concepts into this, then absolutely. Just remember that it's a reimagining of the OUaT concept, and caters to an alternate dimension that has a lot more room for variation than the one depicted in the show. You can keep as true to it as is feasible, diverge, whatever.

I would also advise you to make sure any archetypes/characters from the show you wish to app haven't been reimagined and apped already.

This is a sandbox, but is there a metaplot?

There actually is. I'm going to see how things go. I anticipate that I will be introducing environmental stimulus, mainly to do with the make up of the universe, as the game goes on, but otherwise plotting should be as self-sufficient as possible.

How does the fourth wall work here?

The fourth wall is actually in the fabric of the curse that has placed people where they are now. Their identities have been reduced to the stuff of fiction and enjoyed by the people on the mainland, from ancient legend through to weekly comicbooks.

That said, the setting and isolation and strangeness of time means that they should be largely cut off from any knowledge of this kind of thing. Consider this as a theme element -- if you are a classic character and influential in storytelling culturally speaking, such as Cinderella or Romeo, chances are someone might have heard of you. If you're Bruce Banner, this is less likely.

It should be pretty rare that this comes up, and anyone, no matter who they're writing, can opt out of fourth wall breaking entirely. Please respect this and be sure to check with the player.

I still have questions.

Post them below!

~

premise ∫ faq ∫ rules
taken ∫ application ∫ cr meme
setting ∫ story

the rules.

There are but five rules.

1. Posts can be just about anything you like. There is an in-game network system, seeing as the Internet itself is down (see the Setting page for more information), and you can make network-style posts based on that, or any other way you like, whether it be written messageboards or a phonecall.
2. Do not, under any circumstances, break fourth wall with characters who have specified that they don't want to be fourth walled. Don't talk to them about it, or to other characters about it, do not have your character recognise them, etc etc. If handwaving is needed, then handwave.
3. Make your own fun as much as you can. Plot modding is probably going to be mainly environmental and hands off unless I, as a player, want to do more -- but you are all equally capable.
4. There are no alt limits or activity checks.
5. Bullying and being a dick will not be tolerated, and you stand a chance of being kicked out, as this is neither public service nor a court of law. Just treat others how you want to be treated and play good games.

Simple! Go to the FAQ page if you have further queries, or post here if you are concerned with rule breaking or anything that is disruptive and terrible that you want me to get involved in.

~

premise ∫ faq ∫ rules
taken ∫ application ∫ cr meme
setting ∫ story

the application page.

Fill out the below form and post a comment with it.

Please note that we are currently Invite Only. If you have wandered this way following someone else, please check with that person before submitting an app.

As for the rest of you, the below does not have to be lengthy. It's more of a roll call and giving you material to think about.

<big>Application</big> <b>Who are you?</b> (OOC nickname, so I can keep track.) <b>How did you get here?</b> (WHERE DID YOU COME FROM) <b>Any alts?</b> (List your current people here.) <big>Canon information</big> <b>Character name and canon:</b> (Bob Bobson from The Bob Show/original universe.) <b>Character background:</b> (Either link to a page about your character, or write a few sentences about who they are. This really doesn't have to be involved. If there's a canonpoint, make reference to it.) <big>Voidville information</big> <b>Character's Voidville name:</b> (Their name can be similar to who they were or it can be totally different.) <b>Voidville background:</b> (Who are they in "real life"? This also doesn't have to be involved, and probably shouldn't. When it comes to backstory, there's a lot of handwavium happening, characters not exactly remembering and taking notions for granted. Their present circumstance can be more intricate, but feel free to develop this after approval in CR memes and such. Things to mention might be their occupation, what they're like, etc.) <b>Played by?:</b> (Who are you using to depict your character?) <b>Comments, thoughts, opinions?</b> (You will be judged <i>solely on this question</i>.)

~

premise ∫ faq ∫ rules
taken ∫ application ∫ cr meme
setting ∫ story

the taken.

taken characters;

	ALICE LIDDELL alias. laureline evans. pb. romola garai. eccentric artist.
	AGRON alias. aaron bauer. pb. daniel feuerriegel. ex-cop, us marshal, and uneasy vacationer.
	ANDERS alias. andrew justice. pb. jon foster. EMT, cat collector.
	BELLAMY MORRAY alias. bel de norea. pb. richard armitage. romani immigrant copper.
	BELLATRIX LESTRANGE alias. odessa amsel. pb. eva green. practitioner of alternative medicine, with a past.
	CAPRICA-SIX alias. caprice sesto. pb. tricia helfer. absent-minded machinist.
	CAPTAIN HOOK alias. jack eton. pb. jason isaacs. ex-con and professional botherer.
	CARMILLA alias. milla meynell. pb. nina dobrev. invalidish regina george.
	CIMORENE alias. raina charles. pb. sophie okonedo. cafe owner and baker.
	COMMANDER SHEPARD alias. hannah schaefer. pb. kandyse mcclure. war vet and personal trainer.
	CRUELLA DE VIL alias. dorothea teufel. pb. michelle pfeiffer. columnist, fashionista, fur enthusiast.
	DARCY LEWIS alias. casy wilder. pb. kat dennings. bookkeeper, tavern wench, nerd.
	DRAGON alias. sunny. pb. jiyong kwon. smiliest translator, stranded tourist.
	ELERIAL alias. maria stippson. pb. diane kruger. pastor. sunday school teacher.
	FITCHER'S BIRD alias. dr. ava fitcher. pb. catalina sandino moreno. bored medical examiner.
	THE FOURTH RAVEN PRINCE alias. ethan nguyen. pb. willy cartier. friendly neighborhood bartender except not.
	GARRUS VAKARIAN alias. gavin cairns. pb. lachlan nieboer. desk sergeant/geek with a gun.
	GASTON alias. gilbert laurence. pb. justin gaston. manliest manly man.
	GIRL WITH THE SILVER HANDS alias. carolina mendez. pb. nathalie kelley. either the best or the worst guidance counselor.
	GRETEL alias. andrea koenig. pb. gemma arterton. copper, self-proclaimed detective.
	THE HULK alias. david bixby. pb. mark ruffalo. physics professor.
	IRON MAN alias. howard frank. pb. robert downey jr. somehow permitted to teach children.
	IVAN alias. alexis meynell. pb. paul rhys. rich bastard.
	JANE FOSTER alias. janet asher. pb. natalie portman. park ranger, attempted drifter.
	J.A.R.V.I.S. alias. jarvis huxley. pb. paul bettany. underpaid, overworked hackerspace co-ordinator.
	KAIDAN ALENKO alias. aidan kozlov. pb. victor webster. war vet & emt.
	KALLIAN TABRIS alias. tabby arakelyan. pb. tatiana maslany. wife, mother, councilwoman.
	KAREENA DUBEY alias. sarala krishnan. pb. trisha krishnan. poor little rich girl, nurse-in-training.
	LADY WHITE SNAKE alias. bai lan hsia. pb. liu wen. interior designer and quiet gossip
	LOKI LAUFEYSON alias. loren blake. pb. tom hiddleston. resentful social misfit.
	MORRIGAN alias. mara flemming. pb. olga kurylenko. grown-up feral child.
	NINE-TAILED FOX alias. jaehyun kim. pb. seunghyun choi. former dj, stranded tourist.
	ODYSSEUS alias. damon rhodes. pb. jamie dornan. mayor of voidville.
	ONDINE alias. ilde featherstonehaugh. pb. mia kirshner. cellist, troublemagnet.
	PETER PAN alias. patrick penn. pb. jeremy sumpter. community school student, weirdo delinquent.
	LE PETIT POUCET alias. pietro magnus. pb. sidharth malhotra. angry park ranger, attack brother.
	PRINCESS NUALA alias. talulah macbalor. pb. ashley madekwe / anna walton. charitable corporate princess.
	RAPUNZEL alias. celina gorecki. pb. naz elmas. town tramp and barmaid.
	RED RIDING HOOD alias. wanda magnus. pb. shraddha kapoor. ex-bad girl, current bartender, totally not a witch.
	REMUS LUPIN alias. lewis randall. pb. marlon teixiera record store employee.
	ROSE alias. rose milton pb. billie piper. town crazy. also day-care lady.
	ROSE RED alias. zita valdez. pb. odette yustman. chatty realtor with strong opinions.
	SEMIRAMIS alias. nyla spencer. pb. asli tandogan. businesswoman, mother, and femme fatale.
	SEVERUS SNAPE alias. ira halkel. pb. louis garrel. librarian and unknown variable.
	SIF alias. steph ericson. pb. jaimie alexander. police detective.
	SIREN alias. february lancaster. pb. deborah ann woll. inkeeper, aspiring songstress.
	SIR KAY alias. gabriel yates. pb. goran višnjić. cpa and bookkeeper.
	SIR NICODEMUS alias. dr nicholas hardaway. pb. julian sands. psychiatrist, affable stoner.
	SLEEPING BEAUTY alias. benji ryans. pb. cillian murphy. seamstress and alterationist.
	SNOW WHITE alias. gwyneira charles. pb. olivia wilde. lonely trophy wife.
	SUN WUKONG alias. yi kang sun. pb. david chiang. cheerful roustabout and prankster.
	SUPERMAN alias. clark kent. pb. henry cavill. really hot, really dorky, terrible journalist.
	THOR ODINSON alias. dr donald blake. pb. chris hemsworth. general practitioner.
	TINKERBELL alias. theodora barrie. pb. helena mattson. diva actress with psychotic tendencies.
	UDEA alias. serra seveigne. pb. jessica lucas. local grown-up nancy drew.
	UNDEAD alias. hamilton fish. pb. gerard way. spooky mascot, just happy to be here.
	WENDY DARLING alias. gwendolyn barrie. pb. rachel mcadams. playwright and theatre director.
	XAS alias. christoph hintersee. pb. rami malek. landscaper and all-around enthusiast.
	ZEVRAN ARAINAI alias. sevran arakelyan. pb. elliot knight. stay-at-home dad.

taken characters form;

Comment with the below form.

<textarea> <tr> <td style="vertical-align:middle;" width="110" style="padding-bottom:5px;"><a href="http://**CHARACTER USERNAME**.dreamwidth.org/profile"><img src="**ICON URL**" height="100px" width="100px" style="padding:0px; border:4px solid #000000;"></a></td><td style="vertical-align:top; padding:5px; width:300px;"><big><big><i><b>**FAIRY TALE/CANON NAME*</b></i></big></big> <b>alias. **character's voidville name**.</b> <i>pb. **character's pb*.</i> <small>**a few words about them, ex, their job**.</small></span> </td> </tr>

(please leave this as a textbox so we can copy and paste it when adding your character)

~

premise ∫ faq ∫ rules
taken ∫ application ∫ cr meme
setting ∫ story

the cr meme.

1. Comment here with a brief (or hell, lengthy, fuck the police) summary of your character's existence in Voidville. Their job, if they have one, their everyday life, what they're like, their reputation, what they like to do. Any notes about the CR you're after are also cool. Linking to your app also not a terrible idea.

2. Read and comment around on everyone else! Develop some CR and go RP about it or something.

3. ???

3. Profit!

~

premise ∫ faq ∫ rules
taken ∫ application ∫ cr meme
setting ∫ story

the setting.

voidville mainland;

An island of generous dimension and proportion, and yes, literally called Voidville (and theorised to be some kind of bastardised French), this is a foresty body of rocky land located far enough from the coast of New York that it can't be seen on hazy day, and it's been hazy for some time. Big enough to support an entirely self-sufficient community, big enough to get turned around in, but small enough that it certainly has that community kind of ambience.

There is a main drag of town on the west-most side, branching from the harbour, where you can find the school, the hospital, the town hall, the retail outlets (all independent businesses), sheriff's office, animal shelter, and some residential areas all clustered together.

Beyond the town are satellite areas across the island, such as a graveyard, some private estates, another patch of suburb, etc etc. They are all separated by thick forest, for the most part, with trails and roads for vehicle and foot both.

The island reaches a hilly apex, on which rests an abandoned estate that is cordoned off from the public.

satellite islands;

Connected by a bridge, there is a smaller island north of the main island. This houses the powerplant that keeps Voidville running. Although the facility is guarded against non-workers, the island itself is open to the public, not that there is much to see -- a ghost town, in fact, abandoned to time and overgrowing nature.

There are probably other small islands, in range of small vessels.

town network;

Although the Internet seems to be down for the entire island and its outlying neighbours, the local network is still up and running. Somehow, due to science.

This includes a general posting system that you can put up ordinary messages (job offers, party invitations, notices) that can be filtered to specific network friends, but also private emails and the like. Feel free to expand on how this works to suit your needs, too, it's a little like a more social Craig's List in execution.

leaving;

Usually, or so the residents of Voidville intrinsically know, there is a ferry that goes back and forth between mainland United States, and Voidville. It's been inactive due to maintenance for a while, now. Or they're short staffed. Or the weather has put it out of service.

But it'll be back to usual soon.

Any day now.

Otherwise, there has been a rash of maritime accidents any time anyone tries to leave. This is not very often at all, actually, because there's no particular reason anyone knows about to do so, but tragic boating accidents are a staple.

Because bad things happen, if you try to leave.

generally speaking;

Please feel free to add and extrapolate on the above information. Make things up, do what you like. Below, if you would like to, comment on any established landmarks and businesses (and who owns them and works for them), and if it becomes over 9000, I'll make a list in this page. I will also probably go back and add more detail, but for the purposes of set up, this is the general overview!

~

premise ∫ faq ∫ rules
taken ∫ application ∫ cr meme
setting ∫ story

the story.

ordinary lives;

For a given value of ordinary, in any case.

The residents of Voidville are not so much unexceptional people as they are people that integrate without question into a contemporary Earth America. They may be remarkable, or eccentric, but they are realistic. They may believe they have been here since they were born, and their the graves of their parents to prove it, or perhaps they moved a few years back to get away from it all or settle.

dreaming big;

And when they go to sleep at night, they dream of another life. It's so vivid and so real it almost hurts. Usually, these come in the forms of memory-like enactments that feel like they're being lived live in the moment.

But this will begin to change.

the sky;

The sun rises and sets as it should. On the rare evenings the moon can be seen through the thick cloud cover that has seem to rolled in since winter's end and stuck around, it remains a continual crescent.

Recently (and as long as anyone can truly remember) a fog has rolled in that makes the island feel pretty isolated. It's during this time that the ferry has stopped running, and the Internet went down, and no one has come nor gone since.

living in a haze;

You may remember exactly what you did yesterday. Last week. Last month, even. But the fundamentals of history are reduced to handwaved notions, backstory that you know but the actual experience of it has dimmed. You've been going to the same diner forever, but you don't remember specifically your first time. You don't exactly recall how you met your best friend. Your childhood is an idea only.

But that's just life, isn't it?

Things get hazy.

~

premise ∫ faq ∫ rules
taken ∫ application ∫ cr meme
setting ∫ story