Welcome to Gaia! ::

biggrin

Rules

These are a must-read. Failure to do so is no excuse when caught breaking a rule. Anyone in this thread must abide by these rules or suffer punishment of some form.

The clarified, explained versions of all the rules may be found on page 2, under the colorists posts here if you have any doubts/questions on what we mean.

Basic Shop Rules

00. NO drama. *see clarifications.
01. Maintain a level of maturity.
02. No Begging, whining, harassing staff or owners, etc.
03. No flaming, trolling, harassment.
04. NO ART THEFT.
05. Do not alter the certs/pets.
06. No reselling of pets.
07. No spam and/or advertising.
08. NO payment plans.
09. Please be courteous and link images then use the img tag for images over Gaia's sig limits, especially large uncerted pet images.
10. Rules are subject to amending, corrections and additions as required.

Ownership, Unowned Pets, and Pet Rules
These are rules about owning (such as co-owning), and rules related to the epts themseelves that require note. These are thigns that should not be done in regards to pets that exist, or will exist, and for ownership of a Drifting Along by multiple people... so be aware of these.

01. Two may co-own a Drifting Along. Three may be allowed in auctions, and only auctions.
02. DO not ask someone to co-own their Drifting Along with you.
03. Do not make plans about a pet you do not own yet, consistently keep saying you want something in an event that hasn't been one, or otherwise make others feel uncomfortable about trying.
04. Cosplays/generic ideas are first come, first serve and may not be 'reserved' or 'be yours' because you were questing longer/*insert reason*
05. Do not tell others how to roleplay their pet.
06. Basic pets may not be named after/be like a cosplay character (OCs excepted, and special commissions based on animal characters. See Customs rules for details.)

Refund Policy

While we strive our hardest to do our best we're sure that eventually the subject of a refund may come up, so we're already setting down the law on this.

01. Incomplete Work. We ask that patience be given for work, and that a refund not be requested without attempts to talk to the colorist, and find out what's up. As well, we ask for a grace period of at least a few months before seeking a refund. We are reasonable people, and willing to work with you on this, but we hope THIS case never becomes an issue.

02. Blacklisting. We regret to inform those blacklisted that refunds are not available for your pet, as you will have all stages finished and delivered. Your pets will be 'frozen' in the world and unable to interact and breed, but we are not revoking your pets from you. You are simply unable to breed, interact, etc. in the thread. Any cosplays you own will exist, but may be redone and resold as the new, active, version fo the character at the shops discretion. If for ANY reason a blacklisted owner is allowed back, and a second cosplay of one of theirs exists, both will be allowed to exist in the world.

03. Lost Colorist. If for some reason work is incomplete from a colorist, another colorist at the shop can pick up the work. If this is unable to be done to complete your pet, then a refund for the unfinished work can be given, or a new pet entirely, at the user's discretion.

F.A.Q

00. Are these Roleplay (RP) required?
*** NO. For the lvoe of all that is, RP is NOT a requrement to owning. While some perks may come to be for roleplay, as well as metaplot and RP events, no one will ever HAVE to ever RP to keep their pet. Mintaka is an attrociously bad person at keeping up on such thgins sometimes, and cannot expect everyone else to live up to the obligations. This shop is meant to eb fun and lighthearted, so no, no requirements to roleplay to keep or own. However, if it is an RP contest to WIN a horse, we DO expect that YOU are entering to keep it, not give away as we are choosing based on YOUR writing. But the roleplay aspect past winning is not a requirement.

01. How many can I own?
*** As many as you can afford/as you want/can get. However, we do ask people to try not to consistently monopolize them and let others have a chance too. If we feel someoen is heavily dominating a common means - flats or customs particualrly - we may as you to hold off awhile so others have a chance.

02. ANOTHER horse shop?! Can't you be original?!
*** Actually, we are. We aren't a horse shop, we're a carousel shop, and intend to offer more then horses. Also, I may note, that since we are based on the carousel, MOST carousels have horses or a largeer number over the menagerie of other animals. So it only makes sense our first and main animal available are the regular horses.

02a. Are you trying to be like _________?
*** No, we're our own thing. We want to do a shop based on this concept, in our own way. Last I checked this was an idea on it's own not based on something so solely unique we couldn't. If you think this is only to dominate the market or something, please ... look in a mirror. We're here to have fun and offer something fun. We want to do our own spin on he concept, with our own stuff. If other people can't tolerate it, they need to take a breath and step back a moment - we're NOT out to piss everyone else off. (Though Mintaka CAN make you pissed if you ask nicely over AIM maybe. But you have to want to be angry. =D -Min)

Sidenote; I fully expect that people will think we're trying to rip Soquili. A few pointers against that before you try though, since I don't want to hear it -- Carousels come from fairs, which are sooo... so not Indian themed. Also, carousels have a load of other naimals, our menagerie, which are also coming. Carousels primarily DO feature horses though, including a few unicorns and pegasus, if you do a little research on the internet you can find ones. NIghtmare was a personal choice for something eviller because I (MIntaka) LIKE THEM. And have. For a long time. If you think we're ripping them, go ahead, but the facts are plain as day - our concept isn't the same, and we're offering way more then a horse. Aside, there's been at elast 20 horse-based shops before Soquili and after. Horses are a real animal. It's kind of hard to be 100% original with horses.

03. Will there be *insert animal here*?
*** Depends. Nothign is 100% set in stone, but there are plans for many of the standard menagerie animals found on carousels - a merhorse, a nightmare, and pegasus as well as the unicorn are intended for other horse types (nightmare is Mintaka's choice, OKAY, she wanted something ebil in here). For other races, a big cat (tiger and/or lion), dragon, rabbit, giraffe, housecat, and possibly other animals. Not alla re for-certain happening, but that is a very strong idea of what will eventually be perhaps. While suggestions ARE nice, we may or may not act on it. After all, Tara has to do the linearts for us, and if she can't (or won't for a good reason) do something, I won't make her do it.

04. Cna I have one?!?!?!?!?!?
*** Pay attention to what's going on - we'll have frequent enough sales and other events and potential giveaways. But don't jsut pester us for a freebie, either. Patience is a virtue.

05. When will ________ be done?
*** When the staff is able to finish. We all have lives outside of Gaia, and this is our fun-time. We DO have other obligations both ON and OFF Gaia, so we may not always get things done NOW -- but we will try our best to be timely. If we're behind, generally ONE of the staff will know what's going on -- or we will have a note in our sections or somewhere. Editted pets DO take longer as it requires editting and other things. Quality first, m'dears.

06. What value do you accept items at?
*** We value all monthly collectible items and letters by tektek.org's daily pricing (based on the day the auction starts OR based on the day payment is decided on), and all store items at sellback. Any other items accepted are by colorist's taste, but usually based on tektek and/or low marketplace values. When Tektek is down and a price is needed asap, lowest market can be used.

****** Have a question about the shop not answered somewhere? PM the mule or ask in thread. Anything specific to a staff member should be PM'd to the mule.

Lists

The lists of ... things. Good, bad, etc.

The Happy List
This is for donators and those who've done a great service to the shop. We salute you and thank you very very much.

[CNP]Ails von Helson - 14.7k donation towards our guild! heart
Presca - 15k towards a Guild.

The Sad List (Greylist)
People who have broken a rule, and are uner watch... they may not quire any new pets at the shop, but may still roleplay and be present. Don't mess up while here, or it's out the gate forever.

No one.

The Bad List (Blacklist)
If you're here, you're not wanted and should never ever set foot around this place again. No new pets, your pets are in limbo, and you are persona non grata to any events, etc. You've obviously done soemthing enough to earn your way here, so just... don't cause any more trouble.

No one, and we hope it stays like this.

eek

The Menagerie

Here you can find information on all the various creatures that inhabit our world -- there's no need to be afraid of not knowing what they are. With this handy guide you'll know everything you need to know about them.

Horse
The horse is a standard Carousel flavor - many many carousels you see now are dominated by horses, or are purely all horses. These noble beasts are great steeds and very loyal and trustworthy most of the time, although some of the more wild ones might be a handful and more difficult. Some like to say the carving helps define the nature, but that's not true. Tame jumpers and wild standers happen, so it's all a matter of taste there. Much like one's chosen mount. Expect to see a fair amount of these, as they are currently the first, and most common, breed of mount we have here.

Coming Attractions
Why yes, there is more then the standard horse here! Here's a bit of a list about what is coming up soon!

Merhorse :: The aquatic version of everyone's favorite steed. After all, we're on an island so why not?
Pegasus :: Gifted with strong wings to give flight, the pegasi are dedicated and often loyal.
Unicorn :: Most unicorns are pure and true, although there are some rogue darker ones out there as well.
Nightmare :: Dark, vile, and full of hatred; they take to riders whose own hearts are the same.
Rabbit :: These rabbits are huge, large enough to be ridden! Their strong legs can propel them rapidly across surfaces, and deliver one hell of a kick when threatened.

[ Customs ]

Customs are exactly as they sound - a pet designed to your specifications. Custom slots will open as the colorists themselves have time - there is no mass opening per month or any set time schedules other then by the colorist's choices.

Work Journals of the Colorists
Go here for custom forms, and where to place your orders.

Graceangel - basics, minor edits
Mintaka - Cosplays/edits, sometimes basic

Custom Rules
This si to help clarify soem thgins on custom slots, and what can and can't be done and such.

01. One Custom per person per slot opening. This is so everyone has a chance at people's slots. This is per colorist, so IF by some weird chance two of us open t the same time, you may grab one PER colorist. We would, however, like people to share.

02. No basing regular pets off of cosplays. By regular/normal we mean a completely unedited, basic commission, a flatsale, etc. Cosplays should be acquired to look like the character in question. While you can take rough eprsonality quirks, if it's something too unique and specific to a character we may request you to change it, in respect for a real cosplay that exists or is planned to exist or could be commissioned. Basically, if you want a cosplay, actually pay for it proper or wait for the event; don't try and make a pet nothing like it into one, or otherwise try to get one 'cheap'. OCs are acceptable to be done as normals without edits as they're yours, but ones from things like Naruto, etc. should be done up to actualyl resemble the characters.

03. Be as clear as possible. This is VERY important, as asking for redos can be very stressful on the colorist, if not irritating, especially when you have to do 2-3 changes. If it gets to the point of ridiculousness on redos, we may request to change more for the excessive amount of work we're being put through because you were not clear to begin with. On the other hand, if your order is followed to the letter of what you described, and you change your mind after, we reserve the right to charge for the extra work because you changed your mind once work was complete, or refuse to do changes. Be absolutely sure of what you want before you commission/offer a trade!

04. Coloring takes time, please be patient! We have lives off Gaia, and when we are on, we can't always be robots coloring, so we ask patience as we work. There is no specific time set on when to expect your pet, as many factors can affect this including health of the colorist, other people in their life (Grace has a child, Mintaka has a fiancé and parents to deal with), and even computer issues and mood. Quality over quantity my friends, and if it takes longer to do the best, so be it. We would rather it get done right the first time.

05. No cosplays based on real people, living or dead. It's just really creepy to do, so no. Aside, I'd rather respect them as human beings. However, 'historical figures' who have since become part of legend or myth, such as King Arthur and reaching far back in history that we only have at best vague information of who may appear in a movie can be done. But no Brittney Spears or Hitlers, k.

06. The stff reserves the right to refuse any custom, for any reason. Payment will be cancelled or returned, and you will be notified if we refuse to do the custom. We do not need to give reason for refusal, but I doubt this will happen that often. Still, we DO have our limits and reasons, and wish for you to respect our choice should we refuse.

07. No customs based on Web comic characters. Non-Hasbro MLP customs subject to verification on specific criteria. No customs based on other people's OCs/Personas/Fursonas/etc. Essentially this means that no characters you do not own which are not in 'mass media' publication (be it printed comics, TV, etc.) - this is because web comic characters are a fine grey line on allowability. Also, because of the no using other's personas/etc. certain MLP customs people do may not be allowed if they are based on a persons's ponysona or such - also, any custom MLP which is being sold for profit may not be done. (That is, a 'series' MLP done by the same eprson for multiple people/constantly available. One shot sold MLPs are subject to discretionary choice of the colorist.) You MAY buy customs based on YOUR OCs/etc. - they are your creations to be done (providing we can do it).

Prices

Basic Custom, adult

Random (you choose gender, we choose colors) :: 9,000 gold
Semi-Custom (You choose gender, and up to 3~4 colors, and we choose where and what markings) :: 15,000 gold
Simple (base colors and simple patterns/markings) :: 30,000 gold
Complex (full body designs, complex markings (lace, tribal, celtic), and other really difficult things) :: 50,000 gold

Basic Custom, starting at Carousel Stage

Random (you choose gender, we choose colors) :: 12,000 gold
Semi-Custom (You choose gender, and up to 3~4 colors, and we choose where and what markings) :: 19,000 gold
Simple (base colors and simple patterns/markings) :: 35,000 gold
Complex (full body designs, complex markings (lace, tribal, celtic), and other really difficult things) :: 60,000 gold

Light Edits, adult
Light edits include hair or accessory edits, without clothing - mostly requests that are non-cosplays.

Hair only edit: 60k-65k depending on complexity of hair style.
Accessory only edit: 60k-70k depending on how many items and how intricate.
Hair + Accessory: 75k-90k depending on complexity of request.

Light Edits, from Carousel Stage

Hair only edit: 80k-90k depending on complexity of hair style.
Accessory only edit: 70k-80k depending on how many items and how intricate.
Hair + Accessory: 95k-100k depending on complexity of request.

Basic Cosplay
These are for all clothed cosplays - at the least this includes a hair edit, a shirt/top edit, and any necessary (non-weapon) accessories required/requested to match the cosplay in question.

Adult: 100k-125k, depending on complexity.
Starts from Carousel Stage: 140k-165k, depending on complexity.

Intricate Cosplay
This includes all of the basic details, but includes more difficult additions such as large weapons, custom wings, or other major edits not included in any other option that fit the cosplay (such as angel or demon wings on a character having them).

Adult: 150k-200k, depending on complexity/level of editting required.
From Carousel Stage: 200k-300k, depending on complexity/level of editting required.

Bribes

Bribes are VERY specific to the colorist and may vary depending on how busy they are, etc. When in doubt make an offer to them, but do not expect and yes opr even a no - just wait to see what we have to say. Currently only adults may be bribed - no bribed breedings allowed for now. Some colorists may have a status on wether they are taking bribes as well, if they say they aren't, don't contact them about it, please.

Pet Trades

Pet trades should be directed to the specific colorist you'd like, but if you wish to offer to both Mintaka and Graceangel, please PM the mule and be aware that doing so may get both Mintaka and Grace interested. ;o

Real Money Commissions

FOr information about this, please see Here.

Hey Mietre, do I have to do the birds and bees thing? Or can I like- oh, okay fine. Take all my fun away. I'm Tehrene Khere, and as you know I help made this possible. Being that they are still magical creation, gifted with life, they don't quite reproduce in the same way as normal animals; in fact, if we had other species of animals - and we will - they could 'crossbreed' with the normal horses. Except there's not genetic mingling or weirdness - nope. So don't worry about anything really awkward if a rabbit and a horse have feelings for one another! *laughs*

When one of our Drifting Along creations wishes to have children that's where we the carvers come in. Each mature adult is gifted with an essence - one which can be drawn out and places into a new vessel - obviously crafted in the image of the parents - and thus a child is born! Rather then blood genetics, we have magical ones. Yes, a couple will have at least two upon mingling of the magic - sometimes we can distill more, based on various factors. If a single should come to us, we can mix in a bit of chaotic essence which will alter the existing essence and... produce one child that may or may not carry anything like the parent. We use special pants to coat the wooden carving, which the magic steeps in what it wants to become. The carvings we use for this are smaller then the traditional adult ones, and will sprout children. Ye,s pint sized things for them to take care of. Generally we will determine the assortment of traits coming out based on how the magic reads; you can't quite tell what sort of animal essence the magic wants sometimes - and putting a rabbit in a horse just doesn't work. (I know, I goofed once... it's why I haven't managed to carve a rabbit yet because I haven't managed to distill the right method....)

Anyway~ As I saw saying it can be done solo or with another - no more then two however, as past that the magic becomes too unstable to support any creation at all. And once this is done the adult will need time to build a reserve of the magic used - usually about two months total. By then the children are all grown up anyway - too many kids is a real headache. Summer at the main carousel is proof of that!

Sometimes I get involved in the carving of the children but I usually let Mietre and the others do that; I focus on refining and perfecting our adults, and preparing for the next ride. So if you have an interest, by all means, stop by one of our locations and find out if we're free to help you.

Rules

01. Your Drifting Along animal must be an adult! We cannot do anything for you if you are not an adult, as there is no magical essence to draw from.
02. Gender does not matter, as this is a non-sexual breeding method, so don't worry about any catches or hangs on same-sex breeding.
03. Adults who successfully breed one month may not breed the next month; they must wait the 2 months (the month they won + the month after) to breed again to build the magical reserve. This is not an owner limit, merely a limit of the pet itself, so don't worry about it affecting other couples.
04. Single parent breedings will always produce one child, no matter what. Two parent breedings will produce a minimum of 2 - more may occur due to RP, special rare items, or having bred more then three times together in a row. See below for details.
05. You may not sell children fom a rbeeding or otherwise profit from them. You may freely gift them to others, keep them (although breeding with others you must both agree on all decisions - only item-based extra children may specificly be decided by one person, but try to be fair!), or give them away for free via raffle, RP contest or other means that do not make a profit. If you personally do not wish to decide it's owner, you may give the child to the shop and we will determine some means for it to be rehomed.
06. If two Drifting Along are roleplayed as related (customs/etc.) or ARE related through breeding, they cannot and should not mate. If we find out that some have, we WILL revoke the offending pets as thye should not have existed, and punishment metted out accordingly. Just don't do it; the magic of relatives can't mix due to similarities and such. (And it's just ew. Min says no, she means no.)
07. Changes/additions as needed; generally use common sense however like breeding only with someone who is okay with it and such.

How number of children is determined

As stated above, single parents only get 1 kid, period, 2 if a special rare item comes up. For couples the following factors can increase the number from the base of 2.

Roleplay: In order to qualify for roleplay chances you must provide at least 1 RP between the two that shows the desire to have children together/love. One RP gives a base 25% chance to have an additional child, 2 RPs bump it to 50%, 3 to 75% and four or more will lead to an automatic 3. You cannot gain more foals past 3 by RP - and only one RP must stress the love/desire, anything additional must just involve the two together but not being all lovey dovey if you don't want. We just need proof the roleplay given lead up to the desire to breed, so some 'random' RP beofreor after with them meeting, talking, and being around only strengthens it and means you put some effort. We do reserve the right to disqualify an RP if we feel it was not satisfactory in giving cause or reason. We love RP, but if you're trying to use it for a reason for more kids, we prefer you establish it well enough and not rush it to force more kids out. D: It's a bonus for doing so, so take your time with it.

Items: Occasionally items may be given in events or randomly with roleplay or other means such as games, raffles, or whims of the owners. These are 1-time use items unless otherwise stated and add one child. The fate of the additional child is to be determined by the item's user, so use wisely.

'Life Mating' - Here at Drifting Along, we handle the concept a bit differently. You can't just choose or not choose it as a title to use as you see fit or want, you have to 'prove' it to us. How do you do this? RP is always a good lead-up, but isn't how we determine how it affects breeding. In fact, you don't have to RP to get this status at all, but those who do qualify for both categories and can have up to 4 kids in a breeding! How do you do this? If a pair successfully breeds 3 times in a row (we may move it to two), their next breeding together will garner an additional foal and become 'lifemates' because of their loyalty to one another and not breeding with others. If either one of the pair breaks and breeds with someone else, the counter is reset - and lifemate status removed. (In order to earn it again after becoming lifemates and breaking it, you must then breed four times, and the fifth re-establishes that.) This method was established to reward true faithfulness in actual breeding attempts, rather then merely based on word or roleplay. There have been cases in many shops it was decided after a breeding (or two) that they didn't want to be anymore, and causes issues. This system is meant to reward faithfulness, and to also make it easier in cases where one wants out. So if you wish to have this method tacked on, you better remain steadfast and true, and have some luck on your side.

Random Chance - If you don't have any of the following above applied to you , there is still a 10% chance that somehow we can distill essence for a third child if this is the first breeding for an adult, or if the adult has not bred for more then 4 months after the last breeding. This chance does not grow over time however, but there is a slim chance we can manage when two magics mingle. Occasionally someone just has a little more oomph in their reserve or who knows why - it just happens when no other factor seems to be there.

Cost

Breeding will cost 7k per adult involved, to be paid by each owner involved. (Unless they agree to have one person pay. However that does not give one person more right over the children then the other, rare item children aside.) This cost covers all materials, time, effort, etc.

Slots

Currently we are using a slot-based first come, first serve basis. We may occasionally hold other methods as well, but pay attention to slots to claim. If we have enough interested people we may choose to hold raffles in place or a combination for slots just to give people a chance in different ways.

Mintaka

01. Huni Pi [Done, pg 279]
02. TrinityTiers [Working]

Graceangel

01. Open



Parent 2 may be ignored for single parent breedings.

Trappings - post reserved for future item stuff.

Reserved

Nothing here at the moent, so ... BLAH. mrgreen