Our own personal guidelines

[Jenny]

I can see where you're coming from, Bridget. Now I feel undecided. I do think a difference is that, unlike other Ajahs, a character must be invited into the Black. After all the existence of the BA is actively denied by most channelers. Whether we want to incorporate this into the OOC structure is up for debate.

I think that I am worried about taking in a character who will accidentally reveal the rest of us. Maybe I'm taking this secrecy thing too seriously and need to have more faith in people lol.

Requiring a RP would allow us to "get to know" a player and actively involve them in the Ajah's nefarious plots. Ugh now I'm worrying about being too cliquish. I'll need to think about this more. What do you guys think?

[Bridget]

Hmmm. I see where you guys are coming from as well; an rp like that would help build a sense of IC community for the Ajah. What would you think about doing a thread with the members of a Heart and the new member, set after the swearing of the Oaths? It could include an explanation of the Black Ajah, how the Hearts and secret codes etc work. It would be a great way to explore how a character fits into the Black Ajah, now that they've made the jump and joined.

I think the best thing to do about revealing other characters is to have some solid OOC rules. Firstly, it's definitely godmoding to reveal another character, so I don't think anyone would do that. However, I definitely think that we should have rules about revealing the existence of the Black Ajah itself. At some point, it might be a fun MRP. But right now, it definitely would not be desirable. What would you think about a rule requiring the HoA to agree, or a vote of all BA members, or both?

As for an RP getting to know a member, perhaps we could clarify the existing requirement? Currently, it's just 'Interact with a Member of the Black Ajah'. As soon as at least one of us has an Black Ajah Aes Sedai character, we could ask to change that requirement to be only threads, and not fics. However, it's definitely important to point out that we can't say no to someone- if someone wants to join the BA, they can join.

[Bree]

I apologize if I was unclear. I am strongly in favor of requiring the actual 'Interact with a Member of the Black Ajah' requirement be performed in an RP. The swearing and the life choice and all that, fics are fine. I just have seen (as MoT) too many people take on a character in a certain role and then decide they are unwilling or unable to play it out and need to abandon it. I am thinking of something Shadowy like the enlistment interview but less rigid.

The BA is going to attract people for all sorts of selfish reasons and that is perfect. We NEED to allow that development. It is a critical component to the way the whole world works in canon. I just want to make sure that everyone who joins has the chance to see the proverbial walls and ceiling in the room they are moving into. (is that clear? not sure if making sense to anyone but me)

As for the Oaths, YES please leave the third oath open for speculation. Mystery is part of the grandeur.

And no I don't think there should be ritualized verbage used so much as the plainest and most stringent wording to keep the IC wiggle room to a minimum. It is supposed to be hard to get out of the Oaths for both sides.

Jenny, i don't think that thinking in terms of being outed as a BA member is out of line. We are trying to set up a canon-as-possible RP area and the mistrust is just going to add to the flavor of play. As for OOC, we will have to accept anyone who wants to join so we will need these guidelines to be easy to follow and minimal to avoid confusion and argument.

[Jenny]

Oh, another thing! Does anyone have any ideas for the Black Ajah page on the wiki? Bree and I could spruce it up!

1. Having something to explain the structure of the Black Ajah would be helpful! For example, having a diagram demonstrating how "hearts" work. It can be confusing. Also, we should come up with how the BAH and Supreme Council members are chosen, as well as their duties (probably similar to HoS duties/selection process? except for participating in IC HoS, of course...)

2. I like how there is a clear list for the Raising Requirements already. From what we have discussed here, "Interact with a member of Black Ajah" could be changed to "Interact with a member of Black Ajah through a RP (at least 6 posts)" or something?

3. Also, perhaps having a statement of the goals of the Black Ajah so members could have some guidance when coming up with RP plots. For example, do we seek to sow chaos in the Grey Tower? Or is our current mission simply to lay low, stay hidden and gather secrets/power? Of course, this mission could change with each RP as plots change and stuff.

4. We could come up with some secret signals (such as the thumb in between two fingers that Halima shows to Delana) or some tips as to how to sneak around. Oh, and some silly traditions (black licorice!), too! Ideas? I also like Oreo cookies, just sayin'....

5. Finally, we could maybe offer suggestions on how people interested in the Black can realistically have their characters join/discover the Black, and some of the benefits/drawbacks. This is probably more of OOC tips for our players.

p.s. Could we get the title of this board changed to "Black Ajah Bastille" to match with the others? Pretty please? *gives cookie*

[Bree]

1 - yes

2 - I was thinking minimum 4 posts but yes

3 - I think the running thread tracker with the current PC BA threads is adequate... perhaps add a timeline thread that tracks arcs... trying to pretend that we have a singular goal as an ajah is not going to work for us though... transient alliances are the best we can hope for within the ajah of evil.

4 - yes, I personally love puzzles... I think it would be super fun to try to come up with a sentence that fits a stricture as a symbol. Like using the words "black" and "ajah" in the same sentence without saying "black ajah". or a sentence, that when you use the first letter of each word spells out "Black" or "Shadow" or "Bwahahaha" (The shadows in the halls of the ajahs seem particularly black today. or Butter lightly as Cairheinin kitchens.) >.> or maybe just touching our noses with our left thumbs while saying "ahh".

5 - yes

PS - yes, I don't mind.