There is usually a stark difference between "consent" and "non-consent" MUSHes. Aether is a little bit of both. The main thing we would like to stress here is negotiation. If players can work out an issue on their own, without staff intervention, then that's perfectly fine. It is when the negotiation process fails and the players involved cannot reach a resolution that the issues of "consent" and "non-consent" crop up, and that is when staff will intervene.

For the most part, characters are a player's intellectual property; it is only in the cases of certain features, pre-generated characters, or faction- owned characters that this is not true. This means that players have a degree of control over what happens to their characters. If something occurs in a scene with which a player is not comfortable, he or she should make that clear. No one should be forced into role-playing a scene that makes them uneasy or uncomfortable. However, sometimes a player may not wish to play the repercussions of his or her actions, and this is when the staff may need to enforce certain rules.

A player is responsible for the actions of his or her character. If those actions warrant some form of retaliation, such as injury, imprisonment, punishment, banishment, demotion, or even death, then the player must be willing to accept those consequences. In some cases, a character's prominence alone is reason enough for them to be targeted. Playing a feature or faction- head comes with certain responsibilities, and one of those is the knowledge that your position may be taken away from you. You must work to keep it. See more on that subject in "news features."

If a player is not willing to accept certain consequences, or if no acceptable resolution can be reached, then the staff may be asked to judge or mediate a scene or debate. In cases where a staff-alt is involved, another admin should oversee the situation. Admin will either try to help the players reach a solution, or issue a judgment about the outcome. A player can plead his or her case, but once the scene is resolved or judgment rendered, then that should be the end of it. Players are expected to comply gracefully, and not ask that the judgment be overturned or the scene be retconned.

To reiterate, players should try negotiation first, and if that fails, then the admin can be called upon to help resolve the matter. We ask that players behave in a mature and responsible manner, that they play accordingly and realistically, and that they abide by the rules we have laid down here on Aether. Further information about standards of behavior can be found in "news policies."

Specific issues of consent are detailed further in the following news files. Please read each one carefully, and contact an admin if you have any questions.

Assult
The term "assault" is meant to cover any kind of physical attack upon a character, including injury, torture, rape, or death. Each player has a right to determine what will happen to their character, up to a point. Ignoring or dodging the consequences of a character's actions is not acceptable. There are times when the only logical consequence may be death -- though that is often used as a last resort. The admin would like to stress negotiation as a means of resolving conflict, but if the players involved seem unable to reach a resolution, the staff will step in.

In these cases, the admin(s) will act as both a mediator and a judge. If a staff member's character is involved, players may ask another admin to oversee the situation. If you are not happy with the selection of mediators/ judges, then say so at the time, instead of after the judgment has been rendered. Once issued, judgment is final, and players are expected to comply gracefully.

Avoiding death is simple--if you are not prepared to let your character die, then don't do anything to warrant it. There *are* powerful characters on the game, and they *will* act accordingly. Keep that in mind.

On the other hand, players -- whether features or normal PCs -- should be open to negotiation and compromise. Be flexible. A player may not wish for his or her character to die, but he or she might not be opposed to injury, capture and/or torture, or the death of NPCs close to them.

In general, consider what might be best for everyone, rather than just your own character. You may prefer outcome A, but if the other players in the scene all want outcome B, and you can settle for it, then do so. Remember that your character may be the "star" of your own saga, but he or she is only a supporting actor in someone else's, and you can't always steal the show, win the girl, or defeat the bad guy. Sometimes you don't get what you want, but you may discover that the resulting RP is more satisfying in the long run.

Aether does not prohibit any kind of roleplay, as long as all the parties involved are willing. If you feel uncomfortable with a scene, say so, and suggest alternatives, or else just "assume" that the scene took place. But do so *at the time* -- not after the fact when it would warrant a retcon.

Negotiation traditionally takes place via page, before any action begins. That is, don't wait until your opponent is about to land the killing blow before paging him that you don't really want to die. Likewise, don't wait until you're about to lop off a victim's head before paging and asking if it's all right.

If you have any doubts about how your character's actions may be received, page the other player or players involved and discuss it first. Graphic violence, sexual assault, torture, abuse, and even sexual "come-ons" are all areas that one should tread carefully with, yet the admin believe players are mature enough to handle these themes without prohibiting them outright. Please don't prove us wrong.

Imprisonment
There are instances when a character may be captured and imprisoned for a period of time. Perhaps it was the result of some OOC negotiation after a battle, or the consequences of a character's disregard for the rules of the city. In any case, the end result is that they're stuck in cell or jail, most likely with little or no access to RP during the interim.

If the player in question has an alt, or they're going on vacation, or there's some other reason why they have no qualms with letting their character linger in confinement for an unspecified length of time, that's all well and good. Try to find out how they feel about their character being locked away before the imprisonment lasts too long. If they insist on only a day of captivity before some daring rescue, perhaps further negotiation must be pursued--for example, they might get rescued, but will not escape unscathed.

Perhaps the character will agree to a week or two of captivity, before being set free with some conditions attached. Bargaining for their release might provide interesting RP, as well as future TPs as they fulfill whatever "deal" allowed their freedom. But if you are the captor, and you know your captive is getting restless, then courtesy demands that you reach some other solution besides continued confinement.

Typically, a week of captivity with no word from one's jailer is sufficient time to petition for a release through @mail. First, @mail the one responsible for your character's imprisonment, and if there is still no response after another week, @mail the admin and explain your situation. If a third week goes by without a reply from the "captor," the admin can sanction a character's release from prison by whatever means plausible. A final @mail will be sent, by the admin, to both prisoner and jailer, explaining the situation and the IC process of escape, including whatever alternative punishment the captive suffered in the process.

Property
Property includes homes and/or buildings, puppets, and NPCs that are "owned" by a certain character. Actions such as burning down that home, breaking and entering, killing or injuring puppets and NPCs, or otherwise violating anything that a character owns or is in control of requires permission -- either from the owner or the staff. A simple page will often take care of that -- let's say your character is big and mean and wants to kick someone's dog. Before posing it, make sure the dog's owner won't mind-- or at least let them know so they can react accordingly afterwards. In a way, the puppet is an extension of the PC, and use the same process you would when attacking the PC himself.

Vandalizing homes, breaking and entering, or even setting fire to a building would also require permission from the owner or staff. If the owner is not logged in, send them a @mail before taking any action, and it may be best to cc it to *staff. If it's a case of burglary, detail in the @mail how you would go about getting into their home. If you wish, include your "thievery" score, detail what route and/or tools you would use, and be sure to study the descriptions of the house so you won't miss anything important like "a guard is posted outside the door at all times." Give them a chance to respond to your @mail before assuming that the burglary was successful, for they may have had booby-traps in place or other safeguards that would prevent your character's entry.