FAQS
Q. I'm thinking on joining. Where should I start?
A. Along with reading the FAQs, we have a handy newbie's guide in hopes to make it all less intimidating. :)

Q. What makes Light of May different from other supernatural games?
A. LoM has a unique system of blood effects, making every character important in special ways to different vampires. LoM is built with a structure and central plot that could put anyone in danger at any time. Any supernatural character can be on top of the world one day, with a target on their back the next. We both believe and hope that the hunted aspect brings something extra to the game as well.

Q. When does the game start?
A. The first gameday will be June 1, 2009. Game-time and real-time will NOT be the same. The game-time will be progressed by time updates, which are explained in the format section.

We chose for the first gameday to be June 1st because it gives all the character's a months time to adjust to the changes in the world and get over the initial shock (and perhaps in some cases, crippling terror). It takes twenty-one days to make or break a habit, so most will have gotten through the worst of the shock.

Q. Can I play a race that isn't listed?
A. If you would like to play a race we haven't added, please let us know! We are happy to include new races to accomodate people.

Q. Are there any hybrids of races?
A. Not so much, though this gets a little complicated. Magic (as defined on the witches page) is something that can be learned by most races (the exceptions being vampires, merfolk, dream eaters, and lamiae), but only humans can be born witches. Elementals, psychics, and born witches are all considered human, so these three can be mix-and-matched.

Q. Are there any limits as to what races can be what bloodlines?
A. Sirens and necromancers cannot be angelic blooded. Lamiae cannot be angelic or fae blooded. Dream eaters, merfolk, and psychic dead zones or amplifiers cannot have any special bloodlines at all. Fae blood can be mixed with angelic or demonic blood, but angelic and demonic blood cannot be mixed with each other.

Q. What is the highest level an elemental can be without knowing they are an elemental?
A. 99.9% of the time, an elemental will never advance past level 2 until they know what they are. The only exception is a rarity in times of trauma. If an elemental's life is threatened, their powers sometimes quickly manifest in rather explosive (albeit, temporary) ways, and will possibly give them a level boost. If you are unsure what level your character should be at, please don't hesitate to ask a mod for help! We know that placement can sometimes be a difficult thing, and we're happy to help you figure out what fits your character.

Q. How long does it take an elemental to level?
A. Every case is slightly different. If a character knows they are an elemental, and is actively working at advancing steadily, they usually hit level 3 in their tween/teen years, and level 4 in their teen years. Level 5 comes in the early 20s, level 6 in the mid twenties. Mastery has never been achieved before age 27.

Q. How long did the government know about the supernatural?
A. It's unclear, and officially, the answer to that question is classified. But the government has known of - and in some cases, worked with - the supernatural for several decades at least. This extends to other nations as well.

Q. How did *insert Country here* react to the Light of May?
A. We have a handy section, LOM Around the World, to help answer this question!

Q. Can I create a vampire that doesn't know what family/bloodline they're from?
A. Yes. However, you will still have to specify their family information in their application. We need to know it, even if they don't.

Q. It's mentioned in the premise that missing people that were turned are being reunited with their families. How does this work?
A. Why thank you for asking! Here's the deal. If you were turned into a vampire or a were, and as a result, you went into hiding, you have the option of contacting any agency for lost children and missing people and reporting your status. These same agencies are contacting family members of missing persons and asking if they would want to know if their loved one had been turned or not. Whether they answer yes or no, the vampire or were is informed to help them with their decision. Yes, there have been reports of people that don't want to know if their missing child became a vampire. Not every story has a happy ending.

Q. Did my supernatural character know that the Light of May was coming?
A. In most cases, probably not. A lot of vampire families knew, as it was the elders that helped arrange it, but it was on a need-to-know basis. Unless your character is heavily involved in politics, they probably had no idea it was coming, and it's quite possible they freaked out just as much as anyone else.

Q. Have any civil rights movements for supernatural races passed yet?
A. Some laws were immediately written and passed for the protection of all. It's illegal to kill a supernatural, just the same as it is to kill a human, unless it can be proven to be in self defense. It is illegal to refuse admittance of supernatural children to public schools, but there are private schools all over the world for humans only. Past that, different groups are still fighting for different laws - both for and against supernatural rights.

Q. Can I play a character involved in the supernatural rights movement - on either side?
A. Absolutely, we'd love to see it.

Q. If I want to ignore the politics completely, is that okay?
A. Some people don't like politics, and avoid the subject at all costs. Why shouldn't it be the same here?

Q. How do various religions feel about supernatural rights?
A. They're just as split down the middle as everyone else. While one might assume they would quickly condemn them, they realize that to do that, they would be making huge hypocrites of themselves. Religious leaders of every mainstream religion have been found to be supernaturals themselves. Some churches are praising the Lord and looking for the best in everyone, while some are condemning the abominations. You can't lump religion in for or against.

Q. Can vampires cry?
A. Vampires cry blood.

Q. Can vampires eat/drink/smoke/do drugs?
A. They can, but they receive absolutely no benefit or effect from it. If eating or drinking, they'd have to purge the foreign matter from their bodies somehow, and if smoking, they'd have to be very careful not to burn themselves. Vampires can get a secondhand high/buzz/drunken state, but only by feeding from humans under the influence. And keep in mind, the key word: secondhand. It will never be quite as good as it was when they were human - unless, of course, they do a great lot of it (easily enough to drain a few humans). Drinking from a drunk/high psychic will increase any effects, as will drinking from a schizophrenic.

Q. Can vampires reproduce?
A. No. The only way to create another vampire is by turning someone.

Q. It says in the premise that vampires are not the threat - but they need human blood to survive! How do you explain that logic?
A. One of the first things made clear was that vampire etiquette required that they only take blood from willing donators. They also revealed that their blood had slight healing powerfuls, and many families have made rules that all members must donate to blood banks every month. Those involved with the supernatural rights movements argue that this is an even trade.

Q. What happens to a were's clothing when they shift forms?
A. Clothing and shifting are not meshy things. They don't go together. Unless your animal form is something tiny (like a mouse) or has thumbs (like a monkey) don't shift while you're still in your clothes! You'll tear things at worst or get tangled up at best. If you're modest, find a private place to shift.

Q. Can the HIV virus survive in a vampire? Can the vampire spread it?
HIV can't survive very long in a dead body - usually around two days, tops, but up to 16 days if they are frozen. If someone with the HIV virus was turned, they would only be able to spread the virus in the first few weeks of vampirism. It could not continue to live in their undead bodies.

Q. What options does my bitten were have on the night of the full moon?
A. Since all bitten weres completely lose control of themselves and become bloodthirsty monsters on the night of the full moon, one of the first things American governments figured out was how to handle these nights. Things are a little different everywhere as to how it's handled, but in Scarlet Oak and Ann Arbor there are three main options.

1. Joining Hands, a local charity, will help any bitten weres with anything they could possibly need. Along with things like setting up counseling sessions or getting them in touch with other weres who know what they're going through, they also help find a safe place to stay on the night of the full moon (and are always taking volunteer hosting locations).
   
2. Local police departments in Ann Arbor and Scarlet Oak offer the option for bitten weres to reserve a jail cell to be voluntarily locked up for the night. It's confidential, voluntary, and guaranteed safe. Additionally, any police officers that are born weres are asked to stay at the station in case of emergency with a bitten were.
   
3. One of the heads of the National Party for Supernatural Rights, Bram Moriarty, recently proposed a bill to congress that would provide free cages to be installed in the homes of bitten weres. While the bill has not passed and has gathered a good deal of criticism, Bram Moriarty set up a helpline in June. Any bitten were living in the state of Michigan can call at any time, and out of his own pocket, his company will come to their house and install a free, were-proof cage.

Q. My character is a gay male. Will a siren's song still work on him?
A. This is tricky, and something that may need to be handled on a case-by-case basis. To be clear on a few things, a siren cannot use her song to make a character do something completely against their nature. They couldn't, for instance, make a rather saintly angelic blooded man go on a shooting spree in the playroom at a children's hospital. So if a man is gay, has never or will never be attracted to a woman, it would be very difficult to make the song hold sway over them - but it is not entirely impossible or unheard of. It depends on the man, his character, and how open his mind is.

Q. My character has *insert skill here*. Does that mean they're immune/have special resistance to a siren's song?
A. Nope. Any mortal male that is physically or mentally capable of going for a woman is susceptible. Vampires and werewolves are immune to a siren's song.

Q. My character is *insert race here* OR my character is the son of a siren. Does that mean they're immune/have special resistance to a siren's song?
A. No. Vampires and werewolves only.

Q. Do characters know what race another character is when they meet?
A. This is not possible for any of the human races (Elemental, Psychic, Witch). Vampires know races by scent, though some of the rarer races - like a Dream Eater or Merfolk - might be hard to identify during their first meeting with one.

Weres can also scent races, but they have to have a basis to go on. If they'd never met a plain vanilla human before, they wouldn't know what one smelled like. As for scenting their own kind - a were will always know a were upon meeting one. They just might not know what kind of were. If a werecat and a wererabbit met, and neither of them had never met a were of that sort before, they would only know that they are 'some sort' of were. Once they identified the scent, they would remember it.

Q. Can my character be killed without my permission?
A. No. You must consent to your character's death.

For the record, this doesn't mean you should go get your character into a suicidal situation with a group of badass hunters and go YOU CAN'T KILL ME, NEENER NEENER NEENER. Don't be a dick, Sparky.

Q. So familiars talk. How does this work?
A. First off, not like it does in the Disney movies! A familiar will never open their mouth and start physically talking. A familiar's speech is telepathic projection. They project their responses into the minds of those around them. However, they can also choose to speak to certain minds only. If there are three people in the room, and the familiar only wants two of them to hear something, they have that option.

When a familiar talks, even though it is projected right into your mind, you have a sense of where it is coming from. It's not just a random, ominous voice - while it can't be explained why or how, you feel who and where it is coming from. If two familiars were in a room talking with a group of people, there would be no confusion on which familiar is speaking when. You know where it is coming from.

Q. Can any race be turned into a vampire or werewolf?
A. No, definitely not. Only the human races (humans, elementals, psychics, and witches) can be turned. Keep in mind, that if you have your character turned, you need to talk to a mod first. Turning is very difficult for psychics and elementals, and to a lesser degree, born witches. Elemental and psychic abilities do not transition with you - they die. Depending on what you were before hand, this can be excruciatingly painful - physically, mentally, and emotionally. Master elementals who are turned often lose their sanity, and it's a gamble for any elemental above a level 2, and certain sorts of psychics.

Q. Can my born werewolf be a psychic/elemental/born witch too?
A. No. Weres are weres, and that is it. A were will never be a psychic or elemental, or a born witch. They can still learn magic, just without any of the born perks. Psychic and elemental powers never manifest in a were - born or bitten.

Q. Are there any limits to the special bloodlines (Angelic/Demonic/Fae blooded)?
A. Yes, a few. Necromancers and sirens can never be angelic blooded. Someone of angelic blood and demonic blood can not have a child together (and they will probably hate each other by nature). Any race that doesn't allow cross-breeding (such as Dream Eaters) would not have these special bloodlines.

Q. Why is the game set in Ann Arbor, MI?
A. A couple of reasons. One, we figured that, logically, big cities would have the highest population of supernatural characters. Two, we didn't want a huge city, like New York City or Los Angeles. We feel like Ann Arbor's a good location, with lots to do, and it's just the right environment for our plots.

Q. I'm afraid to have my werewolf mate for life. What if the other character leaves?
A. We have a rule that mated characters cannot just be dropped. Mated characters leaving the game must come to a solution with the player of the mate, so as not to screw the remaining character over.

Q. My character has a race and/or power that works on a level system. How do they level up?
A. Levels advance through use and practice. If you want your character to go up a level, you must request this from the mods. If your character has used their powers a lot lately, you may get a level!

Q. What is the in-game 'start time' of each gameday? How does this affect vampires?
Technically speaking, each gameday follows 24 hour time, and goes from midnight to midnight. The day starts at midnight, it ends at 11:59. If a vampire is living on a nights schedule, they'd be waking up at the end of one gameday, and playing through to the next day. For scenes that take place around midnight-two AM, we're not really going to be nazis about which day scenes go in. All that we ask is if a big event happens in a scene, which will effect a lot of people, it be in the start of the new game day. But technically speaking, anything after midnight happens in the new gameday.

Q. How does the journal system work?
A. Character journals are just that - character journals. Not only will you use them to post scenes to the community, but you can update them as your character would write in their own journal. Please label hand-written or personal journal entries as private entries. Additionally, you can use your character's journals to be your character's own LiveJournal, InsasneJournal, Twitter... whatever you like. Characters do not have to write in their journals if they do not want to. Journal entries of any kind are optional.

Q. Do I have to fill out all the fields of the application? Some don't apply to my character.
A. Unless otherwise specified, you must fill out all fields. If something doesn't apply to your character - such as family, explain why. Do they have no family left alive? Have they never met their family? Let us know.

Q. Do I have to give my contact info?
A. At the very least, you'll have to provide the mods with an e-mail address to apply. If you do not wish to any contact info publicly, you do not have to. Your age will not be listed publicly either. This is for our protection only, as all players must be at least 18 years of age.

Q. Why is my application being rejected?!
A. More often than not, it's for one of three reasons:

• Obvious errors, from grammar, spelling, and format; or a blatant disregard of the rules in any way. For example, if your character's history is a thin paragraph or so, even though we clearly state that we need otherwise on the application page? Denied on the spot. We do not have very many rules, it should be no problem whatsoever to follow them.
  
• Lack of balance as a character - particularly in the weaknesses and strengths. Simply put, if your character has far more strengths than weaknesses, or if your weaknesses are all very small in light of their strengths, then we're going to at least ask that this be edited for consideration. To clear one thing up, 'selfless, cares too much, emotional' will never be an acceptable three weaknesses for a character.
  
• Unoriginal characters. If your character is plain, boring, and/or has nothing new to offer the game... what's the fun in that?

Q. Can the journal system be used to send private messages/emails from one character to another?
A. Yes! Absolutely, we 100% encourage this. Please label posts that should be read as private messages as such, and who they are viewable to. Please post private messages on your character journal, as opposed to in the community.

Q. Why is my request to join the communities being denied/ignored?
A. Membership to the communities is moderated, with journals being added by invite only. If your application has been approved and you've given the mods a journal, your invites will be found here.