Before joining: It would be good to note that we are LITERATE and MAPLESS.
Soudaishou's Hymn
It's that familiar thrumming in your chest. Your heart's racing. Fear has caressed, and then coiled, the emotions running in your blood. The strange scents of canines fuels this nearly inexplicable fear. It's this fear that drives your paws, you legs, your movements, your mind to keep pressing on. And press on you do, despite every cell in your body screaming for you to stop. You can feel every inch of your body soaked to the bone from the pouring rain. It's this deluge that blinds you to the landscape -- a thick, spring forest -- and mixes all the befuddling scents. Time seems not to exist in this seemingly other-worldly woodland. Everything -- aside from the rain -- is at a standstill. Save for the bouncing, glowing orbs running on either side of you. They were the owners of the various odors and the shadows that created the alien rustle of a leaf.
You're in someone else's territory.
You now know why fear has gripped you. And now, you're even more desperate than before to escape this place. But before you're able to register another thought, the undergrowth around you recedes into a large plain settled on a hill. While your limbs still pound the earth like mad pistons, you immediately noticing the enormous rock fortress towering before you. You fail to notice the many canines, lupines and vulpines herding you closer to it. You seem to automatically keep running, until the moon-cast shadow of the rock fortress swathes you in a blanket of cool air.
Slowing to a crawl, you find your chest grazing the ground. You eventually grind to a halt, poised in a begging position. You gulp as you fixate your eyes on the few fierce-looking brute dogs crowning the top of the stone pile. They gaze down at you firmly for several long minutes.
You notice that your mouth is slightly ajar and close it quickly, only to gulp hard. You then notice the top dogs turning their head as a relatively small dog -- an orange akita -- ascends to the throne of the fortress. Unlike the other canines, his gaze is soft and welcoming, almost too inviting for the haunting atmosphere. A crisp, late-day breeze tickles the fur of everyone present, and as if the wind were some divine intervention, everything calms. The dogs, wolves, and foxes all around you ease themselves into casual positions, grouping into leisurely conversations and engage in idle chit-chat.
Confused, you yourself fall on your rump and look around. This was not what you had expected, but you now start to feel a new emotion bubbling from all around. This was home -- no -- this was paradise.
You hear the sound of loose gravel and turn your head in time to see the orange akita descending to ground level, followed by his elites. Upon closer inspection, you realize that he's little older than a year. Once he manages to leap off the last boulder, he saunters over to you, smiles softly, and says, "Welcome to Ohu."
Current News
February 1st, 2014;; Dogs of Japan has finally been revived, and we're currently looking for new members. After three years, the return of this once beloved Ginga Nagareboshi Gin/Ginga Densetsu Weed Alternate Universe all canine roleplay returns. If you've ever heard of Dogs of Japan - or DoJ - well, we're back!
The Group & the Rules
Soudaishou's Hymn follows pretty much the same rules as it had when it was known as DoJ. If you've ever seen DoJ's rules, then you should be a-okay following these, but it would still be nice to at least give them a glance. The only real difference is a few of them being omitted.
1) Your character does not have to be a dog, nor does it have to be a canine native to Japan. We accept dogs, wolves, and foxes, mainly, but if you choose to play something like a coyote, that's fine, too. We aren't very strict on this rule, for we love variety, but the least you can do is have a good reason. For one, they could be illegally imported as exotic pets, or maybe even escape from the Ueno Zoo (since it opened around the time the plot takes place). Feel free to be a wolfdog (wolf + dog), coydog (coyote + dog) or a foxdog (fox + dog). All three do exist, but the latter two are far and few between.
2) Names DO NOT have to be Japanese. BUT, they must be something other than "Princess" or "Frou-frou", etc. Common names are fine. Rare names are fine. Made-up names are fine.
3) Gender ratios do not need to be even. And, no, you do not have to be male, even if most of the dogs in GNG/GDW are mostly thus.
4) Realism. We'd like it to be mostly realistic. If it's something similar to the GNG or GDW worlds, then so be it. All characters are subject to approval, even if they are 100% realistic, anyways. We may be a tad lenient.
5) Character limit. We currently have a limit of one character per person. No more, no less, until further notice.
6) INTERACTION. One of our most important rules, we want interaction. We do not want to keep people out of the roleplay. It's just not cool. If you see someone being left out, be a sport and somehow get them to participate. If you feel left you, assert yourself into the roleplay. Never whine about being left out. Half the time, it's your own fault for feeling isolated, so make yourself known. This doesn't mean you need to hog the spotlight. Just interact.
7) Mating is to be done through whispering or whatever if it gets graphic. None, or rather, most, of us don't want to see your male screwing around with a female or vice versa. Same thing for giving birth; keep that between you and your mate. If you do decide to have pups, let MafiaRaptor know. Please include how many pups are being birthed so that pup positions can be put up for grabs.
8 ) Pup positions will be unavailable unless pups are born during the roleplay. All pups must resemble one of the parents, or will have to be a mix of the two. Make sure to use a reference of mixed pups if the breed exists. If not, feel free to spice the pup up within our limitations (i.e. - you cannot add spots on the pup if neither of the parents have spots, etc.).
9) Literacy is a must. This is a literate roleplay group, ergo, your posts must have some meat to them. We will allow semi-literate roleplayers to join if they manage to use correct spelling, punctuation, etc. and avoid one-liners. One-liners are not an option here.
10) Godmodding, powerplaying, and auto-hitting/killing are all prohibited. An example of this is: "So-and-so bite on randomcanine's neck and ripped out flesh, killing randomcanine instantly". We do not want to see this ruining our roleplay. It is more than a pet peeve. If we see any of this, you will get the boot. This does not mean your canine gets to dodge every attack. Evade and get hit within reason. Do not kill another canine without permission.
11) Deaths. Yep, we have a rule on this. Yep, your canine is allowed to die. But only if you've been roleplaying with it for at least two months. You make your canine for this group so you can roleplay with it, not see if die in a pool of its own blood. Gosh, that'd be pretty rude of you. But if you decide to let your canine die, have an idea for a back-up one if you want to continue roleplaying with us.
12) Activity. Is. A. Must. The only way to keep DoJ going is if the blood -- that's you -- continues to remain in contact with the heart -- that's MafiaRaptor. Failure to communicate without word for ten days will result in you getting kicked. You're more than welcome to come back to us when you're ready to commit. We currently do not have a limit on how many times you're allowed to be kicked and come back without banishment, but if it keeps happening, you will eventually get ousted permanently.
13) You cannot join without filling out an application. You must fill out everything on the application form before joining. Do not submit it incomplete or as a WIP for that just makes our thread ugly. Take your time. There is no rush. We're always open.
14) WHEN YOU JOIN: Please add "SH" to the end of your character's name so we can identify you in-game and allow us to re-invite you in case of the notorious group glitch. Do NOT add the acronym until you are registered here and have officially joined in-game. You will be in charge of finding MafiaRaptor in-game and asking for an invite. You can send a request, but we'd rather have it done in person. It is merely a safety precaution. (Please see the bottom of the application section to see extra information on adding the acronym.)
Ranks
Soudaishou;; Essentially the leader of the Dogs of Japan. The Soudaishou is generally looked up to, especially in times of war. He or she is expected to be able to lead with a cool head and command his or her fellow officers with the strategies befitting the position. He reigns as the supreme leader. His or her word is law.
Platoon Leaders;; Elite officers usually hand-picked by the Soudaishou. They assist in advising his or her leader and each command their own platoon, or unit, of canine soldiers. There is usually around three or four platoon leaders, and most have been medium- to large-sized canines. The number of platoon leaders will vary with the number of warriors.
Warriors;; The bottom-most layer of the ranks. The warriors' duties can range from fighting, to hunting, to tending to pups, to everything in between. Some may even be spies. It may vary from canine to canine.
Application Form
Full Name: The full name of your canine.
Nickname(s): The nickname and titles your canine goes by and/or received.
Age: The age of your canine. Just put the number.
Gender: The gender of your canine. No its allowed.
Rank: Your desired rank. If you put warrior, please include the field they specialize in (i.e. - spying, hunting, pup-sitting, etc.)
Species: Dog, wolf, fox, etc.
Breed: The breed of your canine (i.e. - golden lab, grey wolf, arctic fox, etc.)
Personality: The mindset, ambitions, and behavior of your canine. Perhaps their mannerisms as well. At least a paragraph thick.
History: The backstory of your canine. Can include some family history and whatnot. At least a paragraph thick.
Roleplay Sample: The most important part of the application. Must reflect your writing style. At least a paragraph thick.
My name is MafiaRaptor, and I will be your Soudaishou for this roleplay. C:
