Welcome to Gaia! ::

Give me your imagination, just for a moment. I want to show you a place that you can't see. A place that exists beyond the three walls of the universe that you and I both know. Beyond this unseen plane...this fourth wall, if you will, animals of all species have learned to walk, think, and speak just like you and I. They exist within communities, have families, have jobs, have secrets...

By the same token, they also have strife, have disease, have tragedy. As I said, they are just like you and I.

For years, they have managed through the worst of their trouble by their natural command of the elements surrounding them. But after centuries of survival and struggling, their slow downward decline is becoming apparant. At the rate that our own dimension is expanding, theirs is dwindling. The power of the elements is in low reserve and, as a race, they are weakening.

But why do I tell you of these people that you have never seen? Why should you care if an unknown dimension is dying and taking its inhabitants with it?

Because you are their last hope.

Even times of great trouble cannot stop children from being born. A breech has been discovered in the fourth wall...a breech much too small for the adults to safely travel through, but ideal for the infants. The seers of the Fourth Wall have promised the distraught parents that, beyond this tiny rip in time and space there lies another world and another future for their infants even as their own is snuffed out of existance. Our world.

And a future that only you can provide...

1. Egg/Nymph/Newborn -- Animals come from all sorts of habitats and walks of life. As such, there is no guarantee for a static first stage for all of them. Some will come from eggs, some will be born helpless and hairless, some will be born open-eyed and furry ready for the world. Truthfully, it depends entirely on the animal and likewise, at this stage, they depend entirely on you. Keep them safe and warm!

2. Baby (image only applies if your baby began life as an egg) -- Helpless and new to the world, they're just starting to become influenced by outside stimuli and acquaint themselves with you as their keeper. They are not quite as delicate as they were in their first stage but still very fragile. They will vocalize and try to form words, as well as crawl a bit.

3. Toddler -- Your little baby is starting to show some personality of their own! This is one of the most influential stages where they start to develop ideas about the world surrounding them and cement their bond with you as their "mummy" or "daddy". They are very curious, very mobile, and very prone to getting into trouble. Keep a close eye on them and good luck surviving the Terrible Twos.

4. Child -- Now able to walk and talk fully, your child can better communicate their needs, ideas, questions, and opinions to you. In some cases this is a good thing and in others a not-so-good thing. You will now be prone to the possible dreaded question of where babies come from or why they look so different from other children. At this stage, if your child has any powers, this would be where they would begin to surface. (customised for keeper)

[image pending]

5. Teen -- A chaotic time in any developmental stage. Your child is gangly, feels clumsy, and prone to mood swings. It is not uncommon for animal behavior to rear its head at this stage (a bear's temper, a snake's antisociality, a deer's shyness) and the best you can do is tough it out together. Hormones are also in ful-swing at this stage, so don't be surprised if your little angel ends up pairing off with someone else's little angel. (customised for keeper)

[image pending]

6. Adult -- The turbulance of youth behind them, your baby is now fully mature and ready to take on life and all it has to offer. They no longer require RP at this stage, though if you'd like them to have families and watch over their offspring, you are most certainly welcome to. (customised for keeper)

Egg/Nymph
None right now!

Baby:





Toddler




Child




Teen









HIATUS



DECEASED/NPC'ed/REVOKED




REMINDER -- Your Fourth Wall child will not grow, even if you've met the requirements, until you send in the growth form at the bottom of this post. That is how I know you're ready to grow and where you give me the specifics about your child's next stage.


Growth Requirements:
There are a set of minimal growth requirements one must meet before progressing to the next stage. These can be completed as quickly or as slowly as you like in accordance with the time allottment given, but they MUST be finished before sending in the growth form for the next stage so that your Fourth Waller is recieving the appropriate level of development before progressing.

**NOTE** - 'Dear Diary' entries may be substituted for solo RPs if you find that more comfortable.

Egg-to-Baby -- Your egg must be at least a week old. You must have at least one journal entry of you bringing home your new Fourth Wall child. This can be a "dear diary" post or it can be an RP post. It doesn't need to be long.

Baby-to-Toddler -- Your Fourth Waller must have been a baby for at least a month. You must have at least three dear-diary journal entries and one RP (can be solo or done in a public thread but must be documented in your journal).

Toddler-to-Kid -- Your Fourth Waller must have been a toddler for at least two months. You must have at least three dear-diary journal entries, a solo RP, and a public RP to be completed in a public thread and logged for the journal.

Kid-to-Teen -- Your Fourth Waller must have been a kid for at least two months. You must have at least five dear-diary journal entries, two solo RPs, a closed/private RP to be carried out on AIM or in its own thread, and a public RP to be completed in the main thread and logged for the journal.

Teen-to-Adult -- Your Fourth Waller must have been a teen for at least three months. You must have at least five dear-diary journal entries, three solo RPs, two closed/private RPs to be carried out on AIM or in their own thread, and two public RPs to be completed in the main thread and logged for the journal.




Growth Form:
Please PM this to me (karma_k) when you are ready for your baby to grow. ONLY PM me this form if you have a Fourth Wall child that is ready to grow. It is not a custom form.

I AM CURRENTLY OPERATING ON A SLOT BASIS DUE TO NEEDING TO JUGGLE SEVERAL PROJECTS. Every month, once my plate has cleared, I will announce I am taking 3-4 slots for growth. Once those are filled, slots will be closed until next month. Please do NOT fill out this form unless you've been okayed for a slot. Please. If I get burned out, its going to hurt everybody <=/

Q: What kind of species are there?
Generally any animal found in nature. Bird, fish, reptile, amphibian, insect, mollusk, or mammal. There are no known fantasy/mythological Fourth Wall inhabitants at this time, so its unlikely I'm going to allow it if you ask us to find you a unicorn or a gryphon.

Q: Is there any way to get twins other than autobuying a child with one of the items on your list? Like maybe as a surprise in a flatsale or something?
At this time, no. Sorry <=/

Q: Can I ask for a hybrid animal?
Hybrids are not available normally. The only way to obtain a hybrid is by recieving a 2nd generation Fourth Waller or if I decide, for some reason, to hold an event with one as the prize.

Q: What about an extinct animal?
Nope, the animal needs to currently exist in nature. We might have an event in the future regarding this, though. >>;

Q: What are the requirements for these things?
As these are RP-intensive pets, I ask that you please turn up in the main thread once in awhile (even if its just to say hi), and post in your diary once every three months at least. I need to know that you're still on Gaia. If attempts to contact you fail, your child will be found a new guardian.

Q: What if we can't keep up with that?
Then please refrain from obtaining one of these pets. These are very leniant requirements, much more leniant than most centers, and I generally do not like revoking ownership on pets unless it becomes necessary to do so.

Q: What if I thought I could, but now I can't? What are my options?
If you can no longer care for your child, I will give you the opportunity to find a friend to care for it in your stead and guardianship will be transferred over to them if the transfer is approved. If you vanish for several months with no word and no trace, I will take it upon myself to find your child a new home.

Q: What if RL catches up with me and I need a hiatus? Will I still lose my baby?
You MUST PM me for all hiatus notices. Don't assume that I'll see a notice in your sig or a post in the thread, because more likely than not, I won't. I NEED a PM from you telling me that you're going and when you expect to be back. Likewise, it must be a full hiatus from Gaia. If you declare a hiatus and then I see you posting elsewhere, I will ask you to consider transferring guardianship to someone else. If you declare a hiatus and then never return, your child may be found a new home in your absense. Its nothing personal, we just want to keep things moving.

Q: I gave away my Fourth Waller to someone else because I thought I was leaving Gaia forever, but I changed my mind and now I want them back. Gimme!
Fourth Wall children are not bouncy balls. They've just lost their real families and home dimension, the last thing they need is to be relocated again and again. Whether you'll be allowed to have your child back depends entirely on the circumstances of your leaving, whether the current keeper is willing to give them back to you (they are not obligated to do so), and frankly, whether or not the management wants to expend a second chance on you. So think hard before giving your child to someone else.

Q: How many can we own?
One (unless you have twins). The only way to obtain more than one Fourth Waller at this time is to autobuy one with one of the items on my want list or to have someone give you the offspring from their breeding.

Q: If I pay a lot for my child in an auction, will you still revoke it due to not following the rules?
Yes. Bidding on an auction implies that you have read and understood the front page and agree to abide by the RP requirements and general decency rules and are not exempt. If said rules are violated, your child still can and will be taken. Please bear that in mind.

Q: Can I buy a custom?
See my want list for what I will currently accept in exchange for a custom.

Q: I really like X animal, but so&so already owns one. Could I have another?
I'd debated about this at first, but this is what I came up with. I'm going to allow two of every type of animal to exist, one of each gender. That means if your favorite animal happens to be a peacock and someone else already has one, you can still get a peahen.

Q: Is my child allowed to be gay/transgendered/crossdressing etc.?
That is entirely between you, your child, and RP circumstances. I place no restrictions on how your child can and can't develop as a character (unless its something utterly ridiculous like "I'm having full-body plastic surgery to look like a different animal!" or something)

Q: Can they breed?
Yes. Please see the breeding FAQ further down below

Q: If I want my child to get into some sort of battle and become disabled or disfigured somehow, may I?
You can if you must, but those changes will not show up immediately on the current stage. You will have to request them the next time you submit a growth form.

Q: Can my fourth waller die?
You can RP your fourth waller to die at any time that you like for any reason (sickness, suicide, killed by another Fourth Waller). But no, there's no way for your fourth waller to randomly drop dead. They have a lifespan of a normal human being (60 to 80 years). If you are inactive or become blacklisted, your child will more likely be found a new home than killed off.

Q: If I change my mind, can they be resurrected?
If its a plot point that your Fourth Waller dies and then is resurrected, that's fine. But if you killed off your Fourth Wall child in a fit of angst one day and then have second thoughts a few days later, no. You will not be allowed to resurrect them. I am well-aware that RL is a b***h and can make people behave irrationally, but it doesn't mean I'll encourage such behavior. So please don't take your extreme drama out on your kids unless you're really really sure you're ready to say goodbye to them.

Q: That sucks! Will you at least refund me for the growth stages I didn't get??
Nope. Which is why you kill them off at your own risk, Spanky.

Q: Can I skip growth stages?
We can discuss it. I don't see why you'd want to, but if your species of animal is a type that grows quickly or if this would be significant to your plot, PM me in advance and tell me what you've got cooking. I'm usually pretty easy to work with in this regard.

Q: Are we allowed to co-own?
It depends on the situation. If you and the person you're co-owning with want to raise the child as both of its parents and both take an active part in its development, then I suppose that's all right. But I really don't approve of someone co-owning just to have their name on the cert so they can say they own one.

Q: Are you biased in sales/contests?
I do my damnnest not to be. I really do. To ensure that I don't just pick friends during judging, I bring in impartial judges to help me make my decisions and keep everything nice and fair :3 However, if you and I have had issues in the past and you know that I don't like you, I'm not saying you CAN'T partake (as long as you're not on the blacklist), but don't expect me to do you any favors...

Q: There is nobody EVER around in the thread to roleplay when I need to complete an in-thread RP for my next stage! HELP!
Oh god, do I know the frustration of this intimately...if you really can't find anybody to roleplay with in the main thread and its all that's keeping you from achieving the next stage of your Fourth Waller, drop me a PM and either I'LL come in and play with you or you and I can discuss alternatives.

Q: I'm one of your friends and its my birthday/christmas/anniversary! GIMME! >8D
*patpats* you're so cute ^0^





Q: How old do Fourth Wallers have to be to have a baby?
I will not allow breedings to take place until the couple in question are adults. Or at the very VERY least, teens who have submitted their growth forms and are waiting on their adult art.

Q: Do they also need to be adults to *ahem*, you know...?
That's up to you. If you'd rather they become sexually active as teens, you go ahead and RP it that way. Just don't RP a pregnancy resulting from it, is all I ask.

Q: How much does it cost to breed?
Breeding has a flat fee of 20k. The fee may be paid in whole by one owner, split between the owners of the parents, paid by the person recieving the offspring, or if a good friend wants to pay for it, that's fine too.

Q: How long do we have to wait between breedings?
After a female has had a baby, she will need a recovery period of three months before having another.

Q: How many babies can my FW couple have?
Each FW couple can have a total of two babies

Q: What are the odds of twins and litters?
Nil, I'm afraid. Mainly because I wouldn't be able to keep up with them. Each couple will produce one baby at a time.

Q: What if my FWer is gay? Are there options for gay couples to have children?
Breeding requires a male and a female. I'm not being a jerk here, that's just how it is in real life. However, as Fourth Wallers are also versed in magic, perhaps they can find a way to work with this. As in, for male couples, perhaps they could find a way for one of them to become female for the duration of the pregnancy and then revert to male when its over. Or maybe a good female friend of theirs could donate an egg or carry the baby for them. Or, if you have a lesbian couple, perhaps they have a male friend willing to donate sperm. Be creative. Just PLEASE no mpreg (males becoming pregnant). Please please please. Its trite, its overdone, and I (personally) find it gross. If you're a fan of that, awesome. Just keep it out of my shop, please.

Q: What if my FWer wants to be a single mother/father?
I do not offer fertilization options for single characters. I am not the GMFC. Sperm/egg donation is made available as an option to gay couples only because its a necessity and only from good and willing friends. No anonymous or pre-given donors. In other words, sorry. Karma doesn't keep a freezerful of gametes.

Q: Are we allowed to have our characters get together for a one-night stand and have a child result from it?
No. There needs to be a developed relationship of some sort between the parents. This is to prevent frivolous "breeding just because we can" behavior.

Q: So does that mean that only established couples will be considered for breedings?
When I say 'relationship', I don't necessarily mean that your Fourth Wallers need to be romantically involved and ready to get married to have children. But they DO need to be heavily involved somehow. For instance...I would allow very good lifelong friends to have a baby if the owners could justify it somehow. If these are friends who are there for each other all the time and RP frequently, I'll likely allow it. If its two people who've said "oh yeah, our kids are really good friends!" and yet haven't RPed together all that much, I'll probably say no.

Q: How long does pregnancy last?
That depends, honestly. I'm going to give you a ballpark of about 1-2 months. RPing frequently will certainly help shorten your wait, though. If your FW gets knocked up and then you drop off the face of the planet, I can wait as long as you can.

Q: Will all of the second generation children be considered hybrids? I mean, what if my FWer is a dog and he/she chooses another FW dog as their mate?
I suppose a mix within its own species wouldn't really be considered a hybrid, no. And such breedings are perfectly allowed. There's not necessarily anything to be gained or lost by being a hybrid, your child's appearance just won't be nearly as dramatic as others might be.

Q: Are there any two species that are just too drastically different to have children?
For the sake of this shop, no. Any two species can produce a baby. Some will produce hardier offspring than others, though.

Q: Can two hybrids produce offspring or are hybrids sterile?
Hybrids are not sterile and yes, a hybrid can mate with a hybrid and produce another hybrid. Just bear in mind that the more species you introduce into your gene pool, the more succeptible to disabilities (blindness, deafness, epilepsy, fragility, etc.) the child will be.

Q: What if we want the child to be disabled somehow?
First of all, make sure that everybody's in agreement with it. If you're the only one pushing for the idea that junior is paralyzed from the knee down, while the other parent and recipient of the child don't like it at all, don't expect me to like it either. If you're all okay ith it, pitch your idea to me. Tell me how it would benefit the child as a character to have that disability. If I find it interesting enough, sure. I'll grant you that disability.

Q: You said earlier that hybrids might produce children succeptible to disabilities. How does that work or is it our choice?
When a certain number of species are thrown into the mix (let's say about six or so), I'll warn you that the resulting child of your breeding necessitates a diceroll. I will ask whoever applied for the breeding to pick a number between one and six, and then roll a six-sided dice in the breeding thread (so all can see the results). If the number you picked comes up, your child will have one disability. However, I will allow the person recieving the baby to choose what that disability is to ensure its something the baby's player can work with easily.

Q: Can a hybrid and a purebred have babies?
Yes. Nothing wrong with that :3

Q: is it possible for a miscarriage to happen?
Possible, but its not going to be some horrible IC threat or anything. Like "LOLZ LET'S PLAY A GAME. IF I FLIP DIS COIN AND IT LANDS ON HEDS, U LOSE TEH BABY!". If your FW becomes pregnant and then you decide, for whatever reason, that its just not going to work out or that it would make for some nice drama in your own story, check with me to see if I've done the baby art yet. If I haven't, you can have your character lose her baby for whatever reason and your breeding slot will be offered to someone else.

Q: May I keep my Fourth Waller's child?
No. It must go to a new owner shortly after its birth. Nothing personal, I just want everybody who wants a child to get a shot at raising one.

Q: Can I give my FWer's child to a friend who already has one?
This is tricky. If there's REALLY no one else you'd rather see have it then I suppose you can (since I'd rather not have to resort to raffling/auctioning off babies), but I'd really prefer if you didn't. I'd like to bring in as many new people as possible. And I want you to really make an effort at looking, too. Don't fall in love with the idea early on of giving the baby to your friend and then completely overlook the lurkers under the guise of not being able to find anybody. I WILL put you on the spot with recommendations if I must.

Q: I want to give my Fourth Waller's baby to someone that I know you don't like, but I'm not sure if they're on the blacklist or not. Is that okay?
You'll definitely need to clear it with me first. And it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to have someone else in mind to get the baby if I tell you no. The few people I have a grudge with, I am very adament about not wanting involved in this shop in any way, shape, or form. If you're friends with one of them, more power to you. Naming them as a keeper, however, will not automatically allow them in here. Please respect that.

Q: But what if its essential to my plot that my FWer raise their own baby?
You are fully allowed to seek a pregnancy via another center, in that case. If you'd like to secure your FWer a GMFC appointment, for instance, that would be perfectly fine. Just notify me that you plan on doing so.

Q: Do I still need to acquire a breeding slot in order to pursue a GMFC appointment?
No. You can pursue a GMFC at any time whether breedings are opened or closed. But your FWer still needs to be an adult.

Q: Can my FWer have a baby with a pet from another center? Like say my FWer and my anthro fuzzy slipper are getting along really well...
Ahaha....Um...I suppose you can do that if you get permission from the owner of the other center first. But I won't be drawing that baby. You'll need to pursue that as a GMFC.

Q: What are your feelings on Fourth Wallers and humans having babies? Is it possible?
I guess its possible if you really want to do that O_o But again, I won't be drawing that baby XD *points you at the GMFC*

Q: What about a FWer and a non-anthro animal?
Okay that's...um...traversing into some taboo ground there. I guess as long as the animal is sentient (ie - able to talk, has a reasonable level of intelligence), its all right. But otherwise, no...that's just gross. And, as with the others, I won't be drawing it.

Q: What if I want you to draw my GMFC appointment?
I'm not a GMFC artist, number one, so that's something you'd need to discuss with Kamiki. Number two, it depends on my current workload and how comfortable I am with the pairing in question. If its just for two FWers that want to keep their baby and Kamiki approves, sure, I suppose that's an option.

Q: You know what? I can't afford a GMFC. Can I just draw my own baby or get a friend to draw it for me instead?
No. Because that's not fair to others who DO want to invest the time and effort into questing for something official. Sorry..

Q: When the baby is born, does it need to go to its new owner immediately?
Not like...the instant it comes out of the mother, no. If you'd rather have the parents take care of the baby for a few days and then present it to the new keeper themselves, that's perfectly fine. But I'd say that probably within one or two weeks, you ought to give it over.

Q: Can I give my FWer's child to two owners instead of one and they can share the baby? I really want my FWer's kid to be brought up in a household with two parents.
As with my general rule about co-owning, its allowed, but both parents are required to take an equal part in raising the child. You can't just give it to two people while one does all the work and the other just has their name on the cert.

Q: How involved can our Fourth Wallers be in the raising of their child since they aren't allowed to keep it?
That's up to the new owner. If they don't mind your FWers hanging around constantly to help with the parenting, then that's fine. Hell, I'd LOVE to see some good strong ties between parents and babies, myself. However, if the new owner would rather do things on their own, then you are obligated to back off and let them. I do not want to hear about how anybody's bullying a new keeper into allowing the parents to be present constantly...or that you're making that a prerequisite of giving the child to them. If I recieve any complaints about this, there will be reprecussions.

What if I don't want my Fourth Waller to have anything to do with their child?
That's fine. I don't know why you'd want to do that, but I have nothing against it. It might become a little awkward avoiding one another during RPs, though...

1. Don't be a jerk, don't violate Gaia's TOS, don't make others feel unwelcome.

2. Don't act like staff when you're not. I don't mind people pointing out to someone else when they're being annoying or directing a newbie to read the front page, but I do not handle the holier-than-thou take-charge attitude well in here.

3. No dramabombs. IC, its fine. OOC, not fine. If you're going to have a fight with another thread member, or throw a fit about a recent flatsale or auction, do it via PM or in another thread. The rest of us don't want to have to deal with the thread degenerating into a warzone.

4. No godmodding or controlling other people's characters. You cannot walk across the room and punch someone in the face without giving them a chance to dodge or block it, in other words.

5. Please, PLEASE no guilt trips. Guys, I've really tried to be nice about this, but just because you're a friend of mine doesn't mean I'm going to drop everything and draw a FW kid for you because you IM me to lament about how much you wish you had one. I'm trying to look at this realistically and I've already taken on a pretty big workload that I think I'm keeping up with very well so far. I'd like to KEEP keeping up with it and that's not going to happen if I overload myself. I'm not doing this to be mean, I'm doing this so I don't screw over the people who paid for theirs by burning myself out on freebies. Okay? :<

6. When not roleplaying in-thread, please keep your comments in brackets of some sort to keep others from getting confused.

7. Roleplay in the main thread is highly encouraged, whether you're a keeper or not. However, to make things easier on the keepers, if it appears that there's a keeper-only roleplay going on, please respect them and if you're a lurker, don't jump in and confuse things.

8. You are allowed to roleplay any other RP-intensive children here (GMFC, Fa'e, LotT, etc.), but please bear in mind that this is a formal RP community, so please put a little effort into your posts.

9. If you attempt to roleplay and your character is ignored on the initial attempt, please do not do the classic "*runs away in tears because nobody is paying attention to him/her*" response. This greatly irks me on a personal level and I may call attention to you publically to stop it. Repeated instances will find you banned

10. I reserve the right to not sell/give/trade a child to anyone. Reasons include but are not limited to: Not wanting someone in particular to take part in this community due to personal grudges, not being interested in an offered trade, person having a bad reputation/multiple blacklistings from other threads. Generally, I'm all for second chances and pretty leniant when it comes to who I let play in my sandbox, but I'm just clarifying this so if the incident should ever arise, it won't come as a shock.

11. On the flipside, I reserve the right TO sell/give/trade a child to anyone. That means if I overlook a quester in favor of a good friend, a trade that interests me, or a lurker I'm admiring for a free random child, I don't want any drama and I don't want to hear about it. Its my art, I'll decide what's done with it. Capisce? :3

12. Stages will get done as I finish them. I am not an art machine and occasionally need a break when I get burned out. This means there may be lags in growth now and then. I ask you to please work with me and have faith that I WILL get your stage to you eventually. I work much better when I have support than I do when I have people screaming at me


13. When recieving your Fourth Wall journal, I'd like to ask that you at least post to start getting moved in within a month to let me know you care. If your diary and baby sit untouched for over a month for reasons other than you being kept away from Gaia, don't be surprised to find me a bit testy with you. And if you counter my upset by blowing me off and/or getting obnoxious with me, don't be surprised if a refund is given and your child is found a new home.


14. If, for whatever reason, you and I have a falling out in the future that sends us our separate ways, you retain the rights to the character you created in name, personality, and general likeness. The child itself will likely end up rehomed, but nothing is stopping you from recreating your character elsewhere as long as you agree not to bring him/her to the main thread to cause trouble.

15. Refunds will not be issued in the event that you are ejected from this shop for violating the rules or for your child being revoked due to inactivity. In the event you decide to turn your child over to the shop for whatever reason and request a refund, you will be refunded for the stages you have NOT YET recieved (each FW child has five stages. If you recieved up to child, you will be refunded for the teen and adult stages). If you paid in items, cost will be determined by what the item was worth at the time it was given. (if you paid in minis when they were worth 5 million, and now they're worth 8 million, they will still be determined by 5 million).