FAQ

Margot: "Ah, hello, hello there! Welcome to the Republic Library! I am Margot Pendleton; Preserver Sector Head as well as the proprietor of this very fine building. Yes, come in, come in!
"This library has one of the most astounding collections of notable works,and every book is free for Republic citizens to check out. But I also have a special section of books for prospective citizens, as well! If you don't mind terribly - let me direct your attention to one small book here. Yes, I wrote this! It is a list of questions that are often asked about life in the Republic. Missingno. and I deem them worthy of knowing. Why not take a quick read?"



GENERAL

What exactly is Glitch Republic?
-#Glitch-Republic is a group based around the idea of anthropomorphic glitch Pokemon creating and developing a city of their own. It is built on the premise that each Pokemon video game world is linked to each other and that certain Pokemon can choose to leave their individual game world. President Missingno. of Glitch Republic has remodeled a glitch city in his game world as a new start for Glitch Pokemon.


Glitches, huh? So does my character need to be an actual in-game glitch?
- Nope! But they can be. Original glitches are allowed; your character can have a faulty sprite or imbalanced stats or no moveset or anything that keeps them from accommodating their game's program. As long as your glitch does not overpower your character you are welcome to try it out. Although if you do want to make a character based off of an actual in-game glitch, you are more than welcome to do so! Just make sure your bio is consistent with what is known about the glitch.
Since game universes are not technically the same as game cartridges or cards, glitches are permitted to behave differently in each world. So if you use an in-game glitch and something small is inconsistent with the real glitch, we won't be holding that against you.

Wait, so this group is based on the games? That means my character can't have a real history! Everything’s a program.
-That's why we're changing it up a bit! The world your character resides in is indeed the world of a video game. But this programmed world is very much real to the Pokemon inside of it; they all have their own stories and interests and talents outside of the familiar trainer-centric storyline. (think 'The Matrix' without the dystopia, if that makes sense).
Our ‘About the Republic’ page can better explain our vision for the structure of game worlds!

I'm not really an artist; I'd rather just rp. Can I still join?
-Of course! While the group is more art-based, you may certainly join. We only ask that you draw your own app artwork. We will judge apps based on creativity and effort, not by appearance. (Although do try to make it neat, please!) We will require some proof of activity, so we also ask that you occasionally submit an rp log every now and then.

Does Glitch Republic have a currency? What is it used for?
- The currency used in the Republic are called Bits. You can earn Bits by submitting artwork or writing to the group or by participating in events. Bits can also be randomly gifted to members during special events! You can use them to purchase certain items such as TMs from Mystery the Arcanine, and special NPC slots and evolutionary items from the Pokemart. You can also donate Bits to the Reconnaissance project and help make Corrupted Zones available for exploration! In rps with other members your character can have any amount of bits you wish, but for group transactions you will only have a set amount.

If someone is breaking the rules or harassing me or other members, what should I do?
- Note the group with a screenshot of the offending action. A note sent to any of the mods is at risk of  being ignored or looked over, so it would simply be easier to take care of if you noted the group. Be sure to state in your subject that you think someone is breaking the rules! The mods will deal with the offender appropriately.

 Are you looking for group Mods?
-Not at the moment! Sorry~

What is the group’s hiatus system?
-If for any reason your character must temporarily leave the Republic, just note the group with ‘Hiatus’ as the title and provide a brief reason for your departure. It doesn’t have to be extravagant. Simply saying something like you have final exams or you are going on vacation is enough. Our Creator Sector Head Juvenal will program the Republic so you can leave. Your character will be treated by the group as if they are visiting an outside game world. Note the group again or comment on your first note if you want to return, and you’ll be invited right back in!

ABOUT JOINING & CHARACTER CREATION

Most famous glitches are specific to Gen1 and Gen2! Do I need to stick to those Pokemon?
-Nope! In this group we will assume that all games are programmed similarly to the first 2 generations, so if you want a Pokemon exclusive to a G3 or newer game, you are welcome to use that glitch. We only have two requirements here; you may only use Pokemon that can be found in actual versions of a game (the OT's game) you mention in your app history, whether or not that is the game your character ends up in (for example, you cannot use a glitch Cranidos caught in the wild if the original game you specify is Pearl unless that’s part of the glitch, but you can have a Cranidos living in Pearl if it hatched from an egg or the Cranidos was traded over), and your history should respect trading limitations of each game unless it is an integral part of your character's glitch (for example, you cannot have a Starly in a G3 game unless your character's glitch resulted from trying to migrate backwards). If your history involves any kind of trading, the game version specified on your app should be that of the destination game.

Okay, so what about glitch types?
-Excellent question! We actually have a list of rules that you must follow regarding typing. Why not check them out in our Character Creation Guide?

 Do I have to be a certain age on DA to join the group?
-Your account should be at least five months old. Just old enough to show you know your way around the site.

I am sharing a dA account with someone else. Can I still join the group?
-We ask you only join with accounts that are solely yours. It is difficult to monitor activity properly if we aren't sure accounts are shared. Any application from a shared account will be instantly rejected (we will be checking~).

If I want to join, how do I send in my application?
-We will have periodic group openings where you are free to send in your group application. We do not know how long judging will take; it depends on how many apps we have to judge and how busy things get. You will have to fill out some required info in your join request; this info will be revealed a few days before each info. We use a password system, which we will explain to a greater degree closer to each public opening.

How will you be accepting applications?
-We judge apps based on the creativity, originality, and effort of the character and the character’s history. We will be judging to see if your dA account meets our requirements, and then we look at the app itself. A more thorough description of the things we look for in judging can be seen in our ‘Character Creation Guide’.

How do I make my resident application?
-There is a visual component and a written component to the application. The Character Creation Guide has all the information you need to include in the written app, and has a PNG and PSD file of the visual app; whichever format you would prefer. All the required info on the visual and written app must be filled out, and there must be a picture of your character. However, this picture can be drawn in any media. You are required to add a Stratum Ribbon on your visual app, and these ribbons can be found in the visual app's description. This simply tells us what Generation of Pokemon games your character has moved in from.

Is there a minimum and maximum age limit for our characters?
- We ask your character look at least 8 years of age. Characters don’t need to fall under a max age, but keep it reasonable! If it makes sense with your history then it’s fine.

Can my app have 2 characters?
-Sorry, but no. It wouldn't be fair. Although if you and a friend want to make characters with related histories, siblings or friends or lovers or rivals et cetera, feel free! Just remember to focus on your character in the history; it is your app, after all.


 Are we allowed to have a second character?
-Not at the moment. However, the option for second characters may open up in the future. You must note the group saying you want a second character before you show us your app. If you have all the necessary items to buy a second character slot, we will be happy to assist you in making another.

How about Legendaries?
-The current policy is that Legendary Pokemon will be allowed in the future, but as rewards to active members who want second characters. If a member notes us that they want a second character, we may respond telling them that they are eligible to have a legendary Pokemon. They may switch characters (without it counting as their character switch) or adopt the legendary as a second character.
But we still don’t know yet! Legendaries are not on the Pokemon List as of now.

There are glitch trainers! Can my character be a human?
-No. Glitch Republic is a city intended to be run and resided in by Glitch Pokemon only. However you may have a human NPC. This human NPC may be the protagonist or an NPC of a game, but he or she should have a different appearance from any official trainers'. A human NPC cannot enter the Republic - they can only be met if a character leaves the Republic and visits their original game.

 Are there only certain kinds of Pokemon allowed?
-Whatever Pokemon is on the Pokemon list is fair game!

Do you allow Fakemon or Hybrids?
-Yes and no. We do not allow Fakemon, Per se. (original glitches may or may not qualify as fakemon, but that's all we allow). Hack Pokemon such as the Pokemon specific to Chaos Black version are not permitted either as apparent Pokemon, but they might classify as an original Pokemon if you are creative about it. Most hack Pokemon are derivative of existing Pokemon, so we do prefer that if you choose that route, your character takes the form of its original, legal species. But we do, to a certain extent, allow hybrids. This group is not for normal Pokemon to begin with, so if your character's glitch involves merging or corrupting of Pokemon data, that is allowed. Although remember that your character can only take on the appearance of ONE Pokemon. Color, type, or stat changes (not that we really monitor character stats) are allowed to accommodate the glitch, but an app with a fusemon on it will be instantly rejected.

So if our character  is an actual in-game glitch Pokemon, what do I write down for its Species?
-On the app itself there is a spot where you state what in-game glitch your character is based on or what the name of your original glitch is (no need to be too specific here), and a spot where you list what Pokemon your character looks like. In the description, in addition to  the 'apparent  species' blank, you will have a space to write down the original species of your character. Depending on your glitch, one of these spaces might not apply to your character, in which case you would say so. If your character is a  corrupted version of any canon Pokemon, whether because of  cheating devices or backwards trading or anything else you can think of, you will name that Pokemon. If your character is an actual named glitch Pokemon or was effected by a glitch, you will name that glitch (for example, a Pokemon that was affected by ZZAZZ would be perfectly acceptable, if you so desired; ZZAZZ would be your glitch name). You will also have to explain your chosen glitch and how it affects your character as well in that section of the app.

Can my character originally be a Missingno.?
Potentially. Your character will have to take on a new form in the Republic, so it is possible for him or her to be a Missingno.. However we'll be honest; Missingno. is probably the most famous glitch out there; that's why he's the president! And we don't want forty Missingno. running around the city; that would be no fun! So Missingno. apps will likely be graded harder. There are a huge number of other neat glitches out there, many of which are much more dangerous to game data than Missingno. is, and you are welcome to make up your own unique game glitches! We're looking for creativity.
Also, if you do pick Missingno., remember that you can still only pick an apparent Pokemon from the list. President Missingno. looks the way he does because he can. He's president. Power has its privileges.


 If I picked the same glitch Pokemon as someone else or made an original glitch similar to someone else's, does that hurt my chances of getting in?
-It really depends. There are a ton of glitch Pokemon out there (three tons, for some species) and a ton of glitches that can result in corrupted Pokemon, so using a glitch that is similar may or may not affect your chances depending on how similar the histories seem. We understand that a lot of different glitches work the same way, so we won't be actively looking for similarities to penalize you on! An app is also judged on history, personality, and creativity.


 Is there a species limit for apparent Pokemon?
-yep! Three per Pokemon.
But let's be honest with you here. We're going to look at your glitch Pokemon too, if you used one. We're not going to cut off at five h POKé, but we will probably start grading them harder once we hit that mark. We get that some glitches are harder to work with than others, but you are still free to make  your own, and working with a difficult-to-use glitchmon wouldn't hurt your chances of getting in.


 So what about tattoos and piercings and crazy makeup? Things like that?
Sure thing! Your character is allowed to wear whatever they want (with some constraints, of course; this group is PG13!). If they want to dye their hair or grow it out or wear boots all year or wear socks on their ears because they can, go ahead! Just remember, we'll be looking at your glitches and your glitch Pokemon, if applicable, and we'd prefer that any dramatic color changes (a green pikachu for example) is at least somewhat related to your glitch. And please don't get carried away with too-crazy color schemes or accessories!


I don't want my character to have a job that would be in the four main career sectors. Can I still submit a group application?
Absolutely! There are jobs like ‘beautician’ or ‘postman’ or Yorkie ‘journalist’ that don’t fit into any of the four sectors, and that is fine! We want diversity in the Republic. If your character doesn't have a job or has a job that doesn't properly fit into one of the four main categories, they are still welcome. For 'Sector' on your app, you would simply write  ‘None’. We promise we won’t be pitting the sectors against each other in any kind of contest. Unless you guys are into that kind of thing. In which case, we’ll see what to do about you guys ^^


 What if I want to switch my character for a new one?
You just note the group with the subject "Changing Character" and a link to the character app you would like us to look at. However you need to have your character for at least three months, and you can only switch characters once. So we wouldn't recommend this unless you really like your second character more. Sometimes it takes a while for a character to grow on you, and we want to give you the opportunity for that to happen!


 What if I want to evolve my character in the future?
- Sure! But here's the thing, we have evolution rules in the Republic. Our Character Creation Guide has all the info you need on that.

 ART, RP, & SUBMISSIONS

Does the group accept traditional media? Digital media? Pixels? Animation?
-Yep, anything and everything if you can call it art. As long as it follows group rules. Heck, if you find a way to submit a musical score, we'd accept it. We don’t know how that would work, but seriously - it would be awesome! Let us know if you find out! (I’m not kidding.)

 I'm not a very good artist! Can I have someone else draw my character and give them credit?
-Noooooo nonono. We don't want any kind of unoriginal work in this group. Even if you credit the other person, we would prefer you draw your own artwork. We don't judge apps based on artistic talent as much as we based them on visible effort. We just want to make sure you tried, so there's really no reason to have anyone else draw your art. If we find anyone has been passing art off as their own when it isn't, they will be instantly kicked. No strikes. Instant kick.

Are we allowed to use NPC's?
-Yes! Once you have enough Bits to purchase an NPC slot, you may create an NPC sheet. However your NPC must have some important relationship to your character. Sibling, teammate, trainer, lover, rival, etc. Your NPC may live in the Republic or in a different game. The only limitation here is that any trainer, glitch or no, must live outside the Republic. The current maximum for active NPCs is two per character.


What are the restrictions on what I can submit?
-Not a lot. Our Rules journal has the full list of guidelines your artwork must meet! They’re few, but they are important. We want to make sure the Republic is a comfortable place for all members and visitors alike.

I’m still super confused about (insert topic here).
-If we didn’t explain something well, feel free to ask us what we mean or ask about a special case for your app! We will try to update the FAQ to have the most easily understood information we can offer. Just politely ask us about your concern and we will do our best to help you or guide you to the appropriate information. If you ask a good question we haven’t addressed, we will add the question to the FAQ so everyone gets to see it; so please speak up if something isn’t clear to you! The Republic Staff is here to help.