Read these to find out more about Mais.
There's a lot more to find out about the Pond in this folder;
the-mais-pond.deviantart.com/g…Please, always read the information in the descriptions, especially if you plan to use any of the templates.
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You can only adopt a Mais from Rubilight, you can't get one from anyone else!
If you got any issues with the group or any its members, please contact Rubilight and I will try to solve it._________________________________________
Rules-You can only get a Mais character through adoption, find all the existing batches here;
the-mais-pond.deviantart.com/g…-The only way you can design your own Mais is together with another Mais owner, when both of your Mais is having a baby. (Or make an NPC)
-You're not allowded to change a Mais basic design, however you're allowded to give them scars and accessories.
-Mais can not have glow markings. (Unless you buy bioluminescent markings for your Mais in the Mystic Orbs Store)
-Mais can not fly.
-Mais can not have special powers or anything like it.
-Keep things kid friendly.
Pet Rules-Pets can not talk.
-Pets can not have special or supernatural powers.
-There's a limit to how large pets can be;
rubilight.deviantart.com/art/M… <-- Pets can't be larger than that.
-The only special power that pets can have is levitation, but it should be treated as a special and rare ability.
-It's you that decide how you want to sell your pets. It could be for points, art, trades, ect...
-Don't overdesign, try to keep it simple!
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FAQ
General QuestionsQ: How is "Mais" pronounced?A:
"Ma-ees", like mouse in plural "Mice". Also, Mais is both singular and plural.
Q: What is their skin texture like?A: Smooth and moist.
Q: Do I need to own a Mais to be a member?Nope! You are still very welcomed to join! You just can't participate in contests and events.
Q: Is there any other ways to get a Mais other than to pay for one?A: It's rare, but there are occasionally Mais give-aways and DTA contests that members without a Mais can participate in.
Q: How many Mais characters can I adopt?A: You can only adopt one Mais. The reason for that is because I want people to interact with others if they want to find a partner for their Mais and not just adopt another one and make them a couple. That's no fun!
Q: Is there any way my generation 1 Mais can have a family?A: You are allowded to design their family, but those Mais would only be NPCs. Meaning you can't make them have offspring, or you can't enter them in contests and such. They are just background characters.
Q: What's the difference between Events and Contests?A: There are no prizes you can win in events (Except from Mystic Orbs), they are just there so people will get a fun reason to interact with other Mais or draw their Mais doing something fun. Events are just fun happenings that keep the Pond alive!
Contests obviously have prizes you can win.
Q: How big are Mais?A: Very small, like a poison dart frog.
Q: What are Mystic Orbs?A: The Mais Pond's "in-game" currency. You can win them through contests and sometimes you can get some through events as well! Your Orb collection is displayed on the Mais Pond's front page. You can also get them if you enter the CotW/M.
Q: What is the CotM?A: Every month there's a challenge that you can enter and if you enter you always get a certain amount of Mystic Orbs, you can find this month's challenge on the Mais Pond's front page. If you wanna suggest a challenge send a note to
Rubilight (The
Challange of the Week was changed to the
Challange of the Month on November 1st 2015)
More info here:
Everything about the Challenge of the Month!(Because the majority voted Yes the CotW will now change to the CotM! The first CotM starts November 1st, so here's a handy-dandy journal explaining everything about it!)
In this group we have something called the Challenge of the Month (CotM) which is, as the name suggests, a challenge that lasts a whole month. If you own a Mais that you have adopted from one of the batches you can enter the CotM and collect Mystic Orbs, the Mais Pond’s “in-game” currency. The amount of Mystic Orbs you have collected is shown on the group’s front page (you might have to scroll down a bit) and with these Mystic Orbs you can buy various upgrades for your Mais.
Some effort needs to put into your CotM entry. Always aim to improve and push your artistic abilities further when doing these challenges and you might get some extra Mystic Orbs. The winner of the extra Mystic Orbs is decided by the members. Make it your goal to make each CotM entry better than your last!
I offer critique
Q: Can me and my friend do a collab for the CotM/event/contest?A: Sure, go ahead! But if both of you want to post it on your accounts, you will have to decide which person that post it to the group gallery since both won't be accepted. The person that submit your finish piece to the group gallery is the one that gets the reward from the CotM/event/contest. I have to give out the Mystic Orbs manually, so I want it to be as easy for me as possible.
Q: What can and can't NPC mais do?A: You can create three NPC mais characters and they are used for story purposes only. You can't participate in contests and other events with them (including the CotM), you can't collect Mystic Orbs with them, they can only have the normal mais fin, they can't get maislings during Mitrus season, they can't open up a shop, ect... More info about NPCs can be found here -
fav.me/d7y1q8kQ: How do I donate a design?A: You can find out everything about this here -
fav.me/d97xgntQ: Am I allowed to do Mais commissions for $/points?A: Yes, go ahead!
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Couples and BreedingFirst of all I want explain why I implemented this feature. Mais couples can get babies, called Maislings. And since you only can get one Mais, you have to pair up your Mais with someone else's. Once you have paired up your Mais they can never switch partner again. You will have to work together with the person that owns your Mais' partner, so knowing that person fairly well is a big advantage! I implemented this feature for those that have met through the pond and become friends. I'm not saying you need to be super tight friends, but at least know that you can work together with them effectivly. The Mais Pond is not a breeding group, it a social art/roleplay community.
Q: Can couples make babies?A: Yes! But they can only make a baby two times per year and those two times happends on very specific times. One time in
April and the other time in
October. They can only get one baby per month.
Q: Okay, so my Mais got a baby with another Mais owners Mais, but who does the new Mais belong to?A: Both of you! But the two of you can also decide which one of you the new Mais should belong to, and then the other Mais-owner could get the next baby.
Q: When can the next Generation of Mais get babies?A: Baby Mais can get their own offspring the same year as they were born themselves, just not in the same month as they were born.
Q: How does generations work?A: Only Mais from the same generation can become a couple and have offspring. Two Mais from generation 1 would get a generation 2 baby, two generation 2 Mais would get a generation 3 baby, and so on...
Q: Can Mais have twins?A: No, they can't.
Q: What does Main and Secondary owner mean?Both owners still got 50% of the ownership, unless agreed on otherwise. It's the main owner that contact
Rubilight about Mystic Orb purchases.
"A generation 2 Mais is considered to be owned by two people, if that Mais wants to adopt from the Pond Pound or want a new fin type, I need a note from the all the owners of that Mais approving the purchase. But if a generation 2 couple wants to adopt, I will need a note from 4 people which becomes a big hassle. So to make things easier every Mais is going to have a Main Owner. The Main Owner takes care of all the Mystic Orb purchases, it's the Main Owner that will pay for Pond Pound Adoptions and Fin Transformations. If the Secondary Owner wants to pay too, I will need a note from them as well."_________________________________________
Inactivity and DeactivationQ:I don't want my Mais anymore because of reasons, can I give it back?A: Sure! And if I have enough points you can get a full refund (so it's not guaranteed you'll get your points back). However, you won't be able to adopt another Mais ever again. This is to prevent people from keep buying and giving back Mais just because they saw another one they rather want.
If your Mais got a partner and you no longer want it, you must give custody to the owner of your Mais' partner.
Q:What happends if the owner to my Mais' partner lose interest in the group and goes inactive?A: If this happends you got the option to be given custody of their Mais. If the owner to your Mais' partner haven't been active in the group for a significant amont of time you can contact them and ask if it is okay that you take care of their Mais. If this is agreed on, the inactive person needs to send a note to
Rubilight as a confirmation that their Mais have been given custody.
To have custody over a Mais means; The new person can do whatever they want with that Mais character because it is now fully considered their character. They are allowded to develop their personality and backstory further and when it's Mitrus season they can get a Maisling, and so on...
BUT! If the original owner wants to return to the pond the person that had their Mais in custody HAVE TO return it.
Giving custody will free you from any bonds you have with the group, but you will always have the option to return if you want to.
Q: What if a person leaves deviantArt and diactivates their account without any notice?A: If your Mais have a partner and you diactivate your account without any notice, your Mais will be given custody to your Mais partner's Mais owner. But if you come back to dA with another account and want to return to the Mais Pond there's no way to get your old Mais back since there's no way we can know it is you. If your Mais did not have a partner, it will just be forgotten.
HOWEVER, there is one way to get back your Mais if you have diactivated your account and later return with a new one. Before you diactivate your account, send a note to
Rubilight with a secret keyword. If you ever return to dA and the pond with another account and want your Mais back. Just send that keyword to me from your new account and I will be able to recognize that it's you, that way you can get your Mais back.
You need to have sent a note from your
old account telling me about your new one, so I know you're the same person.
Q: What if I can't get a hold of the other Mais owner at all?A: First of all, send a note to the person you need to contact. If you haven't got a response after one month, their Mais will be given custody to you. Send a note to
Rubilight telling me that you can't get in contact with the person and I will grant you custody of their Mais.
If you're trying to exploit this by just lying that you can't get in contact with them to get a hold of their Mais, you will be kicked from the group. Plus the original owner can always get back their Mais whenever they want to.
Q: What if the Main Owner is inactive, but the Secondary Owner isn't?Then the secondary owner need to contact the main owner and ask if they can switch position, or they can give custody as well. If the inactive main owner can't be contacted, the same rule as above applies.
If the Main owner is inactive, ownership or custody will be given to the Secondary owner. If both owners are inactive and their Mais had a partner, custody will be given to the person that owns that partner.
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There are problems with this system. By exploting this system people are able to get thier hands on two Mais characters, which ruins the whole point of this group. This is suppose to be a social community, and by only having one Mais you have to get to know others if you want to have a Maisling. But really, if you do this you are really just ruining it for yourself since you're missing out on a big part of what makes the Mais Pond fun. Also, you won't get very far anyway. Are you planning to do this with every Maisling you get? You will eventually get cought. So don't do it, it's not cool.
Anyone that get cought exploiting this system will be kicked and banned from the group.
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Tiny Tips and LinksIf you ever put any Mais related art on Tumblr tag it "themaispond" so those that track that tag can see it!
The Mais Pond's Tumblr blog;
themaispond.tumblr.com/If you have any questions that haven't been answered here please ask me and I might add them here! This journal will get updated every now and then.
Rubilight
