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The Ultimate Guid
Chatterbox: Chirp at Cricket
The Ultimate Guid
The Ultimate Guide to the CB
Okay, okay, I know that there have been a few of these in the past, but I think that there are a few things that aren't in the older ones that new CBers need to know about, and I'd rather not comment on an old thread. Anyway, feel free to add on terms, shorthand, and rules. Admins, you too, if you have anything.
Glossary
CB (noun, abbreviation): Chatterbox!
CBer (noun): Anyone who goes on CB. Ex; Somebody, Joan B. of Arc, St. Owl, Esthelle.
Admin (noun): The amazebubble people that run CB, post all are comments, and make this all possible! Three cheers to Admins!
AE (noun, abbreviation): Alter ego. An alternate name or personality that some CBers have and post as for a little fun or a different way of expressing themselves. Ex; Shifting Sands, Devil Owl, Puck. Note: AEs should be used in moderation and only on threads where it is appropriate.
RP (noun, abbreviation): Roleplay. A story in which multiple CBers participate. Each participant has a character which they create based on the topic and then everyone works together and writes a comunal story from the prespective of their respective character. Usually written in first person, but it's not a requirement. Ex; "Magic RP" by Hermione Granger (also the longest thread in the Inkwell!).
Charrie (noun, shorthand): Character, often used in a RP. Ex; "Anyway, here are my charries."
Charrie Sheet (noun, term): A sheet in a RP that one uses to introduce/create one's charrie.
RR (noun, abbreviation): Round Robin. Like a RP, multiple people work together on a story. However, more like a standard book, everyone takes turns writing "chapters", not nessecarily from different POVs. For example, CBer A might write: Jane fell into the pit. Then, CBer B might continue: In the pit was a giant snake. Usually, the posts are longer than this, they are of no specified length. Ex; "Anything RR" by Echo.
CBer Story (noun, term): A story in which one person writes a story in which CBers are characters. Usually the writer will ask for applications to be in the story. Ex; "CB Camp" by the Camp Manager (AKA Abigail S).
Ski Lodge (noun, term): A type of CB story in which there is a secret murderer and all other participants die. Participants guess the murderer as the story goes on. Commonly written under an alias for added spookiness. The originals took place in ski lodges, but they do not have to. Ex; "Hotel L'Faye" by the Teller of Tales (AKA Shadow Dragon).
CAPTCHA (noun): The little spam box at the bottom of a page when you submit a post or a comment. Some people name theirs and post what they see. Ex; Sir Galahad, Meox, Fruity.
Character RP (noun): I don't really think there's a name for this, but this is when one participates in a roleplay in which you comment as your character as if you were them. Bad definition, sorry. I don't really know how to explain it. Most of the old Warriors threads are like this. Ex; "Welcome to LakeClan!" by Secretleaf.
SI (noun, abbreviation): Secret Identity. A game in which every player takes on a name usually based on a theme (for example, in a Food SI one might be Fried Chicken) and then tries to guess who others are and avoid being guessed. Ex; Disney and Pixar SI by Mulan. In fact, let's have a mini one now. Try to guess who I am!
OP (noun, abbreviation): Over Powered or Over Powering. When a character in a RP is super-powerful and it's not fun for other people to RP with them because they sort of can do anything and take of the RP. One example of an OP character could be in an Element RP. The OP charrie could have water, ice, frost, and be able to read minds. Sometimes it's easy to get carried away and not realize your charrie is a bit OP. The others in the RP can gently remind you.
Basic Roleplay Ettiquite
1. Use proper grammar and spelling at all times. (This goes for everywhere on CB too.)
2. If you join a RP, make sure to post frequently. If you absolutely are too busy, say you are dropping out and don't just drift away and assume nobody will care.
3. Obey the rules of the RP maker. Ex; If they say, "No magical powers" do not make a charrie that has magical powers.
4. Avoid god-modding. This is when one "uses" another person's charrie. Obviously a little bit is nessecary so that there can be dialouge and plot, but do not make huge desicions or events on behalf of another's charrie.
5. When you post, write a sufficient amount. "I fell off the stairs and broke my leg." Is NOT an acceptable post.
6. Okay, this is really important. (New CBers, pay attention.) Do not join a RP that has already started unless the maker says it's OK. If a RP is nine pages in, on page 39 of the Inkwell, and from 2012, don't join it!
7. Have fun roleplaying, guys!
Areas of CB
This Month: An center to talk about things from this month's issue of Cricket! (If you don't get Cricket this one might not make sense.) Did you like the cover art? Want to know more about one particular author? Fangirling that you got into the Letterbox? This Month's the place for that!
Chirp at Cricket (CaC): Supposed to be used for talking to Cricket, Ladybug, and all those other bugs. But nowadays we CBers fill it with silly games, sillier announcements, and other supercalifragalisticexpialadocious things! (Like this thread!)
Blab about Books (BaB): Well, the name sort of speaks for itself, doesn't it? Do you love books? (Who doesn't!) Come on down to BaB and chat, play trivias, and fangirl over y'all's fictional crushes!
Down to Earth (DtE): A place to talk about things in the world around you, like the Presidential Election, school, Global Warming, and anything else! You can also stuff it to bursting with the like of CaC's fare! Plus, a great place for surveys, chatting about NaNo, and announcements.
Puddings Place (PP): Those of you who read Cricket will know that Pudding is a theatre-loving firefly. Thereby her area is for anything and everything theatrical! Looking for audition tips? Loved that musical you just saw? PP is the place for you! Also, feel free to add Ski Lodges, SIs, games, and CB stories here!
Inkwell: The writing center! Looking for RPs? RRs? Need advice on a story? Stuck with writer's block? This area is full to bursting with creative people! The busiest place on CB!
Kyngdom: (If you don't get Cricket, you'll be seriously confuzzled here.) Kyngdom is hard to explain... to find out about it, go to: http://www.cricketmagkids.com/chatterbox/kyngdom/about
How to Post a Picture on CB
Just use the file attatchement feature! (Thanks for that, Admins!) But if you want to do it the long way (and post multiple at a time), do this:
1. Search Google for "Image Hosting Site". You should get a result called Postimage.org. Click on it.
2. Follow the directions on the site to choose a photo. Click "UPLOAD".
3. There should be a little link to your image. Click on that, too.
4. Now your picture will be on the screen by itself, big and beautiful. Copy/paste it onto CB. Voila! You're done!
So that's about it, everybuggy! I'll add stuff and you can, too!
submitted by Maker of Guides, Handbookland
(March 7, 2016 - 12:17 pm)
(March 7, 2016 - 12:17 pm)
Lately, there have been a few threads that don’t fit into any predetermined category. They are solo writes where the readers contribute to what happens. Mainly I’m talking about “Welcome to the Glass Game” by Glass Shard and “Leap of Faith” by Hanging Crown Veil.
(August 30, 2018 - 7:14 pm)
The (slightly creepy) CB-Wide Scavenger Hunt
A CBer by the name of Wrapped In Shadow has been planting mysterious threads around the CB, telling us to find certain things on the CB, in every section. Recently, though, Wrapped in Shadow was impersonated on the Inkwell. The impersonator has not yet been revealed. More updates to come.
(September 29, 2018 - 7:35 am)
Top!
(October 1, 2018 - 8:58 am)
The impersonator has impersonated many CBers, including Soren Infinity, Rogue Wilding, me, and Leafpool. It seems to have died down in the last day or so.
(October 7, 2018 - 6:34 pm)
The conflict ended with the Impersonator, known as Christine, apologizing. They were apparently exposed to the idea of Impersonations via the Ultimate Guide, which does make me upset.
If you have read about impersonation via the ultimate guide andare tempted to do it--
Don't do it. It doesn't make you mysterious, powerful, or manipulative, as this Impersonator seemed to believe they were. If you impersonate, we'll just ignore your impersonation posts. It's not a joke, or funny.
(October 30, 2018 - 10:57 am)
Top!
(October 9, 2018 - 7:18 pm)
So, they say text makes something top faster? Can't hurt to try, then. Though I don't have anything to say, so
TOP toptoptoptoptoptoptoptoptoptoptoptoptoptoptoptop
Oh, hey, I've summoned that weird glitch again!
(November 11, 2018 - 4:08 pm)
Being new, may I ask... What's a solo write?
(November 11, 2018 - 4:17 pm)
It's where the writer posts a background and charrie sheet like an RP, but when the spots are full, instead of the people who posted charries doing the writing like you would in an RP, the person who started the solo write do all the writing, incorporating people's charries into the story. There's a couple on the Inkwell rn, as well as Galaxy of Wonder's "Follow MeCha" thread (which incorporates CBers into the story instead of charries, tho you do need to post a charrie sheet based on your CBer self to join the story). Hope this helps!
Viri says pang! Her sixth word, I think!
(November 20, 2018 - 12:22 pm)
Good Idea. But here's something else: Ciphers and codes arn't really allowed, since the admins don't have the time to work them all out.
(December 8, 2018 - 9:26 am)
A poke is the older version of a top. Tops have become far more common, though there was a thread a while ago starting a revival of this sacred word. (In all seriousness, though, they're both fine words)
(December 19, 2018 - 12:13 pm)
This thread cannot die!
I am adding the link to the CB Video thread, which I think some may be interested in:
http://www.cricketmagkids.com/chatterbox/chirpatcricket/node/373078
And again, to ward off the Cutoff glitch:
http://www.cricketmagkids.com/chatterbox/
chirpatcricket/node/373078
Another note that may be of use:
CB Reunion: February 14, 2019; and again every four years; this is when CBers who have left will come back and visit. Many activities will be planned - after it happens, I may add the link to one of the main threads.
(January 5, 2019 - 2:42 pm)
(January 6, 2019 - 1:21 pm)
Hello! I'm just a grumpy old CBer posting under a CAPTCHA pseudonym to post some:
Admin Misconceptions
While browsing the CB, I've noticed a few misconceptions about Admins that I wanted to clear up. Here they are:
1. "Admins can link certain links, and make them work or not."
They don't have control over links--when your link doesn't work, it's an issue with it going through the sides of the textbox. I'm not great at explaining this but thought I'd try my best to clear it up.
2. "Admins can top threads."
The only time I've ever seen an Admin top a thread was on the Your Chaperones thread, and it didn't actively work until later, taking maybe an hour until the thread appeared at the first place on Pudding's Place. Other than that, I've never seen a thread be topped by the Admins. In fact, I'm not sure if we have any Admins currently with us that know how.
On top of that, imagine if the Admins would/could actively top threads. There would be war about which thread deserved to be at the top spot, as well as accusations of favoritism when certain threads were topped higher than others. It's a CBer's duty to top threads. c:
3. "Admins don't allow diverse romance."
Okay, since there was a war over things related to this and this, and Admins have requested to keep the talk about this short, I will. There was a lot of misconception and war over this, when in reality the Admins didn't allow heavy romance of any kind (because it's a kid's site). Slight romance was okay, though.
Actually, I've recently figured out how to link addresses, although initially I didn't know how. But we'll only link to pages on the Cricket/Chatterbox site.
Admin
(January 11, 2019 - 6:39 pm)
OK I don't have time to read this whole thread so could someone please tell me: (very clearly and with no links plz):
what the difference between AE and CBer is
what the main conflict in the Diversity Wars was cuz I can't really tell
thanks so much this is an awesome thread!!!!!!!
A CBer is a Chatterboxer: anyone who submits a comment to the Chatterbox.
An AE is a character created by a Chatterboxer.
The Diversity War concerned how much romance and other mature topics and discussions about them is allowed on Chatterbox.
Admin
(January 11, 2019 - 7:46 pm)