High Rank Requirements

High ranks are the lifeblood of the site and the clans, in their leadership, their activities, and their health and safety. So in turn, it can only be expected that we take the responsibility of taking on a high rank seriously. By accepting one of these ranks, you are committing yourself to being a long-term part of the site’s story, something that will be remembered in character, and hopefully a member who can stand as a pillar for the community as a whole.

There are three strict minimum requirements that we ask of members with high ranked characters:

• We expect you to post at least twice every two weeks. So, this should be four posts each month with the high ranked character themselves. Other characters do not count toward it.
• You should be logging into the site at least every three days, if not more. Ideally, this should be at least once a day to keep up with what is happening around the site.
• If you are going to be considerably slow with posting, or away completely, you must post in the current hiatuses list. You don’t have to give us a reason, however you must alert us of your change in activity, and give us a time period for the hiatus or semi-hiatus.

Of course, we do have some guidelines in place to give everyone some leniency! Sometimes there are situations where we all need that little bit of space to keep things fair and put real life first.

• POSTING
  Now, obviously, we don’t expect you to keep making threads just to reach your post quota for the month. Once you have three threads or more and you’ve replied to all you owe, relax. We’re not going to expect you to do a post for the period until you actually have something to reply to. However, if you have less than three threads, that’s when we ask that you make or join something new to make sure your high rank is properly associating with the clan.
• ABSENCES
  There are times when life decides to take up all our free time, either in the form of family, work, school, or other less-than-desirable events. For high ranking members, this happens too. However, we do have a point where we need to put a line where temporary is becoming permanent. We have three stages of activity. Hiatus, where you will be entirely away and not logging on or posting, Semi-hiatus, where you will be logging in less frequently and posting less frequently, and of course, Active, where you are able to meet the high rank expectations fully. For both stages of hiatus, we do have a set amount of time and requirements that is attached, before we will start questioning the ability of a member to meet our high rank expectations.
  
  
  • HIATUS
    A full Hiatus may be for many reasons. Here, we will not expect you to post in the activity check, or do anything around the site. However, a high ranked member can only be on a hiatus like this for six consecutive weeks, so a month and a half. If you need to be away for any longer than that on a permanent basis, then it begins to affect the running of the clans, and we will we questioning if high ranks need to be retired from their positions. There are exceptions to this case, however they will be discussed at the time with staff.
  • SEMI-HIATUS
    These are the most common types of hiatus, where we might not be able to meet the full requirements. In this case, we are happy to make allowances. For Semi-Hiatus times, high ranked members are expected only to log on once a week, and post with their high rank twice a month, whenever they get the chance. They will be excused from activity checks. However, a member can only stay in this type of hiatus for three consecutive months. After this, we will be questioning the permanency of this activity level and may be suggesting high rank demotion.

There is one more part of having a high ranked character that members must understand. Due to the important nature of high ranks, we expect you as a member to be part of the community. This means plotting and posting with all varieties of members, and having a presence both in and out of character. We want you and your characters to be noticed and remembered across the site, and that can only happen with a bit of effort. So please, perhaps most importantly, understand that in committing to a high rank, you are committing to CTS and our community too, and making it the most welcoming, inclusive place we can.




• Members are permitted to have two high ranked characters. These may not currently be of the same clan, or of the same rank type (leader/deputy or medicine cat/medicine cat apprentice). Exceptions may be made to this rule in order to progress story over the constant introduction of new characters.

• All members, new or old are considered for high ranked positions. What we look for are your activity and involvement in the site, and potential to meet our high rank requirements.

• If for some reason you need to go on a more permanent hiatus, or leave the site entirely, we expect you to tell us. You are leaving a huge gap in your place, and it isn’t fair on other people to just vanish and wait for demotion timers to end. Please, just a brief note is all it takes so we can keep the site moving.

• High ranks will first be chosen by looking at existing, accepted characters. If it is a leader, the deputy with take over the rank and go to talk to StarClan, unless it is plotted otherwise. If the deputy does not take over, and no in character solution can be made, auditions will be opened. If a deputy position is open, the leader may have their choice of accepted, existing characters. If they are unsure or want to provide more opportunities, auditions will be run. For medicine cats, the medicine cat apprentice will take on the rank, no matter their age or experience, and will immediately be given their full name by visiting StarClan. If underage they will be helped by StarClan and fellow medicine cats. If the medicine cat is demoted without an apprentice, an alternative solution will be sorted by staff at the time, likely resulting in an audition. If a medicine cat apprentice position is opened, the medicine cat will get to choose what they wish to happen to that position, and may either audition it, or plot individually with another member.

• High ranks can be demoted by staff for a mirade of reasons. They will never be demoted without some type of warning, however in some cases this may not be extensive, depending on the urgency of the situation. Demotion can happen due to OOC reasons, such as inactivity, rule breaking or member preference, or IC reasons, depending on plots taking place at the time. In particular, a character may be demoted if the member does not log onto the site for sixteen consecutive days without a hiatus or semi-hiatus notice present, or if the member misses an activity check.

• Above all else, if you have a high ranked character, please, talk to and keep in contact with staff. We are relatively flexible people, and are always happy to work with you when times get rough and figure out the best solution. We’re not going to eat you or get upset with you, we like to think we're your friends and we do care what’s happening in your life. We want to do what we can to help ease stress you might be experiencing.