The Yellow Card

Someone gives you (or you give someone) a "yellow card" as a way of showing they need space. They need a break from you, the player, **and** from your character(s). They need you, the player, and you, your characters, to back off. **Yellow cards are ALWAYS Out-of-Character (OOC).**

## What is a Yellow Card?

A "yellow card" is an Out-of-Character message someone gives to you (or you give to someone else) through a Direct Mention (DM), a Mention (@), or in a post using (( )) indicating OOC.

## What does a Yellow Card look like?

It looks like this:

((Yellow Card, 1 week. http://twitterponies.wikia.com/wiki/The\_Yellow\_Card))

That's it. **Two words and a time period and a link to this page so they know what it means**, sent to you via DM or @mention or some other way.

## What does a Yellow Card mean?

A Yellow Card is a REQUEST. It means the player behind the character is requesting you (or you're requesting someone else) give them a break, because they need space away from you, the player, **and** you, your character(s). It means they're asking you, POLITELY, not to come around their home, seek out their company, enter scenes with them, engage with them, talk to them, DM them, or interact with them in any way, for the time period.

## What is the Yellow Card for?

A yellow card is a way to get some space, to let emotions subside, to let everyone "cool off" without resorting to Blocking or ignoring. It's a time-out. It's designed to prevent fights, to give the message that you need a break from the other person/character, and that **you don't want to talk about it right now.**

## What am I telling someone when I give them a Yellow Card?

You're saying, *"Look, I can't deal with this right now, I don't want to Block you, I think we could totally RP in the future, but for now, I need a break, and I need you not to come around IC to my place or wherever I am; I also need you not to reach out to me OOC. Give me my time, we'll talk later."*

## Why give someone a Yellow Card?

Give someone a yellow card if they're RP-ing **with you** in a way that makes you uncomfortable, but it's clear they're not a troll, they're not in bad faith, and you don't want to ignore them or block them--but you also don't want to talk about it right now, and you don't want to upset them or force yourself on the defensive.

Give someone a yellow card if:

* ...you need a "time out," if you need to end a scene without completely destroying the RP.
* ...you've tried dropping In-Character (IC) hints, being clear as you can with them, but they're just not listening or getting it.
* ...you've tried talking with them Out-of-Character (OOC), and they're just not getting what you have to say, it's turning into a big argument, or it's not going well.
* ...you're in danger of losing a scene this person barged into, or of having to leave an RP dangling so you can deal with them. The yellow card lets you shut it down and continue with your scene without having to get into it with them right now.
* ...you've asked someone not to do something, but they do it anyway. You're within your rights to Block them, but a yellow card is gentler, it leaves the door open for talking with them after the time period elapses.
* ...you're in danger of this person souring your RP, making you feel overwhelmed, making you want to quit for the night (or worse, quit forever) rather than deal with it.
* ...you simply don't know how to deal with this person and you need time to figure it out, get advice from others, or just to keep yourself from reacting emotionally.
* ...they won't leave you alone, and this is your last-ditch effort to get through to them--if this doesn't work, you'll be blocking them.
* ...they're swarming you.

### Why NOT to give someone a Yellow Card:

* If they're not RP-ing with you, or affecting you, don't give them a yellow card. If you're not directly involved, don't give a yellow card.
* Don't give a yellow card as a critique of someone's RP. It's not for any of us to judge, only to enjoy TwitterPonies the best we can. The yellow card is a shield to give you some space, not a sword to attack people with.
* Don't give a yellow card if you plan on blocking anyway. "((Yellow card, 1 year))" is ridiculous, you don't need a year's space, you just don't want to deal with them ever. So block them and be done with it.

## What to do when you get a Yellow Card:

Follow these steps quickly:

* **Don't panic!** Remember, a yellow card is a REQUEST. Someone's giving you a yellow card because they need a break, but don't want to block you, don't want to get into a big argument or hassle, or damage the RP environemnt. They're not blocking you, clearly they don't "hate" you or want to avoid you forever.
* **Leave Immediately.** Put your character(s) elsewhere. It's a way of stopping the roleplay (RP), it's a big "reset" button. Get away, quickly and cleanly.
* **Don't ask why, Argue, or Negotiate.** The whole purpose behind a yellow card is that they don't want to talk about it now. Respect that.
* **Don't get upset wondering what you've done.**They'll tell you when the time comes, it may not even have been anything you did! They're just requesting space.
* **Don't reach out to the person who gave you the yellow card or any of their alts/other characters until the time period they requested has expired.** That's the way to respect a yellow card.
* **Don't try to get someone else to find out for you, or intercede with you.** That's disrepecting the request. Just let it lie until the time period expires.
* **Don't run to other characters, the IRC, the @mlp\_Mod, a mutual friend, or anyone else.** Respect the request and don't try and end-run around it, to get "answers" or find someone to intercede.
* **Don't get upset.** This is hard: after all, a yellow card says, "I can't play with you for a while." But remember the yellow card is a polite request, that the person who gave it to you is trying to SAVE the relationship, they're not blocking, they're not shutting you out forever.

## How do I react to a Yellow Card?

Wake up at home or go to another place or start an RP on your own or with someone else in a different location. If at all possible, pretend the scene you were in simply didn't happen, or that it ended a while ago. Yes, this violates the reality, but a yellow card indicates someone's in trouble and needs a break from you. Even if they continue the scene without you, or go on to do other scenes, respect that they're trying to protect you and themselves from possible argument or worse. It's worth messing with reality a little if it keeps people from getting upset.

## What do I do if I give someone a Yellow Card and they try and talk or worse?

First, make sure they know what a yellow card is: send them to this page.

If they still try and talk to you, OOC you, message you, run to the Mod, get all pissy or upset? That's it, block them. You've made a POLITE REQUEST with your yellow card. If they don't respect it, it means they're not honoring the Guidelines.

Take this with a drop of mercy. Someone might react poorly to getting a yellow card because they don't quite know what it means yet, or they're startled and are experiencing a flash of emotion. But ultimately, use your judgment: you gave them a yellow card for a reason, after all; if they're not able to handle the yellow card well, time to block.

## What happens after the time period elapses?

If you got a yellow card and you handled it the right way (you recognized it was a polite request, you respected and honored it by staying clear during the time period, you gave them space), once the time period is up, feel free to @mention or DM them and ask to set up a time to talk.

If you gave a yellow card and they honored it and respected it, you have the responsibility of at least engaging with them once the time period is over. You can ask for an extension (try not to, it's yanking someone's chain), but the best thing to do is simply talk to them about why you gave them the yellow card (not defensively!) and work out how you can both RP together in the future.

Worst case, **reach out to the @mlp\_Mod for assistance**. Remember, the @mlp\_Mod is not a judge or adjudicator, they're not here to decide who's in the "right" or "wrong," only to help characters who might need assistance get it.

## Yellow Card complications

Things aren't always easy. What if someone gives you a yellow card, effectively asking you not to come around their home for the time period, but they "live" in a semi-public area? *For example, if @mlp\_Spike (who lives at the Treebrary, along with other prominent characters, like Princess @mlp\_Twilight and @mlp\_Aloysius) gives you a yellow card, does that mean you can't come to the Treebrary until the time period elapses?* Yes, actually, that's exactly what it means. It's not entirely fair, but that's their home. If you want to RP with Twilight or Aloysius, DM them and set something up outside the Treebrary. If @mlp\_Spike is with a character you want to RP with, then don't interact with that character.

Is this fair? Not entirely. No system is perfect. The yellow card means whomever gave it to you needs some space, but it's equally unfair for them to feel imprisioned, lest they RP with someone you might want to RP with. TwitterPonies is a big place, please try and find someone else to RP with during the yellow card time period? It's a measure of respect, and it'll really help when it comes time to talk about things with the person, after the time period elapses.

Remember, a yellow card is not a "restraining order." You don't have to leave town! Just play it cool and give the person their space. They'd respect you if you gave them a yellow card, we trust.

## What are the rules of the Yellow Card?

There are not rules, period. There are no rules for a yellow card. It's a REQUEST. The person is asking you to give them space, not to come around, not to reach out to them IC or OOC, not to get others to reach out on your behalf--that's all it is. You aren't bound to honor that request. But if you don't, it's virtually certain they'll Block you, and that'd be a shame, because clearly they're trying to save the RP relationship--otherwise they'd have just Blocked you to begin with and never bothered with a yellow card.

Try at least to remember what the yellow card is for: it's to give everyone time and space to settle down, and potentially preserve the relationship. Take it in that light, because respect is in itself an element of friendship, and as they say, friendship is magic.

## Read MoreEdit

You've read this far, PLEASE read these pages as well. Yes, all of them. It's the secret to a fun time, and it'll keep TwitterPonies drama-free for all:

* Applejack’s Ten Tips for Twitterponies
* Attracting Followers
* Character Troubleshooting
* Differences Between Twitterponies and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.
* Golden Rules of TwitterPonies
* Guidelines
* Roleplaying Guide
* The\_Answer to Bad RP is Great RP
* TwitterPonies "Do"s and "Don't"s
* TwitterPonies: How It Works
* How To Say "No"
* The Yellow Card
* Blocking
* Advanced RP for Experts

The choice is yours. None of these are rules.

That's how TwitterPonies works.

Got questions? Follow and DM the @mlp\_Mod account. The Mod follows every character account, and will always respond to any DM as soon as possible.