DISCUSSION: Activity Requirements

Hey all! So as we have been going through feedback from our survey, something that really stuck out to us was the multiple mentions of Canis Major's activity. After speaking to some of you more one on one, the Canis staff has made the decision to update the site's overall activity requirements.

Canis & You

Being lax and laid back on activity is a double edged sword — While it offers members a lot of wiggle room for life and the things that come up, it also can (and has, for many of us) lead to plots stalling, members losing interest, and a general slowness that hurts the site overall. So what can we do?

Well, that's where you come in. We want to hear from you, and see what you think is best! Do we continue as is? Or do we tighten the reigns juuust a smidge? Tell us your thoughts, even if you may have already shared them in the survey! Discuss here amongst yourselves, or ask staff direct questions by tagging the @Canis Major account. Feel free to go into as much detail on any ideas you might have! Canis staff will consider all thoughts and ideas, though we may alter here and there to keep it within the realm of Canis' vision.

Some things to keep in mind throughout this discussion:

• While discussion is encouraged, we require that everyone speaks to each other with civility and respect in mind.
  
• Each suggestion made comes with someone's personal reasoning behind why it might be a good solution. Do not criticize someone else's idea simply because you don't agree with it.
  
• A poll may or may not follow this discussion, depending on the feedback we receive here. As always, the Canis staff will keep you all updated on where we're at and what we're thinking.
  

We will close this discussion in two weeks, or on 6/8/2026. Thank you, and we look forward to hearing what you have to say!
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I agree with Minxy's suggestion about smaller site plots. Sometimes larger, BWP-style plots are fun. Sometimes they can be intimidating. Personally, knowing that every month a few small, random small plots are rolling through would be comforting because I would feel less pressure (not that there is any, just my brain working here) and the whole procrastinating thing for me wouldn't be so bad. Just some thoughts from maybe not a neuro-typical standpoint. Smaller plots seem safer.

I think once every 3 months for a check-in for the site sounds reasonable. Once a month might be daunting for staff to keep up with. Sometimes not a lot happens in a month. Three months seems doable from an outside perspective, and we might have more insight that way.

Pushing activity requirements tighter might help bring people towards posting more. I understand the relaxed pace of Canis is one of its major perks, but like Minxy said (sorry, your post was just so thorough now I am referencing you a million times) sometimes there is such a thing as too casual. 

Final note: love Canis and it's been my permanent home for years now. I appreciate those that haven't given up on it, and want to continuously improve it. I hope activity can pick up with these suggestions and I hope others reading this thread genuinely sit down and take time to think and comment. Canis is a home for a lot of people and it's for good reason. It weathers storms like no other. The original purpose and goals of Canis I feel like still hold true today.

I know staff are eagerly waiting, but from a lil voice in the member crowd: please take time to discuss with the rest of us what you need from Canis in order to feel at home writing here. I for one am fully vested in this place and want to see it prevail and grow.
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I think the largest thing for me is not knowing whether or not my stories will continue moving, if a writing partner is or isn't going to come back, or if they will continue to use the character/s I'm engaging with. While the comforting flexibility in activity is warm, it also leads often to procrastination, letting things sit for too long, and then having no muse by the time I would think I'd be ready to come back to them. For me, board wide plots are nice to know that they'd be happening, but they never really get me personally engaged, as the problem still remains of long-term worries for personal development in my stories/characters. While I know Canis has emphasis on taking your time, I have seen activity checkers encouraging bringing in a healthy amount of stress to remind you to keep your character going and keep trying, and it doesn't mean that they can't be reactivated, but it does let other people know that they can safely move on from a dead thread or plot if they see the character fall off. Canis is full of amazing writers and storytellers. I just think we've maybe gotten a little too comfy with having so little pressure. I think there's a thing where having too low cortisol actually makes you bored or something like that LOL. Maybe we just need a little stress, and some new faces that are excited to get their characters going.
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I'm/We're loving the responses so far, and I don't wanna respond to any of them specifically just yet because we're still gathering your opinions, but even with just three responses so far, it sounds like an activity check would be quite beneficial. CURRENTLY, characters are only set to inactive/hiatus if they haven't been logged in to (not necessarily posted) in 60 days.

SO That being said, here's an additional question (for everyone, including those that have already responded). Keep in mind that it's not a poll, and the options below it are simply thoughts. Feel free to add your own!

Additional Question:

If we implement an activity check, how often do you think it should be?
- 1 post/month per player
- 1 post/month per character
- 1 post/2 months per character
- ??? your own suggestion
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I truly resonate with Minxy’s post a lot here.

I started school in March and have been pretty busy since then. I just started a new job this week as well, so about 9 hours of my day are spent working, then I go home and have at least an additional hour I have to dedicate to homework, sometimes 2 or 3 hours. I’m stretched pretty thin.

Beyond that however, I find that the low activity on the site does bring me down sometimes. I’ll make open threads for events only for them to auto-archive from inactivity within a few weeks. This can be pretty defeating, especially if ive spent a good chunk of time writing the post. This has also led me to stepping back more and more.

Ive also felt like there was lots of interest for Tungelqu when it was first starting up, with several people stating interest both on discord and on-site, but it felt like there was not a lot of follow through and I ended up a little disappointed, if im being honest. This wouldnt be the first time Ive started a group with big interest initially only to see it die within a month and thats really defeating!
Im not saying people have to join Tungelqu btw But I know a few people who have tried starting groups and have had similar experiences.

Id like to pick back up my activity but, i feel like i need something engaging to return to or its not really worth giving up the very little “me”/relaxation time after school/work.

I feel like a post requirement should be laid back to emphasize the relaxed nature of thr site, but I also don't think a minimum of 1 post per month is a very egregious ask. I think 1p/1m is a very reasonable activity requirement.
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I think one post per character a month is a perfect middle ground of relaxed, but still expected that you participate on site and contribute.

To agree with wolf mouth: ): I definitely notice that there will often be a lot of stated interest in things, but the follow through is often little to none. I don’t think this is any one persons fault, but rather the side effect of low muse and anxiety across multiple people.
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I suppose I'll throw my hat in the ring and chime in.

Most of what I have to say has already been said. While I love the lax aspect of Canis, it is very difficult to keep up muse when there's no telling when/if a person will continue a thread. Not only that, but putting in effort into AW posts only to watch them be archived definitely drags down my personal desire to step out there. Not necessarily because I'm self-conscious, but because I don't want to drop 15-or-so minutes focusing on writings only to have them fall flat. Since I have limited time in the evenings, I frequently have to prioritize writings I have the most interest in. I have a ton of inspiration and ideas for here, but I honestly temper myself a bit since I'm not sure it's worth putting time and effort into an idea if, in the end, I won't be able to write anything surrounding it.

It might just be me, but I know quite of those initial AW posts stagnate when they get to the "So where am I?" stage. I'm not sure if that's a theme overall or if it's just something I've run into personally. Just a thought I've been chewing on for a bit.

I really like some of the ideas Minxy brought up. Weekly or bi-weekly writing prompts might be beneficial to encourage more traffic. A random encounter generator also sounds like a really fun idea.

I think one post per character per month is a good middle ground. Or maybe even bi-monthly if you're requiring character posts just to keep that relaxed aspect of the site.
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super short and lame reply but just to voice my own thoughts: one post per character per month seems so reasonable.
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Hello! I’m a bit late to the discussion, but I wanted to share my thoughts anyway - also, I can’t seem to find the Discord anywhere, so apologies if I’ve missed something! I also cannot see what some Members have written in the above, something to do with visibility to none members?
 
I want to start by saying that I really do love the concept behind Canis, but there were a few things that gradually pushed me away. None of this is meant harshly - just observations from my experience as a writer who really values collaboration and organic storytelling.

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• One of the biggest challenges for me has been the overall activity level. Casual pacing is absolutely fine (and real life always comes first), but it can be difficult to keep momentum when plots stall or threads take a long time to move forward. It becomes harder to stay invested when things go quiet for long stretches.
  
• Pack activity also feels a little lax at the moment, which can be discouraging when trying to integrate characters or build meaningful connections. I’m someone who thrives on collaboration, and I’ve noticed that in a lot of creature‑based RPs, there tends to be a lot of pre‑plotted dynamics already in place. That can be intimidating when you’re trying to blend into an existing community - it sometimes feels like there’s no natural “in” unless you already know people.
  
• I really love the idea of the skill system, but the requirements to actually progress them feel quite high, especially when muse dips or when threads take a long time to get replies. It becomes a bit of a cycle: low activity makes it harder to build skills, and the difficulty of building skills makes it harder to stay active.
  
• I also find that when things are heavily discussed or predetermined OOC, it can take away from the organic side of roleplay. It sometimes leads to tight‑knit groups forming, which again can feel intimidating for newer or returning players.
  
• I have a lot of characters I’d love to use, but the site’s activity has been low for a while now. I personally feel that slightly firmer activity expectations - especially for packs and group leaders - might help keep things moving. And since Canis is already inspired by fantasy themes, maybe leaning into that a little more could open up new creative avenues. I have quite a few more unusual designs (horns, odd markings, etc.) that I’d be excited to bring in if fantasy appearances were welcomed.
  
• I completely understand why powers aren’t on the table - they’re notoriously hard to moderate - but visual fantasy elements alone could add a lot of flavor without complicating gameplay.
  
• One small but important thing: many of the skill icons are hosted on Imgur, which is actually blocked in the UK. I can’t actually see a lot of them unless I use a VPN, which is a bit discouraging when trying to engage with the system.
  
• Lastly, forming a pack currently feels quite demanding, especially when general activity is already low. The follower and activity requirements might be worth revisiting to make pack creation feel more achievable.
  

None of this is meant negatively - just some thought it'd be worth sharing feedback from someone who genuinely enjoys the concept and would love to feel more at home when returning to Canis again.
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i would be all right with some activity requirements. i try to post once every two weeks if possible. i agree with advertising canis around to get some foot traffic here and maybe throwing out some easier requirements for skills and pack making. i have cut back on characters for the mentioned reasons of low activity. 

i love the automated features and skill trees! and i myself am an ooc > ic player in most cases. the BWP was enjoyable. prompts would be great i think to encourage some activity, maybe participation badges for that

am cool with leader characters being expected to post more!

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