Open Hooves Orphanage

Two horseshoes linked together with a heart between them. — Open Hooves Orphanage's emblem

Open Hooves Orphanage is the home of Ponyville's homeless youth population run by its Head Caretaker Mother Goose/Mama Goosey/ Mrs. Goose ( Mother Goose) & her staff of tireless, dedicated caretakers. It has all the necessities growing young ones could ever need, all donated by Ponyville's kind residents and others wishing to give.

It may seem like a modestly sized three story building, but the orphanage is enchanted & bigger on the inside. With every new filly, colt, griffon and other young one that arrives, it almost seems like the beds multiply or the dinner table extends. There's never not enough room at Open Hooves!

While this is their home, Open Hooves’ children are encouraged to go to school, make friends around Ponyville, participate in town activities & generally be active in their community.

Visiting hours are 8AM to 9PM EST daily.

Orphanage Breakdown

This is a full breakdown of every floor of the orphanage. (All plans not to scale & mostly a visual aid.)

Ground Floor

Lobby- The first room all visitors and residents enter at the orphanage. A receptionist (usually Oopsy Daisy) will greet visitors from the front desk. This is often where one would find Mother Goose's large family of cats. Just ignore them. Except for Mable. She's a grumpy old gal' that deserves her pets...OK, maybe pet all of them. The cats love attention as much as the foals & they often keep them company.

Kitchen- Where the homemade magic happens every morning, afternoon & evening. This is full of appliances, sharp knives, heavy pots/pans & everything needed to prepare daily meals & baked treats. Foals can see the staff through the open window between the kitchen & the dining room. With adult supervision, foals are allowed to enter & make their own cooking happen.
Dining room- A loooong room with a loooong wooden table to seat many little ponies for breakfast, lunch & dinner. Remember, good ponies excuse themselves from the table before they leave & clear their plates, cups & cutlery.
Meeting Rooms- Small rooms where visitors can meet with certain fillies or colts to get to know them a little better. Their exact contents vary, but both rooms include a couch, a radio & playthings. There are no locks on these doors for safety purposes & caretakers are present/monitor every visit.
Classroom- While the kids are enrolled in school once they're the right age, some need a little more one on one instruction, a quieter setting, or other special accommodation. OHO's small classroom is where that happens. Butter Shine, the resident teacher, provides that instruction during school days & hours.

2nd Floor

Playroom- The big room! A large room full of toys, books, beanbag chairs, blankets and pillow fort materials, a master radio/record player, etc. Dance parties, stories, foal produced plays, and other group events happen here.
Bunk Room- The other big room! Or "the room with all the beds." Each set of one upper & lower bed is stationed in neat rows throughout the room. At the base of each set is a chest for the belongings of the two children assigned to the beds. Also includes cribs for little foals & a set of larger bunks at the end to accommodate caretakers on the night watch.
Supply Room- Cleaning and toiletry supplies are kept here, along with the fabric washing and drying station. Other supplies that could be needed at a moment's notice are here.
Bathrooms- ~~For brushing your mane and combing your teeth!~~ I-I mean, brushing your teeth and combing your mane! It's also a good place for bubble baths & imaginary pirate voyages.

3rd Floor-Staff Only Unless Given Permission

Staff Bunk Rooms- Set up similarly to the foal bunk rooms, but with more storage space. Part of the space outside serves as a common area/lounge.
Staff Bathrooms- Also set up similarly to the foal's bathrooms, except with bigger tubs & more scented candles, for those days when they just need a good soak.
Mother Goose's Room- Absolutely NO ONE is allowed in here except for Mother Goose! She has been very mindful of her privacy since she was a little one, and after the humdrum of everyday, she likes to have a place where she can completely escape work. She also pines for the safety or her porcelain figure cabinet.
Attic Entrance- Accessible via a folding staircase. Long term storage items are kept here. Also rented out by mice.

Cellar

Accessible via a trap door in the lobby & an outside door.
All extra day to day supplies (snacks, art supplies, extra toys, etc) & tools are stored down here out of the way. Occasionally, the teenagers gather down here for games of 'Ogres & Oubliettes.'

Typical Orphanage Schedule

*This is just to serve as a guide for foals, caretakers & anyone interested in visiting. These times are not firm; there's always room for flexibility.

All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (GMT -4)
	Weekdays (School)	Weekday (No School)	Saturdays	Sundays
7am	Wake Up Call	Wake Up	Wake Up	Wake Up
7-8am	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast
8-9am	Morning free play	Morning free play	Group One: Chores Others: Free play	Morning free play
9-9:30am	Morning Dance Party (Exercise)	Morning Dance Party (Exercise)	Group One: Chores Others: Free play	Morning free play
9:30-10am	School preparation Kids attending school leave around 9:45am*	Morning free play	Morning Dance Party (Exercise)	Morning Dance Party (Exercise)
10am-12pm	Tutoring: Morning session Preschool: Morning session Foals: Morning play	Morning free play	Group Two: Chores Others: Free play	Morning free play
12-1pm	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
1-3pm	Tutoring: PM session Preschool: PM session *Ends at 2:30pm Foals: Afternoon play	Afternoon free play	Group Three: Chores Others: Free play	Afternoon free play
3-5pm	Homework Kids finished with homework can play quietly* Kids are permitted to stay out provided they bring back* finished homework	Afternoon free play	Afternoon free play	Afternoon free play
5-6:30pm	Afternoon free play	Afternoon free play	Afternoon free play	Afternoon free play
6pm	EVENING CURFEW *Unless prior arrangements have been made	EVENING CURFEW *Unless prior arrangements have been made	EVENING CURFEW *Unless prior arrangements have been made	EVENING CURFEW *Unless prior arrangements have been made
6:30-7:30pm	Dinner *Groups rotated for after diner chores	Dinner *Groups rotated for after diner chores	Dinner *Groups rotated for after diner chores	Dinner *Groups rotated for after diner chores
7:30-9pm	Bed Time Preparation *Kids will be allowed to play after they have washed up	Bed Time Preparation *Kids will be allowed to play after they have washed up	Saturday Dance Party	Bed Time Preparation *Kids will be allowed to play after they have washed up
9pm	LIGHTS OUT	LIGHTS OUT	Bed Time Preparation *Kids may stay awake quietly at their bunks after washing up	LIGHTS OUT
10pm	N/A	N/A	LIGHTS OUT	N/A

*Kids wanting to attend the Game Center's Taco Tuesday activities will be chaperoned there provided they have finished homework

*Kids are permitted to sleep over at a friends house with written permission from their parents/guardians & provided any homework assigned is finished

Visiting The Orphanage

Visitors are always welcome during visiting hours (8AM-9PM EST) daily. Please observe the following when you do decide to visit.

Check in with the receptionist (mention Open Hooves Orphanage on the character visiting) so you can be signed in & get a visitor badge. All are made by the children, so each badge is unique.
- If no one is able to respond (IRL commitments can sometimes keep players away from the account,) you may continue with your visit. Proxy caretakers as needed & within reason.
Don’t just ‘warp’ into the orphanage. No one likes strangers suddenly appearing. Come in through the front door.
Speaking of the front door, it’s always open & unlocked during visiting hours. No need to knock. Just make sure to use the door. Why would you appear in the window of an orphanage & try to scare the children?

Being a Part of the Orphanage Family

Foals

If you are a foal in need of a home, please read this page in its entirety, then DM Mother Goose on the character that you would like placed in the orphanage so you can be added to the Current Residents list. You are always welcome to come in & make yourself at home. But we do have some rules here at Open Hooves.

Inside voices! Especially if we have visitors.
No activity or outside visitors after 9 PM EST! That's bedtime around here.
No trespassing in staff-only rooms & spaces.
No flowers, fungi, detector plants, or any other pollen/spore emitting plants! It sets off Mother Goose's allergies something awful.
No food in the visiting rooms.
Be on your best behavior.
Do not bully others, or you may have to face Mother Goose herself! You don't want to get to that point. Trust me...
Share with others. The toys belong to everypony!
- Children are not required to share any belongings they came to the orphanage with. These may be very personal & only they can decide if they would like to share them.
No leaving the orphanage without caretaker/Mother Goose's permission. In some cases, a caretaker will need to accompany you.

Staff

The orphanage is always looking for staff to care for the foals, with the option to bunk in if they need a place to stay. Jobs include...

Kitchen Staff
Janitorial Staff
Caretakers
Teachers
Front Desk Staff

Whichever job you'd like to fill, be prepared to interact with the children & ensure their well being and behavior.

DM Mother Goose if you'd like to fill a position. If you don't see a position listed, you can suggest one. If you are approved, you may start that position & will be added to the Current Residents list.

Volunteers

There's many kids at OHO & the caretakers can only be in so many places at one time. This is where the volunteers come in. Whether it's a few hours or all day, cooking a meal or playing a game with the kids, volunteers are always welcome to lend a hoof in the orphanage's day to day activities.

If you would like to volunteer, check in with Open Hooves Orphanage reception & a caretaker will get you started.

A player MUST be present behind the OHO account to sign up as a volunteer. This may not be proxied.
All subsequent volunteer visits, mention the OHO account when you arrive. This will help us keep track of who's around.

Character No-no's

NO stolen OC's. Play with your own character or one that you have permission to use.
NO fanon/canon characters.
NO aged-down OC's. (OC's must have started as a child. No filly/ colt versions of OCs.)
NO crossover OC's. ("Ponymon", ponified characters, etc.)

DO NOT RP WITH CHARACTERS AS IF THEY ARE RESIDENTS/VOLUNTEERS UNTIL THEY ARE ANNOUNCED ON THE OPEN HOOVES ORPHANAGE ACCOUNT. This isn't to be exclusive, just organized.

Adoption Process

Isn't it almost every foal's wish to have a family all their own?

Adults are welcome to come in during visiting hours each day to meet the current residents and get to know them. If you would like to get to know a little one more, you can schedule time in the meeting rooms to make that happen. In fact, scenes between a potential adopter & adoptee are highly encouraged.

If you & a foal decide to become a family, a caretaker will help fill out the necessary paperwork & an adoption fee will be due.

DO NOT HARASS FOAL PLAYERS THAT DO NOT WISH TO JOIN YOUR FAMILY. This has been a problem in the past & doesn't look good on you.

For some extra pointers, have a look at Notes On The Adoption Process for Foals & Potential Adopters for more information.

Blacklist

The blacklist is for players/accounts that are banned from interacting with the orphanage family. They have either refused to behave, acted in bad faith or have otherwise been inappropriate in RP or OOC & thus should not be part of the orphanage setting. Breaking rules results in warnings, too many warnings and you are placed on the blacklist with a "Blacklist Update Warning" tweet.

If you feel someone needs to be placed on the list, please don't hesitate to send me screenshots or anything harmful they send to you or others.

Arnold Brands ( mlp_Arnold)/ Newsflock Wesker ( mlp_Wesker)
Devin ( mlp_DevinD)
Tails ( MLP_TailsP)
Sonic ( MLP_SonicH)

OOC Information

Hello, reader of this page. Whether you’re planning on joining or visiting the orphanage, or just passing through, hopefully this page will have had plenty of useful information.

Speaking of useful information, make sure you're following the Open Hooves Orphanage account. Besides activity from NPC caretakers & kids, announcements about orphanage happenings are also made from there.

If you have any questions or comments about the orphanage, please don't hesitate to get in contact with me via Mother Goose. I'll be monitoring the account & try to respond as quickly as possible. If for some reason I take an unreasonably long amount of time to respond, contact me on my main account ( Ruby Radiance) as that’s my usual hub of activity.

Here's some other OOC notes to keep in mind:

THERE WILL BE ZERO TOLERANCE OF HATEFUL BEHAVIOR. If you are caught behaving in such a manner, that’s an immediate block & blacklist. That will not be tolerated here, on Twitterponies, or in general.
If you are rude to me, staff or others, either in character or OOC, that's also a block & blacklist. We are more than willing to work with people, but not if you're behaving rudely.
If you have been blacklisted, DO NOT GET AROUND IT WITH ANOTHER ACCOUNT. If you've been blacklisted, it's for a reason. It's not a good look for you & shows a lack of maturity if you try to get around being blacklisted. HOWEVER, we're all human. If you feel you shouldn' t be on this list, I am open to discussing things on a case by case basis. But if your first instinct will be to come out swinging or grovel, don't. We will discuss this as people & hopefully find a solution.
Again, do not roleplay with stolen OC's or steal art for your OC. These are someone else's works & ideas that they've put time into. Using them without permission is theft & disrespectful towards that person & their work.
All accounts within the OHO setting (foals, caretakers & volunteers) MUST have an avatar of their character, whether it's from a pony creator, your own art, or even a basic sketch. As long as it's yours & not stolen. If you need art for a character, we can point you towards people taking commissions or I would be happy to provide a very simple sketch of your character.
Your character does not have to be their orphan status. Having a "my parents are dead" or "I was abandoned in the streets and left to die" backstory is discouraged here and TP in general. No staff will or should ask about your original parents or where they are. Even a simple ‘I dunno' will do.
We’re prepared for mischief from the kids! Painting the walls, jumping in the mud & tracking mud inside, sneaking frogs inside, starting food fights, and other child behavior. Good behavior is appreciated, but feel free to go nuts. Within reason, of course. Don’t think this gives you permission to break curfew or cause excessive trouble for the caretakers & other kids.
We prefer to RP with @ mlp prefixed accounts that RP within the Twitterponies universe. Playing with a non-Twitterponies account isn't a deal breaker but an @ mlp account is generally a sign you'll be sticking to one RP universe.
Do not spam mentions, especially to get my attention or that of any of the other orphanage characters. If you forgot to untag someone during a scene, that's understandable. It happens. Just be careful next time. But if you've mentioned or messaged me, I'll try to get back to you promptly. If I'll be away for a while, I'll try to provide some notice on Goose, Ruby or the OHO account.
Above all, have fun. We’re all here with a common interest; to play with the characters we’ve created & explore the world we all create & play in together. Let’s do that in a fun, constructive, respectful manner.

For more information on playing in the Twitterponies universe in general, the Guidelines & Roleplaying Guide are a very good place to start, as well as other articles linked from there.