Original Post: Ember, August 22, 2015
All potential deputies are chosen in a discussion between the moderators and the site owner, in which the site owner makes the final decision.
The first thing considered when selecting a member for a high-ranking position is whether they are active, follow the rules, and are respectful, kind, and helpful toward other members. Members who participate in out of character activities such as commenting on art or making suggestions on plot planning pages also have a higher chance of being selected. Potential leaders put effort into their roleplay through using their best grammar and spelling, attempting to roleplay a variety of three dimensional characters, and making sure their posts are descriptive. While relatively short posts for dialogue is acceptable, most posts are ideally a few lines in length.
In game, members likely to be selected for a high-ranking position are those who most support the website-wide plot. This could include participating in specific actions or events, but often simply involves having a character acknowledge what is going on around them. They will be affected by and have opinions on changes in leadership or clan policy, by large events such as battles and gatherings, prominent deaths within the clans, or just receptive toward the general mood of their camp. Characters’ decisions are a result of both their own ingrained personality and their experiences, what is going on around them and to them should affect how they look at things. This is the basis for the differences in clan personality: the environment will shape the culture of the cats living in it, and the culture and the environment will shape individual cats.
The clan and who is going to be their leader is also considered. Most roleplayers have a clan that they roleplay the most in or are able to more easily play characters in. The member who is the best choice for a MoonClan leader is often not the same as who would be the best choice for a EclipseClan leader. Members who have not had high-ranking positions are often paired with members who have, with one being the deputy of the other.  As well, Usually the site owner asks the future leader if they have any preferred deputies and their preferance is also taken into consideration.