Rules of the Forum

Subject: Rules of the Forum Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:00 pm

General

1. Be courteous to one another! Regardless of ranks, you should treat every single member in a respectful way. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

2. Try to keep things to a stable level regarding language. Yes, swearing IS allowed because it is used in the series, but please try to keep the language at a 14-18 age difference.

3. Do not spam, troll or flame. This includes cyber bullying. If you need to post twice, use the edit button. This also includes random posts on the forum. Don't spam nonsense within the forums. All it does is clog up the threads and annoy members and staff who have to clean up the mess.

4. If you have a problem with another user or with a certain rule, please PM an admin or mod. We're here to help! So let us do our job in making your time here better.

5. Do not log onto the site under another account. We don't care if it's your cousin, brother, best friend, parent, neighbor, or significant other. It causes a lot of confusion on the chats. If you want to participate on the forum, create your own account.

6. Multiple accounts are not allowed. If you are found with a double account, one of your accounts will be banned and the other will be deleted. Don't think that you won't get caught because your IP address will say it all in the administration panel to the admins. Trust me: we will know, and we will confront you about it.

7. Account deletion. We have a ton of inactive accounts, and to be quite frank, they clutter things; especially if someone hasn't logged on in forever and doesn't seem to be coming back. After five and a half months an email warning about the deletion will be sent out. At six months the account will be deleted. You are welcome to create a new account and rejoin.

8. Do not post on behalf of a banned user. They were banned for a reason.

9. We understand that at times life gets kind of hectic, but make an effort to be online! If you're never on, how will you get in on the fun of roleplaying? Even if you log on just to say hi, it’s better than being absent for months at a time.

10. Do not try to find loop holes in the rules. The rules aren’t perfect, but don’t try to weasel your way out of them.

11. There is no excuse for breaking the Rules. Regardless of whether you had a rough day at school, or got into a fight, or are just not feeling too great, you should still abide by the Rules. If you feel you cannot be online without breaking the Rules, then do yourself a favor, as well as everyone else, and take a break.

12. Do not ask to be staff. We will open applications for staff positions periodically and if we feel you have what it takes we will appoint the position. If you ask or pester us to make you staff however you will probably never get the spot.

Roleplay Related

1. First, remember that roleplaying in the forum and in the CB are different. Certain things can be in the CB and not in the forums. The number one thing is *actions*. In the CB, you can use *actions* and quick chat-rp. But this is not allowed in the forums. You're expected to write out the entire action.

2. Try your best to be literate. Roleplay posts must have a minimum of four sentences. If you are struggling to reach that, ask a friend! Everyone will be willing to help you, and sometimes all you need is some inspiration.

3. Please try to use correct grammar and spelling. We know not everyone speaks English fluently. And yes, even the most native English speakers have trouble spelling “Czechoslovakia” or “Onomatopoeia”. Everyone makes typos! But do try and catch them before you post.

4. NO CHAT SPEAK. People don't walk around saying "Ttyl bby!" and "lol omfg!" Please take the few seconds to write out the entire sentence please!

5. NO POWER PLAYING OR GODMODDING. I think this one is simple enough to understand. Don't trap a character into having to do something. Don't control another person's OC or canon.

6. No killing off characters UNLESS there is approval. No one likes to have their character die in battle! Especially without their consent. So if you want to kill off a character there are two rules you need to follow.

First, no killing of canon characters. If they haven't died in the novel, try not to kill them off. Not saying you can't wound them! But canons are very important.
If you want to kill off a character, YOU MUST request the owner of that OC if it's ok to kill them off. Once you have that permission, go for it! But if we catch you killing off a character or powerplaying that traps that OC into death, there will be consequences.

7. Canon characters are to be played by specific people. To apply for a canon, you must check out the Canon Character Application Forms & Directions topic. If you are found roleplaying another person's canon character, there will be consequences. You may roleplay the canon in the chatbox if it is not claimed but if you have a canon and an alternate you may only roleplay as those canons.

8. Use it or Lose it. This rule is simple and only regards to Canon characters. If you apply for a canon, you are expected to take on the responsibility of actively using that character. If you don’t log online for two weeks, a warning will be sent to your e-mail. If another two weeks pass, we’re going to expect you can’t find the time to log on frequently, and we will revoke the character. You’re welcome to reapply for said character. Note: This rule doesn’t apply if you leave a message with an admin or in the absence list. IF you give us fair warning, then there is no reason to revoke your character.

9. You allowed to have up to 5 characters maximum. It is highly encouraged not to create too many characters that it will be overwhelming for you to role-play with them just for the sake of having characters.

10. Do NOT make an OC that is a replica of a canon. This is practically stealing someone else's work (in this case, Narita). Please, make your own OC, not a copy of a canon. If we believe your character is too similar, we will notify you and ask you to make changes. If you don’t cooperate, we’ll simply delete the thread.

11. Try to keep all public and visible roleplaying to an appropriate level. Not everyone likes to see adult themes. Take anything that will escalate into an inappropriate state into PMs, emails, or any other messaging systems.

Chatbox Related

1. The above General rules still apply in the CB. Regarding roleplaying rules, any modifications will be listed below.

2. Roleplaying in the CB is more lenient than on the forums. Here you can be somewhat out of character and use *actions* instead of paragraphs if you prefer. But don't be lazy about it. Still use the CB as a way to better your roleplaying skills!

3. Note, the word "somewhat" was italicized, meaning that it's important. Yes you can be out of character in the CB to benefit the nature of the roleplay. However, if you're roleplaying a canon, we expect that you try to keep in character as much as possible while being "ooc". For example, for you Shizaya lovers out there, you can have Shizuo and Izaya being fluffy and cute, but we expect that the same banter and fighting is still involved.

4. The CB is not only there for spontaneous roleplay. It’s also there for the members to communicate and make friends. Don’t feel shy to join in a conversation! It’s a fast way to get to know everyone and eventually plan on future roleplays for the forums.

5. The Chatbox is not a place for your personal problems. We get everyone has trouble in life but if you really need to talk to someone ask if a member is willing to listen and PM your problem privately to them. Not everyone wants to here it and not everyone should have to.

6. Mods and Admins, this rule is specified to you: No abusing powers. Admins and Mods have the ability to clear the chatbox, kick out a user, and even ban members at their whim. We ask that you DO NOT overuse those abilities. If there is a user who is causing trouble, talk to the staff before deciding to ban them. If there is an argument or a conversation that the members want to be cleared, SAVE the conversation and send it to an Admin. That way if people start accusing others, evidence isn’t wiped clean.

7. Continuing on with the above rule, if anyone is having a problem with another user and there is an argument in the CB, take it out of the CB and move to PMs or some other form of communication. The CB is not a battle zone. If you don’t want your conversation in public or saved and sent to an Admin, take it elsewhere.

8. Lastly, try to not use a color, font size, or font style that is hard to read. We ask this simply for the benefit of everyone. Let's not strain our eyes!