Rules

[Admin!]

One

Civility. Yes, racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, and a hundred other ugly isms exist. Perhaps your character adheres to one or more of them. That's fine, but it stays in character. We all know the difference between IC and OOC, and if we see any ugliness outside of the game, we're coming down hard. This includes mocking, rudeness, harassment, and other poor behavior in the chat.

Two

Writing. We're a role play for all experience levels, so it doesn't matter if you admin on another site or have just discovered proboards, you get treated the same here. That being said, we expect a certain level of writing. Spelling and grammar should be at a high enough level that posts are easily readable. In-character posts should not be in text-speak and should be properly capitalized. Do not change the color or size of the default text in in-character posts. The colors and sizes are chosen so posts can be read by people who have vision difficulties.

Three

RP Etiquette. It goes hand-in-hand with the first two. No God moding. (Or modding, as some call it.) Don't hijack threads and plots so they revolve solely around your characters. If you're not going to be around for a bit, leave a note on the absence board for us so we know. If you have some IC drama with a character, don't take it out on the player.

Four

Playbys and Images. All characters must have playbys. Playbys are to be human, and MUST be a professional actor/model/singer--someone who gets paid to have their picture taken, not some random internet person. Try to keep the ages realistic as well, Johnny Depp really can't pull off a teenager any more. Playbys must be at least 13 years of age. We know using younger playbys is not illegal, but staff is uncomfortable with the idea. If you wish to make a younger character, use younger pictures of an older playby. If you need a graphic made for your signature or avatar, look in the art forum for people who can make them. Your total signature should be no larger than 500 px wide, and 400 px tall.

Five

Names. Your display name should be the character's first and last name, capitalized properly. For example: Dr. James Campbell. You can have any log-in name you wish, but change the display name when you apply.

Six

Rating. Yes, we are aware that the age groups in question, adolescents through adults, get up to shenanigans. But in general, keep it toned down. Use expletives for emphasis, and not as your character's entire vocabulary. If your thread includes a mature topic, mark it with Mature or an M. Fade to black/skip some time when the clothes come off or hands head below the waist. Triggerigng topics like child abuse and self-harm should have a warning in the first post. Death, pregnancy, and other major life events have to be run through the admins.

Seven

Applications. Applications should follow the Application Guidelines. Read required documentation before applying.

Eight

Activity Checks. There is one activity check a month. It will always run for at least one week, usually from the tenth to the seventeenth. Anyone without an active absence notice is expected to post, listing the characters they wish to keep, and updating us on any changes to the spreadsheet. Characters that are not accounted for will be retired.

Nine

IC Consequences for IC Behavior. Hammel strives for realism, despite the existence of superpowers. As such, characters who repeatedly break the law are at risk for being arrested and going through the criminal justice system. Hammel, the school, is quite concerned with maintaining safety and security. Students who break school rules are subject to IC discipline. Teachers who engage in inappropriate or illegal conduct will be fired and blacklisted from future teaching opportunities elsewhere.

Ten

C-Box. The civility rule (Rule One) applies to the C-Box and this includes all prohibitions against prejudicial comments and bigotry. The C-Box is in some ways the face of Hammel and is our OOC community, where the players can interact with each other without the masks of our characters. As such, it is very important that we treat each other with respect and create a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. No snark, no insults, don't speak down to one another, don't use profanity, don't post overly sexual comments in violation of our TOS (which applies to the C-Box as well) and don't nag for posts and plots. Nagging is "why aren't you posting for me?", excessive poking and prodding, "Why is nobody posting in my plot page?", and targeted reminders. Nagging is not "I owe you a post/I owe X posts" and general mentions of the post hole, "I just posted for you!" or "I am working on a post for you." All intricate plot discussions should be taken to PM or Chatango so as not to spam the C-Box. If a topic becomes uncomfortable, any member can request a topic change, and the other players should respect that. Staff will monitor, and, if necessary, issue warnings or temporary C-Box bans. Do not spam, sock puppet, or advertise in the C-Box; advertising is for the guest-friendly advertising section. If a member has a site problem to discuss, please PM a staff member; the C-Box is not the proper venue for that. C-Box posts in violation of these rules will be deleted by staff. While staff will monitor, we cannot be there 24/7, so all members are encouraged to inform staff of problems in the C-Box so that we can attend to them.