General Rules:

1. Do not disrespect other members of the forum. This most certainly includes all forms of passive aggression! If you have a problem with someone, you can send a private message to Silence or T Bone and we will take care of it.
2. No swearing! We understand some of you may like to swear, but many people find it very offensive. Please have respect and don't swear. Avoiding the word filters by changing the spelling or using alternate characters will not be tolerated.
3. Multiple User Accounts are NOT allowed. We can tell when multiple accounts are being logged into from the same computer, so please refrain from doing so. Exceptions will be made for multiple people in the same household. Please PM Silence or T Bone to notify us if this is the situation.
4. Keep it clean! Please keep all posts, PMs, stories, links, etc free of content that would be rated above "PG-13." There may younger members on the forum, and we don't wish to expose them to things they should not be exposed to. There is a restricted-access forum for such content.
5. Please stay ON TOPIC! Please make sure that when making a new topic or post, it is in the most appropriate forum/thread. When you are posting on someone else's topic, stay on topic. If you think of a different topic to talk about, make a whole new topic about it. No hijacks!
6. Please avoid nonsensical or pointless posts. We define a pointless post as something has no purpose or relevance to the thread. Please stay on topic at all times. For example, it is better to not post anything than to post "I don't know" or "I agree with T Bone" without elaborating in someone's help thread. Please try to keep posts at a decent length except for where the topic requires short posts.
7. Please do not post in all capital letters. Since this is an online forum, we cannot rely on tone of voice or volume. Often, posting in capital letters infers anger or shouting. (exceptions will be made where shouting is appropriate and in context) Topic titles should never be in all capital letters.
8. Do not post links to pages containing adult content. If you're going to post a link, be very sure that everything at the site you're linking to is acceptable. We understand that most of the links you're posting aren't your personal sites, and that they change on a regular basis, but please try to keep all linked content appropriate.
9. If someone on the forums breaks any of these rules, do not self-mod! Leave the moderating work to the moderators! Please use the post report system by clicking the triangular "Report Post" button found in each post. Please be as specific as possible when filling out a report. Please quote the rule that a person has breached in a thread, though. Do not lecture them, simply post the breached rule, report the post and move on.
10. Advertising is NOT allowed, unless to a similarly themed forum or appropriate website. If your post includes links, images, or any other media/text intentionally advertising another product, website, industry, etc, it will be deleted without warning. (Exceptions will be made for personal sites as long as they do not violate any other rules and are located inside an appropriate forum)
11. Post Readability should be a top concern. Please avoid speaking in leet/net/chat speak. This is not only hard for most members to read, but it also makes the forum look much less mature and civilized. Your post will be modified unless ‘leet’ speak is used for comedy purposes by a moderator. We also encourage users to speak in complete sentences - using punctuation where needed! Do not change the color of your post, no matter what!
12. PM Advertising is not allowed. Our PM system may not be used for sending out PMs to other users to advertise your site, story, competition, etc. We have no problem with you posting about it in an appropriate forum or telling a user if they ask you, but you may not send out PMs to users.
13. Bumping old threads is not appropriate in many forums. Bumping an old thread (commonly known as "necromancy" - bringing a dead thread back) is often not appropriate. If, for example, you find a game thread that hasn't been posted in for several months, please don't post something like "cool" and bring it back to life. However, if the topic is still valid and you are posting a helpful response, it is sometimes better to bring back the old thread than to create a new thread. Please use your best judgment. Helpful topics may be bumped with either a *bump* or with decent, legitimate input. Necromance sparingly.
14. Cross posting is not allowed. Cross posting is posting the same thread in multiple places. Please post all new topics/posts in the most appropriate place.
15. All-inclusiveness is a requirement for all topics. All topics must be open for discussion to all members of the forum. For example, you can't open a topic and say that only males can post inside, or only Wiccans or only Satanists.
16. Common sense applies to all areas of the forum. Please use your best judgment when browsing and posting. Even if a rule isn't listed here, or if you see a "loophole", that does not make it okay. The moderators reserve the right to issue warnings based on common sense.
17. Double Posting is not allowed. If you were the last person to post in a topic and you have something else to say, please edit your last post.



Signature Rules:

1. Each image may be no larger than 550x200 (width x height)
2. Maximum of 100 words, please.
3. Your signature must be setup through your Profile. Signatures copied into each post will result in a warning.
4. Your signature should be a reasonable size (both height and width.) Please try to keep your signature as small as possible. If your signature is too large, you will be asked to change it, or it will be removed by an administrator.
5. Derogatory comments, even in another language, will not be tolerated – Yes, the admins will check if you’re writing something in another language in your signature.

Should we have repeated problems with a member's signature violating the above rules, signatures will be banned for everybody.



Avatar Rules:

1. Avatars may not contain anything that violates the forum or signature rules. If they do, you will no longer be allowed to display an avatar.
2. Please avoid avatars that are extremely bright and/or flashing as this can trigger those with photosensitive epilepsy.



Fine Print:

- Moderators and Administrators reserve the right to use their judgment on any/all rules.
- The action(s) taken will be determined on a case-by-case basis always with fairness to the user in mind.
- These rules may change at any time without notice, so check them often.
- All users are held accountable for the rules listed above. Not having time to read them is never a valid excuse for not following them. No - not even if you're "tl;dr".