* / the rules ,

[ADMIN !]

the basic info . . .
First and foremost, leave your other site drama at the door. We don't want it here nor will we tolerate it -- if you are here to start trouble, don't even bother wasting all of our time because we won't hesitate to ban you immediately. We are here to have fun and to write; don't ruin it. Secondly, if you have been on any of our old sites before, please, try to make a new character -- don't keep making the same people and using the same faces. Branch out and do something else We're here for a new start, so let's keep going along with that theme. Anyway, onto the rules...

You must be over the age of 13 to join any Proboards site -- if we catch you lying, we will delete you because that's not okay. When registering, please don’t make your username overly complicated. Don't make it something with tons of letters and numbers since it’s just going to be replaced with your display name anyways; keep it simple, like the name of your character that you plan on making or your name/alias. Your display name format should be your character's first, middle, & last name in lowercase -- do not add symbols!

We know everyone wants to be original and it would be no fun if there were a bunch of Jane and John’s running around, but please keep the names of your characters somewhat normal, too. Nobody’s really going to be walking around with the name Barbie unless they’re from Malibu or are a plastic doll -- just like you’ll probably only see a Luna or a Draco or whatever on a Harry Potter site. So in short, be original, but don’t make the names incredibly ridiculous. If we can't pronounce it or if it's too out there, we'll ask you to change it. Too unique can always be a bad thing.

Concerning play-bys/face claims, we aren't going to limit you on who you can use just as long as a) they are a real person and b) they look the appropriate age for whatever character you're making. Don't use a 30 year old for someone that's 18, that just doesn't work. We allow faces from places such as Myspace, deviantART, and Flickr to name a few; we only ask that you provide us with a link to their profiles when you fill out your face claim.

We are not quite a no-app site but we have a VERY short application, so there is no reason why you shouldn't finish it on the first try. It's basically a simple character sheet, a reference for everyone to know the very basics of your character. Look around at other people's formats -- the title of your thread should be formatted as follows: LAST NAME, first middle. Don't edit our code or post WIPs when you're applying, that's stupid for the length of our application format. And make sure you check the claims before you apply!

This is a real-life site, which means real-life things like sex and doing drugs happen here. We have a site rating of M for mature, and we allow this content in threads just as long as you mark that it is mature in your thread title. If you can't handle it, then don't look or don't do it.

By the way, the secret phrase may or may not be 'admins say herro preez.' Keep reading.



characters, plotting, & posting. . .
Despite the simplicity of our 'application,' we require our members to be literate. We have a 800 word count minimum for all posts (without coding obviously, don't cheat!), excluding things like IM threads and Twitters and such. Sure the number seems daunting, but trust us, it’s not that hard to reach. Just get descriptive is all and you’ll reach it in a breeze. If you cannot quite achieve this, don't despair. We are here to help you improve your writing skills in addition to all else, so if you would like help or pointers, please don't hesitate to ask.

Idling is one of our pet-peeves -- don't wait for someone to post for you and just bum around. If you're not doing anything you should write whatever thread you're waiting for, there's not really any excuse. Don't just post in people's plot requests and then sit there, either, because that's annoying. We would love it if after you join and get all your stuff claimed if you posted a thread within your first week here. If there are open threads, post in those! Make an open thread if there aren’t any open for you, or just plot with people to get your character going. But please, we’d really love it if you threaded. It’s much more important to character development, and besides, even if you plot something out, without threading it doesn't mean anything!

When you post in threads, please make all posts in the third person. This means if your character performs and action, it would look like this “John answered his phone” not “I answered my phone”. We only want third person posts here, which shouldn’t be too hard. Another important thing -- DO NOT ONLY POST IN CHARACTER EXTRA THREADS. This is a roleplay site, a place for roleplaying. Not for playing in-character games and posting in IM threads or your character's Twitter all the time. Sure they’re fun occasionally, and it’s not like those things are completely off-limits, but threading is much more important than character extras. In short, you have to thread with your character, end of story. If you don’t you’ll probably be subject to deletion, sorry to say.

Concerning character creation, we don't want to and aren't really going to limit you on how many characters to make, but don’t overload yourself. If you can’t keep up with multiple threads and multiple accounts well, then please don’t make a billion characters. Also, try to space out the time in between when you make new characters. Honestly, we want you to use your first character at least a little bit before you go making another account and character. And when you do make new characters, please don’t abandon your other ones -- if one account is sitting there untouched for a while, don't be surprised if we delete it.

Speaking of deletions, we may be prone to deleting accounts every 2 weeks. If your characters haven't been used or accounts been logged on in a while, you will be deemed inactive. Don't let this happen, especially if you jumped the gun and decided to create 5 accounts at once. The secret phrase is really "garrett rhymes with carrot <|3" -- yeah, that whole thing. Put it in your app. Don't abuse the privilege of making characters when you're just going to go inactive -- it just makes our lives harder when we have to delete things.

Lastly, DO NOT be annoying. Do not nag people via PM or over AIM or anything to post for you. Don't nag, period. Everyone else has lives and school and other things to do, so be considerate and understanding of others' priorities.



the c-box . . .
Our c-box is currently only viewable to members for a reason. As said before, leave all your other site drama at the door, we don't want it here because we've had enough of that and if you are here to start some shit, we will ban you quicker than you can snap your fingers. Don't be rude to other members or fight or spam in there either. Honestly, it’s really juvenile and we won’t care, so don’t waste your time and ours with it. When talking in the c-box, be courteous and mindful of what you say. We don't care if you curse or anything, just don't do it excessively. Also, please do not advertise your site (this means don't be like "hey nice site check out mine!" and then you post the link, or even have the link in your name). We would never do it on your site, why do it on ours? Failure to comply with any of these rules will result in warnings, bannings, or even removal of the c-box in its entirety.



about those graphics . . .
You are required to have an avatar and a signature -- it's nice to know what your character looks like, you know? Avatars can go up to 140x200 in pixel width/length, and signatures should be no wider than 450 pixels. Panel height is up to you, just don't make it super tall. Do not use vulgar pictures in your signatures/icons, and anything that stretches our board will be removed. If you don't know how to make graphics and are in need of some, CAUTION 2.0 has a specific board located HERE that has pre-mades of a lot of play-bys that you can use if you need to, or you can post in the graphics forum on this site and one of us will make you something. Either way, just be sure you credit the person whose graphics you are using -- stealing isn't cool!



things that go without saying . . .
The most important rule of all is RESPECT ALL FELLOW MEMBERS. We hate pointless, petty drama and people bitching about other people. It’s just not cool, so be nice. And we all know that fighting on the internet is pretty much the stupidest thing you can do (it’s just such a waste of time). If you’re not nice, you’re out. Simple as that. We're nice people, but if you get on our nerves and don't follow rules, don't be shocked if we say something about it.

Don’t be stupid. This rule shouldn’t really have to be said, but it needs to be. Don’t bash anybody’s character or just be mean and dumb in general. Do not use our site as a vehicle to gain more members to your own site, and you most certainly should not steal anything. Everything on this site was created from scratch, graphics and all, and everything else is property of their respective posters. It's not okay to steal graphics or character ideas from someone else. Be original, it's not that hard. And don't be annoying -- you won’t get far with us or anyone else if you’re just downright annoying or obnoxious, so try and avoid being like that. We’d all appreciate it.



welcome to new york city . . .
Thank you for reading these rules -- we know they're really long but trust us, they will come in handy. Please do not hesitate to contact any of the staff members on their staff accounts if you need any help, we don't bite. These rules were written by Callie and Steph for VICES and is intended for our use only -- do not steal!