Post by VICKY !? on May 6, 2010 15:28:05 GMT
Forum Rules
Account & Profile
you must have a 100x100 icon and a signature no larger than 550x250, both of which should feature your chosen play-by. your signature should also be centered. you must register using your character's first and last name, and your display name must be your character's full name in lowercase. for example, harry potter would be registered as 'harrypotter' and the display name would be 'harry james potter'. if you do not register correctly your account will be deleted, regardless of any posts that have been made. it would be appreciated if you could sign in on all of your accounts each day, though you won't be punished if you don't do so. the private messaging (pm) system is a privilege and should not be abused. if you use the system to advertise your forum or be offensive to another member, this privilege will be taken away from you for as long as is deemed appropriate. a separate account should be created for each character.
Advertising
the only people that should advertise for this forum are the members of staff, hence the code for the advert is in the staff board and not in the advertising board. adverts should only be posted in the advertising board, and not in the cbox, via pm, in your signature/personal message, etc. affiliate banners should be 88x31 and appropriate tags will be added if this isn't the case.
Characters
you cannot use a claim unless you are listed in the corresponding thread. for example, you cannot use a celebrity to portray your character unless you have claimed it, and this also applies to canons, occupations, quidditch positions, patronuses, alliances, and residences. reservations last for seven days, and each member may make no more than one reservation in each claim. it would be appreciated if you could read the guidelines at the top of the threads, it makes things easier for us. if in doubt as to whether you should post in code tags or not, post both in and out of code. please check that details match up. if your character's parents are both half-bloods, then your character can't be a muggle-born. characters cannot die/be killed, get married, or become pregnant without permission. you should be aware that no characters under the age of sixteen will be permitted to become pregnant and none under the age of eighteen will be permitted to get married. you should fill out all parts of the application to the stated standard or else it will not be accepted. we will point out what needs to be added, edited, or removed, though if we have to do so continuously, then your application will simply be declined. it would be appreciated if you could vary your characters in all ways that you can think of. if most of your characters are quiet and innocent, try making one that's loud and outgoing. it makes things more fun for both you and for everybody else and it also reduces the chance of a particular attribute being banned until things even out. you can create up to five characters providing you can keep them all active and up to 4 additional characters may be created with staff permission. when it comes to the wand, it must be no shorter than seven inches and no longer than sixteen inches, with the two numbers mentioned being acceptable. if you're stuck, then this guide is excellent and i would recommend it whether you're having trouble or not. 'perfect' characters (mary-sues and gary-stus) will not be permitted, regardless of it being 'i'm the best at everything, everyone loves me, and i'm the most fantastic person in the world' or 'i'm the worst at everything, everyone hates me, and i'm the most insignificant person in the world'.
Forum Members
respect is very important but takes surprisingly little to do. all you have to do is be nice to everyone else and accept that they have their opinions and it might not necessarily match yours. you must not bully or discriminate against any other member of the forum for any reason and you can bet your bottom dollar that you'll be kicked off the forum if we find out you're doing so. if you feel that you are being bullied or discriminated against, let us know and we'll do our best to sort it out.
In Character
no muggle objects powered by electricity or batteries should be at hogwarts, primarily because they won't work. all students should wear their uniform during and in between lessons, though this may be removed when lessons have finished, during weekends and during holidays if you choose to stay at school. you must sign up for all classes that you will be studying, whether compulsory or voluntary and you should attend all lessons (even if it's only one post). students are forbidden from entering the forest under any circumstances, with the only exceptions being prefects on duty and students in care of magical creatures lessons or serving detention. this is for your own safety. you are not permitted to go to diagon or knockturn alley during term time unless you are collected by a parent or guardian and have the school's permission. you are only permitted to go to hogsmeade on selected weekend (this can be anytime in real life so long as you state that it is the weekend in post).
Posts & Content
powerplaying will not be permitted under any circumstances. this is when you control the actions of a character that doesn't belong to you and includes deciding whether a spell meets its target. it's their character and their choice, not yours. all posts should be written in third person, past tense, and in english, though your character may speak another language providing it uses the same alphabet (letters with accents are considered to be part of the english alphabet). swearing should not be excessive and is permitted within reason. all posts should be at least 200 words long and this does not include any coding that you use. it would be appreciated if you could use correct spelling, grammar, and punctation at all times. please make sure that thoughts and speech can easily be distinguished from one another. in order to comply with the proboards terms of service, characters will be permitted to have sex, though this may not be played out, instead using a 'fade to black' approach. if you still wish to play it out, this should be done away from the boards. no characters under the age of fifteen will be permitted to have sex, even when using 'fade to black'. no characters will be permitted to use illegal drugs and only characters over the age of fifteen will be permitted to smoke. drama makes the world go round but please don't go so over the top that it's difficult to keep track of what's going on. any drama that interferes with the main plot or major sub-plots should be reduced or removed altogether. no in character or game posts whatsoever should be made before your application has been accepted. please bear in mind that the room of requirement and the chamber of secrets are extremely difficult to find (mostly because boards for them don't actually exist yet) and so very few characters would know of their whereabouts and how to gain access to them. secret passageways are also relatively difficult to find, less so than the locations of the last statement but difficult all the same, and should be used realistically.
Forum Staff
they have taken the time to build the forum and keep it running as smoothly as they can, and it isn't helpful when members repeatedly ask for something to be done. if you ask for a board to be added and we say that we'll do so, then we will do so, but it might not necessarily be within two minutes of you asking. if a whole week passes and we still haven't done it, then a gentle reminder is fine but we do have real lives to deal with as well. if you ask to become a member of staff, you'll be moved to the bottom of the list. are you quite sure you wouldn’t like a cough drop? best remember that, you'll be asked for it. if we decide that we need another member of staff, then we'll approach you, or else put up an application form. unless you're a member of staff, you shouldn't be telling other members off for breaking the rules, therefore only five people should be enforcing the rules (providing i've remembered to update this if i add another member of staff). you're more than welcome to report it to us but don't deal with it yourself or you're breaking the rules too.
Following the Rules
it's probably best to do so, in fact, there's no probably about it. we may let the odd break slip, but the rules are in place for a reason, and that's to be followed, not broken. punishments will be given if you fail to do so, mostly in the form of warnings. if you have a warning, you will not be able to create a character until the warning has been removed. it will decrease by 10% each week. if your warning bar reaches 100%, you will be banned from the forum for at least 3 months.