rules ,

[THOSE IN CHARGE]

THE RULES.

Glad you've come to this page! These are not the original rules for the site -- they've been redone and updated! Sorry they're a bit long, but everything here is important, so please read them carefully. We don't have any little hidden passwords; you're just expected to read and follow these rules, and there will be consequences if you don't.

Thanks!
-- TUD Staff.

the basics ,

» This site is rated PG-13. But you're allowed to do more, so long as you mark the post as mature or R. Remember that this also applies to things like violence and drugs -- sex isn't the only way to make a post mature.

» You know the drill: no powerplay or godmode. Your character is a student (usually) and so as much as teenagers like to think they are all knowing, they aren't. Your character doesn't get to be a super duper awesome wizard or witch. And no powerplay because that ticks people off, unless you have permission from the member you're powerplaying.

» There are codes in place to make it so images on the forum can not be wider than 500 pixels or taller than 700 pixels. Anything bigger will be resized, so keep that in mind when making signatures or images for your posts. Also, there's a code that allows you to make your avatars bigger than the standard 100x100; they're allowed to be up to 150 pixels wide and 225 pixels tall. Sometimes the code will not resize images if they're bigger than that, so if you're image is wider than 150 or taller than 225, it is your responsibility to resize or crop it so that it does not stretch the forum. Thanks.

characters ,

» When it comes to how many characters you can have, you can technically have as many as you can keep active. The first five are "freebies," but you'll need permission from an administrator for each character after that. It's unfair for people to be clinging to characters they barely use. Therefore, we've made it so that you have to be active with your current characters before you can have more.

» Each character needs its own account, and the display name needs to be the name of the character (at least first and last, but middle is optional). Don't include a plethora of weird and crazy symbols. A few is okay, but any more than that and it starts to look ridiculous.

» When you're making your application, the subject of the application thread should be like this: LAST NAME, first name. It doesn't matter if you capitalize or lowercase it all, so long as the last name comes before the first name. The boards are alphabetized by last name.

» You're not required to have an avatar or signature, but if you do, please make sure the images are of your character. Not of your cat, or some other random thing. And no nude images, please. Characters must be represented by real people, not drawings or manga. Make sure to use the face claim, or else you risk losing your play-by.

» We only allow Harry Potter-related canons, so don't try to make canons from other books, movies, etc. No Bella Swans or Edward Cullens, etc., please.

» Only fifth year and older characters are allowed. This is because people rarely make characters younger than that, and we don't want just one or two students in each of the younger years.

» If you want your student to become pregnant, you must have permission from the administrators. This is because we don't want the entire student population to end up knocked up. So please ask permission from one of the administrators before you begin that plot. Adults, on the other hand, can get pregnant whenever they want.

» We encourage you to create unique, realistic characters. Yeah, this plot is obviously different and a bit out there, but the people that exist in the world of this site are still going to be real people with real talents and flaws. Don't make a Mary Sue or anything of the sort; work on really developing them so that they up having both pros and cons. Unlike some sites, we allow things like eating disorders and such, because those things, sadly, really do exist. And we allow any sexuality, be it gay or bisexual or straight or whatever else, because we're not prejudiced assholes. If you have any questions about your character, feel free to ask.

posting and activity ,

» Third person, past tense only. The only exception is for applications and things like phone and computer conversations.

» Just because this is a short post/IC Cbox forum doesn't mean we don't care about quality. Please be sure to not use chat speak, and do take care to watch your spelling and grammar. This isn't to say we are complete spelling and grammar sharks--we understand that sometimes people make mistakes. Just make sure that for the most part your work is easy on the eyes. And please don't use ridiculously bright or flashy colors when posting; it makes it harder for people to read and they might not be as willing to respond.

» Staff will delete an unaccepted account if the account has not been logged into in two weeks or more. Accepted accounts are expected to participate in activity checks.

» If you're going to use explicit content, please put a rating in the title, so that people can have a fair warning of what type of content the thread contains. This includes excessive violence, sex, drugs, etc.

» Please don't use colors in your posts that clash with the skin; we're always going to have dark skins, so keep that in mind. If your post is too dark or two bright, nobody will be able to read it, and that's frustrating.

» You're expected to do something with each character at least once a week, unless you're away. This can be posting, icboxing, letters, etc. Remember that you're only supposed to have as many characters as you can handle, so if you can't handle keeping them all active once a week, then you have two many characters. The only exception is if you leave an away notice.

out of character ,

» Be nice. Seriously. We shouldn't even have to yak to you about respect and kindness because all of you should be thirteen or older and therefore know how to act appropriately, and yet we do. Treat others well; that goes for your fellow members and for site staff.

» No advertising anywhere but in the advertising board. Keep it out of the cbox and other boards, and don't put other sites in your signature or anything. There's a special place on accounts to put a link to your own site, so use that please.

» Build a community! Interact with your fellow members! Please don't just be a hermit and never talk to anyone or participate in things. I'm not just talking about posting -- you should participate in things like plotting threads, polls, etc. If a member puts up a thread asking for help with something, go help if you can! If staff puts up something asking for member opinion, put in your two cents! And for the love of cheese, please plot with people and get some interactions going. Nothing is more depressing than seeing a bunch of plotting threads without replies. Also, make new members feel welcome! Don't ignore people in the cbox and don't be mean to new people. We're all in this together, so no leaving people out.

» If you're going to be away, please leave an away notice. Otherwise you'll not be excluded from activity checks. Also, you won't be excluded from activity checks if you're only going to be gone a couple days. Activity checks run for two weeks, and you must be gone for at least half of that time in order to be excluded.

» Have fun! Yes, that's a rule. This site won't be very cool if the members aren't enjoying themselves, so make sure to have a good time, okay?