I know, I know, no-one likes the rules. But they aren't hard to follow, and very quick to just read through. Trust me, knowing what to do and what not to do will make your experience here a lot easier, and the mods' a lot less stressful.


General Rules Of The Forum:

1) Respect all staff and members. Without them there would be no site. If they annoy you, then calmly PM an admin and we can work out a solution.

2) Flaming, trolling etc. will NOT be tolerated. That means no cyber-bullying or anything like that.

3) More than then three warnings by any staff will get you a ban depending on the degree of your offense. Another warning after you come back from your first ban will be a ban for life.

4) If you disagree with a Staff member on something they have mentioned to you in a thread you MUST, PM them to discuss. Do not talk about it in the thread.

5) When creating a new character follow all guidelines posted in the Character Template. Trying to slack off and post the minimum will only result in not being asked to add more.

6) You are not allowed to post anywhere but the Welcome category until you have been placed in a house.

7) No more than one image per signature, please! Quotes are fine, but keep the images to a minimum. Keep them under 500x200 or you will be asked to resize them. This rule doesn't apply if you're using three 100x100 images as a signature. Virtual pets don't count.

8) No spamming! We have an affiliate board for a reason. If you would like to advertise that's the place. The ONLY place you may do it. The Chatbox, PMing and other boards then affiliate are not the place to try and recruit!
*However* You're welcome to put your sites link in your name in the cbox. So long as there's not a message of 'click my name!' with it.

9) This is moderate to advanced literate role-playing. We do ask for about two good sized paragraphs per post. We understand that some of you find writing harder than others, and sometimes the inspiration just isn't there, so we're flexible, but try to keep them reasonably sized.

10) NeT SpEaK iZ nT oK. If U tYpE lYkE dIs, U r In Da WrOnG pLaCe N u WiLl GeT a WaRnInG.

11) If you want to say something out of character in an in character post, then put OOC: up the top. This must, however, be accompanied by an in character post. As much as we'd all love this to be a completely out of character site, it's a role-playing forum and it's staying that way. This doesn't apply if you're discussing where to continue the thread.

12) Turn the bad language dial right down. I've removed some words from the censored list, but if this gets abused they'll go right back up again. It's normal to swear sometimes, but only when there's a reason. I don't want to see any "Joe picked up his &%#@ ruler and put it in his &@$#% pencil case" or anything like that. If people start abusing this, then the censored words will go right back up again.

13) Posting etiquette! If you join a thread that is open, you have until the end of page one to do so if there's already someone posting. If there are already two people there and you join you must obey posting etiquette. Which means it goes like this:

Person A starts the thread
Person B joins
Person C joins
Then person D joins
Everyone involved MUST wait for person A to post again. Then person B, Then C, Then D. Person B and D can't have a ten post conversation in that thread, people get swallowed up. Posting order it keeps things from running out of control unless it's a party thread. I know that can be frustrating waiting so if you want you should go open another thread if you both want to RP that badly.

IN ADDITION, please make sure you at least try to give what the person before you gave you as a post back! While I know that not all of us are capable of 400 word posts, please at least try to keep the amount of posting to the same level the person before you set! For example, if the person who started the thread has about four decent, good size paragraphs, and you enter and post a simple paragraph, that is just downright rude to the person who created the thread! So please DON'T do this! Cannot stress it enough.

14) We love when you make alt characters, make as many as you want but they must all stay active!

15) We're a PG13 site, but we do allow romances and rivalries. In fact, we encourage them. It makes the site more interesting. However, if it's going to get past heavy making out or a shouting match (R-rated) then post a clear warning in the title.

16) Necromancy, AKA reviving old threads, is not allowed. If it's been dead more than a month, leave it alone. This doesn't apply to threads in the Games section.

17) Please no double-posting! 'Nuff said.

18) Mary-Sues are not allowed! A Mary Sue/Gary Stu is a perfect character. Not everyone is breathtakingly beautiful, effortlessly brilliant at everything and saves the day every say. But beware also the Angst Sue/Angst Stu. Let's face it, your character is not going to have lived with violent parents who died when they were six, forcing them to live on the streets or go to their mean aunt who abused them constantly. These characters are notorious for popping up when you least expect them, so be careful.

19) Please be realistic in your role-playing. If you're a First Year trying to use a power that turns the volume of your voice up to defeat a Seventh Year who can summon lava from the core of the earth, you just ain't gonna win. Equally, if someone creeps up behind you and smashes you on the head with a shovel, you aren't going to dodge it or turn around and punch them. Realistically, you will be knocked out. We all like our characters to be the heroes, but sometimes it just doesn't work. You'll get your moment, it just might not be right now.

20) Please keep your powers original and realistic (as far as powers go, I mean). Only one power per character, and no awesome-super-mega-laserbeams-flying-strength-stretching-running powers. We encourage you to make up your own unique abilities, but please don't go over the top. There's no claim thread for powers, but please try not to pick something that half the site has. Have some pride in your character. Also, no time-travelling, possession, precognition or super-strength.

Rules for the Chatbox

1. There is ABSOLUTELY no advertising. However you may put a link to your website in your name, just so long as there isn't a message of 'click my name!' with it.

2. , Spamming, trolling, flaming, arguing, etc, will not be tolerated. It greatly annoys many people and drives people away from using the chatbox for what it is meant to be used for: A fun way to talk to other people on this forum.

3. Impersonating members is NOT allowed and will give you a place in the bad book of staff members. It's rude, I think it's illegal, and if you do it, you will suffer the consequences. Because we can check IP's and we know when you've been doing so.

4. Spreading rumors about other members, etc, stuff like that that you're not supposed to do in school yet still do it when there is only one person on besides yourself is frowned up here.

5. More of a common sense thing, but please hold any and all private conversations off-forum. The chatbox is not the place for those. (Under 'Password' in the Character Template, put Arabian Nights). If you have an issue with another member, don't post in the chatbox with something like: "So-and-so is so annoying, ban them plzkthnxbye" just PM a staff member and explain why you find them annoying and such.


Thanks for reading the rules! We hope you have a great time at the Elemental School for Misfits!