nc_ooc | Community Rules and Guidelines

1.) Dreamwidth’s Terms of Service always apply.

2.) A VITAL RULE OF THUMB FOR THE COMM: Top posts must ALWAYS contain a question! Your character MUST pose a question to the Nexus if you are making a post unless otherwise discussed and okayed by a mod. A character can ask verbally, via text or audio, digital or paper, psychic or any other form of communication they prefer. Another method, though harder to do properly and will be under closer scrutiny by the mods, is a question posed by the narrative of your post. An example being: "Gish is trailing tar EVERYWHERE and won't stop! Who's going to clean up this mess!?"

Additionally: Please avoid having your character ask where they are! The setting has pamphlets, signs and helpful NPCs that can answer these sorts of things, detailing the nature and the name of the Nexus. One can ask details about how it works or ask about settings within the setting (eg, what's a good restaurant around here), but please consider carefully if this info couldn't be gathered with the informational methods mentioned.

This is a rule is not only to keep to classic Nexus roleplay, but also to ensure that every post is engaging and contains a sufficient hook for other characters to interact with yours. If the mods see a post that doesn't adhere to these standards, one of us will message you and ask you to edit it. We will provide suggestions if necessary or requested.

3.) We operate on the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would want to be treated. This means the potential for moderator intervention if you:

a. Make OOC comments criticizing another person’s plots, writing style, character, or the player themselves.

b. Attempt to make other players unwelcome for any reason. If you feel another player’s behavior is in any way not fitting the spirit of the community, we ask that you contact one or more moderators so that we can assess and deal with the situation.

c. Knowingly and willfully disrespect another player’s stated boundaries regarding communication or subject matter. This means that members of the community should be open and honest about their own discomforts if the subject should arise. Speak up early to avoid unnecessary discomfort and always make your boundaries clear to other players involved. This rule includes godmodding, the practice of writing an action happening no matter what, regardless of the other player's objections or without a given opportunity to avoid, counteract, dodge, OOCly discuss, etc.

d. Publicly or privately harass, intimidate, or bully other players. We take these issues very seriously, especially in private contexts. Because others are not immediately aware of what goes on in private messages, it is important to know the signs of bullying and contact one or more moderators if you feel another person’s behavior at all seems confrontational, manipulative, or passive-aggressive. **Signs of an Unhealthy Roleplay Relationship: A Must-Read!**

4.) While the content of this community is not strictly 18+ , membership is. All members must be over 18 years of age at the time of joining. If we find out otherwise, offending members will be removed.

5.) Not Safe for Work (NSFW) images and content are not allowed on the comm’s main page. Photographs of real life death, violence, nudity, or sexual acts are not allowed, nor are drawn images of excessive gore, full-frontal nudity, or sexual acts. Remember that some of us tag in our spare time at work and use your best judgment when you choose what content to post.

a. Characters having or discussing their own sexuality is normal and acceptable, and jokes of a sexual nature are not against the rules or spirit of the community. If you think sexual behavior between two characters is skirting the line of publicly appropriate, we kindly ask that you take it to PMs or journals. Being courteous of other players’ boundaries is expected in these situations. If you aren’t sure your partner would be comfortable with certain sexual humor or acts, we encourage you to ask them OOC. Likewise, if another player’s sexual humor or content directed at your character makes you uncomfortable, please privately and kindly speak to them.

b. Violence as a result of characters fighting is not against the rules or spirit of the community, but if the fighting becomes especially graphic or intense a warning in post titles or a shift to PMs or private journals would be appropriate.

c. Swearing is not against the rules or the spirit of the community, but humbly bear in mind that intense language is not everyone’s cup of tea. Having said this…

6.) No language disparaging another player’s race, sex, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, or religion will be tolerated publicly or privately in the community. If your character would express any sentiments against a group of real life people (i.e. – anything that is not considered purely ‘fantasy racism’) please clear it with your roleplay partner first and make note of it in the post title so that others may avoid potentially upsetting material.

a. An addendum to fantasy racism: In-character differences of opinions and antagonism are great and we absolutely want to foster an environment where characters feel as free to agree as to disagree. Having said this, don’t cross the line between, for example, “My character hates elves,” and “I hate elves, so I am expressing it at length through my character.” The difference is usually plain to outside observers. Your character should not be a mouthpiece for personal biases. Use your best judgment when you believe your character’s opinions may cross a line into deeply insulting another player’s character concept. OOC communication is your friend!

b. An addendum to sexuality: If you feel that a player’s presentation or discussion of certain taboo or shocking sexual themes such as bestiality, pedophilia, incest, sexual assault, etc, are not in the spirit of the community, please discuss these issues with a moderator. We will use our best judgment in deciding which course of action to take. This absolutely does NOT mean you should contact a moderator because you dislike a player’s headcanons of their characters as gay/bi, trans, etc. (unless the portrayal is perceived as an offensive stereotype, in which case mods will review the content and take appropriate action.)

7.) Rules for characters allowed: As a general rule all characters are allowed. This is a no-app, no-activity check (AC) community. Come and go as you please, have fun, and make friends. Original characters (OCs) are just as welcome as canon characters. Note:

a. Your character may not be a real person unless you are playing an Alternate History version of that real person. Preferably, in this case, from an established Alt History canon. For example, you cannot play as Actual President Abraham Lincoln, but you may play as Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

b. Gods and religious figures are not against the rules or the spirit of the community, but if you’re unsure about a character or concept always feel free to contact a mod. Our job is to support rp, not to squash it, and we want to help.

c. This is a multi-dimensional, pan-fandom roleplay setting. You might encounter duplicates of your character (dupes), alternate universe versions of your character (AUs), and more. If you aren’t comfortable with this, tag your threads with “Dupes/AU: no,” or, if you are, “Dupes: yes”. If another version of your character approaches you for roleplay and you aren’t comfortable with that, please kindly contact them OOC in PMs stating your boundaries. If another person asks not to interact with your dupes, please be respectful of their boundaries. Dupes of canon characters may not be denied the right to roleplay in the community based solely on that fact.

d. Of note: The only time you may refuse another player from playing a dupe of your character is if it is your original character.

e. Facecasts/Play-bys (FCs/PBs – Using an actor as reference for your character’s appearance) do not belong to any one player. You always have the right to avoid interactions if you feel uncomfortable around someone sharing your FC, but please be understanding of their right to reference that FC.

f. Not a rule, but: Adding your character’s canon or some indication that they are an OC in your profile is helpful for other players.

8.) Spoilers, Timelines, Fourth Walls:

a. As a general rule of thumb, three weeks is the socially acceptable time period before you should discuss spoilery content without a clear and obvious warning.

b. If your character comes from the same canon but different timeline as another person’s character, hash it out privately OOC. Sometimes this creates great excitement and friction, but it’s up to every player to decide whether they want to deal with that.

c. When it comes to revealing to other characters that they are in a forums-based roleplay game, that they come from a fictional story, etc, no exceptions: You must ask the other player’s permission. Always. That is a huge bomb to drop, and some players may not want to deal with the consequences of that.

9.) Events/LOLs:

Events, sometimes called LOLs, come in many flavors, from over-arching plots like invasions and acts of villainy to freak happenings like age swaps and terrain changes. Players are always allowed to opt out of these and should never feel pressured to participate when they don’t want to. We ask that members respect players’ decisions regarding participation and/or non-participation, including but not limited to having patience for linear timeline players affected by events. All members are equally encouraged to propose events for the community by speaking with moderators first to be sure that everything is above board and can be well-organized. Some events may be delayed or declined based on proximity to other events or inappropriate content, but as a general rule we want to support events and their hosts.

10.) Rules Lawyering and History of Egregious Behavior:

a. ‘Rules lawyering’ means intentionally skirting the line of breaking the rules without technically breaking the rules, then citing the fact that you didn’t break the rules as grounds for evading moderator action. This will get you banned.

b. Having been banned from other communities for toxic behavior in the past is grounds for being banned from this community. If any players of the community have proof that another member of the community was banned for toxic behavior it is important that they contact a moderator.

11.) All rules which apply to Nexus-Crossings also apply to its corresponding OOC community and any officially-hosted off-site events such as Movie Nights.

Penalties for infractions of rules are on a two-strike basis:

a.) First strike results in a conversation between moderator(s) and rule-breaker(s) regarding proper behavior and a notice that in the future rule-breaking behavior will not be tolerated.

b.) Second strike will result in a ban. Bans are final and non-contestable.

In short: Be kind, be thoughtful, and be open to communication. Know the signs of toxic behavior, respect other people and their characters, and make the community as happy and healthy as you can. Remember that the moderators are here to help. We want to create the most inviting community possible, because roleplay should be fun above all else.

If you ever have questions about how the site or the community work, we want to be here to help. If you have a disagreement with a moderator, it is your right to bring the issue up with other moderators and you will not be punished for doing so. We take your comfort in the community very seriously.