Senpai (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
iam_senpai) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
nc_ooc2019-04-22 07:39 pm
iam_senpai) wrote in nc_ooc2019-04-22 07:39 pm
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 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.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This community is not a meme community. Unlike many memes, the Nexus operates on a consistent continuity, and what your character says or does will be remembered by those they interact with down the road. This gives our players grounds to build organic, lasting relationships between their characters without fear of a sudden retcon. The Nexus operates on the rule that In Character Actions lead to In Character Consequences. Keep in mind that other characters will have their own perspectives on information provided to them, and their reactions may be negative or antagonistic. This can be a great opportunity for character development on both sides, but if a thread is causing you real life stress or discomfort, reach out to the other player and talk it out.
a. While we are always eager and grateful for the community driving itself with top level posts, we would like to highly encourage players with active top-level posts on the front page to wait a while before posting another, and consider tagging into other characters' posts rather than spamming the community with multiple top level posts. While we do not want to discourage character interaction of any kind, large amounts of active posts at one time can be overwhelming to those who want to tag in. Oftentimes the overall result from too much top-level activity is that there are less tags to go around for everyone, due to sheer volume.
There are occasions where you may have need to have multiple top level posts at once for plot purposes and in those cases please just clear it with a mod. We want to encourage everyone to get the chance for interactions so please be aware and considerate of other players.
b. In the same vein as point A above, be considerate of the writer of a top level post when tagging in with multiple characters. It is generally acceptable to tag into a top level post with up to two of your characters. Anything more than that and you must get permission from the Original Poster. They are under no obligation to accept this request.
Not everyone can handle high tag volumes. That's part of the reason people gravitate toward this community in particular. Our players by and large have limited free time. It is unfair to the player base as a whole when one person spams a poster with several characters. If express permission is given, then great! Go nuts. Otherwise, please keep things fair and give other players a chance to also play with the person making a post.
Note: Certain events and LOLs are an exception to this rule as their entire purpose is to drag everyone's many muses out to mingle and shake off the dust. These events will be explicitly marked as such.
c. If you wish to tag into someone else's existing thread with another character, you must obtain permission from both players before doing so. These players are not obligated to allow it. This rule may be eased in cases of event party threads, but it is still considered polite to ask before threadjacking.
d. This is an English speaking community with English speaking moderators. To ensure that the moderators are able to regulate our community properly, all OOC communication and the narrative text of IC posts must be in English, except when appropriate to add context or character flavor to roleplay.
Examples of appropriate usage: proper nouns such as people's names, locations, newspaper headings; character speech when the Nexus translator has a hiccup; sharing music to establish setting or atmosphere. This is by no means an exhaustive list.
Examples of inappropriate usage: holding OOC conversations in public spaces such as group chats; sharing contextless video clips or news articles; writing a post entirely in a non-English language.
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 insulting another person’s plots, writing style, character, or the player themselves. While discussion and freedom to disagree are important for healthy communication, we expect our players to approach these criticisms constructively. Insults and personal attacks are not tolerated.
Note: Negative character relationships are not automatically toxic behavior and do not mean that the other player dislikes you. Neither is disagreement or voicing concerns about a plot or character, particularly when it may impact their own plots or characters whether directly or tangentially through association. It's okay for people to disagree and have their own opinions, and we want to foster a space where players feel welcome to voice those opinions without feeling pressured to avoid rocking the boat. We do expect our players to keep it civil and within the bounds of appropriate behavior, and to talk out any problems like adults.
If you are uncomfortable or uncertain with the direction a thread is heading, contacting the other player and discussing the issue is a good step to avoiding hurt feelings or misunderstandings down the road. And remember, you are not obligated to RP with someone who makes you uncomfortable or who you do not get along with. At the end of the day, this is a game, and it is intended to be fun.
b. 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.
A player has the right to decline to RP with another player or character. They likewise have the right to turn down a particular thread, plot, or interaction without fear of repercussion. It may not always be a matter of discomfort but rather timing or IRL circumstances. A player is not obligated to state why they are declining if they do not wish to share personal details.
Communication about boundaries is key to healthy roleplay. It is good practice to have a pinned post on your character's journal outlining permissions, though this is not strictly required. If a thread begins to move into touchy territory not covered by previously discussed boundaries, please contact the other player first and get their consent instead of assuming they will be fine with it. Sometimes these pitfalls will not be obvious if a character has atypical triggers, and you will not be in trouble if you run into such a scenario, but it is still a good idea to communicate with the other player and ensure that you both understand what may happen as a result of your character's actions before continuing.
c. Publicly or privately harass, intimidate, or bully other players, or attempt to make them feel unwelcome. We take these issues very seriously, especially in private contexts. 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.
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 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. Graphic discussion of genitalia, sexual acts, and erotic content is not appropriate for this community. 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 and label any links as NSFW. 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. Discussion of graphic sexual content is not appropriate for public spaces such as top-level posts and group chats. If the topic of discussion exceeds what would be considered a PG-13 rating, please take it to personal journals or PMs.
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.
d. Discussion of real-life political figures and events such as elections are not allowed. Many players use the Nexus as escapism, and we do not want to have real-life stressors intruding on that. The well-being of our community is our top priority, and this includes mental health.
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.)
c. In addendum to all of the above we expect our Players to hold true to these above rules as well. The Mod team is within its rights to determine player eligibility in the community to ensure the safety of its players. Persons having credible links to groups or blogs promoting real-life illegal/unethical behavior (murder, rape, hate crimes, pedophilia, etc) is grounds for a ban.
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. In cases where a character may fall into a gray area, e.g. a performative persona or character that is heavily based on the real-life performer, please take care to differentiate the character from the performer (e.g. in character profiles and during RP).
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. Please keep in mind that the community is populated with less powerful characters and while it may be tempting to provide a deus ex machina to fix their problems, this can also kill character development and plots in progress. Perhaps consider imposing voluntary restrictions on how your character's power works - maybe their abilities are tied to their home universe and they find themselves weaker in the Nexus, or perhaps they have an ethical concern about helping lower life forms, for example. Such restrictions are not mandatory, but can perhaps open up character development opportunities for your powerful character as well, if you wish to explore how they would cope with sudden limitations.
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.
a. As we are not able to moderate any interaction that happens outside of our community, we encourage players to keep their canon-to-the-Nexus character interactions to the Nexus community or personal journals when possible. At such times when an off-community thread is relevant to your Nexus character, please make sure to link to that thread in the monthly roundup post so that other players and the mods can see what your character has been up to.
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. Your mod team consists ofiam_senpai, labrathor, and teacosyghost.
Please review screened comments below for the change logs when these rules are brought up to date.
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 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.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This community is not a meme community. Unlike many memes, the Nexus operates on a consistent continuity, and what your character says or does will be remembered by those they interact with down the road. This gives our players grounds to build organic, lasting relationships between their characters without fear of a sudden retcon. The Nexus operates on the rule that In Character Actions lead to In Character Consequences. Keep in mind that other characters will have their own perspectives on information provided to them, and their reactions may be negative or antagonistic. This can be a great opportunity for character development on both sides, but if a thread is causing you real life stress or discomfort, reach out to the other player and talk it out.
a. While we are always eager and grateful for the community driving itself with top level posts, we would like to highly encourage players with active top-level posts on the front page to wait a while before posting another, and consider tagging into other characters' posts rather than spamming the community with multiple top level posts. While we do not want to discourage character interaction of any kind, large amounts of active posts at one time can be overwhelming to those who want to tag in. Oftentimes the overall result from too much top-level activity is that there are less tags to go around for everyone, due to sheer volume.
There are occasions where you may have need to have multiple top level posts at once for plot purposes and in those cases please just clear it with a mod. We want to encourage everyone to get the chance for interactions so please be aware and considerate of other players.
b. In the same vein as point A above, be considerate of the writer of a top level post when tagging in with multiple characters. It is generally acceptable to tag into a top level post with up to two of your characters. Anything more than that and you must get permission from the Original Poster. They are under no obligation to accept this request.
Not everyone can handle high tag volumes. That's part of the reason people gravitate toward this community in particular. Our players by and large have limited free time. It is unfair to the player base as a whole when one person spams a poster with several characters. If express permission is given, then great! Go nuts. Otherwise, please keep things fair and give other players a chance to also play with the person making a post.
Note: Certain events and LOLs are an exception to this rule as their entire purpose is to drag everyone's many muses out to mingle and shake off the dust. These events will be explicitly marked as such.
c. If you wish to tag into someone else's existing thread with another character, you must obtain permission from both players before doing so. These players are not obligated to allow it. This rule may be eased in cases of event party threads, but it is still considered polite to ask before threadjacking.
d. This is an English speaking community with English speaking moderators. To ensure that the moderators are able to regulate our community properly, all OOC communication and the narrative text of IC posts must be in English, except when appropriate to add context or character flavor to roleplay.
Examples of appropriate usage: proper nouns such as people's names, locations, newspaper headings; character speech when the Nexus translator has a hiccup; sharing music to establish setting or atmosphere. This is by no means an exhaustive list.
Examples of inappropriate usage: holding OOC conversations in public spaces such as group chats; sharing contextless video clips or news articles; writing a post entirely in a non-English language.
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 insulting another person’s plots, writing style, character, or the player themselves. While discussion and freedom to disagree are important for healthy communication, we expect our players to approach these criticisms constructively. Insults and personal attacks are not tolerated.
Note: Negative character relationships are not automatically toxic behavior and do not mean that the other player dislikes you. Neither is disagreement or voicing concerns about a plot or character, particularly when it may impact their own plots or characters whether directly or tangentially through association. It's okay for people to disagree and have their own opinions, and we want to foster a space where players feel welcome to voice those opinions without feeling pressured to avoid rocking the boat. We do expect our players to keep it civil and within the bounds of appropriate behavior, and to talk out any problems like adults.
If you are uncomfortable or uncertain with the direction a thread is heading, contacting the other player and discussing the issue is a good step to avoiding hurt feelings or misunderstandings down the road. And remember, you are not obligated to RP with someone who makes you uncomfortable or who you do not get along with. At the end of the day, this is a game, and it is intended to be fun.
b. 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.
A player has the right to decline to RP with another player or character. They likewise have the right to turn down a particular thread, plot, or interaction without fear of repercussion. It may not always be a matter of discomfort but rather timing or IRL circumstances. A player is not obligated to state why they are declining if they do not wish to share personal details.
Communication about boundaries is key to healthy roleplay. It is good practice to have a pinned post on your character's journal outlining permissions, though this is not strictly required. If a thread begins to move into touchy territory not covered by previously discussed boundaries, please contact the other player first and get their consent instead of assuming they will be fine with it. Sometimes these pitfalls will not be obvious if a character has atypical triggers, and you will not be in trouble if you run into such a scenario, but it is still a good idea to communicate with the other player and ensure that you both understand what may happen as a result of your character's actions before continuing.
c. Publicly or privately harass, intimidate, or bully other players, or attempt to make them feel unwelcome. We take these issues very seriously, especially in private contexts. 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.
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 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. Graphic discussion of genitalia, sexual acts, and erotic content is not appropriate for this community. 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 and label any links as NSFW. 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. Discussion of graphic sexual content is not appropriate for public spaces such as top-level posts and group chats. If the topic of discussion exceeds what would be considered a PG-13 rating, please take it to personal journals or PMs.
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.
d. Discussion of real-life political figures and events such as elections are not allowed. Many players use the Nexus as escapism, and we do not want to have real-life stressors intruding on that. The well-being of our community is our top priority, and this includes mental health.
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.)
c. In addendum to all of the above we expect our Players to hold true to these above rules as well. The Mod team is within its rights to determine player eligibility in the community to ensure the safety of its players. Persons having credible links to groups or blogs promoting real-life illegal/unethical behavior (murder, rape, hate crimes, pedophilia, etc) is grounds for a ban.
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. In cases where a character may fall into a gray area, e.g. a performative persona or character that is heavily based on the real-life performer, please take care to differentiate the character from the performer (e.g. in character profiles and during RP).
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. Please keep in mind that the community is populated with less powerful characters and while it may be tempting to provide a deus ex machina to fix their problems, this can also kill character development and plots in progress. Perhaps consider imposing voluntary restrictions on how your character's power works - maybe their abilities are tied to their home universe and they find themselves weaker in the Nexus, or perhaps they have an ethical concern about helping lower life forms, for example. Such restrictions are not mandatory, but can perhaps open up character development opportunities for your powerful character as well, if you wish to explore how they would cope with sudden limitations.
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.
a. As we are not able to moderate any interaction that happens outside of our community, we encourage players to keep their canon-to-the-Nexus character interactions to the Nexus community or personal journals when possible. At such times when an off-community thread is relevant to your Nexus character, please make sure to link to that thread in the monthly roundup post so that other players and the mods can see what your character has been up to.
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. Your mod team consists of
iam_senpai, labrathor, and teacosyghost. Please review screened comments below for the change logs when these rules are brought up to date.
no subject
Added addendum A and B to rule #2 regarding common practice when making and tagging in to top level posts.
Added addendum to 3c in regards to a player's right of refusal.
Added final line to Rules and Guidelines drawing attention to the introduction of change logs to be added to the community rules for updating purposes.
no subject
Added addendum C to rule 6 clarifying the expectations of players as well as characters' behavior in regards to our community.
no subject
Addendum to rule 2 to clarify nature of community as ICA=ICC with lasting consequences and relationships.
Added 2c to clarify rules on threadjacking.
Added 2d to establish English as the main community language.
Minor overhaul to all points of rule 3 to clarify unacceptable OOC behavior.
Addendum to 5 and 5a to clarify rules regarding sexual content. Minor change in wording to rule 4.
Added 5d to clarify content rules on IRL politics.
Addendum to 7a regarding characters based on real people.
Addendum to 7b regarding voluntary depowering of gods and other powerful characters.
Added 11a to address off-community roleplaying.
Added links to current moderator accounts in closing statement.