The Rules, which I'm sure are obvious, redundant, and unnecessary

There are two sets of rules: those that can get you banned, and those that we describe as "common courtesy".
The latter will not provoke a warning or ban unless broken excessively (which, in fact, is a breach of rule 1d) or broken again after the staff repeatedly asked you to stop (violation of rule 1c).


RULES THAT CAN GET YOU BANNED

1a. Politeness. All members are expected to treat each other with civility. Please be polite, and respect other members beliefs. Don't expect other members to convert to your belief systems just because you subscribe firmly to them.

1b. Language and Appropriateness of Topics. The administration does not require this board to be 100% PG-13, but it does require discretion and consideration. Racial slurs and slurs against gender and orientation, etc., are completely unacceptable. Religion-based cursing is frowned-upon but potentially tolerated in context. Ordinary cussing (things you might say upon hitting your thumb with a hammer accidentally) is completely tolerated, and the administration requests that all members be adult enough to accept that other people cuss.
The administration does not like censorship; we will not edit posts as long as they do not explicitly offend a specific group with intent to offend. Erasing language qualifies as offensive.
R and NC-17 topics REQUIRE A DISCLAIMER IN THE TITLE. In cases such as these, the administration WILL edit retroactively as needed.
If part of your post may be NSFW or triggering, it REQUIRES A DISCLAIMER IN THE TITLE.

1c. Staff. Members of the administrative staff have the final word; we are open to discussion but not to argument. If a staff member is using red font, they are making it clear that they are talking as a mod/admin, they have the final word, and everything else has to be handled via PM with them or an admin, not in the current topic.

1d. Drama. This forum is here for support and learning. Content or placement of petty personal issues that serve to detract from these goals is prohibited. Save the drama for your journals please. That being said, there IS a subforum for issues of exclusively personal and mundane nature; feel free to use them to your content.

1e. Introduction. After your account is activated, please have the courtesy to introduce yourself in the appropriate subforum.
We don't mind if after that you prefer to lurk and read more posts than you write, but an introduction gives our members a chance to welcome you properly to the forum and to get acquainted with you. If you have 0 posts after a month of activation, your account will be deleted.


1f. One account. There will be a limit of one account per physical body. If you need help with your account, please do not create another, just contact an administrator for aid. If you are a multiple system, we suggest you indicate different 'speakers' with a different READABLE font colour, or a signature by that speaker. Yes, this board is plural-friendly, and the administration will be very careful to keep it that way.

1g. Follow the Rules. You must abide by the rules and we will assume (however mistakenly) you have read them. Ignorance is no excuse. A lot of this stuff is a total no-brainer and exists in virtually every forum rulebook.


COMMON COURTESY

2a. Readability. Please watch your spelling and grammar. We have members who do not speak English as a first language, so please be mindful of your punctuation and spelling. This isn't about linguistic superiority; it's about understanding and clarity.

2b. Stay on topic. Do not hijack topics or partake in extended off-topic discussion. Open a new thread or ask a moderator to split the existing topic in two.

2c. Drama prevention. Assume that everyone here is your friend. In case of ambiguity, expect the other person to have meant their statements in a non-offensive way. Written media do not convey emotions very well. Also, don't forget that you can always ask back if you're unsure about the other member's intentions. This goes especially for questions about your beliefs and species identification - they are posted out of curiosity, not malevolence. If the admin appears to be snarking you, please consider that she may actually be 100% sincere, and that you're reading condescension into her statements. Believe it or not, the admin desperately hates interpersonal conflict, and initiating it deliberately is just about the last thing she'd ever intentionally do.

2d. Duplicate topics. Browse the section and/or use the search tool before opening a topic - because it may already exist. We like to avoid redundancy, when possible. Please spare the moderators the work of merging topics.