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Author Topic: Role Playing Rules & Information [edited 06-07-09]  (Read 15867 times)

GothicFires

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Role Playing Rules & Information [edited 06-07-09]
« on: May 13, 2007, 12:07:49 PM »
Note: Role playing rules may be updated at any time by the edit of this post. Role playing rules being changed after you become a member of In The Dark/Joint Ventures does  not excuse you for not knowing them.

Site Wide Rules

Registering
  • After you register on the board you MUST go to your email account and activate your registration. We apologize for the inconvenience but spammers have required us to make this a rule. If you do not get your activation email, please do not register again. Send an email to gothicfires'at'gmail.com and I will activate the registration for you. The email you send must be from the same address you registered with.
  • Registering does not allow you to see more than you already could if you were a guest.  To have full access to the site you MUST create an introduction thread, affirm you are over the age of 18, affirm that you have read the rules and provide a writing sample. The list of questions you need to answer is located here.
  • If you have been referred to this site by someone here or are a member of Elliquiy or Odessy please let us know. We have joint members on those sites and it could speed your access.
  • For you idiots who are trying to advertise, don't waste our time ( I don't really care about your time.) ANY USERNAME WITH A [DOT]WEB EXTENSION (example imtooclever.com) will be deleted. Given that moderators are usually on most of the time it won't last long. (yes I am really irritated that I had to write this rule.)

AGE, MATURITY and CONDUCT
  • Role playing members must be adults, 18 years of age or older. If you are not 18 and wish to role play then go to RPOL.
  • If you are found to lack the maturity to be a good member of this site, you will be removed.  We will never issue more than two warnings. It simply isn't worth our time.
  • If you are easily offended, then there is 100% chance you will find something offensive here. Do not join. Both In The Dark and Joint Venture have specific places for things that might offend sensitive people. If you are sensitive then stay out of those areas. If something upsets you simply do not open the thread again.
  • No discrimination is allowed on any account. We are open to all races, religions, cultures and sexual orientations. 
  • You are expected to be respectful of those whose views differ from yours. You may openly disagree with someone, but you may not flat out tell them they are wrong, stupid, pointless... etc. In the real world you meet people you don't like, you stay away from them.  Here, you will likely find people that you don't like, do the same.  We do not need snide comments, flame wars, screaming matches, drama in general.Adults should be able to have a discussion without tension and stress.
  • Realize that even though this is not 'real life' people have the same boundaries that they do in 'real life'
  • Do not "DO" or "Write that you are doing" anything to anyone with out getting permission of that person first. Example. Stranger types: *hugs GothicFires* This is wrong. Stranger should typed: *offers hugs to GothicFires* or "GothicFires may I hug you?"
  • You will see people here *hugging* or doing other things together all the time. Just because a member does this with another member does not mean you have a right to do it with out asking. If you accidentally "do" something to someone with out asking and they tell you not to do it again... don't. If you do it again you will get one warning... twice you will be removed from the board. There is no reason not to respect a persons boundaries.
  • If someone crosses your boundaries without your permission and you do not like it do not become upset. Yes i know this next statement will go against what is written above, but they aren't physically capable of touching you. Nor should you suffer in silence or accept it to 'keep the peace'. Tell the person that you did not like it and to please not do it again. If they do it again then report it to an administrator or a moderator and we will warn them. If they do it a third time then we will remove them from the board.
  • There are online and real life couples on this site. Some of them choose to live an alternative life style. You are expected to respect that life style. Example Shadow claims GothicFires as her slave and GothicFires agrees. That does not give you the right to call GothicFires or anyone else a slave with out their permission and if you wish to work with GothicFires in a D/s setting then you must ask Shadow who is her master. (Disclaimer. this is an example written without Shadow's permission because she and I are very good friends.. She would love to have me as a slave... as I am naturally an Alpha... its not going to happen.)
  • Limits, Before you start writing with someone, check thier limits, likes and dislikes, keep to them.  While in the RPs no may not mean it or might be ignored, the members limits are to be respected.
  • Real life,  We all have one, some are married or have a very fine relationship outside of the forums, because you have a nice steamy affair with them here does not mean that you are to expect or even ask them to have on in meat space (For those that need the definiton for that, it's slang for real life, the part of the day you are not on the net).
  • Real life again, Sometimes RL intrudes, work, family, school, whatever.  Sometimes it's as simple as a case of writers block.  If a partner has not posted to you in a bit, it happens.  Send a quick PM asking if they are ok, something with the story that you can help them with, a gentle reminder that it is their post.  Do not do this every 15 minutes telling them to post, demanding reasons, being generally rude.  You don't know the real reason, your partner may just have had bad news and needs a little bit of time.

WHAT IS NOT ALLOWED
  • No sexual content is allowed in the board Everything Under the Sun as it is viewable by the public. Note your Avatar and pictures in the Signature are also viewable to the public.
  • No children, characters made in the image of children or characters with the mentality of a child may be in or role played in a sex scene. This includes just observing. Break this rule and your account will be closed and your ip given to law enforcement. The minimum character age here is 17. To be clear, a 70 year old elf that looks 12, no, a mature looking 14 year old, no, the age and apparent age of the character needs to be states as 17 or over.
  • No Scat or coprophilia (body waste)
  • No Necrophilia (animated dead, vampires, ghouls and other undead are exempt from this rule as long as they are not falling apart.)
  • No Snuff, guro or gore.
  • No pictures of rape or bestiality.

GAMES
  • Just because this is an Adult website does not mean your role playing games/stories need to contain sex.
  • Role playing non consensual (rape) is not forbidden on this site. However it can only be written in the Oubliette on the In The Dark board or the non consensual area of the Joint Ventures board. I want to make it clear that we at In The Dark, Joint Ventures and Gothic Fires in no way condone the hurting on another individual whether it be mental or physical. If you begin role playing a game outside designated areas and a non-con issue arises you must have a moderator move the game before you  can continue.  If it is a multi-thread group game the entire game must be moved or that segment of the game gets its on thread in an appropriate area.

AUTHORITY
  • If you have a problem with another role playing member, please try to work it out between yourselves in private. If you cannot then contact a Site Moderator and let them mediate.
  • Do not ever argue with a Moderator. If you do not like or agree with what they have said then you may state your case in a calm and polite fashion to the next level up (ie Game Moderator answers to Site Moderator answers to Administrators answers to Owners: Steve or Myself).  In most cases the Moderators will win simply because they either have rules they want to follow with the game they are running or they are Moderators because we trust their judgment and given them that responsibility. However each issue will be looked at objectively. Owner decisions are final.

ACTIVITY
  • Those that have signed up but not made an introduction in 30 days will be deleted
  • Role Playing members who have not logged on for 6 months may be deleted.
  • Role Playing games that have no activity for 3 months may be deleted. Though exceptions will be made for good stories.

OTHER STUFF
  • Avatars cannot contain nudity. I cannot stress enough that children and teenagers will be able to find this role playing site.
  • Pictures in the private area may contain nudity. But not sexual violence, bestiality or be gory. If you need me to host a picture because it is not in the guidelines of free host picture sites, email me the picture to pictures@gothicfires.net. I will PM you the link.
  • New Members should only post in the Rules, Information & Entry Board. Posting in any other board before you are moved to the JV and/or ITD group will result in you being removed from the site.  This is to prevent spamming on the boards that we use to help & promote those who are part of our community/family. If you are here with sincerity you will be accepted soon enough.
  • You must post an introduction before you will be granted access to the JV and/or ITD group  so that you can see the entire board.
   
In The Dark specific rules
  • Please Note that the writing standards do not apply to the JointVentures board. However if you write on both boards you are still required to maintain these standards on the In The Dark board.
  • We who run In The Dark would never require role playing standards for anyone that we ourselves do not meet. All of us have extremely busy schedules. We take the time to role play, write and run this board because we enjoy it. So we ask that you provide the same quality role play writing that we do.
  • Try to make posts at least 100 words. We recognize that it is not always possible, but those times should be rare. Posts under three lines are not acceptable at all. If you answer the following questions then your post will never be too short:
    • What is your character doing?
    • Why is your character doing what they are doing?
    • What do they see, hear, taste or feel?
    • How do they react/feel to what they see,  hear, taste or feel?
    • what is going on around your character that does not directly affect your character yet gives more atmosphere to the game?
  • Do not control another's character with out their permission. The whole idea of role play is that there are multiple people involved. Sometimes the situation will warrant it, but always work with your role playing partners for the sake of the pleasure of all involved in the writing. Posts can always be edited.

If you haven't found this list to be unreasonable and are still interested please create an account and answer the questions from the thread Your Sordid Details. Please note that though other role playing members may greet you, acceptance for full membership must be made by a Site Administrator.
« Last Edit: June 07, 2009, 12:27:46 PM by GothicFires »
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GothicFires

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Re: Role Playing Rules & Information [edited 03-06-09]
« Reply #1 on: March 17, 2009, 08:13:42 PM »
A would be nice if you did... but not a rule

Delete your PMs both RECEIVED and SENT when they no longer become relative. If you are wanting to keep track of a game discussion use a thread on Notes board. I don't care if the game is in JV or ITD. It will be much easier to follow a thread than trying to sort through them in PM.

If someone said something really nice... or really naughty and you want to remember it. Fine keep it but once your list gets long, move it to your personal PC.

This is just to help keep the database optimized.

Thanks
Gothic Fires
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GothicFires

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Re: Role Playing Rules & Information [edited 03-06-09]
« Reply #2 on: June 07, 2009, 12:10:17 PM »
Other role playing websites...

Unlike most other sites, I don't feel that people can't enjoy multiple sites. I have a list of other role playing sites under the Role Playing Resources. If you have a site that is not there and you would like me to list it them PM me the url. You are also permitted to put a link in your signature. If the site has a banner than PM it to me and I will be happy to use it in the appropriate place.

HOWEVER

I absolutely draw the line at advertising using Avatars. It is simply disrespectful.

This is happened twice. I am posting this so it is something that I do not have to repeat myself on in the future.

It has been brought to my attention that when someone tries to link an avatar from E that the Avatar will show as a picture with Elliquiy's url in it. If you link to an avatar on another role playing site or another site period double check to see that it comes out the way you intended.
« Last Edit: June 07, 2009, 03:11:35 PM by GothicFires »
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GothicFires

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Re: Role Playing Rules & Information [edited 03-06-09]
« Reply #3 on: June 07, 2009, 12:18:28 PM »
Relationships on the Web
(Though this was written as a resource, I have added this to the rules & information thread because of the section under the red title at the bottom)

In the Dark and Joint Ventures is a role playing forum for adults who are single or together in a 'relationship'. I want to start this article by defining what relationship means in reference to the title. It means how one relates to another. There are varying degrees of relationships from not knowing another individual to being exclusively married.

It is the desire of In the Dark and Joint Ventures to provide a community atmosphere where both singles and people in partnerships can come and comfortably write on adult subjects, hang out with friends and be happy. The internet however has added a new dynamic to relationships that can be frightening and unsettling at times or overwhelmingly wonderful in others. It allows us to interact with people on an intellectual level yet keep a physical distance that we often mistake for an emotional distance.

This article may not be the beliefs of every staff member of In The Dark or Joint Ventures but it is what we will use to guide this site by.

Welcome to the Web...

Now myth will tell you that the internet is not real life and that it is a much more dangerous place than that which you must physically experience each and every day. I tell you now that this myth is not true. Real people have real communications and affect real feelings via the internet each day. You can meet dangerous and deceptive people in person, you don't need a computer for that. Yes it is easier to lie when you do not have to look at someone face to face, but people get arrested for conning other people in person every day.

So what do I do...

Say hello and talk to people. Find something you have in common and start a discussion. This is the same thing you would do if you met a stranger in a park or in a bar. If you find that you have chemistry with this person then keep talking and develop a friendship. Now if you were face to face you would have given this person your phone number or at least your email address, for those more cautious. Online you have these options and more. There are places like this where you can send personal message or participate in a public one and there are various IM information that you can exchange.

But this is online, how do I trust the other person?

Just like the real world, you just have to take the chance. Will you try to be friends with people who turn out to be crappy? The answer to that is a resounding YES. But you will also find some of the best people that you will never have the pleasure of meeting face to face.

In the 'real world' I have had people I thought were my friends fail me, online I have had people I thought were my friends fail me. See... no difference.

In the 'real world' I have found friends who are wonderful and would stick by my side no matter what. While Online I got to meet a friend from Australia whom i had been friends with for two years (though I have since lost touch with him). I have found a beautiful ongoing 8 year friendship with a musician in Turkey. I have had my first writing partner stay at my house... now if i can only get her to write again (Lotus). I have friends on this board that I would prefer to give up my last breath than to give them up.

In short... to find friendship you have to take a chance at it. There is a risk of failing but there is a chance at success too. You will find both.

So I take a chance with someone, how can I be safe?

This is a reminder to be realistic. The first kind of relationship that you should offer anyone is a friendship. It is very easy to be romantic when all that pass between two people are words. A person's in-person personality is never going to match their online personality perfectly. This person may not be out to deceive you, but there are personality traits that my not cross over into the data stream.

Time is the closest answer you will get to know if you can truly trust someone. The amount of time you wish to wait to guess that answer is up to you. Just as in 'real life' what you give someone depends on how much you trust them.
Phone Numbers
  • Understand that if you give out your phone number either cell or land line there is a chance you may eventually need to change it.
  • If you give out your land line number and you do not have an unlisted number then your address can be found online.
  • Calling someone after they have asked you not to, harassing them or making a threat via phone is a FEDERAL CRIME aka... big jail time.
  • Caller ID allows you to decide if you are going to answer the phone or not.
Email
  • This form of communication allows you to store messages and communicate at any time with out being online at the same time.
  • Messages can be forwarded to multiple people with ease.
  • Emails have spam filters. You can tell the email system to send a specific persons email directly to the trash so you do not have to see it.
Instant Messengers
  • Allows for real time communication.
  • Most have voice capability so you can talk with each other with out the exchange of phone numbers.
  • Conversations can be saved.
  • There is a block feature that prevents delivery of the message by that person. It actually prevents them from seeing that you are logged into that instant messenger.

If you need to know how to alter settings on a particular IM please post a thread related to that IM software.
Message Boards
  • They are places where both private and public socialization can take place.
  • They have rule and guidelines for interactions.
  • Most have ways of blocking unwanted contact or ways of reporting those that make unwanted contact.
Physical AddressI have never given out my physical address to anyone that I have not been friends with for at least two years. This I would not recommend unless you are 100 percent certain that this is a person you can trust.  If you need to mail or receive mail from someone then go get a PO Box.

What do I do if things go wrong?

So you have a falling out with someone you socialize with over the internet. In the best scenario is that you both just go your separate ways with out another work to or about each other. 

However some individuals have a problem doing this. They may feel like they can't be wronged and must continue to contact you until they feel vindicated. It is possible that this person thrives on causing chaos and making other people miserable. Maybe they are just so needy of attention that they cannot properly let go of the contact after you have ended the relationship. This person continues to contact you despite your desires that they cease to do so.

How do I handle unwanted contact?

Regardless of your personality, you must tell this person that further contact with you is unacceptable. Be clear that you will no longer accept phone calls, emails, private messages or ims. You may think to yourself that you do not want to cause trouble or a scene. It may not be in your nature to stand up for yourself and tell someone to stop. This is one time when it is important to do something contrary to a submissive personality and lay definite boundaries that you are willing to defend. If you do not stand your ground and make your rules clear this person will continue to harass you until they get board, also know that they will to it to someone else.

Once you have sent this message then follow through. Do not answer your phone if they call. Have emails sent to junk, delete and block the ims. You were living before this person, continue to do what you normally do after you break contact.

If the actions of this person really concerned you. Perhaps they were angry or threatening in their contacts. Maybe you find that they are talking about you with other people so that it affects your reputation or comfort on the site that you are both members of. If this happens then contact an administrator at the site and explain the situation. Be prepared to share proof: email, recording of voice mail, an IM log or anything else that you may have. If this person is treating you in a manor that frightens you are makes you uncomfortable than they could be doing this to someone else. You may not want to 'cause trouble' but they are already doing so. You cannot allow someone to chase you from a place that you want to be. Both parties should be able to co exist on the same site with out affecting each other in a negative way.

How do I know if I have stepped over the line?

So a relationship has ended. Maybe you have had a disagreement over something or your personalities just didn't mesh. Now you are angry. That's ok. Its a normal human reaction. So what do you do? You honor the other person's request not to contact them again. You let the problem slip by you and keep it to yourself.

If you
  • Send an angry or threatening message
  • Talk about this person in a negative manner to anyone else
  • Try to control someone by making them uncomfortable on sites where you both socialize
  • Try to contact the person after they have told you not to and you are not sending an apology
Then you have stepped over the line

What does that matter to this site?

It has been brought to my attention that some individuals do not come to this site as often as they would like because another individual on the site was making them feel uncomfortable.

Now it is no secret that I can retrieve private messages that have been made on this board as long as they are not deleted by all persons involved in the PM. This is not easy but it can be done. So no one is going to be stupid enough to send inappropriate PMs to anyone on this site.

However if you act in appropriately to anyone outside this site after they have asked you to cease contact then you will be reprimanded on this site. This site does not want to take sides in the lives of individuals outside our boarders but when you decide to violate rules of etiquette and decency so that it affects another's feeling of safety on this site then we have a problem that must be resolved.

If we are sent proof of harassment then one, many or all of the following can happen
  • You loose your ability to see who is online
  • You loose your ability to PM
  • You loose your ability to participate on the main boards. In this case you will be given your own board and those who write with you will be given access to it
  • You loose access to the site

Every member of this site is an adult. The rumor of this should never again cross our knowledge because no one should ever cross the lines as to affect another's feeling of security.

Friends come and go, it is an unfortunate part of life. If a relationship ends, let it end graciously. Because the excuse that you were well behaved here is no longer a safety net if you misbehaved else where.
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GothicFires

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Re: Role Playing Rules & Information [edited 06-07-09]
« Reply #4 on: June 12, 2011, 08:50:29 PM »
Due to spammers annoying me, if you wish to become a member of this board you most first PM me (Gothicfires) through http://elliquiy.com

At the moment this is not a very active board. You're welcome to come and change that. I am simply tired of deleting spam. If you can make it through E screening you can make it here.
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