The Forum Rules

**Ghost** Sun 12 Dec - 19:28

. Soho Forum Posting Rules .
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Out of Character Notes and Chatter: Please keep all out of character chatter or links or notes or what-have-you to the allocated Out of Character Boards.
In Character Talk: Likewise, please keep all serious in character talk to the In Character Boards.
Character Creation Information: We request that all players on Soho read all the pertinent character creation information provided. We know it can seem daunting at first, but we will ask you to read it anyway if we pend your application for something that is covered in the rules.
Account Information: When you sign up for the board, please be sure that your account name is the first name of your character. If that name is taken, add a number etc, or an initial. Please set your display name to the Firstname Lastname of your character. Please refrain from adding any sorts of nicknames to the account name that are unreasonable in nature. (Such as fantasy names. A nickname is something someone would actually call them, not something you want them to be called.) In addition, names must be original. Do not use the names of the play-bys themselves or characters they have played in films or on television.
Player Activity: We realise that we all have busy lives outside of the forum, but we do request that players keep up with their characters by posting for each one at least once every week. You may have as many characters as you wish as long as you can keep up with them all. Characters that fail to post once a week will be archived, and the player will not be allowed to play them again and must create a new character. Please, if you know that you do not have the time or inspiration to post regularly for one of your characters, don't keep them for the sake of keeping them. Spaces are limited. Players who keep characters they don't have time for deny other players of a spot. That said, players who continuously save their characters from deletion with just one small post, such as an IM post, will be warned and may have that character deleted.
Personal Drama or Conflicts: Soho staff will not tolerate any personal drama or conflict either on the boards themselves or in the chat box. If you have a problem with someone, bring it up with them in private. Soho staff will also not tolerate gang mentality or slandering/complaining about other members to the rest of the Soho members. If you have a problem with another member and are not able to resolve it with them personally, please contact an admin for intervention. There are no exceptions to this rule, and no excuses. Please observe adult, common decency or suffer the consequences.
Posting Standards: Soho is an intermediate to advanced RPG. The staff of Soho would like to promote a creative and visual atmosphere. As such, character posts must be at least 300 words. Please, no one-liners. No-one likes to write a post and get only a couple of lines in response. Have fun, take your time, and be creative with your posts!
Foul Language and R Rated Content: This board is for characters over the age of 16, however, our players may be younger than that. Foul language is allowed on Soho, and is likely to occur. However, please keep intimate, personal relationships of an R-Rated nature off of the main boards. If you must post these things, please take it to private messages. No exceptions.
Mary-Sueism: Mary-Sue characters make the admin very grumpy. Character that are Mary-Sues are characters that are, for example, inordinately powerful or unstoppable despite their size or abilities. Mary-Sues can also be characters that are especially needy or angsty, and feel the need to be the most extreme of any spectrum, or must connect themselves with another character against the other player's wishes. If in doubt, google it! There are Mary-Sue litmus tests out there. ~ On this same note however, an especially broken or angsty character is not necessarily always a Mary-Sue either. As long as it is played true to character and well, it's perfectly alright. Not all original characters are Mary-Sues.
The C-Box: The chat box is open to all members of Soho. However, there are a couple of regulations we want you to observe: Please don't spam the box with many messages in a row. Please try to keep to a maximum of three messages in a row. Also, as previously mentioned, please keep your personal drama or conflict out of the chat box. Please respect your moderators or admins in the chat box. If they ask you to change a subject, please do so without argument. They have been appointed as staff for a reason.
Canon Characters: All character on Soho are original characters. Characters will not be accepted that are based on television shows, movies or books.
Character Race: Likewise, characters will not be accepted that are not human. This means no elves, vampires, clairvoyants, wizards etc. No exceptions on this either.
Character Types: Diversity is the spice of life and we would like to see that reflected here on Soho. We want to see more than asshole dominates and spineless masochists. Like wise, the ratio of men to women should be as even as possible. We will impose bans if there becomes a flux of any particular type of character.
Signature Images and Avatars: Signature images may be no greater in size than 500px wide by 300px high total. For example, if you have two images, their total height may not exceed 300px. Avatars may be no larger than 150px wide by 200px tall. Avatars and signature images may not be sketches, paintings, etc. Players are encouraged to use celebrities of some sort for their images and refrain from using photography of themselves, myspace members, scene kids, deviant art models, etc.
Font Colours, Types and Sizes: When posting to another player, please do not alter the standard font size by making it smaller or larger, or by posting in a colour that is hard for others to read. We understand that some players like to post dialogue in a different colour from the rest of the post, and that's fine as long as it is in a colour that others can read. If in doubt, however, don't use colour at all, and don't assume that just because you can read your text adequately, others can. We're all working on different monitors and with different ranges of eyesight, so please try to be respectful and considerate of that. The same goes for different font types. Please use either the standard font type on the forum, or a similar one that is just as easy to read. If others are having trouble reading your posts due to font colour, size or type, you may be asked to stop and simply use the standard form font.
Addendum I: Do not use pre-formatted post templates, or other forms of posting templates. If your post is good, you don't need all the extra peripheries and fluff, and these can be distracting and even annoying to some people. If you have something important you need to include in your character description for a thread, then post it in writing. If you can't post it in writing, then chances are it's probably not all that important to the thread and plot. I know this is kind of an old-school, fuddy-duddy point of view, but I'm cool with that, honestly.