The Code

In order for the forum to prosper, we have written a set of rules and guidelines known as "The Code". From hereon, The Code shall refer to these sets of laws, and it must be adhered to and enforced at all times.

The highest position of authority are the administrator(s), known as the Emperors. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the forum, they shall be the source and final authority in all matters.
Please note the following administrators:
Kouzuki Luna
Emperor Emperor Sloth
The Emperor

There shall be those who enforce the law, known as the moderators. In the forum, they are known as "The Knights" and shall be referred to as such throughout the forum.

Those who sign up as regular members on the forum shall be known as "The Citizens".

There shall be two types of knights, they shall be known as the "White Knights", the level 1 moderators, and "Knight of Rounds", the level 2 moderators. (This is subject to change, depending on how many members we have).

In the absense of The Emperor, the administrator(s) word is law. In the absence of administrators, the Knight of Rounds' word is law. In their absence, the White Knights' word is law. One must recognize and follow the chain of command.

If there is a phrase you do not understand, then please read the glossary of terms here.

As per the request of The Emperor, I have created a policy known as the No Nonsense Policy (NNP). This policy shall govern what will, and will not, be allowed within The Forum, with the inclusion of the Implied Clause. I will also dictate my opinion of the punishments to be exacted upon those who misbehave.

Spamming is absolutely forbidden. I will not, personally, be giving second chances to any spammers. Also, anything involving Erectile Dysfunction/Male Enhancement Medication will be considered spamming, and you will be subsequently punished as befitting a spammer.

• If one spams, and does not edit or delete their post before a Black Knight, Knight of Rounds, or The Emperor sees it, then they shall be exiled, with a potential second chance if given by a Knight of Rounds or The Emperor after the exiled One appeals to them.

Inappropriate content from The Forbidden Zone is disallowed. This includes links to pornography, or anything else you wouldn't want your children to see. The Emperor has decreed that Hentai/Ecchi/Yaoi/Yuri shall be PARTIALLY allowed, if one were to have his express permission before posting.

• If one posts a link to The Forbidden Zone, and a White Knight, Knight of Rounds, or The Emperor discovers it, the person will be made into an Unpriveledged One, and will not be able to post for a set amount of time. They will be permitted to log in, and read the forums, but not to post. The aforementioned Unpriveledged One may appeal to The Emperor or a Knight of Rounds to have their time shortened.

Flaming is strictly forbidden. We are a group of kind people, and wish to have our members uphold that value. Do not get caught being cruel to others.

• If anyone is caught insulting another, they will be made into an Unpriveledge One until the Knight of Rounds or The Emperor sees fit.

Racial slurs are forbidden, with the exception of the term "Eleven". Spearchucker, Porchmonkey, Wetback, no matter how clever or funny it may seem, none of these things are nice, and we find them very offensive.

• Beyond the term "Eleven", using racial slurs is absolutely prohibited. Anyone caught using such language is subject to the punishment dictated by the one slurred against. The Knight of Rounds, or The Emperor, shall asked the offended one what they think should happen, and carry out their wishes, to a degree. The punishment must be reasonable.

Harassment is allowed on NO LEVELS! We will not condone, nor allow such misconduct. Do NOT allow a staff member to witness such a thing, or else you shall be in trouble. Emperor Kururugi especially dislikes people who harass others.

• Harassment - If a Citizen is caught harassing another Citizen, the offender shall be made into an Unpriveledged One for as long as the punisher deems it necessary, depending on the level of the offense.

Cursing is allowed, so as long as one does not use it for harassment.

• There is no punishment for cursing, beyond insulting yourself. Gailardia Galan Gardios, being a clever man, has modified the settings of The Website to convert curse words into self-directed insults. So feel free to insult yourself, foulmouthed ones!

If one is caught on the same offense a second time, the punishment shall be drastically increased. As you have seen, most offenses simply prevent you from posting. However, on a second offense, you will be banned from logging in for a set period of time. If caught a third time, you WILL be banned with no expiration date. You WILL be a Twinkie! Have fun through the Nuclear Holocaust to come, cause only you, and the cockroaches will survive!

Insulting or disrespecting a fellow Knight:

• One must understand that the Knights are here to serve your needs. They must do what is best for the forum, not the individual. The punishment for insuling a Knight will be determined by the Knight in question.

We are not asking, but demanding that all Citizens, and Knights, follow The Code. Anyone who does not adhere to The Code will be subject to punishment as decreed by The Emperor.

Signing up for a new forum can be exciting, but scary at the same time. We are here to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. We suggest that all new members introduce themselves in the New Users section. This way, you are welcomed by our community and you will get to know your fellow members and moderators.

Often times, we have contests and forum-wide projects occuring. Please check often to see if you want to be part of it.

If you have not already done so, introduce yourself to The Emperor. He would like to personally meet and greet every single one of you.

There shall be several classes of citizens, of which one can ascend to based on the number of posts.

Those who visit our forum but do not sign up are known as guests.

Those who sign up and activate their account are known as inactive members Once you make your first post, you will become a civilian.

Class How to attain Stars Guests Arrive at the forum Inactive Member Sign up for forum Civilian Must have 1 posts Private Must have 10 posts Private First Class Must have 50 posts Specialist Must have 100 posts Corporal Must have 150 posts Sergeant Must have 200 posts Staff Sergeant Must have 250 posts Sergeant First Class Must have 300 posts Master Sergeant Must have 350 posts First Sergeant Must have 400 posts Sergeant Major Must have 450 posts Command Sergeant Major Must have 500 posts Sergeant Major of the Army Must have 550 posts Warrant Officer Must have 600 posts Second Lieutenant Must have 650 posts First Lieutenant Must have 700 posts Captain Must have 750 posts Major Must have 800 posts Lieutenant Colonel Must have 850 posts Colonel Must have 900 posts Brigadier General Must have 950 posts Major General Must have 1000 posts Lieutenant General Must have 1100 posts General Must have 1200 posts General of the Army Must have 1300 posts Commander Must have 1400 posts Commander in Chief Must have 1500 posts Supreme Commander Must have 1600 posts

These promotions shall be automatically granted to you by the forum itself once you have reached the required number of posts. You, as the citizens, are responsible for the content of the forum, and content is what attracts new members. You shall be rewarded for providing content, because content adds value to the forum.

How to become a moderator?

If you wish to become a moderator, ask an administrator or a knight. They will guide you through the process.

Level 1 moderators are called White Knights, and level 2 moderators are called Knight of Rounds.

• Must make the request in a post in the "Suggestions and Comments" forum.
• Make one post per request. Do not spam the request.
• The request must be reasonable. Example: requesting to add a new section to the forum is a reasonable request, provided that there is enough need from the citizens to have that section.
• The request will be discussed by the Knights and the Emperor, and we shall decide whether or not the request is approved.

From time to time, a fellow member may have a problem with another member. We suggest that you resolve these issues on your own. If you cannot, however, then bring your issue to a moderator.

If the moderator cannot solve the problem, then bring it to another moderator. If that is not possible, bring the issue to an adminstrator.

There will be times when a member does not agree with a moderators decision. Moderators are trained to be as fair as possible, and not bully the members. However, if one feels that a certain moderator's decision is incorrect, please bring it to other moderators. If that is not possible, bring the issue to an administrator.

It is our hope that there will be no conflicts with the Emperor. However, if you feel that the Emperor's decision is incorrect, please bring this to the Emperor directly.

If all else fails, then bring your issue to the Emperor. Note that the Emperor's decisions are final, and you will have to live with whatever is dealt to you.

• The golden rule: treat others as you would have them treat you.
• Do not be afraid of the Emperor. He is your friend. But from time to time he will need to make decisions and may not necessarily agree with all of your opinions.
• Do not insult the Emperor. Nothing good will come out of insulting the Emperor.

For conduct in the forum, please read Clause II on acceptable behavior.

Conduct in the Refrain chatroom:

Please note that we have a chatroom available to you - accessible from a visible link on the top and bottom of the forum called "Chat". Note that the chatroom will open in a new window, so enable your javascript if it doesn't work.

All rules that apply in the forum apply to the private chatroom. Respect your fellow members and moderators. Our chatroom moderators will enforce the rules and make the chatroom and fun and safe place for you to chat.

Regarding Instant Messaging:

If there is a conflict between another member, then it is your responsibility to resolve it. We, the Refrain team, will not moderate nor become involved in those communications.

Congratulations to those who have become a Knight of Rounds.

New priveleges:

• Moving irrelevant topics to their proper location.
• Locking topics that no longer need replies.
• Deletion of topics that do not add value to the forum
• Ban misbehaving members. The type of ban (temporary/permanent) will be at your discretion.

Those who hold the title of knight are honorable, so we can trust you that you will not abuse your power, and do not abuse the law-abiding citizens.

In the event that a citizen has a problem with a knight, he/she is encouraged to take it up to that knight directly. We created a subsection called "Peace Treaties" just for this purpose. It is for you to resolve your problems with another fellow member.

If the problem cannot be resolved, then you can discuss this with other knights. And if all else fails, you can go to The Emperor.

Firstly, shame on thou for being banned. Thou hath disgraced thyself and thy family name by thy inappropriate actions.

Secondly, taketh this time to reflect upon thy disgraceful actions, whether it be flaming, spamming, or being disrespectful to a fellow member.

Thou can still requesteth an unbanning if thou art sincere about changing thy behavior. Then and only then will we unban thou.

If thou feeleth that thou wert wrongly banned or punished, please sendeth an email/PM to the knights stating thy case. Explain in the message why thou feeleth thou wert wrongly banned. Do not spam the knights, otherwise thou shalt be banned permanently and be sent to the Abyss of the internet.

If thou hath been wrongly accused, we do apologize, and we assureth thou that we wilt be as fair as possible to our citizens.