Forum Rules

This page contains the rules of [http://hammelinstitute.proboards.com/index.cgi? The Hammel Institute], which are made by its admin and can be found here.

Civility
Yes, racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, and a hundred other ugly isms exist. Perhaps your character adheres to one or more of them. That's fine, but it stays in character. We all know the difference between IC and OOC, and if we see any ugliness outside of the game, we're coming down hard. This includes mocking, rudeness, harassment, and other poor behavior in the chat.

Writing
We're a role play for all experience levels, so it doesn't matter if you admin on another site or have just discovered proboards, you get treated the same here. That being said, we expect a certain level of writing. Spelling and grammar should be at a high enough level that posts are easily readable. In-character posts should not be in text-speak and should be properly capitalized. '''Do not change the color or size of the default text in in-character posts. The colors and sizes are chosen so posts can be read by people who have vision difficulties.'''

RP Etiquette
It goes hand-in-hand with the first two. No God moding. (Or modding, as some call it.) Don't hijack threads and plots so they revolve solely around your characters. If you're not going to be around for a bit, leave a note on the absence board for us so we know. If you have some IC drama with a character, don't take it out on the player.

Playbys and Images
All characters must have playbys. Playbys are to be human, and MUST be a professional actor/model/singer--someone who gets paid to have their picture taken, not some random internet person. Try to keep the ages realistic as well, Johnny Depp really can't pull off a teenager any more. Playbys must be at least 13 years of age. We know using younger playbys is not illegal, but staff is uncomfortable with the idea. If you wish to make a younger character, use younger pictures of an older playby. If you need a graphic made for your signature or avatar, look in the art forum for people who can make them. Your total signature should be no larger than 500 px wide, and 400 px tall.

Names
Your display name should be the character's first and last name, capitalized properly. For example: Dr. James Campbell. You can have any log-in name you wish, but change the display name when you apply.

Rating
Yes, we are aware that the age groups in question, adolescents through adults, get up to shenanigans. But in general, keep it toned down. Use expletives for emphasis, and not as your character's entire vocabulary. '''If your thread includes a mature topic, mark it with Mature or an M. Fade to black/skip some time when the clothes come off or hands head below the waist. Triggering topics like child abuse and self-harm should have a warning in the first post.''' Death, pregnancy, and other major life events have to be run through the admins.

Applications
Applications should follow the Application Guidelines. Read required documentation before applying.

Activity Checks
There is one activity check a month. It will always run for at least one week, usually from the tenth to the seventeenth. Anyone without an active absence notice is expected to post, listing the characters they wish to keep, and updating us on any changes to the spreadsheet. Characters that are not accounted for will be retired.