layin' down the law

the rules.

The rules are pretty simple, and they're designed that way. We expect every member of the forum to follow them. The typical procedure if a rule is broken will be three strikes - you get three warnings, then you're out. In special cases more harsh or lenient penalties may be applied. A staff member who breaks any rule will automatically forfeit the privilege of being staff.

- god moding
No, your character does not produce a bazooka from nowhere and kill everyone. They don't magically know everything you know despite having no chance to find it out. They don't have the magical ability to explode heads by staring hard enough either. Everyone does not instantly fall in love with you, empires do not fall at your feet when you smile, and your laser pistol does not blow up all your enemies but have no effect when you accidentally hit your allies. Nice try though.

- powerplay
You can't take control of anyone else's character. You can't say that they fall over when you push them, that they get angry when you shout at them, or that they were running in the corridors and bumped into you - no matter how much you may like them and think your two characters should definitely bump into each other sometime. Well, unless you have a mind control ray.

- respect
Respect each other. Respect the staff and the job they're trying to do. Be nice about each others' creative abilities. Don't spam. Settle arguments in a mature way or take it to the staff. Just use your common sense, yo.

- adult content
Constellations is a PG-13 site. We permit mild and infrequent swearing; we do not permit your character to drop the f-bomb for lulz. We allow mild and infrequent sexual references - so you can make the odd innuendo and you're fine - but nothing explicit or graphic, and don't make a habit of pushing the line. Shoot as many aliens with your laser pistol as you like, but let's not have graphic descriptions of the gore on the floor - and no torture, no, not even if you like it.

- liquid time
More of a not-rule; Constellations has liquid time. You can use timeskips to your heart's content. Be in as many threads simultaneously as you like and just wave your hand and declare they're set at different times IC. Set threads in your characters' pasts. Write threads about your characters' Stone Age ancestors. Do whatever encourages lots of good, fun roleplaying.

- posting standards
Please use good grammar and spelling when you post (but we do understand typos, and we understand that English is not everybody's first language, and we understand that for some people it's hard - try your best and you'll be fine). We're not picky on tenses or first/third person, so long as your posts are readable. The bare-minimum word count is hardwired into the forum - you can't make a post in the roleplay boards less than 100 words (which also prevents random ooc chatter in that category - take it to PM or chat!). This is an extremely low wordcount, aimed at preventing one liners - write as much as you want and you're comfortable with. Some people will be working in the thousands, others at three hundred, and that's okay - quality and fun are the watchwords. Members under mentoring can request an exemption from the word count.

- profiles
One account per person. The Alters plugin is installed to let you set up characters as sub-accounts - speak to a staff member if you're confused about how to do this or want help. Use a sub-account for each character. Character profiles should be fully IC - the avatar relates to the character or is their face claim, the statuses should be about the character not about your pet kitten, and the signature should relate to that character. Images are fine in signatures, but not if they stretch the forum - staff will inform you if there's a problem.

- images
Images may not be so massive they stretch the forum. No inappropriate images. Face claims are allowed, but not mandatory, and must be celebrities or you must have permission from the person you use (eg. be of yourself / a friend). Avatars are max 300x200 (width x height).

- personal information
We don't care what you want to share about yourself, though we strongly recommend that you don't post personal information that could allow stalkers or scammers to find you. You may not ask for the personal information of others. First names and countries are fine, but if someone does not want to share, you must not pester them. Full names, ages, addresses or phone numbers must not be requested unless offered.