IRC Channel Rules

This chat is largely for discussing things about writing and roleplaying - eg, character development, worldbuilding, plotting, etc. That said, it's not the only purpose - we discuss a lot of things here.

What you can do here

• Ask for help regarding a specific aspect of a character, setting, or plot you're working on. We might not be able to help, but if it's within our ability and we're not otherwise occupied, we'll usually give it a try.
• Get to know people and make friendly conversation, such as by asking people what they're into, or sharing what you're into.
• Tell us about yourself - how you got here, what you're into, etc!
• Talk about pretty much anything that's fit for a PG-13 rating or below.
• Party on and be excellent to each other.

Do not do these things here

• Listen to the admins. If you're told to stop doing something, stop doing it. If you try to argue back over being issued a warning, you will be banned.
• No unsolicited PMs/DMs to strangers. Ask permission before PM/DMing someone, unless they've told you that you don't need to ask permission. (Note that you might receive PMs/DMs from admins if your behavior is inappropriate.)
• Be a decent person. No racism, ableism, LGBTQIA+-phobia, etc.
• Don't expect people to tell you all about their personal lives and WIPs. Don't pester people for personal details, such as their real names, personal views, etc. You aren't entitled to that information.
• Do not share your personal details if you are a minor. Do not share anyone else's personal details, minor or no. (This includes real names.)
• Don't come in to solicit for roleplayers. And no, this is not a roleplaying chat, so don't try to RP here.
• Don't come in soliciting for a romantic/sex partner, or anything similar. This is not a dating/personals chat!
• Don't ask for character names or story ideas, because that's asking people to do your creative heavy lifting for you. If you need that kind of thing, you can check out random generators and the articles in Developing, Refining, & Troubleshooting Ideas.
• Do not come in to complain about your boredom. If you're bored, you can check out go over here.
• Don't spam: Don't fill the chat with uber-long rants that drown everyone else out, all-caps, song lyrics, or "random" stuff. (Spamming is defined as any continuous input of text that disrupts, rather than contributes to conversation. EG, by posting song lyrics in the middle of a conversation, it becomes difficult for people to keep up with or hold actual conversation.)
• Don't post textwalls. If you have something that's fairly long that you want people to take a look at, you can upload it through the chat in .TXT format (.TXT format is recommended because not everyone will have word processors capable of opening other files), post it and link to it on something like Etherpad or Framabin.
• Cybering/sexing, even as a "joke," is not permitted.
• Don't use sockpuppets (alternate identities created to make it appear as though you're someone else) and don't summon meatpuppets (people you've invited in for the sole purpose of backing you up or defending you).
• Don't use lewd, vulgar, gross, or hateful usernames. Also, if you come in with a name that references a real-life hate group, you will be assumed to be a member of that hate group and will be treated accordingly.
• Don't post outrage bait. In this context, "outrage bait" means content that serves no purpose beyond giving people something to be angry over. For example, posting an article about a known jackass of a politician saying something jackassy counts as outrage bait, unless you are posting it as a case study for writing jackass politicians, or in some other regard relevant to writing fiction.
• It doesn't matter how much you hate some terrible book, creator, Internet personality, etc; we don't need a big, dramatic jerkfest over it, nor do we need snide comments interjected at every turn. This is a place where we try to figure out how to fix problems, not endlessly rant over or snipe at them.
• We get it if you need to vent about your troubles now and then, but if the only thing you come in here for is to complain about something or other, you are not welcome.

Other rules and guidelines to follow

• Include content warnings for links that might be squicky or upsetting. Don't link to adult material (there is a separate chat for adults, if you really must link or bring up something inappropriate for younger users).
• Use cautious judgment when talking about potentially-squicky topics. If it involves any kind of bodily fluids or secretions and isn't relevant to writing something correctly in fiction or something that appeared in fiction, you should probably keep it to yourself. Likewise, if you need to bring up something that isn't appropriate for youngsters, there is a separate channel for it.
• Asking people to provide evidence to back up claims we find questionable is standard procedure here; don't take it personally. We won't hold it against you if you turn out to be wrong or mistaken about something. Admitting you were wrong or that you don't know for sure is a lot more respectable than insisting that you are right despite evidence to the contrary and/or insisting that people should take what you have to say at face value when you have nothing substantial to back it up with.
• If people don't immediately respond, be patient. Most of us have other obligations to attend to, such as school, work, personal projects, and general IRL stuff. During slow times, it might take several minutes before people notice you.
• Remember: Access to this chatroom is a privilege, not a right. Failure to adhere to these rules and acknowledge them when they are pointed out to you is grounds for a ban. Also, even if you aren't technically breaking any rules, you may still be kicked out if your behavior is annoying enough. Try to play nice.

Kicking & Banning Policies

• If you receive a message telling you that you've been banned from the network, or otherwise suddenly find yourself banned without having received any warning or explanation, it's probably Esper acting up. Try coming back later, or on another device.
• You won't get permabanned for the occasional mistake. Nobody's perfect. Just try your best and you'll be fine. On the other hand, deliberate and willful malice, antagonism, or pigheadedness will get you banned indefinitely.
• If you are temporarily banned, it'll usually last from a few hours to a few days, depending on what you've done. This might be a great time to review How To Behave In A Creative Help Community and Social Tips For The Socially Awkward.
• While regular members are usually allowed to idle/lurk indefinitely, non-regular members will be kicked from the room if they spend long periods of time without posting anything. (Usually several hours.) If this happens to you, you're welcome to come back anytime you're in the mood to talk!
• Idlers who auto-join upon kicking will be temporarily banned to keep them from auto-joining. If this happens to you, you're welcome to rejoin from another device or once the ban is removed whenever you're in the mood to talk.

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