All of the rules below pertain to posts made within threads as well as any content displayed elsewhere on the forum.
Treat All Members With Respect
New, old, ranked, unranked - all members shall be treated with the same respect.
Insulting or Flaming Another Member: Talking down to another member based on who they are or what they have posted is considered flaming. Talking about another member in a demeaning way is also not allowed. There is a clear difference between flaming and constructive criticism. If another member has posted something that you feel is wrong, that you disagree with, or that you feel is not appropriate, there is a better way to get the point across than insulting them or giving feedback in a demeaning fashion. This rule also forbids ad hominem attacks in debates. (Infraction: 5, 10, or 15 points, based on severity and repetition)
Trolling or Baiting: Trolling and baiting describe actions which attempt to elicit negative - often humorous, emotional, or inappropriate - responses from others, and will not be tolerated. This includes mocking, antagonizing, harassing, or otherwise targeting the nerves of another member or group. Although by definition these depend on a member's intentions, moderators will judge incidents based on the perceived effects on the target. Be careful to respect other members' dignity. (Infraction: 8 or 15 points, based on severity and repetition)
Be Mindful of Others
Keep It Clean: We want this to be an open and welcoming environment for people of all ages. This can easily be accomplished by "keeping it clean" and having little to no cursing or foul language within posts. There is a word filter in place, and bypassing it is not allowed. Members shall also refrain from posting any messages, images, or other media that are obscene, vulgar, sexually-oriented (except in appropriate Mature Discussions), hateful, threatening, or otherwise violative of any laws (including piracy, e.g. ROMs, warez). Discrimination towards anyone's age, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity, will not be tolerated. (Infraction: 3 (language), 6 (other), or 20 (extreme) points)
Spoiler Warnings: Place [SPOILER][/SPOILER] tags around any spoilers. A spoiler is any piece of information that gives: story line details, solutions to quests or dungeons, new characters or characters' secret identities, or secret items or items' locations that are meant to be revealed at a certain point during the game (excludes box, manual, and exposition). This isn't a strict rule and will not be punished as such. Users may be reminded via PM to be mindful of the common courtesy of hiding off-topic or spontaneous spoilers. Moderators reserve the right to edit posts to include spoiler tags at their discretion and issue at most a PM asking the user to be more cautious in the future.
Make Positive Contributions
Making Spam Posts: In a discussion thread, posting is meant to be constructive and help discuss the topic at hand. If you don't have anything to say pertaining to the discussion, then it's best not to say anything at all. Making a post solely to point out that a thread is in the wrong section, or that it is likely going to be locked, does not contribute to the discussion and is considered spam. Additionally, excessive use of text manipulation such as text capitalization, bold, italics, size, underline and color both in forum posts and the shoutbox are considered as spam and should be kept to a minimum. Zalgo text (or similar) is not to be used anywhere on the website. (Infraction: 3 points; 15 points for excessive spamming)
Chan Behavior: Chan behavior here means anything specifically or primarily associated with chan posting – reaction images, greentext, newfan images that are intentionally insulting, disturbing or promote any feeling of discomfort etc. Providing a comprehensive list of what qualifies as 'chan behavior' would be impossible. In general practice this is a message board aimed towards video game discussion for all ages. Zelda Dungeon is not a chan style forum and should not be treated as one. Please refrain from using any imagery that is not totally suitable for all ages and when you post please be sure that it actually contributes to the discussion at hand.
Advertising: It's fine to link to a personal website in your signature, but it is against the rules to create a thread or make a post in another thread purely to advertise something. In addition, while we try to be inclusive of all ages, nationalities, races, beliefs, etc., if you are a spam bot, you will be discriminated against with no mercy.
Plagiarism: Compositions produced by others must be attributed to them. Don't claim to be the creator of content which you did not create. This is especially relevant to Drawings and Writing in the Fan Works section but also relevant to posts, which should be in quotes if they are not your own. (Infraction: 6 points)
Other Rules
Duplicate Accounts: Each member shall have only one account. Creating a duplicate account will result in the duplicate being either deleted, permanently banned, or merged with the original, and the original account receiving a duplicate account infraction. If the original account is already banned, the ban duration will be extended at the discretion of the moderators. Repeat offenses will result in permanent and/or IP bans. (Infraction: 10 points)
Chatbox Content: The chatbox will not be moderated as strictly in order to allow a more open atmosphere. However, members are expected to heed moderator requests (such as toning down spam or halting harassment) immediately. Failure to do so will result in being banned from the chatbox for 24 hours, or more for repeat offenses. In extreme cases, infractions may be given. Descriptive/detailed sexual discussion in the chatbox is not allowed. An occasional innuendo or joke is fine as long as it isn't highly descriptive or directed towards another member, but the forum and the chatbox are not an appropriate place for highly sexually-oriented discussions.
Forum-Specific Rules: Please note that several sections such as Zelda Theory and Mature Discussion have their own set of rules described in pinned threads within the section. When posting in these sections, you are responsible for knowing and following those rules.
Blogs: The Blog section, while being overall lax in terms of "rules", still has certain guidelines. Do not post one-word or completely spammy blogs, avoid obnoxious blog titles, and avoid off topic arguments in the blog comments. Please keep it clean and follow all other rules in this section. You may only post one blog every 24 hours and should avoid posting an excessive amount of consecutive blogs. Please see the Blog Rules and Instructions thread for more details on blogs.
Ignores: Uses of the Ignore function should be treated as a private matter between the involved parties. Don't make public posts about Ignores, and if you happen to realise or think someone is ignoring you or another user when you're in a shoutbox discussion do not bring it up.
Lorule Lounge: Lorule Lounge is a forum where rules for spam posts are relaxed. Other rules, particularly regarding trolling/baiting and insulting/flaming other members still apply there as we don't want it to be used as an excuse to be a place for bullying.
Reports: Reports are taken seriously and that while there may sometimes be a feeling that nothing is done with reports, people should note that infractions/warnings are not publicly announced and each report is discussed by members of the moderation team. Reports should only be made using the report function and must not be made in public areas of the forum such as threads, profiles of staff members, or in the shoutbox.
Privacy: Respect the privacy of other members. Do not mention if you believe a specific user is hiding their online visibility status.
Text Colour: Please refrain from changing the colour of text in posts unless it is to highlight one specific point. This is as different users use different themes and most colours will not look good or easy to read on all of them.
Housekeeping
We ask that you also refrain from certain activities that, while not necessarily offensive otherwise problematic, are nuisances. An infraction (1 point) may be given only if a member fails to heed a moderator's request to cease a certain activity. This list may grow without notice.
Thread Necromancy: In general, revival of old threads is tolerated, as long as they are still relevant. However, outdated threads (such as those speculating about a game which has since been released) should not be revived. Posting answers to old questions is also discouraged, unless providing more information that previous answers did not.
Double Posting: Don't post more than once in a row within a thread. If you wish to reply to more than one user, use the "+Quote" button on each post you want to respond to. In the event that you have an afterthought or more to add please edit this into your first post unless another member has made a post since yours. Note: Certain forums allow double posting in some situations, check the sticky forum-specific rule threads for further information.
Policies
Infractions and Bans: Usually when a member breaks a rule for the first time they will receive a PM reminder. The next step is a formal warning, which stays on that member's profile (only visible to that member and to moderators) as a permanent reminder of the rule. If the member continues to break that rule, he or she will receive an infraction, which comes with a certain amount of points toward a ban of a certain length. Points expire after 9 months, and can add up to bans of the following lengths:
Contesting Unfair or Undeserved Infractions: If you feel you received an infraction you didn't deserve, please PM the moderator who issued it and politely explain your position. If you are not satisfied with that moderator's response (or the moderator doesn't respond), then you may PM Jimmu, who will make a final decision, usually after raising discussion with the entire moderation team. If you still aren't satisfied with this final decision and feel you are being unfairly treated, you may start a public discussion in this thread. This entire process must be done respectfully, or your concerns may not be taken seriously. Stirring up trouble through other channels or defying the moderator decision may result in further disciplinary action. Banned users can contact the staff via the Contact Form.
Name Changes: You are allowed one name change every six months. You must contact either Azure Sage, Jimmu, Spiritual Mask Salesman, or Vanessa28 via Private Message and have your new name approved. Any new username changes are restricted to the same character limit as the limited imposed when you sign up, that is 20 characters (including spaces). Additionally, if a user changes their username, another active forum member cannot take their old username within three months of the original holder of the username making the change.
Questions or Concerns?
Feel free to contact any staff member if you are confused about anything listed in this thread. A list of such members can be found here.
Treat All Members With Respect
New, old, ranked, unranked - all members shall be treated with the same respect.
Insulting or Flaming Another Member: Talking down to another member based on who they are or what they have posted is considered flaming. Talking about another member in a demeaning way is also not allowed. There is a clear difference between flaming and constructive criticism. If another member has posted something that you feel is wrong, that you disagree with, or that you feel is not appropriate, there is a better way to get the point across than insulting them or giving feedback in a demeaning fashion. This rule also forbids ad hominem attacks in debates. (Infraction: 5, 10, or 15 points, based on severity and repetition)
Trolling or Baiting: Trolling and baiting describe actions which attempt to elicit negative - often humorous, emotional, or inappropriate - responses from others, and will not be tolerated. This includes mocking, antagonizing, harassing, or otherwise targeting the nerves of another member or group. Although by definition these depend on a member's intentions, moderators will judge incidents based on the perceived effects on the target. Be careful to respect other members' dignity. (Infraction: 8 or 15 points, based on severity and repetition)
Be Mindful of Others
Keep It Clean: We want this to be an open and welcoming environment for people of all ages. This can easily be accomplished by "keeping it clean" and having little to no cursing or foul language within posts. There is a word filter in place, and bypassing it is not allowed. Members shall also refrain from posting any messages, images, or other media that are obscene, vulgar, sexually-oriented (except in appropriate Mature Discussions), hateful, threatening, or otherwise violative of any laws (including piracy, e.g. ROMs, warez). Discrimination towards anyone's age, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity, will not be tolerated. (Infraction: 3 (language), 6 (other), or 20 (extreme) points)
Spoiler Warnings: Place [SPOILER][/SPOILER] tags around any spoilers. A spoiler is any piece of information that gives: story line details, solutions to quests or dungeons, new characters or characters' secret identities, or secret items or items' locations that are meant to be revealed at a certain point during the game (excludes box, manual, and exposition). This isn't a strict rule and will not be punished as such. Users may be reminded via PM to be mindful of the common courtesy of hiding off-topic or spontaneous spoilers. Moderators reserve the right to edit posts to include spoiler tags at their discretion and issue at most a PM asking the user to be more cautious in the future.
Make Positive Contributions
Making Spam Posts: In a discussion thread, posting is meant to be constructive and help discuss the topic at hand. If you don't have anything to say pertaining to the discussion, then it's best not to say anything at all. Making a post solely to point out that a thread is in the wrong section, or that it is likely going to be locked, does not contribute to the discussion and is considered spam. Additionally, excessive use of text manipulation such as text capitalization, bold, italics, size, underline and color both in forum posts and the shoutbox are considered as spam and should be kept to a minimum. Zalgo text (or similar) is not to be used anywhere on the website. (Infraction: 3 points; 15 points for excessive spamming)
Chan Behavior: Chan behavior here means anything specifically or primarily associated with chan posting – reaction images, greentext, newfan images that are intentionally insulting, disturbing or promote any feeling of discomfort etc. Providing a comprehensive list of what qualifies as 'chan behavior' would be impossible. In general practice this is a message board aimed towards video game discussion for all ages. Zelda Dungeon is not a chan style forum and should not be treated as one. Please refrain from using any imagery that is not totally suitable for all ages and when you post please be sure that it actually contributes to the discussion at hand.
Advertising: It's fine to link to a personal website in your signature, but it is against the rules to create a thread or make a post in another thread purely to advertise something. In addition, while we try to be inclusive of all ages, nationalities, races, beliefs, etc., if you are a spam bot, you will be discriminated against with no mercy.
Plagiarism: Compositions produced by others must be attributed to them. Don't claim to be the creator of content which you did not create. This is especially relevant to Drawings and Writing in the Fan Works section but also relevant to posts, which should be in quotes if they are not your own. (Infraction: 6 points)
Other Rules
Duplicate Accounts: Each member shall have only one account. Creating a duplicate account will result in the duplicate being either deleted, permanently banned, or merged with the original, and the original account receiving a duplicate account infraction. If the original account is already banned, the ban duration will be extended at the discretion of the moderators. Repeat offenses will result in permanent and/or IP bans. (Infraction: 10 points)
Chatbox Content: The chatbox will not be moderated as strictly in order to allow a more open atmosphere. However, members are expected to heed moderator requests (such as toning down spam or halting harassment) immediately. Failure to do so will result in being banned from the chatbox for 24 hours, or more for repeat offenses. In extreme cases, infractions may be given. Descriptive/detailed sexual discussion in the chatbox is not allowed. An occasional innuendo or joke is fine as long as it isn't highly descriptive or directed towards another member, but the forum and the chatbox are not an appropriate place for highly sexually-oriented discussions.
Forum-Specific Rules: Please note that several sections such as Zelda Theory and Mature Discussion have their own set of rules described in pinned threads within the section. When posting in these sections, you are responsible for knowing and following those rules.
Blogs: The Blog section, while being overall lax in terms of "rules", still has certain guidelines. Do not post one-word or completely spammy blogs, avoid obnoxious blog titles, and avoid off topic arguments in the blog comments. Please keep it clean and follow all other rules in this section. You may only post one blog every 24 hours and should avoid posting an excessive amount of consecutive blogs. Please see the Blog Rules and Instructions thread for more details on blogs.
Ignores: Uses of the Ignore function should be treated as a private matter between the involved parties. Don't make public posts about Ignores, and if you happen to realise or think someone is ignoring you or another user when you're in a shoutbox discussion do not bring it up.
Lorule Lounge: Lorule Lounge is a forum where rules for spam posts are relaxed. Other rules, particularly regarding trolling/baiting and insulting/flaming other members still apply there as we don't want it to be used as an excuse to be a place for bullying.
Reports: Reports are taken seriously and that while there may sometimes be a feeling that nothing is done with reports, people should note that infractions/warnings are not publicly announced and each report is discussed by members of the moderation team. Reports should only be made using the report function and must not be made in public areas of the forum such as threads, profiles of staff members, or in the shoutbox.
Privacy: Respect the privacy of other members. Do not mention if you believe a specific user is hiding their online visibility status.
Text Colour: Please refrain from changing the colour of text in posts unless it is to highlight one specific point. This is as different users use different themes and most colours will not look good or easy to read on all of them.
Housekeeping
We ask that you also refrain from certain activities that, while not necessarily offensive otherwise problematic, are nuisances. An infraction (1 point) may be given only if a member fails to heed a moderator's request to cease a certain activity. This list may grow without notice.
Thread Necromancy: In general, revival of old threads is tolerated, as long as they are still relevant. However, outdated threads (such as those speculating about a game which has since been released) should not be revived. Posting answers to old questions is also discouraged, unless providing more information that previous answers did not.
Double Posting: Don't post more than once in a row within a thread. If you wish to reply to more than one user, use the "+Quote" button on each post you want to respond to. In the event that you have an afterthought or more to add please edit this into your first post unless another member has made a post since yours. Note: Certain forums allow double posting in some situations, check the sticky forum-specific rule threads for further information.
Policies
Infractions and Bans: Usually when a member breaks a rule for the first time they will receive a PM reminder. The next step is a formal warning, which stays on that member's profile (only visible to that member and to moderators) as a permanent reminder of the rule. If the member continues to break that rule, he or she will receive an infraction, which comes with a certain amount of points toward a ban of a certain length. Points expire after 9 months, and can add up to bans of the following lengths:
- 15 points - 7 day ban
- 20 points - 2 week ban
- 25 points - 2 month ban
- 30 points - 4 month ban
Contesting Unfair or Undeserved Infractions: If you feel you received an infraction you didn't deserve, please PM the moderator who issued it and politely explain your position. If you are not satisfied with that moderator's response (or the moderator doesn't respond), then you may PM Jimmu, who will make a final decision, usually after raising discussion with the entire moderation team. If you still aren't satisfied with this final decision and feel you are being unfairly treated, you may start a public discussion in this thread. This entire process must be done respectfully, or your concerns may not be taken seriously. Stirring up trouble through other channels or defying the moderator decision may result in further disciplinary action. Banned users can contact the staff via the Contact Form.
Name Changes: You are allowed one name change every six months. You must contact either Azure Sage, Jimmu, Spiritual Mask Salesman, or Vanessa28 via Private Message and have your new name approved. Any new username changes are restricted to the same character limit as the limited imposed when you sign up, that is 20 characters (including spaces). Additionally, if a user changes their username, another active forum member cannot take their old username within three months of the original holder of the username making the change.
Questions or Concerns?
Feel free to contact any staff member if you are confused about anything listed in this thread. A list of such members can be found here.
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