Recent Changes
None.

Table of Contents
Introduction
The Site Rules
The Cbox Rules
Section 1 : Listen to Staff
Section 2 : Spam
Section 3 : Profanity/Adult Content
Section 4 : Cheating/Glitch Abuse
Section 5 : Hacking
Section 6 : Pretending/Asking to be Staff
Section 7 : Account Limits
Section 8 : Advertising
Section 9 : Other Pokémon RPGs
Section 10 : Begging/Whining/Complaining
Section 11 : Flaming/Harassing/Racism/Sexism
Section 12 : English
Section 13 : Trolling
Section 14 : Art Theft
Section 15 : Bypassing Bans
Section 16 : Role Playing
Section 17 : Encouraging Rule Breaking
Section 1-C : Repetitive Posting
Section 2-C : Caps Lock + BB Codes
Section 3-C : Impersonating
Section 4-C : Harmful Characters
Closing Notice

Introduction
All users must abide to these rules. Violation of these rules will generally result in one or more of the following punishments/warnings:

- a minor warning:
your warning level will not go up. This is when a staff member tells you to stop doing something. If you continue to do it anyway, you will receive a warning or ban.

- a warning:
your warning level will go up for minor or semi-minor offenses. If it is maxed out, a social IP ban and a cbox ban will be put into place. This social IP ban and cbox ban will last for 5 days. Further warnings will result in an additional 5-day cbox and social IP ban. If you are banned 3 times from being warned, you will be IP banned for 1 month. Further warnings will result in a 1-month IP ban.

- a cbox ban:
you will not be allowed to use the main part of the cbox.

- an account ban:
your account will be banned, but you will be permitted to use other accounts.

- a social account ban:
your account will be allowed to play the game still, but you will not be permitted to post on the Forums, change your signature, post on the News Comments, modify your profile, etc.

- an IP ban:
you will not be able to access the website or cbox at all. If a user attempts to bypass this type of ban, refer to Section 15 : Bypassing Bans.

- a social IP ban:
you will be able to access the game, but your IP will be subject to a social ban. If a user attempts to bypass this type of ban, refer to Section 15 : Bypassing Bans.

- account deletion:
all accounts on your IP address will be deleted, as well as all Pokémon, money, and information associated with it.

- Pokémon transfer:
all or many of your Pokémon will be transferred to another user. Some other things, such as money, may be transferred as well.

- Ban on Sight:
for the most troublesome user, any time the user is seen, they will be immediately banned forever.

The Site Rules
This is a quick overview of the rules.

1. Listen to the staff members, unless what they ask you to do is not against the rules. The highest authority of the site may deal punishments for any reason he sees fit.
2. Do not spam, do not abuse BB Codes, do not abuse emoticons (5 max), do not abuse spoilers (especially do not have spoilers within spoilers without reason), and do not abuse quotes (7-10 max).
3. Do not use profanity (some exceptions) or adult/sexual content.
4. Do not cheat or abuse glitches.
5. Do not hack, attempt to hack, or threaten to hack.
6. Do not ask or pretend to be a staff member.
7. Do not hoard, share, or steal accounts.
8. Do not post links with the intent to advertise (in order to bring other users to that website).
9. Do not talk about other online Pokémon RPGs. Don't even mention them. Includes GPX.
10. Do not beg for things on the site, do not whine about the things on the site, and do not complain about the site.
11. No flaming, harassing, racism, or sexism.
12. Use English (use a translator if you can't).
13. No trolling.
14. No art theft (this includes stealing from Pokémon Moon AND posting stolen content on Pokémon Moon).
15. Do not bypass bans.
16. No excessive role playing (such as made up battles on the cbox). If a staff member asks you to stop, then you must.
17. Do not encourage any form of rule breaking.

The Cbox Rules
All site rules apply to the cbox unless otherwise stated.

1. Do not post the same message over and over (3 at the most).
2. Do not consistently use caps lock or BB Codes.
3. Do not impersonate members or staff.
4. Do not use "invisible" characters or characters that mess around with the cbox.

Section 1 : Listen to Staff
If you are breaking a rule that is detailed somewhere on this page, whether clearly or implied, and a staff member asks you to stop, you must. If you do not, the original punishment of the offense will be applied. If the rule is broken multiple times, then give them punishment for that; if a user posts minor spam, then as detailed in Section 2 : Spam, the user would get a warning level increase of 10% and a 2-hour cbox ban. If the staff member tells the user to stop, and they post minor spam AGAIN, then they would get a warning level increase of 20% and a 4-hour cbox ban.

Furthermore, for not obeying staff, the staff member may punish the user with a cbox ban and a social IP ban. This ban can last from 1 hour to 2 weeks, based on the jurisdiction of the staff member. (Generally, how long this ban should last should be based on the seriousness of the rules broken.) If the user has past offenses regarding not listening to staff, when this reaches three offenses, the user will be IP banned for 1 month.

The highest authority of the website, belonging to the user possessing the user ID "#1" shall be permitted to ban any user for any reason he so desires. If enough of the staff members disagree with the decision, the ban will be revoked.

Section 2 : Spam
Do not spam, do not abuse BB Codes, do not abuse emoticons (5 max), do not abuse spoilers (especially do not have spoilers within spoilers without reason), and do not abuse quotes (7-10 max).

No user should encourage spam or commit in the act of spam (posting useless things such as "dsjskd", "LOLOMGIMSOCOOL!!!!!111ONEONE", "Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha", etc.; posting things like: "Hi" "I" "am" "bored" in succession; number spamming). You will receive a warning from the staff depending on the severity of the spam. The severity of the spam is subject to the jurisdiction of the staff member (that is, it is based on their opinion, but it should be pointed out if they use this rule in an abusive manner).

For minor spam: a warning level increase of 10% & a 2-hour cbox ban
For semi-minor spam: a warning level increase of 25% & a 6-hour cbox ban
For major spam: a 30-day social IP ban and 30-day cbox ban

In general, punishment will be the decision of the staff member, but the above should be used as a guideline.

Section 3 : Profanity/Adult Content
Minimal profanity may be used. The following words are allowed: hell, damn, crap, crud, ass, darn. Swearing is a relatively minor offense, and is easily forgiven provided it is not done multiple times or clearly on purpose. Self censoring, such as "****" or "f**k" is considered profanity. The following punishments may be dealt for repetitive/crude swearing:

For minor swearing: a minor warning, and a 10% warning level increase for the next offense
For repetitive swearing: for using minor swear words more than twice in a short period of time, a 25% warning level increase & a 6-hour cbox ban
For major swearing: words that are sexist, racist, or otherwise extremely offensive; for racial swearing: a 1-month cbox ban & a 1-month social IP ban; for sexist swearing: a 1-week cbox ban & 1-week social IP ban; other major swearing punishments should be at jurisdiction of the staff member

Adult content shall be considered: implied nudity, nudity, sexual references/jokes/stories, child pornography, and pornographic websites (or websites that lead you to nudity/pornographic websites). Posting adult content is generally a very serious offense and may result in a permanent IP ban.

For implied nudity: depends on how serious the image/video is, and how obvious it is that the media is not appropriate; should normally result in a cbox ban lasting 1 week to 2 months
For nudity: a permanent IP ban
For sexual references/jokes/stories: based on severity; generally a social IP ban and cbox ban lasting 5 days to 1 month
For child pornography: a permanent IP ban; the authorities will also be contacted
For pornographic websites: a permanent IP ban

Section 4 : Cheating/Glitch Abuse
Attempting to cheat on this website by the use of hacking, glitches, exploits, or automated devices/programs will be considered an extreme offense. Again, even ATTEMPTING to cheat is against the rules, and will more than likely be tracked down eventually. Attempted cheating will be considered cheating. Therefore, when we say "for hacking", that will include attempted hacking, and "for exploiting" shall include attempted exploiting, and so on, unless stated otherwise.

For hacking: a permanent IP ban and account deletion; if the hacking performed was illegal, the user shall be reported to the authorities; for attempted hacking with the intention to cheat, a 2-month IP ban
For glitch abuse: if a glitch is found, it must be reported to a staff member immediately; if it is abused, it will be considered cheating, and the user will face a 10-month IP ban and account deletion
For exploiting: using holes in the security of the website to cheat will result in a 1-year ban and account deletion
For automated devices/programs: often called "macros"; these can be easily discovered and there is a huge risk you will be caught; results in a 3-month IP ban and account deletion

Section 5 : Hacking
Hacking may not always be used for cheating, and as such it will be detailed in a separate section. Hacking is one of the most serious offenses that can be committed. Using force to break into another user's account, to breach the security of the website, or using hacking to breach any part of the website or any part associated with it, including the server, domain name, SSH, MySQL, etc., shall result in a permanent IP ban. The offender will be reported to the authorities if the offense is serious enough.

Hacking does NOT include: guessing somebody's password, using the "Forgot Password" page to find another user's password, gaining access to their account with the "Remember Me" feature in most modern browsers, asking the user for their password, etc.

Attempting to hack or threatening to hack will violate this rule. Doing this will result in a 2-month IP ban.

Gaining unauthorized access to a staff member's account, regardless of the situation, will result in a 1-year IP ban.

Section 6 : Pretending/Asking to be Staff
If a user who is not a staff member acts like they are one, a 75% warning level increase will be imposed. If the offense is serious (such as using this to get a user's password), then the offender will recieve a 1-month cbox ban and social IP ban.

Threatening to ban somebody, or implying that you have power when you do not will be considered pretending to be a staff member.

Threatening to report somebody does NOT break this rule.

Asking to be a staff member will almost certainly decrease your chances of ever being one. Besides, being a staff member really isn't all that good. More like the opposite. You can ask without being punished for doing so, sure; but asking is pointless and counter-productive.

Section 7 : Account Limits
Do not hoard, share, trade, or steal accounts.

Hoarding: making multiple accounts for no reason, to troll, personal/financial gain, evade bans, etc. New accounts may be made for siblings or friends. New accounts may be made by users who have accounts already, but the account must be used to a reasonable extent and not just left there. If you make new accounts with the intention to break rules or hoard promotional Pokémon, this rule is broken. This is easily tracked. You MAY create an account if you want to play through Story Mode again. If you make new accounts for starter Pokémon, this rule will be broken. Results in a 30-day IP ban and possible account deletion.

Sharing: this involves telling another user your password so that you can share the same account. This is just barely considered cheating. Sharing an account with somebody else is very easily tracked and against the rules.

Stealing: stealing an account involves gaining unauthorized access to a user's account. Stealing accounts is very serious and will result in 250-day ban and a possible Pokémon transfer. This includes blackmailing to steal passwords, scaring people to give you their password, etc.

Section 8 : Advertising
Advertising will be considered posting a link with the intent to bring a user to that website or make a financial gain. For example, if you post a link to http://google.com with the intent to bring more users to that website, or to get another user to join it, it will be considered advertising. If you simply post a video, image, or some media, provided the link complies with all of the other rules, no rule has been broken.

Advertising will result in a 3-week social IP ban and a 3-week cbox ban. Youtube videos, images, etc. are not considered advertising. Be sure to check Section 9 : Other Pokémon RPGs to make sure your link does not break that rule.

Furthermore, indirectly advertising is not allowed. Indirectly advertising is saying, for example, "I just made a new chatroom... message me for the URL..."

Section 9 : Other Pokémon RPGs
Talking about other online Pokémon RPGs, even if you just use an acronym to refer to it, is against the rules. You will recieve a minor warning for the first offense, and a 50% warning level increase ban for further offenses. Certain Pokémon "egg" websites, namely those with battle systems, should not be mentioned.

Section 10 : Begging/Whining/Complaining
umad? I don't care. Get over it. You do not pay to use this website, and as such, you will not complain about it. You MAY, however, give constructive criticism (this doesn't mean saying "lol this website sucks, make it better"). Constructive criticism is helpful; complaining and whining just makes you look like an unintelligent idiot. You will recieve a 2-week cbox ban and a 2-week social ban.

ujelly? I don't care. No begging for things on this website. Get them yourself.

Note: complaining about this website is against the rules, and so is begging for things on this website. Begging for things on another website, complaining about something else, etc., is NOT against the rules.

Section 11 : Flaming/Harassing/Racism/Sexism
Flaming, sexual harassment, harassment, racism, and sexism are generally very serious offenses.

Flaming: includes cyber bullying. Making fun of another user while on this website, attacking them verbally while on this website, etc. Results in a social IP ban + cbox ban or an IP ban, with the length of these bans at the jurisdiction of the staff member.

Sexual harrassment: this involves continually bugging another user while on this website about sexual things. This includes asking for sexual pictures, videos, links, etc. Harassing a child for pornography of themselves or his/her friends will be treated more seriously. Results in a social IP ban + cbox ban or an IP ban, with the length of these bans at the jurisdiction of the staff member (permanent IP ban if requesting child pornography).

Harassment: continually bugging another user while on this website despite repeated requests for you not to do so. Results in a social IP ban + cbox ban or an IP ban, with the length of these bans at the jurisdiction of the staff member.

Racism: making fun of another race, insulting another race, etc. Results in a social IP ban + cbox ban or an IP ban, with the length of these bans at the jurisdiction of the staff member (if the offense is clearly racist, a 2-week social IP ban and cbox ban should be issued... if racial swear words are used, then a 1-month cbox ban & a 1-month social IP ban). (Neo) Nazi phrases such as "Heil Hitler!", or otherwise offensive things, will be considered racist, even if it technically doesn't have to be.

Sexism: making fun of a gender, insulting that gender, etc. Results in a social IP ban + cbox ban or an IP ban, with the length of these bans at the jurisdiction of the staff member.

Section 12 : English
In order to ensure the staff members can read all text posted without worrying about users in other languages breaking rules, all users must use English. If you cannot speak English, use a translator.

Section 13 : Trolling
Trolling will be considered attempting to force other people into an emotional change or reaction. Minor trolling, such as saying "Darkrai is fat!" is allowed. Trolling in order to make other people angry, sad, or otherwise, is forbidden.

Trolling will result in a 1-week social ban and a 1-week cbox ban, with the staff adjusting the time up or down based on the severity of the trolling.

Section 14 : Art Theft
Stealing art from this website or stealing art from another website and posting it here is forbidden. Let "art theft" be considered the theft of art, where you claim that you are the creator of it. Furthermore, if the creator of the content does not want other people to post their content on any other website, this will be considered art theft. Editing of another person's sprites is also art theft. This will result in a 50% warning level increase.

Section 15 : Bypassing Bans
Bypassing an IP ban/social IP ban will be taken seriously. It can be tracked, contrary to popular belief, and attempting to bypass an IP ban/social IP ban will result in your punishment being extended by 1 month. If rules are broken while you are bypassing the ban, you will be IP banned forever. Eventually, you will most likely become ban on sight, with the staff members voting on whether or not you do.

Section 16 : Role Playing
Posting excessive role playing on the cbox or any part of the website other than the Role Playing forum will result in a 10% warning level increase.

"Excessive role playing" will be considered posting long, pointless role plays. A primary example of this is the "fake Pokémon battle", where people pretend to have a Pokémon battle on the cbox. Do not do this.

Section 17 : Encouraging Rule Breaking
Encouraging another user to break a rule, taunting them to do so, betting them to do so, etc., will result in a warning level increase of 50%.

Section 1-C : Repetitive Posting
Do not post the same message several times in a row. This includes variations of the message. In general with this rule, be sensible; don't be an idiot. If a staff member requests for you to stop posting a particular message, do so, else this rule is violated. Posting a message over and over in a spamming nature will warrant a 25% warning level increase.

Section 2-C : Caps Lock + BB Codes
Do not consistently abuse capital letters or BB Codes.

Caps abuse: posting a message all in capital letters or abusing capital letters is forbidden. That is, if you are consistently talking in a manner such as "HI", "I'M NEW HERE", etc., with no particular point to the capital letters, this rule is violated. If there is a reason, such as emphasis, then you may do so, but do not do it consistently, and again, do NOT type messages in all caps for no reason.

In addition, posts such as "hI", "i'M nEw HeRe", etc., will be considered caps abuse. If a staff member asks you to stop using caps, then do so. If you do not, this rule is violated, and you will be given a 25% warning level increase. Having capital letters in a sentence (so that it is grammatically correct) is fine, and preferred.

BB Code abuse: "BB Codes" are tags such as [b][/b], [i][/i], etc., that can be used to modify the look of text in the cbox. Abusing these codes will result in a 10% warning level increase.

Section 3-C : Impersonating
Impersonating implies the act of pretending to be another person. For example, say your name is Barack Obama, but you pretend to be another person in your classroom named John McCain, and do so in a malicious manner. This is impersonation.

On the cbox, this refers to using a name that "looks" like the person you are impersonating (so if you impersonating John McCain, you might have the name John Mc.Cain). You will be given a 25% warning level increase for impersonating another user, and a 75% warning level increase for impersonating a staff member. If you attempt to impersonate a staff member with the intent of stealing accounts, passwords, or other malicious activities, you will recieve a 6-month IP ban.

Section 4-C : Harmful Characters
Using "invisible" characters, characters that create line breaks, characters that mess around with the cbox, etc., are not permitted. Using such characters will result in a 50% warning level increase.

Closing Notice
These rules are subject to change at any time. When a rule is changed, users shall be informed.

In general, punishments are partially the jurisdiction of the staff member. However, all staff members must attempt to memorize these rules as well as their specified punishments to ensure fairness for all users. Staff members must not bend these rules to their favor.

If a user suspects a staff member of power abuse or suspects a wrongful punishment, they may contact webmaster@crystala.net.