Rules Draft + TL;DR

[CENTER][U][B][SIZE=5]TL;DR Version of The Rules[/SIZE][/B][/U]
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Note that if you are unclear/shaky on any of these rules that it is your responsibility to read the indepth side of the rules.
No, you won't be picked at like "Ha! Should've seen that coming in Verse 21, sorry man."
Every ban is justified, it's your job to remain the same.

Without further ado;
1) This is an English community, however to it's own extent. Understand your limits, know that what you say has several interpretations on the receiver's side.

2) Like mentioned, know your limits. Spam, harassment, jokish/mocking of any kind isn't taken too lightly, and such a case WILL be looked into.
Don't set yourself up for an ugly situation.
We're all a team here, butting heads and putting down each other-however humourous, not promoted, and will be moderated, dealt with, and taken care of.

3) Make notice of when you need a break!
When you need to back off, take a breath, and just reflect on what exactly it is you're doing/about to do.
Every action has a consequence, so be sure that your actions are well-sought out and thoroughly healthy.

[CENTER][U][B][SIZE=6]FORUM RULES[/SIZE][/B][/U]
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[I]Hey! You must be viewing this either because you're new, soon to be new, or just simply about! Well the fact you're even reading these rules is big, and we all strongly appreciate it. Thank you![/I]
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Small note before I go on: Forgive me if this is rambled and such. It's merely a revamp of what was the original rules which are years old and believed to be outdated. While the staff did a great job putting them into play, these rules have been discussed through the current community and are believed to be what should be.
If you feel I'm missing something here or anything that could use a tweak.

These rules are mainly to keep order and to ensure all members enjoy their time on these forums. Together, as a community, we can make this place a greatness to a part of :D
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This thread contains all official rules you must adhere to.
Rules must be followed at all times, unless a special exception is granted by the staff. Such exceptions may be requested and will be analyzed on a case-by-case basis; however, as the name implies, they are exceptions, so they won't be likely to be granted.

[B][U]A. Generalities[/U][/B]
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[*][B]Be civil.[/B] This is not the place to attempt to purposely infuriate other users. It is also not the place to bully, harass, or intentionally drive away users. While we don't expect fake friendliness all over the place, there's an obvious line between manifest disagreement and pure harassment. You're not required to like everyone, but still be civil.

[*][B]Speak English.[/B] This is an English forum. While specific threads about other languages may be okay, and using other languages when particularly discussing them is certainly allowed, posting in arbitrary threads in random languages is not. In other words, while you're allowed to refer to other languages (and to quote them [I]when it is relevant to the thread[/I]), replying to a random thread in French without any apparent reason will not be considered allowed. This obviously doesn't apply to private conversations (e.g., Conversations , Profile Comments) between users who do speak another language.

[*][B]Keep it clean.[/B] Make sure that your content doesn't hinder forum usage. This refers to pointless threads, derailing, and so on.
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[B][U]B. Disallowances[/U][/B]
[LIST=1]
[*][B]No spamming.[/B] Do not post content that has no value in the thread where it is posted, and do not post threads that have no value whatsoever. This also refers to duplicates, whether you're duplicating your content or someone else's. Keep a clear idea as to what "Spam" is, for if the post has a purpose and place, it's not redundant/considered spam.

[*][B]No flaming, profanity, or harassment.[/B] Do not intentionally attack or attempt to insult other users. This is an extension of the "be civil" rule.

[*][B]No adult content.[/B] This is an obvious rule. While specific topics aren't necessarily disallowed, adult content (like nudity, explicit sexual content, gore, etc.) will not be tolerated. Linking to said content is not allowed either. Racial slurs and other offensive terms aren't permitted either, so just don't use them.
[*][B]No hacking/use of Forum Mechanism that exploits a set of function(s). [/B]Yeah, Cheat Engine is cool, but don't use it to break the forum/run "experiments" without staff incentive (Permission).
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[B][U]C. Additional rules[/U][/B]
[LIST=1]
[*]This forum has no word filters, every word is allowed [I]per se[/I]. However, mind your usage of certain words. While the words themselves aren't bannable, using them as a way to flame, harass, belittle, or otherwise attack someone is against the rules. Also, don't pointlessly swear everywhere: while there is no specific limit on this, and we will be quite lax on it, use common sense.

[*]Common sense is a rule by itself. If something cannot be reasonably allowed, it won't be. Don't take this list as an absolutely final list of what is not allowed and assume that everything else will be — if something should be obviously not allowed, assume it to be. While we won't assume perfect judgement on this, and we will avoid unnecessarily punishing poor interpretations of this item, avoid trying to exploit loopholes in the rules.

[*]Moderation discretion exists. The staff is selected to use their best judgement when dealing with any situations that arise, and they will do so. While this thread does serve as a reference of what is allowed and what is not, the staff will make the final calls when the time comes; if you have any doubts, ask before acting.

[*]Keep moderation issues private within the staff. While general policies are discussable, individual actions are best kept to a one-on-one discussion there. Discussions about specific instances of moderation should be kept there — while the affected user can choose to reveal what happened, making huge discussions about it in public sections will probably not help, and they are very likely to be locked. Also, unless some special circumstances merit considering them, appeals in someone else's name will be disregarded.

[*]Don't abuse what you're given. Remember that being a member of this or any forum is a privilege, not one of your human rights. If you continuously misuse your privileges and cause damage to the community, they may and will be taken away from you.
[*]"Staff Disputes" should never be attempted to be solved in public. If you're new, it's recommended you just talk to people who have been around and know the roots, and they should be able to point you in the right direction if you have any problem with our staff.
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[B][U]D. Warning and ban system[/U][/B]

While larger rule breaches may cause you to get immediately banned, lesser ones can earn you warnings.

Warnings are a way of telling you to cease your improper behavior. They have a point value and an expiration date, indicating how strong the warning is and for how long it lasts; and they have a reason. If you receive one, it means you've broken a rule large enough to deserve one; if your rule breach is sufficiently major, you may receive a ban directly.

If you break a major rule, it will earn an immediate ban. This does not stack up with the warnings. When you're banned, you will have read-only access to the forums; you will not be able to post anywhere.
Avoid creating new accounts to evade the ban, as this will simply increase your original ban length.

[B][U]Credits[/U][/B]

These rules have been revamped off of Newera's old rule thread ([URL='http://aurora-terraria.org/forum/threads/forum-rules.14/']Here![/URL]) and the rules from another forum. I do not take complete credit for these but simply hope it steers us, as a community, in a bettering direction.

Also kudos to our entire staff team. You're all amazing at what you do, and spectacular at ensuring that there is little to no chaos taking place on both the forum and the server. We also would like to thank you, the members, for taking time to be within this community. We hope that with these rules, we can all move forth into a better tomorrow.

All the best Aurora!
-Mr.Dux

P.S. Final Rule that most definitely should not be forgotten. We are a community.
"Freedom of Speech DOES NOT equal "Freedom of Cruelty". Appreciate that you are part of something that has a greater picture. On a similar note, don't make the staff hate their job. They're not getting paid to be nice and make sure you're not dicking around.
Have a heart and enjoy your place here on the Auroran Forums :D