1: Have fun! Honestly, some people take things way too seriously and it stops being fun. Just enjoy yourselves!

2. In the general discussion areas of the site, expect your conversations to be out of character. In the role-playing areas, please stay in character. If you want to have a conversation OOC, please take it to the game discussion threads, private messaging, IMs, or the general discussion areas, but please do NOT post OOC questions and comments in the games themselves.

3. Adhere to standard rules of spelling, grammar, and punctuation. The exception to this rule is if you are writing or roleplaying a letter/journal/report and the errors would be in character. For example, we'd expect Michelangelo to have more mistakes in something they've written than Donatello would.

4: Adult content is allowed in certain areas of the forum. NC-17 fanfiction should be posted in the specially marked area, and NC-17 roleplay should be limited to games where it is specifically permitted. If you are unsure if something is okay to post, or where, please PM a staff member and ask for assistance.

5: NO HARASSMENT. We have a no-tolerance policy on harassment. Don't do it. This goes back to the #1 rule of respecting others. Our definition of harassment is persistently using threatening, degrading, or offensive language toward or about another player, out of character. Be nice. Always remember that behind the username, character, and userpic is a person with OMG! real feelings, real personalities, and real lives. Be adults and try to resolve issues on your own. If you need modly intervention, let us know.

6: Everyone has freedom of speech, provided that rule #5 is followed. We all have the right to an opinion, and we all have the right to be heard. Criticism is only given in an attempt to make you a better writer, gamer, etc. Let criticism make you stronger, more determined to improve, and you will find this site to be a more rewarding place.

7. The mods retain the rights to lock/remove posts that blatantly violate the rules, posting guidelines, or established canon. (But by and large we would prefer to just give you a friendly nudge to fix something.)

8.If you have a problem with a mod or administrator, please come to another staff member for it to be addressed. All complaints are treated as 100% confidential.

9. We reserve the right to ban from the site anyone who doesn't follow our rules. In most cases, we will first give a warning, then a 24 hour ban, then a week ban before we permanently ban anyone. We DO reserve the right to permanently ban someone immediately in extreme cases, at the discretion of the administration.

1: Before joining an established game, be sure to ask about the storyline, clarify any rules etc. beforehand. This will save on confusion and disappointment.

2. All major characters being role-played must have a profile and character sheet posted. This will include canon characters! The character sheet can be found here: Character Sheet

3. No metagaming or godmoding. Metagaming is using out-of-character information in-character and vice-versa. Godmoding is either roleplaying your character with special abilities not on your character sheet or forcing an action on another roleplayer. Any posts which reference/involve another character or affect the community at large must be cleared by those involved. Plot away, be creative but don't godmod, please. You can only control your own character, you cannot make other characters react to you!

4: There are no real restrictions on how far you can grow your character. They can age as time goes by, take mates etc, just please don't take them OOC.

5.Unless otherwise noted in the game summary, the TMNT start as teenagers. Exact ages in the beginning are: Mike=16, Don=17, Raph and Leo=18. They may age and grow as games progress.

6: Feel free to be creative with your posts! Post letters, journal entries, class notes, memories, art works, photographs. Whatever fits within your character's personality and story.

7: You must make a post in any game you have joined at least once every THREE (3) days. If something happens, as it invariably does, email one of our mods. We only bite when asked to. If your character is absent for a few days, we will most likely move on with the scene, trying to do so in a manner that will allow you to re-enter the game with a minimum of trouble. Canon Characters absent for more than ONE WEEK (without notifying admin) will be re-released. This is to keep the game moving and to be fair to other characters who may be waiting on you.

8: Characters should use the information on their character sheets as a guideline when interacting with other characters. For example, if your character with level 1 strength and level 2 speed attempts to run up to Oroku Saki, punch him in the stomach and then run away, he or she will not be successful. To pretend otherwise is a form of god-modding. (Now, if for some important plot-related reason, you think your character should be able to do something like that when s/he otherwise wouldn't be able to do so, or you would like your character to escape a bad situation but can't figure out how, you can always PM the other player to work something out.)

9: No Mary-Sues or Gary-Stus. A Mary/Gary is a character who is too wonderful to be true, usually based on the player him or herself. (To help you figure out if your character crosses the line, check out this post: Mary Sue Test ). If you start to Mary/Gary-Stu your character, you'll be contacted by a mod. Try to create realistic characters, keeping in mind that not everyone is the same age as the TMNT, not everyone is a ninja, etc.

10. Remember that there is a distinction between player and character. Just because a character doesn't get on with yours, it doesn't mean that the player hates your guts. We have to expect the TMNT to interact more, plot more, thread more than others might. Also there will be natural (and occasionally inexplicable) chemistry between characters. Go with it. This is what makes the game fun! Please understand that the behavior of someone in-character and inside of roleplay does not represent their actual beliefs and attitude.

11. Expect other players to react to your character realistically. This means that if you play a turtle who disobeys Splinter, or a rebellious Foot solider, expect for your character to be punished. If you play a character who picks fights with everyone, expect to be disliked and avoided. Do not expect authority figures to treat your characters as they would an equal. Please remember – although it may be fun to role-play your characters having melodramatic "soap opera" moments you must accept that: a. Your characters will most likely pay a price for their angry outbursts! b . Apologizing and making amends to other characters is just as important to the story overall as fighting and throwing tantrums.

12. Everyone gets into trouble with an authority figure at some point (even Leonardo!). The IC response from a character 'in trouble' CAN be 'I am being picked on' - but only for a limited time. That response is self-destructive to the game - as much as a player might LIKE playing a selfish brat, it is NOT fun for other players to be around. Continued and prolonged usage of this character type will create a environment wherein other players will not like to interact, and the character is likely to find him or herself ignored as a result.

13. If your character just had an argument with another character - do not have another argument with the same character right away. NO ONE argues that much in real life. Even Raphael and Leonardo have their good days. So when you have more than one argument with the same character in a seven day period, game-time - you are coming across as very hostile. Expect a serious response IC.

14. It is acceptable for your character to have mortal enemies. But when your character says: 'Well, that's it! They said X about my character! My character will never forgive them!' and then stops at nothing to destroy that character regardless of the other character's attempts to make amends? That is not a character direction- that is a psychosis. Unless you intend your character to be psychotic, remember that catharsis and contrition are important dramatic techniques. OTHER PLAYERS ARE YOUR AUDIENCE, not your enemies. Please play accordingly and look towards improving your role-playing techniques always.