Astaroth
[*screaming into the void intensifies*]
Original poster
STAFF MEMBER
DONATING MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
- Invitation Status
- Not accepting invites at this time
- Posting Speed
- Speed of Light
- Slow As Molasses
- Online Availability
- It varies a lot depending on my schedule, unfortunately.
- Writing Levels
- Advanced
- Adaptable
- Preferred Character Gender
- Primarily Prefer Male
- Genres
- Psychological horror
Body horror
Supernatural
Giallo
Splatterpunk
Dark fantasy
Historical
Low fantasy
Magipunk
Weird West
Noir
Thriller
Gothic horror
Southern Gothic
Gaslamp fantasy
Cyberpunk
Space saga
Clockpunk
Space Western
Space opera
Paranormal
Modern fantasy
Dieselpunk
Post-Apocalyptic
Crime drama
Medieval fantasy
HELLO CHILDREN. Now and then we like to give you all reminders about site policy and how to be a productive little Iwaku member, and it's that time again! We have just a few notes on policy and what is or is not cool to do here on Iwaku.
BLOGS
Blogs are one of the oldest features on the site! They're really versatile and can be used in many ways, and we like to leave it up to members to choose what to do with them. Unfortunately that means that we've seen people not understanding what content is acceptable in Blogs.
Here's what you CAN post in a blog:
Here's what you SHOULD NOT post in a blog:
By keeping these rules in mind, you will help keep Iwaku fun and safe for everyone.
USING YOUR REAL AGE ON YOUR PROFILE
One of the biggest reasons people get banned is because they LIED ABOUT THEIR AGE! A lot of people do this because they think they need to be 18+ to write sexual content, and then they just keep on smutting with adults afterward. Others just don't realize it's a big deal and/or are worried about privacy.
Remember, you can still write sexual content with other people under 18! You have NO GOOD REASON to lie about your age on Iwaku. Your age can be set to private on your profile, so only moderators with access to the administrative control panel will see it (so about 20 people tops, by my estimate).
For legal reasons, we NEED people to use their real age. It's the only way we can run the site the way we do. If you were unaware of the age rules when you made your account, please contact a Staff Member and we can fix your date of birth for you.
Anyone who is found circumventing our age rules knowingly or who is writing smutty content across age lines is opening themselves up to be banned, so please be careful. We try to judge every case on an individual basis, but as this is a legal issue it's going to be one where we're less lenient.
If you are suspected of lying about your age and it cannot be verified through other means, a Security moderator may message you asking for a picture of yourself along with a picture of your photo ID. They will NEVER ask you for personal information and they will tell you to blur out everything but your date of birth, name, and photo. We just need physical proof that you own the account you're claiming to own as well as proof of your real age. If someone is asking for your address, phone number, or other information and you're not comfortable giving that out, REPORT THEM.
WARNING POINTS: WHAT THEY MEAN
We realize there are some kinks to be worked out with warning points, as the system is an old idea that was brought back into use before anyone went and updated the related FAQ. Here's what a warning point does:
1. It leaves a record for Security moderators to know why someone was warned in the past, and gives a link to the content they were warned for if it was a post/blog/etc. This is useful for us in getting an at-a-glance concept of whether someone has been in trouble before, how often, and for what type of behavior.
2. It's a quick, easy way of letting someone know that the content they've posted is violating policy (and how). We realize this part is where a lot of the confusion is coming into play and we will be putting out full information for what the stock warnings actually mean soon.
3. That's about it. o__o No, really! They don't stack up, they don't have any particular effect on whether you qualify for a moderator position (not necessarily anyway), certain things don't have a higher point value than others, and they don't effect the Security team's decisions to ban outside of the factors that are considered anyway.
Warning points mean BUNK in the long run. You can have fifty previous warnings and not be banned, or you could be banned with none at all. It's all about your behavior. So DON'T WORRY IF YOU HAVE A WARNING POINT.
And one final note...
HOW DID YOU KNOW IT WAS ME???
Remember, Security has to investigate a LOT of cases, and sometimes we're not going to tell you how we discovered some of the evidence used in our cases to determine punishment. This isn't because we're mustache-twirling villains (even though we are), it's because we don't want people knowing how to avoid getting themselves in the hot seat. It's our job to STOP you, not to help.
BLOGS
Blogs are one of the oldest features on the site! They're really versatile and can be used in many ways, and we like to leave it up to members to choose what to do with them. Unfortunately that means that we've seen people not understanding what content is acceptable in Blogs.
Here's what you CAN post in a blog:
- User-created content like character profiles, artwork, short stories, poetry, GIFs/photomanips, and more.
- Journal entries about daily life and rants about offline, IRL frustrations.
- Reviews of video games, music, tv shows, and other entertainment.
- Other stuff that Astaroth isn't creative enough to think of right now.
Here's what you SHOULD NOT post in a blog:
- Advertisements for other websites, as this counts as soliciting outside of the advertising forums. You have other options for promoting your site!
- Rants about conflict with other Iwaku members and/or Staff, EVEN IF YOU DON'T NAME NAMES. This is considered "airing dirty laundry" and is disruptive behavior, as it may be obvious to the person you're writing about- or sometimes, people you are NOT referring to may think it's about them! Either way it causes trouble. (And while we're on it, this isn't allowed in Counseling either!)
- Suicide threats or anything mentioning criminal activity such as assault, murder, or illegal drug use. Not only could posting details about some of these get us in trouble, but if you are having violent thoughts toward yourself or others you need to call a professional hotline where the workers are equipped to help you. Iwaku does not condone illegal activity, and we are not trained mental health professionals.
- Smutty stuff that isn't clearly labeled and put under a spoiler. Kids use the blogs too! We can't stop people from looking at Blogs with sexual content but we can make sure they aren't looking by mistake. (And remember, no pornographic photography is allowed ANYWHERE.)
By keeping these rules in mind, you will help keep Iwaku fun and safe for everyone.
USING YOUR REAL AGE ON YOUR PROFILE
One of the biggest reasons people get banned is because they LIED ABOUT THEIR AGE! A lot of people do this because they think they need to be 18+ to write sexual content, and then they just keep on smutting with adults afterward. Others just don't realize it's a big deal and/or are worried about privacy.
Remember, you can still write sexual content with other people under 18! You have NO GOOD REASON to lie about your age on Iwaku. Your age can be set to private on your profile, so only moderators with access to the administrative control panel will see it (so about 20 people tops, by my estimate).
For legal reasons, we NEED people to use their real age. It's the only way we can run the site the way we do. If you were unaware of the age rules when you made your account, please contact a Staff Member and we can fix your date of birth for you.
Anyone who is found circumventing our age rules knowingly or who is writing smutty content across age lines is opening themselves up to be banned, so please be careful. We try to judge every case on an individual basis, but as this is a legal issue it's going to be one where we're less lenient.
If you are suspected of lying about your age and it cannot be verified through other means, a Security moderator may message you asking for a picture of yourself along with a picture of your photo ID. They will NEVER ask you for personal information and they will tell you to blur out everything but your date of birth, name, and photo. We just need physical proof that you own the account you're claiming to own as well as proof of your real age. If someone is asking for your address, phone number, or other information and you're not comfortable giving that out, REPORT THEM.
WARNING POINTS: WHAT THEY MEAN
We realize there are some kinks to be worked out with warning points, as the system is an old idea that was brought back into use before anyone went and updated the related FAQ. Here's what a warning point does:
1. It leaves a record for Security moderators to know why someone was warned in the past, and gives a link to the content they were warned for if it was a post/blog/etc. This is useful for us in getting an at-a-glance concept of whether someone has been in trouble before, how often, and for what type of behavior.
2. It's a quick, easy way of letting someone know that the content they've posted is violating policy (and how). We realize this part is where a lot of the confusion is coming into play and we will be putting out full information for what the stock warnings actually mean soon.
3. That's about it. o__o No, really! They don't stack up, they don't have any particular effect on whether you qualify for a moderator position (not necessarily anyway), certain things don't have a higher point value than others, and they don't effect the Security team's decisions to ban outside of the factors that are considered anyway.
Warning points mean BUNK in the long run. You can have fifty previous warnings and not be banned, or you could be banned with none at all. It's all about your behavior. So DON'T WORRY IF YOU HAVE A WARNING POINT.
And one final note...
HOW DID YOU KNOW IT WAS ME???
Remember, Security has to investigate a LOT of cases, and sometimes we're not going to tell you how we discovered some of the evidence used in our cases to determine punishment. This isn't because we're mustache-twirling villains (even though we are), it's because we don't want people knowing how to avoid getting themselves in the hot seat. It's our job to STOP you, not to help.
STAY SAFE, IWAKU!
