Breedables Forum Rules and Guidelines [UPDATED FEB. 17 '07]

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Breedable/Changing Pets
Rules & Guidelines

Last Updated: February 17th, 2007 - Added sections 7 and 8, on pet removal/refunds and clarifying the rules on real-money commissions in Breedables.

These rules will be updated as necessary. All rules apply to all existing shops from the moment they are placed in this sticky. If you find that your shop no longer complies with the rules, it is your responsibility to make any necessary changes in a timely fashion.

Welcome to the Breedable/Changing Pets forum!

This forum is dedicated to shops selling pets and characters that can breed, grow, change, and are otherwise active. Many shops also offer roleplay to make their creations even more interactive and alive. The Breedables community hosts a huge variety of creatures to purchase, characters to create, roleplays to join and more!

Just be sure to follow these rules and guidelines (as well as the rules in any shops you participate in) and your time in Breedables is sure to be enjoyable.

For answers to frequently asked questions in Breedables, such as 'Where can I get a pet?' and 'How do I set up a shop?', please visit the
A Newbie's Guide to the BCP Forum.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Post 2 - General Forum Etiquette
Post 3 - Thread Placement Guide
Post 4 - The Rules of Art
Post 5 - The Rules of Concepts
Post 6 - The Rules of Shop Management
Post 7 - The Rules of Pet Removal & Refunds
Post 8 - The Rules of Real-Money Commissions
Post 9 - Forum Moderators

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General Forum Etiquette

• All the rules for basic good behavior, as listed in the Gaia Online Terms of Service, also apply here. Do not flame, harass, abuse, troll, spam, or in other ways break the TOS.
  
  
• Remember the signature size rules - all signatures MUST be at or under 100k/500x500 pixels in size TOTAL. This means that ALL the images in your sig, combined, must not exceed that limit, including images brought up in a randomizer.
  
  Sigs that break the rules will be disabled without warning; you can re-enabled a disabled sig by going here and paying a gold fee. The amount of gold needed to re-enable your signature does increase with every time you break the rules, so be careful!
  
  We know it's easy to get excited and forget here in Breedables, especially if you get a new pet or one of your favorites has a stunning growth spurt that you really want to show off in your signature. Still, it's important to take the time to check your signature size, no matter how excited you are!
  
  
• Do not advertise your shop in other people's threads without permission. This is very rude, and is considered spamming. Posts of this nature will be deleted and the user warned. This includes bumping a thread with an image linking to a shop; while it's more subtle, this is also advertising and is not allowed.
  
  Of course, this does not apply to friendly discussion. If the topic of 'hey, want to see my shop? Let's all share links!' or something comes up in a thread - fine, provided the shopowner does not have an issue with it. This also does not apply to advertising contained in a user's signature.
  
  
• Pets belong to their owners, and may not be stolen, resold, placed in your own signature, or otherwise claimed as your own in any way. Most pets were paid for or earned in some special way, and many users place a lot of value on their pets. Taking one and reselling it, displaying it in your sig, or otherwise claiming it as yours, is not only rude but also a violation of the TOS. It is considered to be art theft, and will be treated as such by the mods of this forum.
  
  
• Even if you are a pet owner, you may not resell pets you have purchased without CLEAR and PRIOR permission from the shop owner. Reselling pets without permission is also considered to be art theft.
  
  (Selling the results of breedings may be different depending on the individual shop - please see the rules for that specific shop for information on how they handle the distribution of pets produced via breeding.)
  
  
• If someone is setting up a thread and reserving posts, and the topic or first post says "DO NOT POST" or something similar... then do not post! Many shopfronts require a great deal of posts, and interrupting setup is rude, frustrating, AND considered to be spamming or harassment (depending on intent). Even if you're eager and excited, be sure to wait until the shopkeeper gives permission to post before letting loose.
  
  
• Be sure to read and follow all shop rules in the individual shop threads that you visit. Most shops will have their rules posted on the front page.

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Thread Placement Guide

Your thread belongs in Breedable/Changing Pets if:

• You offer pets (or characters) that breed, grow, or otherwise change. Most of the threads in Breedables are shops, auctions, and events linked to shops. As long as pets are being offered for prizes or sale, your thread is fine in Breedables.
  
  
• You are selling lineart for pets or characters that breed/change. Lineart auctions relating to the Breedables community, selling art intended to become a Breedables shop, are fine.
  
  
• You are running a contest related to Breedables. This includes flatsales for shops, concept contests for pets/characters, raffles, coloring/cert contests, and so on.

Your thread does NOT belong in Breedable/Changing Pets if:

• Your shop sells static pets that do not breed, grow, or otherwise change. Shops of this kind should be placed in the main Mini-Shops forum.
  
  
• You are looking for a pet. Threads simply stating "I want a pet" or something similar will be moved to the Chatterbox as spam. Users wanting a pet should look through the shops available on their own - otherwise, it's like standing in the middle of a mall yelling "I want socks!" If you want a pet, go and look for one, don't just stand in the middle and yell. wink
  
  
• You are posting an interest thread about a future or possible Breedables shop, or you are looking to hire staff for your shop. Interest and hiring threads belong in the Pricing, Assistance, & Suggestions subforum of Mini-Shops.
  
  
• Your thread is centered solely around roleplay or is a Breedables diary thread, without any shopfront or pet distribution to support it. Pure roleplay or diary threads should be placed in Breedable/Changing Pets Roleplay.
  
  
• Your thread is only a place to show off the pets that you own. Threads of this nature will be moved to the Chatterbox. If you wish to show off your pets, there are many options: using a post in the Show Off Your Pets! sticky, using your Gaia Journal or Profile, setting up a Chatterbox thread and linking to it from your signature, and so on.

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The Rules of Art

Artwork is the foundation of Breedables, and one of the selling points of the forum is the vast amount of creativity and skill that shopowners put into their shops. However, there are a few basic rules to follow regarding the proper use of artwork, and what is and isn't allowed.

• All artwork must be original. You need to draw your own artwork, or work out a deal with an artist to work with you to create original art. You may not use artwork that you don't have the rights to in any way. In addition, copying/tracing/eyeballing of ANYTHING that belongs to someone else - be it a Gaia pet, a photograph, a piece of artwork, and so on - is also not allowed.
  
  For more information on copying/eyeballing and referenced art - what the difference is, and what is permissible - please see the Copy FAQ sticky. It explains everything with excellent visual examples.
  
  
• Fan-based shops are permitted. It's perfectly okay to run a shop based on and using characters from a pre-existing commercial work - like Pokemon, Harry Potter, Final Fantasy, and so on. However, just as in the rules above, you cannot copy or trace official art - you MUST create your own poses and artwork.
  
  
• All artwork must follow Gaia's PG-13 rules as set forth in the Terms of Service. This means no portrayal of extreme gore, no pornographic nudity for humanoid pets (nudity with no genitalia, pubic hair or nipples on female breasts visible or implied), no overt genitalia on ANY pets, and so on.

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The Rules of Concepts

Breedables is a very competitive forum, and concepts play a big role in that. Good roleplay and an interesting basic premise can make a shop very alluring to potential customers! Since a strong concept can be as valuable a property as good artwork, there are a few basic rules to follow for concepts as well.

• General concepts are not considered exclusive. This applies to both general species (i.e. dragons, horses, cats, foxes, etc.) and basic ideas (i.e. myths reborn, kitsune of Japan, children who ride dragons, etc.).
  
  Stories that are in the public domain, such as myths and fairy-tales, or historical events, are also considered to be general concepts.
  
  
• General fan-based concepts and related species (like, say, pokemon or chocobos) are also not considered exclusive. There can be more than one Pokemon shop, multiple Harry Potter shops, lots of Final Fantasy shops, and so on.
  
  
• Plagiarism is not tolerated. Even though broad and fan concepts are not something exclusive, there is no excuse whatsoever for stealing content wholesale from another shop.

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The Rules of Shop Management

Shop management can be a difficult business indeed, especialy in Breedables. Shops here frequently build up large followings and large numbers of owners - that's a lot of people in one place, and problems almost inevitably follow. By and large, we allow shops to create their own rules, provided said rules are clearly stated and do not go against any of the forum's rules or the Gaia Terms of Service.

Note that if you as a prospective pet owner do not agree with certain rules in a shop, you are welcome to leave - the rules you dislike can hardly apply to you if you're not there, right? Please do not complain to a mod about individual shop rules unless they break the overall forum rules or TOS.

Here are a few basic guidelines and rules for shopowners to follow:

• The purchasing or aquiring of a pet is considered to be a contract between yourself and the pet owner. In exchange for gold/items/etc, you are required to provide that pet owner with pet images/artwork as promised at the time the pet was aquired.
  
  Obviously, it will take time to process all of that art - some pets, especially high-roleplay pets and those with a great number of stages, take years to grow to their final form! - but you need to remember that you have entered into a contract that must be completed, or a refund must provided for the art not recieved. Taking gold/items and running, either by ignoring the shop and the pet owners, or by attempting transfer to a mule and leaving, is considered scamming and will be dealt with severely.
  
  Cases such as disputes about pet ownership/refunds/etc. will be dealt with on an individual basis. PM a Breedables moderator if you have a question, as there are so many possible flavors of dispute that it is impossible to address them all here, and many decisions depend on the circumstances of each individual case.
  
  If you believe you have been scammed in Breedables, please submit a scam report.
  
  
• The rules a pet was originally purchased under serve as a contract as well. For example, if someone buys a pet and the rules say roleplay is not required, it is NOT PERMITTED for the shopowner to change the rules three months later and say that roleplay is now required in order for the petowner to keep their pet. It IS okay for the shopowner to change the rules for any future owners from that time, but those owners who had purchased before the new rules came into effect must not be bound by them.
  
  Of course, decreasing the severity of rules - like moving an RP-only pet to no-RP - is perfectly fine. But increasing and adding new restrictions and requirements to old owners is not allowed.
  
  This also includes the addition of fees related to that particular pet, sudden changes in pet status requiring non-optional action and/or funds that were not previously required to fix, and any other situation that was not expressly mentioned in the rules at the time of the first purchase. It also applies to auction and event situations - the rules you set up cannot be changed to be more strict later on. Be sure to set things up properly the first time!
  
  
• Regarding blacklists: Shops are permitted to keep blacklists, i.e. a listing of those not permitted in the shop. However, you are not allowed to be abusive within those blacklists. So, for example:
  

  A Good Blacklist

  Blacklist: [Person] is not allowed, for art theft.

  
  is fine.
  
  

  A Bad Blacklist

  Blacklist: [Person] is not allowed because they are a damn whore.

  
  is not fine. If your shop keeps a blacklist, keep it basic and brief - a blacklist is not an excuse to abuse and harrass.
  
  
• If you create a shop offering pets or characters that are roleplayed, and an owner leaves but still wishes to roleplay their pet elsewhere: The art is yours. They cannot use that. If the species of the pet was unique to the shop (say, a particular original variant of dog called a "Kylla Wolf" or something like that) is yours. They can't use that either.
  
  However, anything that the player came up with, such as personality (if not predetermined by the shop), character quirks, etc. belong to the original player. So they can take the personality and name and plunk it into another 'body' (as it were), but they can't use your art or your species concept at all. However, it is okay to use a generic of that species concept, if one exists - i.e. some other type of wolf for the example given.

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The Rules of Pet Removal and Refunds

When someone purchases a pet from you, you have an obligation to finish the pet they paid for, regardless of their status with you or your shop. Even if you blacklist or ban a user from your shop, you are not permitted to take away or resell their pets without complete refunds of their payment for those pets. Doing otherwise is considered scamming and will be dealt with severely.

If you do not wish to refund someone you have blacklisted, you must finish their pet - making sure the pet is of the same quality as your other work, and done with the same speed. This does not mean you have to let the person still post in your thread if you don't want to, or permit them to purchase future pets or services (including breeding of their pets) from you, but the art that was paid for must be completed in due time.

This also includes the removal of pets that were obtained without the exchange of gold, such as through contests or other means. A refund of gold equivalent to the pet's value, had it been purchased with gold, must still be issued.

The only exception to the refund rule is for pets with an activity or roleplay requirement, stated clearly at the time of the pet's purchase. Activity requirements are considered part of the contract made when purchasing a pet, and it must be held up on the buyer's end as well. If the buyer does not fulfill that requirement, the pet may be removed with the mediation of a Breedables moderator. So if you are a shop owner and wish to remove a pet using this rule, you must contact a Breedables mod to assist you and make sure the rules are being properly followed.

We understand that there may be some bitterness between those who are blacklisted and shop owners, so please use the mods to help mediate the resolution. If there are any issues on either side, please contact a Breedables mod.

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The Rules of Real-Money Commissions

People are allowed to offer real-money commissions. However, those wishing to sell pets in this way may not list their real money commission prices in threads.

You are more than welcome to say that you also do real life commissions, and then link to a personal web page, dev art, or email address to provide further information.

But you may not make this the focus of your thread or make a thread solely for real-life commissions, and you may not list prices or carry out real money transactions anywhere on Gaia.

Gaia Online is not responsible for real-life commission purchases. They are between yourself and the buyer/seller. Purchase at your own risk; if something goes off with a real-money purchase of a Breedable pet, the moderators will not be able to assist you.

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Forum Moderators

The forum moderators are here to help enforce the Gaia Terms of Service, the Breedables Rules & Guidelines, and to assist users in handling disputes and other problems.

You can use the [Report This Thread/Post] button on any post or thread that breaks the rules to send a report directly to the moderators.

Abuse and Harassment reports should be filed using this form.

Scamming and Hacking reports should be filed using this form.

Moderators
All moderators have green names with their mod title underneath in small text, as shown on these posts. Site Moderators handle forum issues such as art theft, disputes between users, flamewars, trolling, spam, and so on.

The Breedables forum mods are:
Nerpin
Appeal

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