Rules

  • Welcome to Umbra Roleplaying! We are an 18+ multi-genre roleplaying and writing community open to writers of all types. Sign up today to have access to our forums and join our other talented members!

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  • Hello Guest!
    Umbra Leadership wanted to take a moment to thank everyone that has been in support of our site - whether that be in voting, in activity, in referring others, and especially in supporting us through the donation system.

    We can now clearly say that we are at the financial goal of hosting our site for two years. All of you are precious here, and valued - and to know we have such strong bases beneath us makes this process feel so much easier.
    Thank you - thank you thank you thank you thank you. ♥ You are absolute gifts and we are so happy to be able to continue maintaining this space of inclusion for all.
    Check out the new smilies available! Here's a List! Happy Pride, heckers!
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Welcome to Umbra Roleplaying!
We are an 18+ multi-genre roleplaying and writing community open to writers of all types.
Click to sign up!
Site Conduct Rules
  1. One RT per member, per forum.
    1.  Each member is allowed one (1) RT Thread in both the Plot and Erotic forums. This is to ensure everyone has an opportunity to get their thread viewed by other members and a few exuberant individuals don't spam the forum. As all members have the ability to edit/delete their own threads, if you need to make a change to your RT you can do so easily. 
      • *The Group RT forum is exempt from this rule. You can post freely when searching for group roleplays, as group threads typically only contain a single plot idea (you can post more if you like).
  2. All members of Umbra must be 18 years or older.

    Umbra Roleplaying is an adult-oriented site containing mature content and is unsuitable for individuals younger than 18.

    If it is suspected you do not meet the minimum age requirement, you will be asked for age verification.

    Failure to provide proof of age will result in an immediate ban.

    If you suspect someone on-site is underage, please get in touch with a staff member via PM.

     

    By being a member of this site, you state that you are 18 or older.

  3. All usernames must be “safe for work”.
    Usernames may not contain any curse words, slurs, graphic sexual references, or inflammatory language.
  4. Refrain from racist, homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic, misandrist, ableist, ageist, or disrespectful/hateful speech.
    While Umbra is loose with its allowance of vulgarity and colorful speech, we will not tolerate blatant disrespect to your fellow members. This writing site was created to build a welcoming, fun, and comfortable environment for those wishing to flex their creative fingers. If you are discovered spewing disrespectful and/or hateful speech, you will be issued a warning or ban, depending on the severity of the offense.
  5. We have a ZERO tolerance policy for harassment of any kind.

    The following constitute harassment:

    1. Offensive and hurtful comments.
    2. Stalking.
    3. Continued one-on-one conversation after one party has requested to cease,
    4. Continued behaviors after others have expressed their discomfort with them
    5. Unwelcome sexual attention or flirtation -
      • This includes solicitation of illicit content of another member
      • Aggressively sexual DMs
    6. Threats of violence (physical or psychological)
    7. The deliberate "outing" of any aspect of another person's identity without their consent. 
    8. Publication of private conversations without the other person's consent,
    9. Deliberate misgendering,
    10. Intentional spreading of misinformation about other users.
    11. Repeated solicitation of responses for conversation and roleplay (within 24 hours of the last contact),
    12. Other bullying/intimidation tactics.

    Treat every member the way you would like to be treated, and respect the wishes and requests of others. None of these behaviors will be tolerated.

  6. Do not spam forums or private messages.

    This includes:

    • Posting the same thread numerous times in one or multiple sections of the forum
    • Starting conversations en masse with other members (more than 10 in 24 hours or the same content)
    • Repeatedly messaging a single member for any reason.

    This includes mass messaging "wanna rp?".

  7. Do not give out or ask for personal information.

    This is for your safety.

    If you wish to speak with another member via Discord, Skype, email, or any other communication service, do so at your own risk.

     

    However, users found to use the Umbra Discord to approach other members for inappropriate requests or that show a pattern of taking conversation off-site to press the limits of our rules will receive consequences.


    We will not moderate interactions that do not occur on-site via public forums or PMs.

  8. No linking to pornographic sites or content.
    Note that this does not include sites such as f-list or the BDSM testing site. These can be utilized for character lore purposes. However, linking to sites specializing in NSFW visual or written content is not permitted.
  9. One account per user/per IP
    If you share a home with another site user (and therefore an IP), please contact leadership so we may make a note on your accounts to document for maintenance purposes.
Roleplaying Content Rules
  1. Characters under 18 years of age are permitted, however:

    Characters younger than 18 years of age are not to be exposed to any sexual or extremely violent situations, period.

    No exceptions.

    Failure to adhere to this rule (including asking others for roleplays where these situations are involved) WILL result in an immediate ban.

     

    • This includes “fade to black” situations involving minors or anything where sex or violence is implied. These situations can be a part of a character’s backstory but may not be described in detail, only alluded to.

    Characters involved in sexual and/or violent situations must physically be AND appear at least 18 years of age. A magical fairy god who is 1000 years old but looks 14 will be considered 14 as far as Umbra is concerned.

    Characters under 18 cannot be main characters in a story. Side characters only.

    • No high school plots. These plots can be fun, but are too often used to toe the line of the rules.
    • Your characters must be in college if you HAVE to have a school setting.
  2. On bestiality and necrophilia:

    Anthropomorphic characters, 'weres', and animal shifters are all permitted as long as they maintain human-level intelligence, are able to speak physically, and can verbally consent to sexual encounters.

    No sexual contact between humans and animals is permitted, regardless of the animal's mental capacity or ability. Sexual encounters between two animals are allowed so long as both parties are sentient and capable of consenting.

    Sexual contact between human and anthro characters is allowed as they maintain human appearances despite their animalistic traits.

    Sexual activity involving vampires and otherwise cognitively unimpaired undead are allowed; however, sexual activity involving corpses and “brain dead” zombies is not.

    • Undead characters must maintain sentience and the ability to consent to sexual situations.
  3. On DMs and private communications

    It is never appropriate to send sexually graphic messages to other users without their consent.

    Umbra is not responsible for any personal correspondence on Discord, as the platform is entirely out of our hands.

     

    If you are found to be abusing Umbra to try and lure people into sexually explicit situations without their knowledge on Discord, appropriate action will be taken.

Image Rules
  1. Please read over and adhere to these rules. Contact a staff member for clarification if you have a question about something. Please note: staff maintains the right to remove any avatar, profile cover, signature or any other user-uploaded image without warning if it violates our rules. We would prefer not to do that, for the record. If your signature, avatar, profile cover, or any other user-uploaded image is removed by staff we will send you a follow-up explaining why your image was removed.
  2. Avatars, signature images and profile covers must be kept “appropriate” at all times.

    Umbra Roleplaying allows a tasteful level of nudity.

    We define “tasteful nudity” as the following; Any image in which partial nudity is present in the image but is not the primary focus.

    Exposed breasts and buttocks are acceptable.

    Exposed penises or vulvas, images distinctly showing the outline of genitalia through clothes or another covering, and/or penetration of any kind is not permitted.

    • (This includes implied penetration where technically the genitals are not seen but it is clear oral, vaginal, and/or anal penetration is occurring.)
  3. “Tasteful nudity” (As defined on the site) is allowed to be posted in forums but must be contained behind a spoiler and marked as “Mature”
    Images containing any level of nudity are not to be posted in forums unless they are behind a spoiler. If you are unsure if an image is suitable for our forums, or if you do not know how to create a spoiler, please ask a staff member or check our bb-code guide
  4. Signature images larger than 300px in height and 600px in width must be put behind a spoiler.
    Large images use up a significant amount of site resources and slow down the site for everyone. Please be respectful of your fellow users and keep signatures to a reasonable size.
  5. Only 1 image allowed per signature.
  6. Images larger than 600px in height and/or width posted in forums must be put behind a spoiler.
  7. 6. No linking to pornographic sites or content of any kind.
Umbra is a roleplaying site.
  1. Umbra is not made of Group therapists
    While we encourage all of our members to express themselves in times of distress, anger, or sadness as it can help deal with powerful emotions, we are neither trained nor equipped to handle significant mental health issues. Threats of violence against oneself or others, blatant or subtle references to the intent of committing suicide, or other serious matters are inappropriate here. If you are having a difficult time and need someone to talk to, we urge you to speak with your friends, family, personal therapist or one of the following organizations*:



    National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
    TrevorLifeline: 1-866-488-7386
    Samaritans (UK): 116 123




    *If you live in a country outside of the United States or United Kingdom, Suicide.org contains a list of international emergency numbers that may prove useful (click here to view the list). Please note we cannot vouch for the efficacy/validity of these numbers as we cannot test them. Please research appropriate emergency numbers for your country.
  2. Umbra is not Facebook.
    Profile statuses are fun! Use them to tell a good joke, let your partners know about your current queue, make a witty observation, etc. Please do not spam them (multiple posts within minutes) or use them to attack someone or cause unnecessary drama passive-aggressively. Doing so will be treated as a violation of our harassment rules.
  3. Umbra is not a Dating Website.
    It is no secret that writing partners can become quite close, and sometimes intimate relationships develop. While Umbra has no issue with this, please remember that we do not get involved in private affairs. However, if we find a user showing predatory behavior against other members using site space - we may take action.
  4. Umbra is not your personal advertising block.
    If you want to advertise, good. We're happy to accommodate. Feel free to contact @Rei; she can set up a thread or even an affiliation link to your website. But do not use features such as your signature, profile banner, or status posts to advertise blatantly. This isn't a rule so much as a request; please do not take advantage of our generosity.
Disciplinary Actions
  1. Generally, discipline is handled on a case-by-case basis. We understand most people do not wish to break the rules and will often comply when reminded or informed. However, repeated or blatant offenses will be handled as follows*:
    1. Friendly Reminder:
    A staff member will PM you to gently remind you of a rule. Friendly reminders are reserved for rules regarding minor offenses such as image rule infractions, spamming, or improper thread placement.

    2. First Warning:
    An administrator will contact you and instruct you to correct the behavior(s) violating the rules. You will be notified that it constitutes an official “First Warning”. Examples of behaviors that would merit a “First Warning” include (but are not limited to): mild harassment, disrespectful speech, misuse of forums, and a second rule infraction after receiving a Friendly Reminder from staff.

    3. Final Warning:
    If you have blatantly broken the rules multiple times or committed a serious offense, you will be warned clearly and explicitly that further rule-breaking will not be tolerated. Examples of behaviors that merit a “Final Warning” include (but are not limited to): major harassment, clear disregard of RP rules on bestiality and necrophilia, hate speech, and multiple instances of disregarding Friendly Reminders and/or First Warnings.

    4. Permabans & Instabans:
    You will be banned for blatant third offenses or egregious violations. Egregious violations meriting a ban would include (but are not limited to): being underage, exhibiting abusive behavior (sexism, racism, bullying, etc.), roleplaying or seeking a roleplay that exposes a minor to sexual/violent situations, showcasing belligerent behavior toward staff or other members, and repeated disregard for minor rules resulting in multiple warnings. *Depending on the severity of the offense, staff maintains the right to skip any of these steps as we deem necessary.
Final Call on these Rules
  1. The Leadership team has the final say on the interpretation of these rules.
    We are open to polite, thoughtful discussion. If we find fault with a rule, we will adjust if we deem such action necessary. This does not give you the freedom to argue with staff when we ask you to correct a behavior. Being passive-aggressive, argumentative, or otherwise difficult is likely to cause a friendly reminder to graduate into a serious warning. Please be respectful when a staff member reminds you of a rule. This is the case for all three categories of rule.

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