Channel Rules

## Welcome :)

Hello and welcome to #velvetandlace :) We are a male-to-female social channel on freenode. We want to encourage a fun and laid-back atmosphere in the channel, and for the most part, things tend to stay fairly drama-free. In order to keep it that way and to prevent abuse, we have established a few guidelines for user conduct. The consequences for abusing the channel guidelines range from being warned by an op, to being muted, all the way to being banned. If you feel threatened or triggered by a user, or if someone is abusing these guidelines and no op is around to notice, please feel free to let an op know via PM.

VelvetAndLace is above all a social channel, so please be respectful and friendly to everyone in the room. Be considerate of what people are talking about and try to contribute if you can. Be wonderful to each other! :)

## DO's

* Although the general focus of this channel is on trans-feminine, mtf, amab people, everyone is welcome here, as long as they respect other channel users and these guidelines. We don't discriminate based on sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, or anything else.
* This channel is intended for adults, and as such, adult topics are allowed. This includes discussion of sexuality, BDSM, etc.
* Pornography, sexual roleplay, graphic depictions of sex, photos showing your genitals, and other such topics need to go in **velvet-nsfw**, which is a side channel dedicated to all things sexy that a fair number of our users hang out in. Basically, we just want to keep things (at least somewhat) classy in main. It's a pretty big and stable channel, so we want to try to be inclusive and at least somewhat sensitive (within reason). **Regarding image links:** Boobs are okay, and transition pics including nudes will likely be tolerated at op discretion. And honestly, as long as it's tasteful and clearly tagged nsfw, it's probably fine. Just use common sense and don't post stuff in main that's blatantly inflammatory. **Regarding topics of discussion:** Some people might be in the channel while actually *at work*, so if you have to ask the question about if it should go into ##velvet-nsfw, then it probably should ;) Also, if enough people start to get uncomfortable with the topic, we might ask you to take it next door. If an op asks you to take a discussion there, please do so.
* Tag questionable or adult links with NSFW.
* If an op asks you to drop a subject, please do so. You can take it to PM or to another channel.
* If you have a problem with an op, and if you feel like they are being unfair to you or others in the channel, please feel free to PM the founders (VelvetBlueEyes, razielle\_tzu, unikitty) as they have the authority to deal with those sorts of issues. They will review the issue and try to work out a solution.

## DON'Ts

* To state the (hopefully) obvious: no homophobia, transphobia, racism, or bigotry of any kind.
* DO NOT talk about suicide or self-harm in the channel. We are not a support group and aren't equipped to help you if you are suicidal. Suicide and Self Harm Help
* No shaming. This includes kink-shaming. Just because you don't understand it doesn't give you the right to shame someone for it.
* Please respect other people's boundaries. Don't make unwanted sexual advances towards people - keep it safe, sane and consensual.
* Please refrain from excessive negativity, whining, begging for attention and sympathy, etc. It's okay to express yourself and vent occasionally, we all have bad days. But when a user is doing this all the time, it's draining and off-putting to the other users in the channel, and ultimately, there's not much we can do over the internet anyway. If you are having serious issues with depression or the like, you really need to be talking about it to a therapist. Emotional vampirism will not be tolerated.
* Don't hijack the topic. If there's a conversation going on, please be considerate of that, and try to wait until there is a lull in the channel to bring up another topic. It's common courtesy.
* Don't fight with other users in main. If you have issues to resolve, please take them to PM or to another channel.

Disciplinary actions and escalation are up to the discretion of the ops and more or less strict measures may be taken as the situation warrants.

**Whether you agree with someone or not, we need you to be respectful. If the discussion is something that you don't like or agree with, if you're triggered, or whatever, take a breather from the channel and come back when the coast is clear :)**