Rules

Everyone is required to read and follow the rules at all times, regardless of their place within the group. You are responsible for going over the rule revisions on your own time, and ensuring to abide by any updated legislations. Breaking any of BGL’s rules constitutes anything from a friendly warning to an immediate ban, depending on the nature of the situation, and degree of the rule broken.

**The group will not accept ignorance as an excuse for breaking any rule.**

 Members who have shown they are unable to properly follow all rules and guidelines will be dealt with privately by the admins.

* These rules are subject to minor edits **at any time** without prior notice and will be immediately enforced upon update. Drastic updates to the rules will be acknowledged in the Group’s News.
* If you see someone breaking the rules, please send a note to the group, or message the admins on Discord explaining the situation.
* **When accusing someone of breaking a rule** please do your best to provide us with any evidence you can pertaining to any details of rule-breaking!

## The Strike System

The strike system is in place as a way of reprimanding those who break the rules of the group. As stated, this can result in anything from a simple **warning**, to an **immediate ban** depending on the severity.

If the member continues to break the rules further, the member in question will be given a strike towards their name (these are kept in a private sta.sh file). Should a member receives three strikes, they will be kicked out of the group indefinitely.
If a member is kicked, they will be allowed to rejoin at a future date, which will be noted to them privately.

Should an extreme offence be committed (such as severe harassment, theft, doxxing, extensive bullying etc.) the member responsible for the act will be banned permanently from the group. **Creating a toxic environment for others within BGL is strictly prohibited, and is not something that is easily forgiven within the group.**

* Should a strike be issued, the member will always be notified via note through the admin account, along with a detailed explanation as to why the strike has been given.
* Members who bypass the strike system and receive permanent bans will be removed from the group without any warning, or explanation.

Members may be given a chance to plead their case depending on the situation of an accusation, and the Admins will do their best to understand viewpoints and place a fair judgement on the person responsible.

## General Rules

* Here at BGL we pride ourselves on being an inclusive, and respectful community. We are dedicated to being an entertaining, and safe space for everyone, and ask that every member be respectful, and welcoming to their peers. Homophobia, racism, sexism, hate-speak etc. of any kind **will not be tolerated** within the confines of the group, or its chats.
* While in-game drama is encouraged, keep it within the RP! We are all here to have a good time, and ask everyone does their best to keep a calm and peaceful environment for others to role-play within. Please be kind to others and **keep personal arguments outside of the group!**
* All of the group’s admins are volunteers who have chosen to use their spare time to help keep the group running, and we ask that members give them the respect that they deserve. **Unless specified** please don’t contact or badger the admins on their accounts, note the group your questions and concerns.
* Swearing is **allowed within the group**, as long as it is not being used to ridicule other members. **Please keep in mind**, that while the use of bad language isn’t prohibited, we ask that while in the chat rooms language is used responsibly, and not excessively, in order to respect BGL’s younger members.
* **One deviantART account per player!** Having multiple accounts to bypass rules, the point system etc. is unfair to other members, and strictly prohibited within the group. If a member is caught using multiple accounts within BGL they will be immediately, and **permanently banned** from the group.

**[ ! ]** If you have several accounts on deviantART make sure to let the Admins know **upon joining** so that they can record it.

* **Do not** advertise other groups, deviants, or dA content not pertaining to the group on the BGL page!
* Keep in mind that while role-playing, **a character’s opinions and world views** won’t always necessarily reflect on those of the role-player. Try to refrain from taking personal offence towards things that happen within a role-play.
* Members are **expected to follow proper role-play etiquette** at all times. Ensure that you role-play your character accordingly, and follow the common terms of role-playing etiquette:
	+ **God-Modding:** When a member takes control of another person’s character without their consent.
	+ **Powerplaying:** When a member using out-of-game knowledge or information against another member (or when someone role-plays a battle unfairly) in order to gain an advantage within the game.
	+ **Mary-Sueing:** When a member role-plays or creates a character that is seemingly all-powerful, perfect at everything, has no flaws, or implies that everyone loves them.

* Respect the existing canon, of both the world and the characters. **Do not** create a situation that is out of place for its setting. Be aware of what you **can** and **can’t** do in character.

* **Explicit sexual content**, or **excessively graphic violence** is to be kept in **private role-plays**! Mature content must **always be tagged**! There are minors present within the group — respect this.

**[ ! ]** Members **under the age of 18** are strictly prohibited from participating in sexual role-plays of any kind! Minors who are caught in with explicit content will be temporarily kicked from the group.

**[ ! ]** Smut will be declined from the Group. While fade-to-black and non-specific role-plays can be accepted with the right warnings in place, Smut itself will not.

**[ ! ]** BGL and its admins **are not responsible** for any unfavourable content its members are caught in possession or distribution of!

* English does not have to be your primary language, but we ask members to  at least be semi-literate in literature submissions. We do not allow submissions with “chatspeak”, and appreciate spelling and grammar checks. If you are highly uncomfortable with your English skills, then this group may not be for you.

**[ ! ]** Paragraph-style role-plays are found to be the most preferred form of rping amongst our members, so keep this in mind when joining and chatting with others.

* We have a very strict **no theft policy**. Tracing another artist’s work, ripping off someone else’s design, or stealing art that is not yours to begin with is **completely unacceptable!** Do not claim artwork outside of the group, or informations from other characters as your own. If you have ripped someone off we WILL find out, and it will result in an **immediate ban**. Tracing **stock images**, and using **commissioned work**with artist permission and proper credit is fine.
* Respect when an admin tells you that a decision is final. We will do our best to compromise where we can, but **do not argue** with a decision once it has been made.
* BGL **does not tolerate** members who harass others, or flood the group crying “art theft” for unjustified reasons. If a member believes their character, or content is being ripped off deliberately, **note the admins!** We do not support members who create unnecessary uproars amongst their peers and disturb the peace within the group, regardless of whether the reasoning behind it is founded or not. **Do not** use BGL and its members to organize a witch hunt! **You will be kicked for it!**
* While role-playing, we ask that members **don’t randomly spawn in** some imminent doom like a sandstorm, mass fire, some horrible deadly predator etc. **without admin permission**; as severe threats will likely be a group-wide event.

**[ ! ]** If a member wishes to **role-play with a predator** for plot reasons, they must have an admin present. Only admins have the privilege to role-play dangerous creatures for plot purposes, as this helps prevent god-modding situations.

* Humans **do not exist** within BGL! Make sure that any wildlife your character comes in contact with **actually exists** within the world. Polar Bears, snow etc. will not be something you character ever runs into.
* To keep things organized, please ensure that **all content** is submitted to the **appropriate folders** within the group.
* Members **are not allowed to submit advertised content** to the group. This includes auctions, adoptables, commissions, etc. There are exceptions to this rule if the content is group related, but if the content you’re submitting is questionable, note the group for clarification.

**[ ! ]** Admins may occasionally submit character adoptables to the appropriate folder. However, these are done to allow potential members the opportunity to join through special means, or to collect points specifically put towards BGL’s supergroup status. Members may only submit kitten and family member tryouts. They cannot submit character adoptions unless given permission by an Admin!

* When role-playing with another member, try to **be aware** of what they are and are not comfortable with. Don’t force another member into an uncomfortable situation for the sake of a role-play.
* The Empire and Kingdoms have their own Rules, make sure your cat remembers them! Things like petty theft, murder etc. can happen, however, **don’t always expect your character to get away with it.** If your character does something wrong in a role-play you won't be punished, but keep in mind that your character may be if caught.
* Do your best to **role-play realistically**. If a character gets injured in canon, remember that they will remain injured until they're fully healed!
* **Unbalanced characters** aren’t allowed within the group i.e. those that are perfect in every way, or whose traits don’t balance out correctly. If your character is seen as unrealistic, you will be asked to revise them before being accepted into the group. Strikes **won’t be given** for this, you’ll simply be asked to improve and revise the character during the application process, to better fit the admin expectation.
* Character **are not permitted** to enter areas outside of the borders of the area given without admin permission.
* **Refrain from mini-modding.** The admins are here for a reason, so please leave the moderating to those who actually hold the appropriate position within the group to do so. Mini-modding can result in the wrong information being given to another person, and chasing after members who do this/correcting their misinformation is taxing, and takes away time better spent on other things.

**[ ! ]** If you are concerned about something in a comment or on a deviation, note the group about it rather than commenting or replying yourself. The admins will do their best to handle all questions and concerns as they receive them.

## Character Rules

**[ ! ]**Go over the Application Guide and  FAQ for extra Character building information.

* Fill out the character sheet properly, and according to the direction within the Joining Journal. Character sheets that are **not completed**, or done incorrectly will not be accepted into the group.
* Non-members have to apply to join during **Openings, through** Sponsorship**, or through a Character Adoption** in order to join the group, and can only join with one character.
* While a **healthy dose of drama** is welcome, please refrain from making character backstories excessively dramatic. Not every single character will have a backstory where their family is massacred, so try to be creative! Likewise, remember that tragic elements of a backstory may leave **lasting effects** on your character’s person. Don’t simply use tragedy, or drama as an accessory, mold your character with it.
* We **do not allow** plots or backstories involving rape, sexual assault, necrophilia, pedophilia, or incest, as it can be harmful or triggering to people in the group. While we recognize that many of these things were common in Ancient Egyptian Society, any references hinting or involving banned content is **strictly forbidden** and will result in an **immediate strike.**
* A member cannot have **more than one character within a single rank** per kingdom (i.e. Two Mekara Dancers, two Tairin Combat Clerics etc.) The only exception to this rule is if an **immediate family member** is placed within this rank (i.e. Playing the slave child of your slave character.) This does, however, still require permission from the **Kingdom Specific** Admin.
* EXP cannot be received by a player’s character that is **not yet submitted** to the group. Likewise, characters not yet accepted into the group can’t be role-played within it.

* Fandom associated characters, or characters heavily based off of published character found in the media **won’t be accepted** into the group. While a character by-all-means may share the same name of a character from a popular fandom, we won’t accept an obvious cat version of Wolverine or Kim Possible.
* Do not ignore the trials of a disability, or portray them inaccurately. This is extremely disrespectful to someone who is a real sufferer. **Disabilities are not here to be used for aesthetic reasons, or to give your character a ‘unique flare’**; if you want to give your character a disability or condition, you are expected to role-play it with respect, and accuracy. Members have to both **gain permission** from an Admin, and **research the disability** they wish their character to have thoroughly beforehand, and show they have done this.
* When creating your character, try to **steer clear of stereotypes**, as it will make the process of getting accepted a lot harder than it has to be, and may bring offence to some members (i.e. creating a stereotypical gay character.) More importantly, **stay away from poorly fleshed character archetypes** that portray a being who’s squeaky-clean, with no flaws, and perfect at everything.
* Names should be Egyptian, African, or Arabian in nature. You will not find a cat named ‘Bob’ within the group.

**[ ! ] Stuck on a name? Try these:** Nefertari, Khafra, Fawzia, Mahu, Addaya, Rehkmire, Eurydice, Setau, Ineni, and Pannchi.

* **Minor PTSD, intrusive thoughts etc.** are allowed without restriction, however you are still required to role-play it in a non-offensive way!
* **Starting characters** have to have been born within the Empire territories, and cannot have traits from the Restriced list, or be an Exotic (Wild Cat) breed. Characters made after starting characters can be created any way you wish.
* Check out the **Restrictions** section out before giving your character a limited trait, to ensure what you want is actually available before asking an Admin.

#### **When It Comes to Appearance and Accessories**

* Though we aren’t super strict here with eye color, keep in mind that **the following colours aren’t allowed:** Red *[unless an Albino]*, Black, White, and Rainbow. Normal coloration is allowed, and different kinds of bicolour are also allowed (if we receive an extensive amount of cats with heterochromia, or versions of it, we may eventually at it to the **Restrictions** list.
* Tufts of fur, bangs, small ponytails, minor hairstyles, etc. are allowed within reason, but we ask that you **don’t go overboard** when adding this creative choice to your character.
* Starting off, character will only be allowed **a maximum of two** simple apparel items, (Small-medium) i.e. bandages, regalia collar, hat, etc. and a Keepsake. Depending on their rank, a **simple weapon** (military/dark order), or a **collar** (slave) can be started with, and wont be added to the total starting items cap.
* Please keep items and apparel appropriate to the setting of the group and the social status of your character. **You will not find a slave with golden arm bracers.**
* Small articles of jewelry (earrings, piercings etc.) are allowed, and **won’t be added to your starting item cap**, but once again, please keep these appropriate to your character's status. **Excessive amounts of jewelry can’t be started with.**
* Extensive (Large) apparel, intricate items, over-the-top accessories etc. can’t be owned when starting with your character. Class/rank specific outfits, special items/apparel are won, purchased, found, and gifted as your character progresses through the story and its events.
* **Characters can’t start off with animal companions or mounts** of any kind, as these have to be purchased or gifted to your character.
* Medium to small scars are allowed as long as they **don’t cover more than 20%** of a character’s body. A tidbit within the character’s information must explain where the scarring came from (i.e. a slave’s brand.) Characters also cannot start off with tattoos of any kind, as ink has to be bought in-game. More **extensive injuries** relating to amputation, or other forms of severe injury/disability are allowed as long as there is room in the **Restricted** section, and admin approval has been received.
* Character should not exceed the **18” height maximum** (Servals are the only exception to this), and even this will be closely monitored to ensure that we don’t have a swath of gargantuan felines running around the deserts of Egypt.
* Natural colours and patterns are mandatory. Sparkle cats, unnatural patterns (i.e. stars, hearts etc.) won’t be allowed. **When in doubt just ask an admin!**

## Chat Rules

* Role-plays within the **public chat rooms** of Discord are to be kept strictly **PG-13 at all times!** If members wish to participate in role-plays that exceed this rating, then they are asked to do so privately.
* Members are asked to refrain from spamming the chat rooms with complaints, and unnecessary drama! If a member has an issue with the group, or someone within the group, do not rant about it in the chats or on the front page; **note the admins** about it.
* For the sake of organization, **please ensure** that role-plays and chats are done **within the appropriate chat rooms** while on Discord. Likewise, make sure group related advertisements are kept within the designated Discord chat!
* Only members apart of a **specific kingdom** are allowed in its designated Discord chat! Members are prohibited from being invited to, or inviting members not apart of a specific kingdom into its designated chat.
* If there is an **ongoing role-play** within the chats, make sure to ask before leaping in. Keep “chatspeak” within the OOC chats.
* Refrain from advertising other groups within the chat, or spamming others with requests to participate in a specific group.
* Keep negativity within the chats to a minimum. Don’t use the Discord chats to vent your frustrations about other members, or excessively personal issues. Complaints, issues, and disagreements towards other members or admins are not to be discussed within the Discord chats **at any time.**
* **Be aware** of the topics discussed within the Discord, and how certain things may make others uncomfortable. If another person **voices their discomfort** towards a topic, then all members participating in the conversation are expected to change it **immediately.**
* Make sure to **tag or @-mention the admins** within the chat when asking about gameplay and lore.