The Rules

Each rule will be written in bold and followed with a short explanation. Those who understand the meaning of bolded phrases needn't read the fine print, which is there as more of an explanation than anything else.

New rules will be written in black for two weeks, after which point they will be returned to the normal tannish color. That said, it would be wise to glance at the rules page once every two weeks or so and see that there have been no changes.

Just a little warning-
IC problems are not to be taken OOC and visa versa. I have had personal experience with this sort of childish, immature behavior and it will not be tolerated. If your characters do not like one another, do not go around starting drama or be rude to the roleplayer. After all, it is roleplaying. If something happens OOC or you have a personal problem with someone, do not take it IC. That means that no dog may: lose rank, be kicked out of a pack, be attacked, or face any other consequences because of something that happened between the roleplayers and without character involvement.

I. The Basics
II. Account Rules
III. OOC Rules
IV. IC Rules
V. Fighting
VI. Breeding

Account Rules

+ One account for all characters. Those who have family members that also play on TL would be wise to mention this fact and state which accounts belong to that household lest they find one of their accounts deleted.

+ Keep your account active. Basically, unless you've posted that you'll be busy or missing, you must post at least once a week or so. Those who miss activity checks may have their accounts deleted.

+ No screen-name account name. Your name may not contain numbers, nor should it look like something you would chat with on AIM. When all else fails, use the name of one of your characters. This also means your user name may not be extremely long.

+ Your account name must be unique. Do not use the same name as someone else. Not sure whether or not someone has already taken your name? Do a member search. If the member has gone inactive, send me or another staff member a pm about using that name before changing yours.

+ You earn your position. Please, unless I have said that I am accepting mod applications, there is no real reason to offer yourself up for the position. Plenty of people like being moderators, and when I need more I am sure to post it as an announcement, don't worry. ^^

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IC Rules

+ All posts must be at least 150 words or more and in third person past tense. Use proper grammar and punctuation. Put words in bold and quotation marks. Thoughts belong in italics. Lyrics, unless written by you, will not count toward the total number of words in your post. Same for poems.

+ Liquid time is the standard for TL. Any and all characters may be in an unlimited number of threads, though it is advised that you keep the number low enough to manage or they may end up inactive.

+ All characters must be domestic dogs. No other species will be accepted, nor will hybrid canines mixed with any other species or subspecies. That said, there are also no breed bans.

+ There are to be no powers. Your character cannot read minds, force others to do anything, change the weather, fly, or do any other abnormal/impossible things.

+ There are to be no wings, odd colors, or impossible features. Odd colors would be defined as any that are not seen in domestic dogs. As long as the coat is based on black, grey, white, brown, red, blue, merle, or another color, even unlikely colors will be accepted as long as they aren't rediculous. Mutated animals are allowed, although it must be a mutation seen in some sort of canine at least once in history.

+ There is to be no jewelry. While a dog may have a collar left on from a previous owner, they will not be wearing bracelets or clothes, especially of the sort that would come off on the streets.

+ No powerplaying. You cannot control another person's character and cannot say that you did or did not do something to them. You may try to attack them, but cannot say that your dog bit their throat or nipped their ears. If you want something to happen, pm the person and tell them politely what you would like. They don't need to accept it.

+ No godmoding. Your dog is not invincible, it must be hit sometimes, and when it is hit it will probably be hurt or injured. There is no way around it.

+ 'Perfect' dogs are not allowed. Don't bother trying to say how pretty and perfect and attractive your dog or bitch is. Well, you could try, but it won't be looked upon favorably as all of that is based upon opinion.

+ Males are generally dominant to females. Males are not only stronger, but more inclined to aggression than their female counterparts. Still, there will be certain females who have extremely aggressive tendencies and will not back down from even the toughest males. When making a character such as the female described above, please remember that this sort of behavior is most often exhibited in certain breeds bred for guardian behaviors and that although this will give her a mental edge, she will not be a stronger dog but instead a dog with a stronger will.

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Breeding

+ The mating season is during late winter and early spring. Pups are born in late spring and will be delivered by the staff. During the time between the mating and the delivery, all females who have been bred will be roleplayed as pregnant. While it is possible for dogs to breed out of season, the litters will be smaller and not as likely to survive. No matter what the season, each bitch may only have one litter per year.

+ No excessively graphic breeding. While it is fine to describe a bit of what is going on, don't let things get inappropriate. If you feel the need to do this, let it be over pm to spare some of our members who might feel strongly about this.

+ Force breeding is allowed. Dogs may forcibly mate bitches, though she may try to prevent him from doing so, in which case there will be a judged fight to determine whether or not his attempts were successful. Having a high rank or even a mate will not prevent a female from being raped, though males should be warned that retaliation from her and others may be sought at any time.

+ Slaves and other dogs of a similar rank should seek their leader's support before mating. Those who chose not to do this may end up ostracized or attacked.

+ Dogs as young as one and bitches as young as two may breed. A bitch may attempt a litter before the age of two, but there will be fewer pups and an increased risk of complication. Both sexes may breed until the age of eight.

+ Females may or may not end up pregnant. Pregnancy is never a sure thing and there is always a chance that the prospective parents may need to try again next year. In the event of a force-breeding, the chances of a miscarriage or failure to concieve are slightly higher, due to stress.

+ The average litter size is anywhere from three to six pups. Litters may be as small as one or as large as twelve, though both will be rare occurances indeed. As a general rule, litter size is directly proportional to the size of the parents. Very large dogs often give birth to many pups. Older dogs and bitches who have had complications with previous pregnancies will give birth to fewer offspring.

+ The litter size as well as sexes, coat colors, and health of the offspring will be announced when the pups are delivered. Personalities and particular quirks, however, are up to the parents or new roleplayers of the pups. For now, I will be doing this with a randomizer system.

+ At the end of the breeding season, all pups will age together. Until the breeding season ends, all pups will be newborns. Once summer comes, they will be regarded as pups. Come fall, they are adolescents. When winter comes, they will be regarded as yearlings or young adults.

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