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Rules Bulbagarden Forum Rules (Last Updated: September 25, 2024)

Enzap

No thoughts, head empty
Joined
May 21, 2010
Messages
16,680
Reaction score
6,798
Pronouns
  1. He/Him
  2. They/Them
Unless stated otherwise, the rules apply to all facets of the forum - that includes usernames, profile information, profile posts, and private messages.

1. Do not abuse or harass others (Abuse and Harassment) [10 points, 12 months]
We do not tolerate abuse and harassment of any sort. This includes but is not limited to:
  • Making inappropriate advances towards other users
  • Making violent threats or emotionally manipulating others
  • Continuing to contact a user after being told to stop
  • Making discriminatory remarks based on race, orientation, disability, gender identity, or similar
  • Revealing information about a person without their explicit consent (such as their e-mail address, home address, phone number, pictures, etc)
  • Using derogatory terms such as slurs
2. Make sure your content is community-appropriate (Inappropriate Content) [10 points, 12 months]
Content should be kept safe for work and not draw attention to anything that may be considered inappropriate. This includes but is not limited to erotic imagery, fetishes, heavy blood/gore, and hate movements. You may also not link to websites notoriously known for hosting inappropriate content (e.g. 4Chan), even if the exact page being linked does not contain such content. Historical or non-sexualized art such as Michelangelo's David or Nirvana's Nevermind album cover are allowed.

3. Respect other users (Flaming/Baiting) [5 points, 6 months]
Be civil to others - no attacks or insults are allowed. When disagreeing with others, keep your responses respectful. Behavior that should be avoided includes but is not limited to:
  • Trivializing violence
  • Treating your opinions as fact
  • Being dismissive of others' viewpoints or nitpicking details
  • Abusing the reports system
  • Bringing drama between users from other sites to Bulbagarden
4. Do not plagiarize the works of others (Plagiarism) [5 points, 6 months]
Bulbagarden strives to make sure our community is a comfortable place for creators. Plagiarizing any type of work and claiming it as your own is not allowed. When using unofficial/fan artwork across the community, please cite the artist when possible.
  • As part of our goal to be a welcoming place for creators, all AI-generated media (which includes, but is not limited to: art, writing, and music) is not allowed in our Creative Corner forums. AI content will only be permitted in our BulbaBlogs forum, as long as it is stated to be AI-created in the title of the post or thread.
5. Do not ask for, or share illegal content and AI generative tools (Copyright Violation) [4 points, 6 months]
Illegal content should not be shared. This includes:
  • Full episode links, ROMs, emulators, or fansubs
  • AI-created media that infringes upon the copyright of others, including but not limited to AI-generated cloning of voice actors' voices
Content generation (generative AI) tool sharing is limited. It may be discussed, but linking to or asking for sources that provide AI-generated content, including but not limited to voice cloning, art, writing, and music, is not allowed when it is for the purpose of generating content.

Fan-made games and emulation may be discussed, but not linked to. Some sections may have their own guidelines in place in regards to fangames and emulation - please check their individual rules for details.

6. Avoid making disruptive or irrelevant posts (Disruptive Post) [3 points, 3 months]
Keep posts relevant to the thread or a post within it, and avoid making posts that disrupt the flow of conversation. This includes but is not limited to:
  • Continuing to discuss something after a moderator asks it be dropped, or conversely 'mini-modding' (enforcing rules when not a staff member)
  • Repeatedly posting the same arguments within a thread(s)
  • Posting spoilers for recent media not in spoiler tags
  • Advertising outside of your profile, signature, and BulbaBlogs (see BulbaBlogs rules for more details) when it's not related to the topic
  • Posting large images (larger than 1000x1000px) without spoiler tags
7. Make sure your signature matches our size restrictions (Excessive Signature) [2 points, 3 months]
Keep your full signature no more than 160 pixels in height and 500 kB in size, with an extra text line permitted to credit artists. Spoiler tags and scrollbars are not permitted. Staff are allowed slightly larger signatures.
8. Do not register extra accounts (Sockpuppeting) [10 points, 6 months]
You may only have one account per user. Ban evasion on secondary accounts is also not allowed.
  • If you have technical questions related to your account, reach out to a forum administrator or use the Contact us form at the bottom of the page.
General Information
When registering or changing your username, we ask you not use non-Latin characters as this will make it harder for users to type your name out when they need to ping you.

Moderators will generally post a public warning or reach out to users directly before issuing warnings with points, unless it's a repeat offense. Please remember these initial actions are just reminders and should not be seen as anything serious. Any personal warnings you may recieve are only visible to you and our moderation team.

You're welcome to use the Contact us form to discuss a warning you may have received if you disagree with it and our team will get back to you as soon as we can.

Remember to check individual forums as they have their own rules and clarifications as well!

Note that accumulating enough warning points will result in temporary and possibly even permanent bans. We would prefer to avoid issuing such actions but it's something the staff has to consider to keep the community a welcoming and comfortable place.

Note the warning point thresholds information below:
  • 10 active warning points: 2 days
  • 20 active warning points: 10 days
  • 30 active warning points: 1 month
  • 40 active warning points: 4 months
  • 50+ active warning points: Indefinite ban
If you receive a temporary ban, the time starts from the moment you receive the ban. Ergo, if you get a two-day ban at 5:00am on Friday the 27th, the ban will end at 5:00am on Sunday the 29th. Note that if you receive a ban you will be unable to access your Private Message inbox to check warning messages but will get an email sent to your registered email address explaining why the ban was issued.
 
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I have a question can I post a kill scene video or is that banned to?
Hi! If you wouldn't mind PMing me the video itself and the context you're going to be using it in, I can help you determine whether it's allowed or not. Generally speaking, we'd rather not have anything incredibly brutally violent on our forums as a rule of thumb!
 
I just looked at my account and saw, to the right of "Reaction Score", the heading "Points" with 5 underneath it. Are those the warning points talked about here? If so, how do I figure out what I did wrong? (I haven't gotten any messages about it, as far as I can tell.)
 
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I just looked at my account and saw, to the right of "Reaction Score", the heading "Points" with 5 underneath it. Are those the warning points talked about here? If so, how do I figure out what I did wrong? (I haven't gotten any messages about it, as far as I can tell.)
Reaction score is how many "reactions" (aka likes) your posts have gotten. You will always be notified if you receive a warning, plus a new tab would appear on your profile with a list of warnings received including their point values and what rule was broken. It would look something like this, though these are very old warnings so the rule names are different than they are today.
Screen Shot 2023-08-25 at 10.00.26 PM.png
 
I just looked at my account and saw, to the right of "Reaction Score", the heading "Points" with 5 underneath it. Are those the warning points talked about here? If so, how do I figure out what I did wrong? (I haven't gotten any messages about it, as far as I can tell.)
You haven't done anything wrong! Those aren't warning points, they're trophy points — basically achievements for doing certain things on the forums, like posting and receiving replies/reactions. If you click on the number itself you'll see which trophies you have:
image.png
Basically what Enzap said — when someone does get a warning, they'll always receive a message from a staff member about it to let them know. You have nothing to worry about at all :)
 
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You haven't done anything wrong! Those aren't warning points, they're trophy points — basically achievements for doing certain things on the forums, like posting and receiving replies/reactions. If you click on the number itself you'll see which trophies you have:
image.png
Basically what Enzap said — when someone does get a warning, they'll always receive a message from a staff member about it to let them know. You have nothing to worry about at all :)
Thank you for actually answering their question and not completely failing to read it like me :enzap:
 
Umm, I’ve got a question! So, if someone gets three warnings (like three out of three), does it mean they’re getting really close to a ban? I’ve been here for about three months, but I’m still pretty confused about that. ^^;
 
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Umm, I’ve got a question! So, if someone gets three warnings (like three out of three), does it mean they’re getting really close to a ban? I’ve been here for about three months, but I’m still pretty confused about that. ^^;
It really depends on the nature of the warnings. A lot of warnings are just gentle reminders and don't contribute to your total warning points. If you view warnings on your profile and it has a 0 next to it, that's what this means. Particularly overt or repeated offenses earn warnings with points attached, and those points are listed in the OP. They do expire eventually, but if you hit 10 active points, then you will automatically receive a 48 hour ban. Just make sure you familiarize yourself with our rules and you should be fine! Really as long as you're not posting anything harmful, offensive, or disruptive then you shouldn't rack up enough points to result in a ban.
 
Hey! I asked on the art thread but just want to make sure. If I made a webcomic would I be able to make a separate thread in the art forum specifically for it? It would be a webcomic adaptation of my Kalos pokeverse (so it’s pokemon related) and shouldn’t have any sort of mature matter (so rated everyone using the writers workshop rating system)

Thanks for an answer in advance!
 
Hey! I asked on the art thread but just want to make sure. If I made a webcomic would I be able to make a separate thread in the art forum specifically for it? It would be a webcomic adaptation of my Kalos pokeverse (so it’s pokemon related) and shouldn’t have any sort of mature matter (so rated everyone using the writers workshop rating system)

Thanks for an answer in advance!
Yes, making a new thread for your comic is perfectly fine.

From the Art Gallery Rules:
2. Only make one thread for your artwork.
  • Just make a new post in it if you have new artwork to show.
  • You can make a separate thread if you do various different forms of art (e.g. drawing and making videos), OR if you have a large ongoing project you want to keep separate from your general art. (such as but not limited to: fakemon pokedex, comic series, themed series set, etc)
 
question. am i allowed to swear here. i just want to be sure
Pretty much what lissi said, yeah. In practice the only real rules regarding swearing are "don't get excessive" and "don't use them against people". Aside from that, yeah, you wanna swear? Fuckin' go for it.
 
I have a quick question about self advertising. Where exactly am I allowed to virtually scream about my Fic and stuff?

your blog would be your best bet since it that sort of advertising wouldn't fit anywhere else.
 
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