HU: OC FACTORY SAFETY + WELFARE PROTOCOL 1.0

As we all know, the OC Factory is meant to be a fun and productive area, but this cannot be possible without at least some semblance of order and discipline. Ergo, as of the opening of the factory, this Safety and Welfare Protocol shall be implemented:

The OC Factory Safety and Welfare Protocol (v.1.0) wrote:

A. Factory Rules for All Members

A1. We will not tolerate the distribution of illegal content.
This includes ROMhacks, stolen art (that is, art that the distributor claims to be his own but is in fact someone else's and/or hosted without his/her permission) torrents, or any other material considered illegal by law.

A2. We will not tolerate discrimination against people (or OCs, unless the setting from which the character originated is already discriminatory of certain peoples).
We at OC Factory strive to create a diverse atmosphere as part of our promise to uphold tolerance and integration within our environment. Any discrimination against people, be it race, sex, religion, sexuality, or otherwise, will be met with swift discipline as outlined in Section D1.

A3. We will not tolerate flames or trolls.
Trolls have been notorious for setting fire to our equipment, thus damaging them and costing us large sums of money. If we find that a fire has erupted in the factory, we shall snuff it out as quickly as possible, and those who have instigated this flame will be dealt with swiftly. We will also check the area for suspicious activity, and if we find trolls, we shall oust them with little remorse, no matter how crafty or brutal they may be. This rule will not come into conflict with A2 as trolls behave differently from normal people, and cannot be trusted.

A4. We will not tolerate spam, whether it be the revival of discontinued threads, twice-run contributions (although you are excused if it was an accident or an update to a serial thread), or advertisement gimmicks that are dangerous, illegal, or demeaning to the Factory and its people.
The revival of discontinued threads is considered dangerous, and any person attempting to do so will be disciplined as per Section D1. The same goes for the latter mentioned infractions.

A5. We reserve the right to discipline delinquents, although that does not guarantee that all delinquents will be addressed.
If you see someone breaking any rule mentioned within this Protocol, do not try to discipline the wrongdoer yourself, as this may encourage him/her to do more damage to the factory. Instead, use the red report button (with the "!") to call a designated member of Security or a Founder to deal with the issue. Note, however, that certain threads (for example, this such thread wherein the Protocol may be found) are locked from reporting, as they contain valuable information.

A6. We will not allow obscene material to be seen by our younger and/or more squeamish members.
We at the OC Factory aim to create a work-safe and clean environment to keep our people happy and productive. Therefore, all material that is considered obscene is not allowed and will be cleaned up once spotted. If your OCs do rely on this obscenity (say, a rough-and-tumble gunslinger who has a loose mouth), please mention that this is in character for the person. Also, obscene images must be shown via a link to a third party (deviantART, for example) and indicated with the letters NSFW, but not shown in this factory. Furthermore, there is a limited word censorship running through this area; if there are any problems with this, please send us a Private Message so that we may consider removing it at the expense of our worksafeness.

A7. Excessive clothing ('signatures of a disproportionate size') is considered a safety hazard.
There have been known accidents involving people's clothing getting caught in the machinery and thus being destroyed (or worse, destroying the machinery itself). We will ask those who sport such excess to change their clothes ('signatures') to something more modest.

A8. We reserve the right to discuss discrepancies with our delinquents.
Should there be concerns with any disciplinary action as per Section D1, please discuss this with the Security or the Founders via Private Messages only. Arguments with us in public may tarnish our reputation as a reliable source of Original Characters, and will result in harsher discipline.

B. Additional Rules for Security and Founders

B1. We will not abuse our power.
We at the OC Factory promise to treat our members fairly and with respect. Any abuse of power exhibited by our Secuirty/Founders will be swiftly dealt with as per Section D2, and upon repeat abuses the personnel will also be demoted. This holds for all members of the staff.

B2. We will also not neglect the Factory and its people.
Abandonment of important institutions based on neglect is a disturbing trend that we wish not to become a statistic of. Therefore, anyone neglecting the factory for more than half a year (even with a one-and-a-half month warning) will have their position outsorced to another potential candidate.

C. Conventions to be Used in This Factory

C1. We shall color-code our topics for your convenience.
The scheme for creating topics in this factory will be as follows:
Green - Very Important Topics ('Stickies'), to be preceded with "VIT:"
Blue - Announcements from the Staff, to be preceded with "FTS:"
Indigo - "Heads Up!" Announcements, to be preceded with "HU:"
Red - Closed Topics, to be preceded with "CT:"
All other colors (and the above-mentioned ones without the headers) may be used by the general public.

C2. We shall use spoilers in a meaningful manner.
That is to say, spoilers may only be used to hide revelations of a climactic nature, or newly revealed information that was not established in the premise. No other use can be considered satisfactory.

C3. We shall, in the process of creating threads, begin with a meaningful contribution of our own.
We believe that all threads require participation, and realize that those who create the threads need to prove their interest in the thread to attract participation. Thus, any topic that does not attract discussion by initiating it may be considered Landfill material.

C4. We shall give fair critiques of any Original Characters created within the OC Factory, and in return we expect our OCs to be of top quality.
The process of creating Original Characters is an arduous one, and it will require forethought and expectation of what characteristics the audience will identify with. Thus, any characters that have been reviewed as being of poor quality ('Mary Sue/Marty Stu') shall be sent to the Landfill. In return, we expect our reviewers to be fair and impartial to the creations of the Factory, judging them not by discriminatory means, but by the quality of their construction.

C5. The Staff shall only use "Heads Up!" Announcements ('Global Announcements'), Announcements From the Staff, and Very Important Topics ('Stickies') in the following manner:
"Heads Up!" Announcements - Changes to the site or rules.
Announcements From the Staff - Special Events or Third Party Tools (e.g. IRC)
Very Important Topics - Topics that the Staff feels deserve recognition because they are excellent examples of OCs, or contain useful material (templates, OC-related memes, etc.), or are otherwise notable. May also include lists of Fan Characters of popular media in the OC Roster.

C6. We shall not change the site layout unless complications arise.
That is to say, the design of this website is fine as is, and will only be changed if there is a problem (e.g. certain text does not stand out for being a link).

D. Disciplinary Action for Rule Violations

D1. Disciplinary Action for Members
Members who have broken a law mentioned in Section A shall receive the following disciplinary action:
1st Infraction - Warning
2nd Infraction - 3 Month Suspension ('ban')
3rd Infraction - Expulsion ('permaban')
Repeat Offenses after the 3rd Infraction - Denial of the offender's e-mail/IP address at the expense of those who also share his/her IP.

D2. Additional Disciplinary Action for Security and Founders
Should a staff member abuse his/her power as expressed in Section B1, he/she shall be stripped of his/her power upon the second infraction, and subject to further action after repeat offenses as described in Section D1.

E. Galleries

E1. If one person wants to have their personal gallery for their OCs, they should ask a Founder/Security personnel for it.
Be warned, however, that we may refuse that person his/her gallery if he/she does not have enough OC art to warrant his/her own gallery.

E2. Galleries will be added whenever the Founders/Security can find the time to do so.
Therefore, it would be in one's best interests to be patient.

With this protocol in place, we can ensure that this factory will be productive, safe, and enjoyable for the forseeable future.