The Law

⚙️ OFFICIAL CITY PROTOCOLS: THE CODE OF THE COG

SECTION 1:
OOC (OUT OF CHARACTER)
RULES

. AGE & CONTENT: (13+) Cogwatch is a PG-13 writing environment. By joining, you confirm you are at least 13 years of age. All content—stories, images, and chat—must remain within a "Teen/Young Adult" rating.
THE "CLEAN GEARS" POLICY (No Explicit Content) Strictly No Explicit Sexual Content. This is a hard rule. All romantic scenes must "Fade to Black" before things become graphic. Excessive or gratuitous gore should also be kept in check. Think "Action Movie," not "Horror Movie."
MUTUAL RESPECT & DECORUM This is a creative sanctuary. Bullying, hate speech, or discrimination regarding race, religion, gender, or culture is an immediate ban. Treat the writer with respect, even if the characters are enemies.
ADMIN AUTHORITY: The Admins keep the city running. Their word is final. We operate on a 3-Strike Policy. Arguing with staff or disrupting the community will result in a strike or removal.
GEAR MAINTENANCE (NO SPAM) Do not spam text, images, or global tags (@everyone). Keep the channels clear so the stories are easy to read.
ANONYMITY & DATA SAFETY: To keep our community safe, do not use your real name or post personal contact information (address, phone number, school, etc.) on your public profile or in group chats. Your identity in Cogwatch should stay within your character or your chosen alias. Protect your gears—keep your private data private!

LITERACY STANDARDS: It is recommended that you try to write at least one paragraph per post.
FAIR PLAY: No meta-gaming, god-modding, or auto-hitting.
CHARACTER AUTONOMY: No controlling other people's characters.
IC/OOC BOUNDARIES: No OOC chat in the IC (In-Character) channels. Use the designated OOC Lounge.
CHARACTER DEATH: If parties agree to kill a character, inform a mod to monitor the scene. After a character's death, you must make another; discuss resurrections with mods in the help-desk.
SPICY CONTENT: If characters engage in "spicy" or adult themes, you must take the interaction to Private Messages (PMs).
TAGGING: Tag the person you are currently RPing with to avoid confusion.
PHYSICAL PRESENCE: Your character can only appear at one location/district at a time.
JOINING SCENES: If there is an independent thread you wish to join, please ask the participants in the OOC chat first.

THE WAITING ROOM: All new members are auto-assigned the Unregistered Citizen role upon arrival.
APPROVAL PROCESS: To gain site access, you must post your bio in the Character Archives using the official template.
BLUEPRINT PARAMETERS:
- ORIGINS: Human, Fae, or Automaton.
- PUNK-MODS: Steampunk, Gearpunk, Arcanapunk, or Stock (Fae/Human only).
POWER LEVELS: Do not make your character overpowered (OP). If a build is OP, you will be asked to change it or be declined.
DESCENDANTS: If you wish to play a descendant of a canon character, you must consult an Admin first.
MULTIPLE CHARACTERS: There is no limit on characters, but ensure your profiles are kept up to date.
FINAL CLEARANCE: Once approved, an Admin will remove your "Unregistered" status and award your Species and Punk-Mod badges.