Community Rules & Code of Conduct

1. Be Respectful & Keep It Civil

Treat all players (and staff) with respect. Whisker Hollow is not a place for harassment or hostility.

Not allowed:

• Insults, name-calling, bullying, mocking, or dogpiling
• Passive-aggressive jabs, targeted sarcasm, or "backhanded compliments"
• Hate speech, slurs, or discriminatory content based on identity (including race, nationality, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, etc.)
• Threats, intimidation, or encouraging harm (even "as a joke")
• Stalking, persistent unwanted contact, or circumventing a block

Boundaries matter: If someone asks you to stop contacting them, stop.

2. Keep the Community 13+ and Safe-for-Work

Whisker Hollow includes teens and is intended to be PG-13.

Not allowed:

• Sexual content, explicit flirting, or sexual roleplay
• Nudity or pornographic content/links
• Graphic gore, extreme violence, shock images, or jumpscares
• Content that romanticizes or encourages self-harm, eating disorders, or suicide
• Illegal drug content or detailed discussion of illegal activity

If you're unsure whether something is appropriate, don't post it.

3. No Personal Data / Doxxing

Do not share personal or identifying information—yours or anyone else's.

Not allowed:

• Full legal names, addresses, phone numbers, personal emails
• School/work location details
• Social media handles if used to identify/locate someone
• Posting screenshots of private messages without consent (unless required for a report to staff)

Reminder: If you choose to share any personal information, you do so at your own risk.

4. No Scams, Impersonation, or Bad-Faith Behavior

We want the community to be safe and trust-based.

Not allowed:

• Scamming, phishing, or attempting to trick users
• Impersonating staff, pretending to be another user, or using misleading identities
• Blackmail, extortion, or threats (including "pay me or I'll report you")
• Malicious reporting or "baiting" users into breaking rules
• "Callouts," blacklisting, naming-and-shaming, or public witch-hunts

If there's a problem, report it privately—don't start a public dogpile.

5. Spam, Flooding, and Disruptive Posting

Keep posts readable and on-topic.

Not allowed:

• Posting the same message repeatedly (forums, chat, listings, messages)
• Excessive bumping, flooding, or "attention pings"
• Clickbait titles, nonsense threads, or low-effort spam
• Excessive ALL CAPS or intentionally hard-to-read formatting
• Posting content in a way that harms accessibility (tiny fonts, invisible colors, unreadable formatting)

6. Real-World Advice Restrictions (Safety)

Whisker Hollow is a game community, not a crisis line or medical office.

Not allowed:

• Requesting or giving medical advice (physical or mental health)
• Requesting or giving veterinary advice
• Fundraisers (GoFundMe, Kickstarter, personal financial requests)
• Requests for legal advice

If someone is in danger or needs real-world help, encourage them to contact local services or professionals.

7. Controversial Topics (Keep the Game a Cozy Escape)

Some topics are hard to moderate and quickly become unsafe or hostile.

Not allowed as dedicated threads/discussions:

• Politics or political campaigning
• "Debate me" religion threads or attempts to proselytize
• Inflammatory current events discourse

Brief, respectful mentions may happen naturally, but staff may redirect or remove discussions that escalate.

8. Staff Process & Moderation Expectations

Moderators and admins are here to keep the community safe.

Rules:

• Follow staff instructions immediately (e.g., "drop the subject")
• Do not publicly argue moderation decisions
• Do not "mini-mod" (no public warnings, no "you've been reported," no bribing mods)
• If you feel a decision was unfair, contact staff privately at admin@yourdomain.com

We may take action with or without warning depending on severity.

9. Accounts: One Person, One Account

Whisker Hollow is a one-account-per-person game.

Not allowed:

• Multiple accounts ("alts")
• Account sharing (temporary or permanent)
• Selling, trading, gifting, or transferring accounts
• Creating an account for someone else or using someone else's account

If multiple people in a household want to play and shared IPs cause issues, contact support proactively at admin@yourdomain.com.

10. Trading, Listings, and In-Game Deals (If Enabled)

If Whisker Hollow includes trading/exchange features:

Rules:

• Use the official in-game systems where available
• Do not pressure, harass, or spam users for discounts or "holds"
• Do not post fake listings meant only to advertise unrelated content

Strictly prohibited:

• Real-money trading ("RMT") of in-game items/currency/accounts
• Cross-game trades (trading Whisker Hollow items for items/currency in other games)
• "Promise trades" that attempt to bypass secure systems (these are at your own risk if you do them)

11. Cheating, Automation, and Exploits

To keep the game fair and stable:

Not allowed:

• Bots, scripts, auto-refreshers, macros, or automation tools
• Scraping or mass data collection
• Exploiting bugs, glitches, or loopholes for advantage
• Attempting to bypass site security or access restricted systems

If you find a bug or exploit, report it to admin@yourdomain.com.

Accessibility tools (screen readers, browser zoom, OS accessibility settings) are welcome.

12. User-Posted Content Guidelines (Names, Bios, Images, etc.)

If you can name hamsters, write bios, upload images, or post text:

Not allowed content includes:

• Hate speech, slurs, harassment, threats
• Sexual content or explicit roleplay
• Graphic violence or gore
• Personal data / doxxing
• Copyright infringement (posting content you don't have rights to use)

We may remove content that violates these rules even if it was posted "as a joke."

13. Reporting & Safety

If you see something that breaks rules:

• Use the report tool (if available), or
• Email us at admin@yourdomain.com with screenshots/links

Do not engage in public arguments with rule-breakers. Reporting is the fastest way to get help.

14. Enforcement

We may take any action we consider appropriate, including:

• Content removal or edits
• Warnings
• Temporary restriction of community features
• Suspensions
• Permanent bans / account closure

Severe violations (hate speech, threats, explicit sexual content, scams, doxxing, cheating tools) may result in immediate account action.

15. Contact

Questions about these rules? Contact us: admin@yourdomain.com