Animal Crossing Community, or ACC for short, is a family-friendly website in which the Staff endeavor to make a pleasant environment for everyone. To ensure that we keep the friendliness of the site intact, the Moderators and Administrators (Modmins) have a zero tolerance policy towards bullying, harassment, trolling, griefing, flaming, offensive content, and vulgar language. This is reflected in the Site Rules, and we urge all Members to become familiar with them in order to avoid rule infractions.

Listed below are the Site Rules in brief. Clicking on any of the rules allows you to view them, and their accompanying violations, in full. Violations have different levels of severity, with Level 5 being the most severe. Persistent rule breaks, or severe infractions, may result in a long-term ban from ACC.

Some of the rules provide examples of what is considered to be a breach of the rule. Although different people will have different ideas of what is covered by those rules, the Modmins will determine whether a rule has been violated.

A violation of any Site Rule will result in either a message or a notification from the Modmins to the Member. Both of these types of communication will outline which rule has been breached, and the severity of it. Such communications will remain in a User Log for that Member and show up as Notifications in the My Notifications section for Members. All Members have the opportunity to respond to any Notification they may not understand, and Members can contest a Notification that they feel may be issued in error. All Members have an opportunity to respond and challenge anything in their User Log. After further discussion, if a Staff consensus to overturn is reached, the rule infraction record will be deleted from the Member's User Log, and the corresponding Notification will be removed.

Views: Simple | With Descriptions | With Violations

NOTE: Whenever these rules are updated, you will be notified and asked to accept the updated rules before continuing to participate on the site.

Explanation of Violations

The violations listed below each rule description break down the different specific violations that are related to each rule. Note that each violation has a number in front of it that represents the severity of the violation. Here is a simple explanation of each severity number:

0 Very minor violation that will only go against your record if multiple violations of the same offense is repeated. 1 Minor violation where you are typically allowed 2 warnings before receiving a ban for the same violation. 2 Moderate violation where you are typically allowed only 1 warning before receiving a ban for the same violation. 3 Major violation that typically results in a short temporary ban without any warning. 4 Major violation that typically results in a long temporary ban without any warning. 5 Major violation that typically results in a permanent ban without any warning.

1 - General Rules

1.1 Offensive Language

Do not use offensive words, phrases or expressions in any language. Many offensive words are blocked using the Language Filter in order to help keep ACC a family-friendly community. However, it is not possible to block all offensive words or phrases; if an offensive word is not blocked by the filter, that does not mean it is acceptable to post it. Do not attempt to get around the language filter in any way. This includes posting in another language or replacing letters with random punctuation or asterisks to represent common curse words. Should someone post offensive language that has not been caught by the filter, the ACC Moderators will assess the severity and application of the rule on a case by case basis.

1 Posting mildly offensive language 3 Posting moderately offensive language 5 Posting strong or vulgar language

1.2 Offensive Content

Posting offensive content, images or patterns is not permitted anywhere on ACC. Offensive content is anything that is ethnically, racially, religiously, or sexually offensive. Also included are discussions of suicide, anything that is insulting, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, violent, invasive of a person's privacy or otherwise in violation of any law. Do not try to circumvent this rule by incorporating offensive content into Forum Games, RPGs, Stories or Fan-Fics. Although different people have different ideas of what is offensive, the Moderators and Administrators of ACC will have the final say as to what is allowed on the site. Each situation will be looked at on a case-by-case basis, and we cannot list every type of offensive content here. Just because a topic isn't explicitly stated here does not mean it's appropriate for ACC.

1 Posting mildly offensive content 3 Posting moderately offensive content 5 Posting highly offensive content

1.3 Sites with Offensive Content

Posting offensive content, images or patterns is not permitted anywhere on ACC. In addition, it is not permitted to mention the names of sites which contain predominantly offensive or inappropriate content, as defined in Rule 1.2 of the Site Rules. It is also not permitted to post direct links or URLs to such sites. Many social networking and online video sites are poorly moderated or can contain content that is considered inappropriate for ACC. You may mention these sites and post direct links or URLs to them, but it is your responsibility to ensure that there is no offensive content anywhere on the page. This includes comments by users of that site and any advertisements that appear on the same page. If offensive content appears on the page after you have posted a link or a URL and your editing time has expired, the Moderators and Administrators of ACC will take this into consideration when deciding to issue notifications.

0 Mentioning or posting direct links or URLs to pages or sites which later contain offensive or inappropriate content 1 Mentioning or posting direct links or URLs to pages or sites containing mildly inappropriate content 3 Mentioning or posting direct links or URLs to pages or sites containing moderately inappropriate content 5 Mentioning or posting direct links or URLs to pages or sites containing extremely inappropriate or adult content

1.4 Personal Insults & Attacks (Flaming)

Do not make insulting or attacking comments about other people. This is known as 'flaming' and will not be tolerated. If someone is insulting you or another user, or saying things that you find offensive or that make you uncomfortable, do not respond by 'retaliating' and returning insults. Instead, report the user to the Moderators using the "Report a Problem" button and the Mods will take care of the situation. Any user participating in 'flaming' may have their access to the site blocked, regardless of who started it.

0 Direct personal comments that can be taken as insulting/attacking, but may not have been intended to be insulting/attacking 1 Direct personal comments that are mildly insulting/attacking 2 Direct personal comments that are moderately insulting/attacking 3 Direct personal comments that are extremely insulting/attacking

1.5 Trolling & Generalized Insults

Trolling is posting anything that is designed to attract personal attacks or cause arguments. It is also considered trolling to announce on a thread that you are reporting someone. ACC moderators reserve the right to decide whether the reported content was meant to upset or anger other members. Similarly, any posts that are offensive to a general group of people are not allowed. Also, bragging (commenting) about vandalizing another user's town is strictly prohibited. Some examples of vandalism include, but are not limited to: chopping down trees, running over flowers, and intentionally picking up patterns. Any users admitting to or bragging about such behavior are subject to disciplinary action that may result in a permanent ban of their account.

0 Comments that can be taken as trolling or generalized insults, but may not have been meant as trolling/insulting 1 Mildly offensive trolling or generalized insults 2 Moderately offensive trolling or generalized insults 3 Extremely offensive trolling or generalized insults 5 Bragging about vandalizing another member's town

1.6 Spamming & Bumping

In general, it is considered spamming if you post content that is not related to the board or thread topic. It is also considered spamming to stretch the page horizontally or vertically, post multiple copies of the same thread on the same board, or post variations of "bump" to bump your threads. You are allowed to constructively bump your thread once an hour. Please be mindful of potential board specific rules which may dictate what is considered on-topic or constructive. These rules can be found as a stickied thread on the board itself. Publishing patterns that take little to no effort to make will be considered spam as well.

0 Publishing spam patterns 0 Posts that can be interpreted as spamming, but may not have been meant as spamming 1 Minor spamming 3 Moderate spamming 5 Extreme spamming

1.7 Online Romances

While we want everyone to make friends on ACC, it is not to be used as a dating site or as a place to flirt, nor play out romances -- in public OR private forums. Even if members know each other offline and are romantically involved, ACC is not the place to express your intimate feelings about each other. ACC is also not the place to discuss or seek advice about relationship issues, nor is it appropriate to discuss physical relationships of any kind. Many members of ACC are very young, and this will be taken seriously. Any sexually explicit, intimate, harassing or inappropriate comments will be dealt with aggressively and may result in your account being permanently banned from the site. Any sexual or romantic discussions between an adult (18 years or older) and a minor (under the age of 18) will always result in a permanent ban for those engaging in such discussions.

1 Making comments towards another member which can be taken as inappropriate but may not have been intended to be inappropriate 3 Moderate expressions, flirting, harassment or innuendo of a sexual or intimate nature 5 Contacting another member with the intent to sexually harass or instigate an online relationship 5 Engaging in sexually explicit conversations or an online romantic relationship 5 Any romantic, sexual or intimate expressions between a minor (under the age of 18) and an adult (18 or over)

1.8 Multiple Accounts Per User

You may use only one account on Animal Crossing Community. Any additional accounts will be blocked from use. If you have any issues accessing the site or your account, please do not attempt to resolve this by creating another account. Instead, email support@animalcrossingcommunity.comand we can assist you.

0 Creating a duplicate account due to log in issues or forgotten details 1 Creating a duplicate account while still able to use the primary account 2 Creating a duplicate account and pretending to be someone else 2 Creating a duplicate account to circumvent COPPA/GDPR regulations 5 Creating a duplicate account while the primary account was banned 5 Creating a duplicate account to intentionally break other rules

1.9 Sharing Accounts

Do not share an ACC account with another person, whether they are an ACC member or not. The person an account is created for should be the only user of the account and should not create any additional accounts for their own use. It is also prohibited to share accounts to break COPPA or GDPR legal regulations. Account sharing to break such laws will be met with a zero-tolerance policy. For the safety of children under the age of 13, parents and guardians are allowed to access their child's account to monitor activity and help their child use the site. However, the parent or guardian cannot use the child's account for their own activities on ACC. The only shared account allowed on ACC is run by ACC Staff. This Staff account is used for providing information to members, and to ensure that updates to the live site are operating correctly for the benefit of the members.

0 Sharing an account with another member due to log in issues or forgotten details 1 Sharing an account with another member while having access to own account 2 Sharing accounts to circumvent COPPA/GDPR regulations 5 Sharing accounts to intentionally break other rules

1.10 Impersonating Other Members

Never pretend to be someone you are not, especially do not pretend to be a staff member. Do not make statements that would imply that you are staff member. This includes overusing blue text markup. Blue text is used by the Administrators and Moderators to showcase post edits and corrections. Be sure not to use blue text in a way that can be interpreted as you being an Administrator or Moderator.

1 Impersonating non-staff members 1 Posting content that can be interpreted as coming from a staff member 3 Impersonating staff members

1.11 Exploiting Site Features, Loopholes or Glitches

If you discover or become aware of an exploit with an ACC feature, or if you discover any other sort of loophole or a glitch on ACC, you are required to immediately inform the ACC Administrators and/or Moderators by contacting them via private thread or by using the Report a Problem button. Do not make threads or posts about such exploits on the public boards, and do not post about such exploits in private threads with other members. Exploiting site loopholes and glitches may jeopardize your account. Creating an add-on or program that exploits ACC's features in any way may lead to a permanent ban. Using add-ons or programs that alter your viewing/browsing experience on ACC are permitted, provided such add-ons and/or programs do not also exploit loopholes or ACC features.

1 Exploiting a harmless loophole or glitch, or revealing it to anyone other than a Moderator or Administrator via private thread 3 Exploiting a potentially harmful loophole, glitch or add-on and/or revealing it to anyone other than a Moderator or Administrator via private thread 5 Exploiting an extremely harmful loophole or glitch, or a loophole or glitch that gives non-staff members access to staff areas, and/or revealing it to anyone other than a Moderator or Administrator via private thread 5 Creating and/or distributing an add-on or program that exploits an ACC feature

1.12 Harassing Others

Do not send multiple friend code requests to members who have denied your initial request. Also, do not send members multiple PTs or post multiple times to a single PT just because you have not received a response. While these behaviors may be minor annoyances, we consider it harassment if you continue to contact others who haven't responded to you. If a member has specifically asked you not to contact them, it will be considered serious harassment if you persist in sending them PTs, friend code requests, trades, online play requests, or attempt to communicate with them directly on public boards. If you feel you are being harassed, please contact a Modmin. The Modmins reserve the right to determine if a behavior constitutes harassment.

0 Sending multiple Friend Code requests to the same user 0 Contacting a member multiple times due to no response 1 Minor harassment 3 Moderate harassment 5 Extreme harassment

1.13 Distribution of copyright infringed material.

Distribution of illegal pirated/pirating software, in particular ROM's and file sharing programs is not permitted. Such software is illegal and potentially harmful.

0 Discussing ROMs 1 Providing information that could enable someone to obtain copyright infringed material.

1.14 Topics & Threads Generally Not Allowed on Public Boards

Some topics are not allowed on the public forums or in signatures due to their controversial or inappropriate nature and because they often lead to arguments. These topics include petitions, personal medical issues, personal life events, politics, sensitive current events, and religion. These, and other topics not limited to the list above may be deemed controversial or inappropriate, and will be removed at the discretion of the Moderation Staff. Do not try to circumvent this rule by disguising controversial or inappropriate topics within contests, stories/fan-fics, forum games, or giveaway/service promotions. Other topics and thread types simply clutter the public boards and do not promote active discussion. These threads types include private clubs, general chats, truth-or-dare, polls, and threads offering general help. Topics and threads not allowed publicly, but stay within bounds of all the other Site Rules, should be kept strictly in private threads. To be courteous to others, please only discuss such topics in private threads only if others in the private thread are comfortable around these topics. Such topics may also be expressed in one's profile. We may permit certain topics and thread types listed here to be made and discussed on specific public boards. These exceptions will be laid out on a board's specific board rules.

1 Posting clutter threads where not allowed 1 Posting controversial or inappropriate topics where not allowed

1.15 Posting in Non-English Languages

Animal Crossing Community is an English language website and the Moderators are predominantly native English speakers. For this reason, posting solely in other languages is not allowed. Occasional words or short phrases in another language are allowed but only if a translation is included in the same post. Further, we ask you to keep the use of abbreviations, made up languages, or alternative languages like l33t, chat-speak and pig-latin, to a bare minimum.

0 Posting in a language other than English without providing translation 1 Posting excessively in a made up language, an alternative language, or in a language other than English

1.16 Discussing Account Statuses

Do not discuss your ACC account status with anyone other than the ACC Modmins. This includes, but is not limited to, bans, point totals, User Tickets, notifications, and violations. You may discuss your own account status in a PT that is strictly between you and a Modmin, or in a notification that you have received. In addition, do not discuss or reveal other members' account statuses anywhere on ACC, as it is a breach of their privacy. We may make exception if you are a parent/guardian of a child and wish to discuss your child's account status with a Modmin in private.

0 Discussing your own account status anywhere on ACC, other than in a private thread or notification with the ACC Administrators or Moderators 0 Discussing or revealing another member's account status anywhere on ACC

1.17 Posting Friend Codes

Do not post friend codes anywhere on ACC other than the FC Trading Tool. If a game or console is released that is not in the FC Tool, then you are allowed to swap codes in PTs only, until the game or console is added. Additionally, you may post Dodo Codes in Private Threads only.

1 Posting a Friend Code outside of the Friend Code Trading Tool 1 Posting a Dodo Code outside of PTs

1.18 Copying Others' Work

Do not copy from other members. If you wish to have something similar to others, you need to create your own original work or request permission from the creator to copy their work. Any text, markup, keyboard art, templates, guides or threads found to contain a substantial amount of work copied directly from another member will be deleted, removed or locked. Do not directly copy patterns from ACC or elsewhere and claim them as your own. When using an existing picture or pattern to recreate a pattern on ACC, make sure you give appropriate credit to the original. Any patterns found to be copied from others or passed on as your own work will be deleted. If you post a link on ACC to another website where you are displaying copied patterns, you will still be expected to credit the original or your link will be removed. All reports of copying should include supporting evidence where possible.

1 Copying a substantial portion of patterns, artwork or guides from other sites without permission or giving proper credit 1 Copying a substantial portion of patterns, artwork, guides, templates or threads from other members on ACC without having permission or giving proper credit 1 Other behavior deemed copying, as determined by ACC Staff

1.19 Posting AC:GC & Universal Item Codes

AC:GC item codes are not to be posted outside of the Trading Post. Do not post item codes in public or private threads, signatures or profiles. Additionally, do not post Universal Codes, or links to sites that offer UCs, anywhere on ACC. This includes using UCs in the Trading Post. The only exception to this are the UCs for exclusive or non-tradeable items posted by the staff in the Official UC Thread stickied at the top of the AC:GC Trading Board. Any UC found, or reported, will be deleted and a warning will be issued to the poster. Further, it will be assumed that Universal Codes are intended to be exchanged where threads are offering or requesting AC:GC non-tradable items. All such threads will therefore be locked. In the event that the Trading Post becomes fully or partially non-functional, members will then be allowed to complete all AC:GC item trades in private threads until further notice.

1 Posting Universal Codes in public or private threads, profiles, signatures or the Trading Post 1 Posting AC:GC item codes on public or private threads, signatures, or profiles 2 Deliberately misleading someone into entering a UC into their game

1.20 Buying/Selling/Exchanging Items

ACC is not the place to buy or sell real world property, e.g. virtual console games, amiibo figurines or other items with real monetary value. You may however exchange e-Reader or amiibo cards for other e-Reader cards, amiibo cards or AC:GC items. You are also permitted to request a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) for e-Reader or amiibo card trades.

3 Buying or selling items with real-world monetary value 3 Exchanging AC items, e-Reader or amiibo cards for non-e-Reader card or non-amiibo card real-world items

1.21 Abusing The Trading Post Feedback & WiFi Rating Systems

Within the Trading Post, feedback should be left after the completion or expiration of a trade. Within the WiFi Rating System, WiFi sessions should be rated only after they have been completed. Feedback and ratings should be a true reflection of the trade or WiFi session. Do not use either system to troll and or flame, post negatively without valid comments, or to post in revenge to comments and ratings received. Additionally, do not provide false feedback or ratings for trades or WiFi sessions that have not occurred.

1 Leaving a negative comment, rating, or feedback without a valid reason 1 Participating in a fake trade to boost feedback rating or leaving a rating without WiFi play 1 Leaving revenge ratings or feedback

1.22 Posting Feedback Outside Of The Trading Post Feedback & WiFi Rating Systems

ACC has a Trading Post that allows members to trade AC:GC items, e-Reader cards and amiibo cards and then provide feedback on the trade. ACC also has a Friend Code System that allows members to exchange WiFi codes and then rate their WiFi experience. Feedback relating directly to the trade or WiFi experience should be posted directly in the Trading Post Feedback and WiFi Rating systems so that other members can make decisions on whether they too would like to trade or WiFi with those members. This does not apply to simple, positive comments in profiles or PTs regarding an enjoyable trade or WiFi session with someone.

0 Posting positive feedback about trading and WiFi partners outside of the Feedback and Rating systems 1 Posting negative feedback about trading and WiFi partners outside of the Feedback and Rating systems

1.23 Chain Letters

Chain letters are not allowed anywhere on ACC. Chain letters are statements, web pages, or keyboard art that make a promise of something good if passed along, or a promise of something bad if not passed along.

1 Posting chain letters anywhere on ACC

1.24 Sharing Personal Information

In order to protect the identity of our users, we prohibit the sharing of certain personal information outside of PTs. This includes, but is not limited to, posting or linking to phone numbers and specific school, work, or home addresses and locations. Other personal information is simply not appropriate to be shared on the public boards, but is fine to be shared in PTs, FCRs, trade requests, and ones profile. Such information includes, but is not limited to, full name, photograph, email address, date of birth, and usernames/tags/handles for other sites if the names and the content they link to are ACC appropriate. Keep in mind that includes posting links to sites containing this information. We strongly discourage the sharing of any personal information if you are under the age of 18 years old.

0 Sharing personal information where not appropriate

2 - Forum Rules

2.1 Posting on the Wrong Board

New threads must be created on the appropriate board. Before creating a thread, it is advisable to read the ACC Forums page to view all available boards and their descriptions. If in doubt, you may ask for help in the appropriate Sticky on the Site Support board.

0 Posting on the wrong board

2.2 Cross-Posting

Cross-posting means posting the same topic on more than one board. We don't have that many boards, so if you put the topic on one board, it will probably be seen.

0 Cross-posting on two or more boards

2.3 Not Using Stickies and Official Threads

Before you post a new thread about a topic, check the boards to see if there is already a stickied thread or other official thread about that specific topic. If there is, please post in the appropriate sticky or official thread instead of creating your own thread; it will help keep the boards more organized and make things easier to find. Any new topics created that are covered under existing stickies will be locked.

0 Posting a new topic for which there is already a sticky/official thread

2.4 Recruiting & Advertising

Do not create any threads or posts, public or private, with the primary purpose of advertising other sites or for recruiting ACC members to join other sites. All such threads will be locked. You may advertise your websites and other sites in your profile and signature, but you must ensure that both the name and the content of the sites or pages are appropriate for ACC. Do not send mass PTs (one private thread to many members) to promote or recruit for an organization on ACC. Single private threads to promote or recruit for an organization on ACC may be sent to individual members but only if you first ensure that these members haven't specifically requested not to be contacted. A list of these members appears on the Official Do Not Contact list sticky on the Giveaways board.

0 Sending mass recruitment and/or advertisement private threads for a company or organization on ACC 0 Sending any type of recruitment and/or advertisement private thread to a member on the Do Not Contact List 0 Posting an advertisement or recruiting thread or post for a company or organization on ACC on the public boards, excluding official advertising threads and the recruitment board 1 Posting an advertisement for non-ACC organizations or other websites anywhere on ACC, excluding your profile

2.5 Overuse of Markup

There are certain special markup tags that you can use in your message board posts to make text bold or italic, or to change the color of your text. These are intended to be used for emphasis or to make one particular part of your post stand out from the rest of it. They are not for making every word of every post a different style text. So please use markup tags only when needed for emphasis, or in the special cases of making a link with the [link=][/link] tags or posting a spoiler with the [spoiler][/spoiler] tags. The staff reserve the right to determine whether markup has been overused.

0 Overusing markup in posts

2.6 Drawing Excessive Attention

Do not post threads with misleading titles. Do not use punctuation or special characters to decorate your thread titles. Such threads are designed to draw excessive attention. Also, do not post a thread on public boards just to get attention. Examples of such threads include "goodbye" and "permanently ban my account" threads, as well as any threads about personal life events. These are topics for private threads. Instead, please see the ACC FAQ for account termination information. To communicate your active status on ACC, please use private threads and/or your profile.

0 Creating threads that draw excessive or unnecessary attention 0 Using multiple special characters/punctuation/inappropriate capitalization in thread titles 1 Creating threads with deliberately misleading titles

2.7 Backseat Moderating

While we appreciate all the people who try to keep our boards within the rules, please let the Modmins perform their roles. If you see a rule violation, you should report it to the Modmins anonymously using the "report a problem" button or the red exclamation mark. The Modmins will honor your privacy in any report, and we expect you to guard yours as well. If you feel that a member is correcting another member's behavior, please report it. The Modmins will assess whether the rule has been breached based on severity and circumstance.

0 Non-Modmins correcting member behavior

2.8 Hacking Device/Software Codes

We do not allow members to post any hacking device/program codes or links to sites that offer codes anywhere on ACC. Any code or link to codes will be deleted. Furthermore, do not explain how to use these software devices or link to sites that do this. Examples of these devices/programs include but are not limited to Action Replay, Gameshark and Homebrew.

1 Posting Action Replay / Gameshark Codes on forums including PT 1 Discussing "how to" hack or use a hacking device or program. 1 Posting links to sites containing hacking device/software codes. 1 Posting links to sites describing "how to" hack or use a hacking device or program.

2.9 Discussing or Exchanging Duplicated/Hacked/Modified Items

It is prohibited to discuss how to duplicate items in any AC game and we will not allow users to set up sessions for the sole purpose of item duplication in any AC game. Additionally, do not give away, exchange, or trade items that are hacked or modified. Items that can only be obtained by hacking or modifying of the game save file have the potential to be very dangerous to a person's game. While the items themselves may be discussed, we will not allow discussions regarding how to create or obtain these items in games of any type. This entire rule applies to both public and private threads.

1 Setting up or attempting to partake in an item duplication session 1 Discussing how to duplicate items or posting links to websites that contain information on how to duplicate items 1 Trading, exchanging, or giving away hacked or modified items 1 Discussing how to create or obtain hacked or modified items or posting links to websites that contain information on how to create or obtain these types of items

2.10 Trading Of AC:GC Items, e-Reader Cards & amiibo Cards On Forums

You can trade AC:GC items, AC e-Reader cards and AC amiibo cards with any other member by creating a trade with the member using the Trading Post. Use of the appropriate forum boards to look for trading partners for these items is fine. In addition, some initial setup or negotiation of the trade is allowable via a public or private thread. However, once a trade has been setup in the Trading Post, all further negotiation, communication and feedback should be contained within the Trading Post trade itself and not on a public or private thread. An exception to this rule will exist for non-AC tradable e-Reader and amiibo cards not listed in the ACC Catalog. Trades of these cards may be completed in private threads only. In the event that the Trading Post becomes fully or partially non-functional, members will then be allowed to complete all AC:GC item, e-Reader and amiibo card trades in private threads until further notice. Finally, only members 16 years of age and over are allowed to trade e-Reader and amiibo cards.

0 Completing AC:GC, AC e-Reader card or AC amiibo card trades in public or private threads 1 Completing e-Reader card or amiibo card trades in public threads

3 - Trading Rules

4 - Pattern Rules

5 - Friend Code Rules