Site Purpose

As strange as it sounds (to me), we find we need to clarify the existence of this site. First, I would direct you to read the “About Us” section, a link to which may be found at the bottom of every page of this site. I call special attention to the first paragraph:

“Dokuga.com is an offshoot of the Yahoo award group, Dokuga Awards.  Founded with the intention of supporting and encouraging authors and artists of the pairing Sesshoumaru/Kagome from the anime/manga InuYasha, Dokuga Awards has grown into a large community.”

This section was written in 2008 by our site’s creator, Miss Kagura. You will note the word “pairing.” That means that this is a single-pairing site, devoted to the pairing of Sesshoumaru and Kagome. The word “pairing” means just what it does in the dictionary:

“...an arrangement or match resulting from organizing or forming people or things into pairs.”

That means that every story posted on this site must have the relationship of Sesshoumaru and Kagome as the main focus. They can be friends, enemies, lovers, or allies, but each story must be focused on the relationship between those two.

This does not mean that you cannot ALSO showcase other pairings. Many stories have different ways of focusing on the story between Sesshoumaru and Kagome - he dies, she dies, they connect with others, they get together at the beginning, they get together at the end, and so on. One thing they all share is that the main focus is on the relationship between Sesshoumaru and Kagome.

Any story posted which does not meet this criteria will be deleted immediately. If it isn't Sess/Kag, it doesn't belong here.

*For clarification on certain topics, a number of tutorials have been posted on the Forum, under Fanfiction Help, Author's Tools, http://www.dokuga.com/forum/34-authors-tools

These rules also constitute this site's Terms of Service.  All content on this site is member-generated and for the sole, non-profit enjoyment of the members.  This site will NOT knowingly host any content that could be construed as piracy.  Upon notice, any and all content considered pirated and under the sole ownership of a copyright holder will be removed immediately.

Categories: One‑shots/Drabbles ‑ These are stories that consist of one single chapter, of any length. Chapter minimums do not apply to one‑shots or drabbles.

One‑shot/Drabble Collections ‑ These are collections of one‑shots and drabbles under a single title. Individual chapters may be related to a single theme but are generally written as stories that can stand alone. Chapter minimums do not apply.

Chapter Stories ‑ These are stories that are told over the course of several chapters. Chapter stories are subject to a 700 word minimum per chapter. This may seem extreme, but this is to prevent people from splitting chapters into unfulfilling bits in hopes of more reviews. Stories that are categorized as Chapter Stories that do not contain the minimum word length, on an average, are subject to warning. The author will then have seven (7) days to revise the chapter length to meet these standards. If warnings are ignored, the story will be subject to deletion.

A/Ns: Author's notes cannot be more than 300 words long. Do not respond to reviews or readers within Author's Notes. Please use the Private Messaging system for this purpose. Author's notes must also be attached to a chapter of some sort. They cannot stand alone as their own chapter. In addition, Author's notes belong at the beginning or end of a chapter.  DO NOT litter your story with Author's Notes in the middle of chapters!  Authors with notes over 300 words long, who have notes as their own chapter, who have notes littering the middle of chapters, or have notes that are reviewer responses will be contacted and will have seven (7) days to edit or remove the overly long note, remove the note masquerading as a chapter, or remove the review responses. Failure to do so will result in story deletion. The only exception to this rule is A/Ns regarding historical content or research that is important to the general flow of the narrative and meant to provide background and understanding to the reader. This does not include personal notes.

Please see the following tutorial for more information on Author's Notes:   http://www.dokuga.com/forum/34-authors-tools/51601-dokuga-authors-tutorial-authors-notes#51601

Content: Typos, general mistakes, and things of that nature are not an issue. We all make mistakes and, as said previously, this is a learning process for many. That said, however, stories that have no spacing, use 'script‑speak' (Kagome: Let's go to the mall.), have Author's Notes littered throughout the story (rather than at the beginning or the end), or have the general, overall appearance of mud, are subject to warning from an Administrator. If not cleaned up after being contacted, such stories will be subject to deletion.

If you do not understand how to clean up your story, or fix the formatting on your own, post a message to the forum for help.

If you are contacted to clean up a story, you will have seven (7) days to do so. If not, the story will be deleted. If you continue to post stories with the same problems, you will be subject to profile deletion.

Please see the following tutorial for more information on our content requirements:  http://www.dokuga.com/forum/34-authors-tools/51825-dokuga-authors-tutorial-content

9. Fanart Posting

Categories, (where you should place your works):

Banners - Banners made by any member of Dokuga may be posted here. Please attribute any fanart used on banners to the artist, as they worked hard on the piece. Remember to gain their approval before using their work for your banner, not just posting it with the credited info, but gaining their approval first, before using said works.

Dokugasona - A place specifically for members to post their personas and all related art. Currently an art Admin must place these works into the proper folder.

Doujinshi - Fan made comics/manga based on Sess/Kag. Create a sub-folder within to store all of the pages of your doujinshi so they're stored in order together.

Fanart - This section is for any art that features Sesshoumaru and Kagome, together or separate, or with another partner. This means it doesn't have to be Sess/Kag, it just needs to feature one of them in it.

Other - Any art that pertains to a posted story but does not have Sess/Kag in it, or pertains to Dokuga jokes, or Dokuga in general. This is not to be confused with 'Dokugasonas.’ 'Other' can also feature other Inuyasha characters that may or may not be Sess/Kag.

Tutorials - This does not have to feature Sess/Kag in any way, but focuses on teaching members new skills, whether it's site-related, art skill, writing skill, etc. It may feature original art as long as it's teaching the skill.

*****Please Note*****

a.) Original Art - There is NO place on Dokuga that is for uploading your original art. If it does not pertain to Dokuga, the members of Dokuga, Sesshomaru, Kagome, Inuyasha (and it's characters), or fanfiction for a story for the aforementioned, in some way, it does not belong on Dokuga, and it will be deleted upon notification to the artist in question.

b.) Limitations - There is a limit of 3 uploads per day that will appear on the main page.* As we only have 7 front page slots, we like to share and feature everybody's work, so if you have more than 3 pieces that will appear on the front page, PLEASE STAGGER YOUR WORK and update daily rather than all at once. It is for the courtesy of others. Any number of posts over the max of 3 will be marked 18+ by a site admin.

*The only exception to the limitation rule is for those participating in Drabble/Drawble nights that are occasionally held in chat, as there are usually 7-8 prompts given and some choose to draw for all of them.

c.) Adult Content - Anything with adult material should be labeled as Adult Content, (18+). Art Admins reserve the right to mark any art posted on Dokuga that seems above PG13 as Adult Content. 18+ work is not included in the daily limitations, as it's automatically hidden from the front page.

d.) Manipulations - Will only be allowed on 'Inuyasha' Anime ONLY, as well as anything authorized by Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan • Yomiuri TV • Sunrise 2000, stock images ONLY. The site disclaimer at the bottom of each page will cover use of these images. Anything else that is a manipulation of anothers work, without their knowledge and permission, falls under plagiarism and will be deleted. Anything that is deemed plagiarism will be deleted immediately, and will leave the poster's account with a possible deletion. If you have more questions please see rule #6, about plagiarism, or contact an art Admin for help.

e.) Tracing - Even with permission from the original artist and/or disclaimer this will not be tolerated. Stock references are for reference, not tracing, no matter how the original stock reference artist OK's the use of his/her work. *If proof of tracing can be provided to an art Admin, the Admin will advise the poster that the work will be removed. Continued applications of such work will result in the ban and deletion of your account.

* If a reference is mentioned, yet not posted, or is later found to be possible or confirmed tracing, this too will result in the work being deleted.

f.) Doll generators - will not be allowed on this site - We encounter several problems when we see doll generators. Often we are using somebody else’s artwork, crossing copyright lines, and the copyright of the characters aren't always acknowledged. The copyright also comes into question when we label characters of original shows as Inuyasha characters. To protect our site, no more doll generators. Art that is created using a doll generator will be removed and the artist warned. This is akin to plagiarism.

g.) Profile pictures/banners/token - type art works SHOULD NOT for any reason have anything that can be deemed above PG-13 imagery. Nothing that can be viewed in the public areas of the site should be above a PG-13 rating.

h.) Grandfathering - art works posted before the update of these current rules will be excused from meeting all NEW standards as listed. All art work, from here out, must meet the rules listed above. This does not mean that should an art Admin find work that needs to be dealt with that they will be ignored.

i.) Updates - In the case that a member is putting an updated work of art up, if the last "WIP" or work in progress is still on main-page, the art admin will mark the older less finished work as MA to remove it from main-page. The art admin, or the member can/will then remove it from MA status once it is no longer on main-page. This will allow for more work from all to be on main-page, rather then multiples of the same image in different work status'.

10. Icons

a.) There is an icon gallery in the profile section. These icons are free for you to use on this site. They were created by Dokugans, who have generously posted them, allowing us to borrow them. Please do not steal, or attempt to claim ownership of said icons.

b.) Please DO NOT post pictures of your minor children as your profile or signature icons. This is for the privacy and safety of the minors in question. You are welcome to post pictures of your adult children, animals, inanimate objects, but - please - not the little human ones!

c.) Icons posted are for the use of Dokuga as a whole, meaning anything posted there can be used by any user. Please be aware of this.

d.) Icons are not a place for small Dokugasonas

11. General

This site is run by donations. All of the Administrators and Moderators donate their time freely to help run this site; please accord them the respect they deserve! The Administrators do communicate with each other, thus going between Administrators to get different results will not work. In addition, refusal to fix issues brought to your attention as a member will cause more work for the staff, giving us less time to focus on site maintenance. Please keep this in mind and work with the staff to enable all of us to enjoy our community!

12. Chat Rules

We want chat to be open and welcoming to all members, so there are several rules that need to be followed in order to keep it the peaceful and fun environment that it is.

1. You must be at least 14 years old to enter chat.

2. There is to be no public trolling in chat, or negative comments made about other members. Members found bashing, flaming or hurting any other member in any way will be reprimanded and banned from the room. Everybody needs to feel welcome there. We do understand that a lot of personal relationships are formed in chat and you do wish to express opinions on things. If you think that your opinion might be contrary to the atmosphere, either: a) don't state it or, b) take it to a private message between you and its recipient. At NO time should there be conversation in open chat about any other member if that member is not present - NO EXCEPTIONS - no talking about members who are not present unless it is done via PM! Even then, there must be no flaming, bashing or hurtful, gossipy things said.

3.        The chat is PG‑13. We do have the GM room where adult and MA chat can take place. Keep in mind that the GM room is for those who are 18 and over. It is password protected and only the moderators are at liberty to hand out the password. We have a list of all those who have been given access and will find out if a member gives the password out to another member. If you are 18 or over, and would like access, all you need to do is ask the moderator in chat for the password.

4. Conversation hogging. Please keep the conversation light and fun. No one member should be completely dominating chat. There should be an exchange of conversation. Let others have their say. This is not the place to be the centre of attention. It is a fantastic place, though, for the free flow of ideas.

5. The word of the moderator is law. These members volunteer their time to moderate chat so it's efficient and fun. They are all dedicated members of Dokuga who have volunteered to show some love back to the site by working for it. They are not paid. They are there because they want to be there and help Dokuga live up to its potential. If they ask you to do something, or cease talking about something, there is a valid reason behind it. Ignoring a moderator's request will get you kicked from chat and a note of the incident sent off to the administrators. Continuing to defy the moderator's requests will result in a full ban from chat. ANY questions regarding rules or reprimands MUST BE DONE VIA PM while in chat - under NO circumstances is a member to question the dictates of a moderator in open chat!

6. EVERYTHING in chat is logged. Chat logs are e‑mailed to the administration team every morning. Before outright banning any member, we will investigate the chat logs to make sure all is fair.

13. Forum Rules

a. No Trolling. Respect this fandom and its followers.  Anyone who chooses to insult and/or attack this fandom and its members is subject to repercussions including profile deletion.

b. No Bumping. If you start a thread and it becomes unpopular, you're not allowed to reply to your own comment or "bump it" up to the top of the thread list.  This applies especially to challenges.  If you have a good reason to bump, such as new information on a serious illness, it's permissible.  Otherwise, you stand to have your thread deleted.

c. No Ranting or Whining. Dokuga by nature is a positive place for members to get together and forget about their hard day.  Do not bring your current displeasure onto the forum in the form of a rant or whine.  If you have a problem, please post it in a way that you are instead asking for advice.  If you are meaning to just complain, then your thread will be deleted.

d. Multiple Threads on the Same Subject. Please go through old threads before starting a new one on a common subject, such as Kagome's eye color.  On another note, do not start multiple threads in an effort to boost attention toward its content.  Duplicate threads may be removed after consideration by the forum administrator.

e. Mature Material. Any links or story names posted in a thread need to be labeled as M or MA if they go to mature-rated material.  Please do not post graphic artwork or descriptions on the forum.  Offending threads may be edited by the forum administrator.

f. Verbal Abuse Toward Other Members. At no time should any member lash out at another member over what they may have said on the forum.  Disagreements are bound to happen, but if you feel if that they have overstepped what's right, please contact the forum administrator, even if it's the forum administrator who you are having a problem with.  Let it be settled calmly and out of public sight.  Anyone who verbally attacks another member will have their comment deleted and may have more serious repercussions filed against them depending on the severity of what was said.

g. Verbal Abuse Toward the Thread Topic. There are many controversial threads that arise on the forum.  Whether or not the subject of Sesshoumaru and Rin being paired together is reprehensible to you, you may not show degrees of disgust or hate on the forum.  Civil debate is encouraged however.  You don't have to agree with the opposite point of view, but you should respect it.  And with that respect, you may learn something new, and others might learn something new from you.  Anyone verbally abusing a topic may have their comment edited or removed.

h. Attention Seeking. If you start multiple threads about yourself or your life and/or go overboard on a thread to garner more attention for yourself, you are attention seeking.  This even applies to the Self-Promotion section.  The forum administrator will ask you in a following comment to tone it down or message you privately.  This is not an attempt to stifle your creativity or belittle you.  The forum involves dozens of people everyday and everyone deserves their share of attention.

i.  No Spamming. At no point should any member be linking to commercial products or services without expressed permission from the site administrators.  If you are caught spamming, you may have your profile immediately deleted.

j. Respect the Administrators. Along with any other member, do not attack or disrespect the administrators for this site.  Disagreeing is fine, but do not forget the respect.  All of the administrators work hard to maintain this site's functionality and enjoyment, and none are paid for it.

k.  Text Color. For normal comments on the forum, please keep your text the automatic black color.  Other colors may be used to emphasize a point, or used on celebratory threads, such as birthdays, awards nominations, etc.  Those who use different colors liberally when unnecessary may receive a message from the forum administrator or have their comments edited.

l.  Karma Feature. Karma points are not a method of punishment or reprimand therefore, negative Karma will not be tolerated on the forum.  As for awarding Karma points, this should be done in a way to support members or as a reward for hard work.  When you give karma, it should be done with frugality in order to maintain the value of its reception. As a rule of thumb, one or two points for any occasion should be sufficient and thus shouldn't be exceeded.  Inversely, using Karma as a bribe or giving it away frivolously is not an acceptable use of the Karma feature.  Demands for Karma are likewise, forbidden. Acceptable uses for possitive Karma include: rewards for challenges, rewards for particularly enjoyable comments and posts, rewards for assistance (i.e. fanfiction search, etc.)

If you routinely disregard any of the forum rules, you will be subject to stiffer consequences than those laid out above.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the forum administrator via PM.

m.  Forum Signature. Everyone is welcome to personalize their forum signature. Signatures must be appropriate for all age viewership, and anything which doesn't meet this requirement will be removed as found. Signatures are to be used for self-promotion and site related content, they are NOT to be used for solicitation and commercial advertisement. We also ask that our members use discretion with the length of their signatures, as lengthy signatures clog up the forums. Please limit image signatures to no more than two images and no more than 450x125 each in size. If there are questions about what content is appropriate or permitted, members are asked to contact an administrator with their questions, prior to posting. Failure to follow these rules will result in banner or signature removal, with the option to resubmit once you have discussed your banner or signature removal with an administrator. It will be YOUR responsibility to approach an administrator to have your banner approved if you find it has been removed.

14. Site Staff

There are many site staff members who are more than willing to assist you at any point in time. Please understand that they have been chosen as site staff because they model and exemplify the spirit of Dokuga. When they make a request of you it is because they want to see the spirit of Dokuga prosper and they are to be respected and listened to. The site staff are as follows:

Administrators

• Kagome Yuki Niwa
• DemonQueen17
• WiccanMethuselah
• sugar0o

If you have any questions, concerns or comments - about the rules in particular, or the site in general - please contact one of our site Administrators. (DemonQueen17, WiccanMethuselah, sugar0o, or Kagome Yuki Niwa)