Shadow Realm

The Den Rules

Protection from Outsiders - The Discord Den Residency Title Deed

These laws apply specifically to the Discord server.

1. 2.1

   Outsiders are forbidden to enter areas occupied by blessed residents of the Den.

2. 2.2

   Outsiders are forbidden to speak, write, or communicate within areas designated for Shadelings.

3. 2.3

   Outsiders are not entitled to view, hear, or participate in Shadeling activities within the Den.

4. 2.4

   Outsiders may access the Den Residency Title Deed application process unless banished from the Realm.

5. 2.5

   Any outsider seeking entry must willingly connect and display a legitimate Twitch account on their Discord profile.

6. 2.6

   Any outsider seeking entry must provide truthful information when completing a Den Residency Title Deed application.

7. 2.7

   Any application containing false or misleading information may be rejected.

8. 2.8

   The Shadow Court of Protection reserves discretionary authority to investigate and take enforcement action against individuals who repeatedly submit false or misleading applications.

9. 2.9

   The Shadow Court reserves the right to reject any Den Residency Title Deed application without notice and without providing a reason.

10. 2.10

    Upon approval, The Shadow Court shall issue a blessed Den Residency Title Deed, granting full Shadeling status and the privileges associated with Den residency.

Protection of Outsiders - General

The Shadow Court reserves the authority to extend its powers and influence to those who have not yet entered the Realm, and to behaviour displayed outside the Realm.

Enforcement Appeals & Review

1. 4.1

   Lodging an Appeal: An appeal against any enforcement action must be submitted as a petition to The Shadow Court of Justice.

2. 4.2

   Bans: A ban may also be appealed through the platform's unban request system. Where an unban request is declined, a petition to The Shadow Court of Justice is the only remaining means of disputing the ban.

3. 4.3

   Timeouts: Timeouts are not eligible for on-platform removal requests and may only be disputed by petition to The Shadow Court of Justice.

4. 4.4

   Authority Review: Upon receiving an appeal, The Shadow Court shall consider who issued the enforcement action and their rank within The Shadow Spirit Realm.

   Where the enforcement action was initiated by a Member of The Inner Circle of Shadow, the appeal shall be escalated to The Dark Lord of Shadows for review and direction.

5. 4.5

   Fairness Review: The Shadow Court shall review the evidence, context, severity and intent of the conduct before making a ruling. Where the enforcement action is ruled:

   • unfair, it shall be reversed immediately and a note placed on the appellant's record explaining what occurred; or

   • fair, it shall remain in effect, a clear explanation shall be given to the appellant, and a note placed on their record explaining what occurred.

6. 4.6

   Challenging Upheld Enforcement Action: Where an enforcement action is upheld, the appellant may request a formal challenge. Approval of a challenge is at the discretion of The Shadow Court and shall be granted only where reasonable justification exists.

7. 4.7

   Conditional Pardon: Where a challenge is approved, the appellant may be offered a conditional pardon agreement. Completion of the agreed conditions may result in removal of the enforcement action, with a note placed on the appellant's record.

8. 4.8

   Pardon Agreements: A pardon agreement may include one of the following:

   • Realm Legal Agreement — the appellant formally acknowledges and accepts The Laws & Rights of the Realm;

   • Personalised Terms — specific behavioural expectations are set out and must be accepted before reinstatement; or

   • Restorative Action — the appellant completes a constructive action that benefits the Realm and demonstrates accountability for their actions.

9. 4.9

   Breach of Personalised Terms: Breaching personalised terms may result in the enforcement action being restored or escalated to a more severe level of enforcement action.

10. 4.10

    Ineligibility: Not all enforcement actions are eligible for pardon. Severe violations may result in permanent removal without an option to appeal.

Friendship

1. 5.1

   A friendship is a voluntary social contract between two Shadelings who mutually recognise and accept one another as friends.

2. 5.2

   A friendship is established where:

   • one Shadeling communicatess to another, by words or other clear expression, that they regard or accept that person as their friend; and

   • the other Shadeling knowlingly and voluntarily communicates that they likewise regard or accept the first Shadeling as their friend.

3. 5.3

   Words including "you are my friend," "I consider you a friend," "we are friends," or words of substantially similar meaning may constitute an offer of friendship.

   A response including "you too," "you're my friend too," "I consider you a friend as well," or words or conduct of substantially similar meaning may constitute acceptance.

4. 5.4

   A friendship is established at the point mutual acceptance is communicated. From that point, both Shadelings become subject to the rights, expectations, and responsibilities applying to friendship under the Laws of the Realm, including 6.0 Friendship Reciprocation.

5. 5.5

   Friendship must not be established solely by implication from:

   • friendliness or kindness;

   • repeated interaction;

   • gifts, assistance, or support;

   • following, subscribing to, moderating for, or otherwise supporting another Shadeling;

   • participation within the same community or social group; or

   • one Shadeling unilaterally describing another as their friend.

   Such circumstances may provide evidence concerning the nature of a relationship but do not, without mutual acceptance, establish a friendship under Realm Law.

6. 5.6

   Acceptance of friendship must be genuine and voluntary. A purported friendship is not established where acceptance was obtained through deception, coercion, threats, manipulation, or where the circumstances demonstrate that a reasonable person would not understand the communication as a genuine acceptance of friendship.

7. 5.7

   Where a dispute arises as to whether a friendship existed, the burden rests upon the person asserting the friendship to establish that mutual acceptance occurred.

8. 5.8

   Friendship Termination:

   A friendship may be terminated by either Shadeling where they clearly communicate to the other that they no longer consider, recognise, or accept that person as their friend. Words including "you are no longer my friend," "I no longer consider you a friend," "our friendship is over," or words of substantially similar and unambiguous meaning are sufficient to terminate the friendship.

   A friendship is not terminated merely because the Shadelings cease or reduce communication, experience disagreement or conflict, avoid one another, remove or block one another from a platform, or otherwise cease behaving in a manner ordinarily associated with friendship.

   Termination does not require acceptance by the other Shadeling and takes effect when the communication of termination is received or otherwise reasonably made known to them.

   A Shadeling is expected to exercise reasonable grounds when terminating a friendship. Reasonable grounds may include a breakdown of trust, incompatibility, persistent conflict, mistreatment, changed circumstances, personal boundaries, or any other circumstance where continuation of the friendship could not reasonably be expected.

   Termination must not be used for the purpose of avoiding an existing obligation under the Laws of the Realm, exploiting another Shadeling, deceiving them, retaliating against an act of genuine kindness, or otherwise acting treacherously toward them.

   Where a termination is proven beyond reasonable doubt to have been carried out through deception, manipulation, exploitation, retaliation, or treachery, enforcement action may be taken. The friendship nevertheless remains terminated.

   Termination does not extinguish any obligation, breach, or responsibility arising under the Laws of the Realm before the friendship was terminated.

Friendship Reciprocation

1. 6.1

   Shadelings within an established friendship are expected to carry out genuine acts of kindness toward one another. Where a Shadeling receives a genuine act of kindness from their friend, they are expected to respect that kindness and reciprocate it by reasonable means.

2. 6.2

   Reciprocation does not require the same act to be returned, nor does it require an act of equal monetary, material, or other measurable value. Reciprocation must be reasonable having regard to the nature of the kindness received, the circumstances of the friendship, and the means reasonably available to the recipient.

3. 6.3

   A Shadeling is not required to reciprocate an act where they reasonably believe that:

   • the act was motivated by manipulation, greed, deception, or an expectation of unreasonable personal gain;

   • the act violates, encourages the violation of, or seeks to circumvent any Law of the Realm; or

   • the act serves a purpose of The Dark Realm.

4. 6.4

   Enforcement action may be taken where it is proven beyond reasonable doubt that:

   • a friendship recognised under Realm Law existed at the time the act of kindness was received;

   • the act of kindness was delivered and received;

   • the act was genuine;

   • the recipient failed to reciprocate the kindness by reasonable means; and

   • no circumstance under clause 3 reasonably justified the failure to reciprocate.

5. 6.5

   In determining whether reasonable reciprocation occurred, consideration may be given to the nature and significance of the original act, the recipient's circumstances and reasonable means, the manner in which the recipient responded to the kindness, and other acts of kindness or support exchanged within the friendship.

6. 6.6

   Enforcement action may also be taken where it is proven beyond reasonable doubt that a Shadeling received or encouraged an act of kindness while intending to deceive, exploit, manipulate, betray, or otherwise act treacherously toward their friend.

7. 6.7

   Termination of a friendship does not remove responsibility for a failure to reciprocate where the obligation to reciprocate arose while the friendship was in effect.

8. 6.8

   Where a Shadeling has an overdue obligation under the Friendship Reciprocation Law, termination of the friendship cannot take effect until that obligation has been reasonably satisfied or otherwise resolved.

   An attempt to terminate a friendship for the purpose of avoiding an overdue reciprocation obligation may constitute friendship treachery and may be subject to enforcement action.

   Once termination has validly taken effect, the Friendship Reciprocation Law no longer applies between the former friends, and no new obligation of reciprocation may arise between them unless the friendship is subsequently re-established in accordance with Realm Law.