Terms of Service

Users are permitted to have one account, the creation of “side accounts” is strictly prohibited.
- Users cannot share accounts, no matter the reasoning.
- Evading bans by creating new accounts is strictly prohibited.
- Accounts cannot be traded, sold, or loaned.

It is the account owners responsibility to create a secure password and protect their login credentials. Do not distribute your login information to anyone. Admins and moderators will never ask for account credentials. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact an administrator as soon as possible.

We are not liable for any user voluntarily providing personal, private, or sensitive information to others. Please practice internet safety; do not give your personal information to anyone!
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Users must be at least 21 years of age in order to access the website, and subsequently, our Discord server. Users found to be falsifying their birth record to access the site despite being under the age requirement will be banned from the website.

Accounts with usernames that contain offensive, obscene, hateful, or unlawful content may be modified by staff or the individual banned, depending on the severity of the offense. This applies to user-written bios as well.

Administrators are only permitted to discuss account-related issues with it’s owner in order to protect privacy. Discussion of account suspensions, termination, or strikes, are not permitted. Bans and suspension appeals must be sent in by the owner of the affected account.

Exploitation of bugs within the website is not strictly prohibited. If a bug is discovered, it is expected to be reported to the appropriate staff members, via the Reports page (make sure you tick the "Bug Report" button) or via our Discord server's appropriate channels. Anything gained from a bug is subject for removal to keep the game fair for all players! 
-Use / Distribution of cheats, "hacking" software, or other unauthorized, third-party applications lf is not strictly prohibited.

By accessing Lockmates.art and its affiliated communities, you agree to conduct yourself in a respectful, civilized manner.  Light swearing is permitted so long as it is not directed at another member or moderator. Slurs are strictly prohibited, even if it's a slur you can personally reclaim.

Racist, sexist, transphobic and homophobic behavior will be swiftly removed and is grounds for immediate account termination. Users found to be touting hate speech, or expressing political views that are harmful to oppressed groups will be banned without warning.

Discussion of politics, religion, and other sensitive topics is prohibited.

We do not take disciplnary action towards users for interpersonal problems. If you have a issue with an individual, please decide how imparative it is that the staff is made aware of the issue. Not liking someone is not grounds for a report.

Users who are found to be genuinely harmful and dangerous will be promptly removed and banned from the website and subsequent communities. We have a strict no tolerance policy or abuse of any kind. Individuals found engaging in activity thats harmful to children, animals, or adults will be swiftly removed. We try not to engage in controversy outside of out community, but there are certain topics we cannot look away from.

Users found to be creating and fostering a hostile environment for other users or staff members are subject to discliplinary action. Harassment, bullying, guilt-tripping, ect. is not tolerated.

Be kind to staff members and administrators! Negative remarks made about staff members will be removed and result in a warning. This includes complaints about approval speeds, design rejections, etc. Do not argue with or demean staff members for upholding ourTerms of Service.
-Attempting to bribe staff members for priority in queue will result in a warning.
-Arguing with moderators over rejections is not tolerated, including (but not limited to) prompt denials, MYO rejections, etc.

In the event you see a an altercation occur between users, please alert a staff member. Do not attempt to deescalate the situation yourself, or act as a mediator.

Gossip and drama are not tolerated within the community, especially within the discussion channels of our public servers- This applies even to events that take place outside of our community. Namedropping, posting links to callouts /bewards, or conversing about current / past controversy will be removed by staff members, and a warning or strike will be issued.  Users who are found to be participating in "anonymous" drama communities are subject to the same penalties.

WIP

When submitting content onto the website, users give Lockmates.art the right to host the content on the site, as well as and share the artwork in a way that promotes the original artist. We will never profit from any user-submitted conent, and users retain their copyright owership over the pieces themselves.

-If a user is banned from the site of chooses to close their account, we maintain the rights to display any content submitted during their use of our service.

All art submitted to the website and community are expected to be original works created by the uploader.
-Tracing / Heavy referencing works from other community members is not permitted and will be immediately rejected/removed by staff.
-Users found submitting stolen or plagerized content may face disciplinary action.

Artwork created by using premade bases may only be submitted to the website if the base was created for this community. We ask that users do not submit  artwork made on bases by unaffiliated creators / non-members.
-Any on-base artwork may not be submitted for prompts or rewards.

AI generated artwork and AI generated writing are not allowed to be submitted on site, and will face immediate removal, coupled with a warning to the uploader.

Lockmates.art is an art-based community, welcoming artists of all skill levels! We encourage improvement, and strive for an environment that uplifts other artists.
-All art submitted to the ARPG is judged considering the skill level of the artist submitting. As we focus on improvement, we ask that art submitted to the site is at least the best of your ability / completes the guidelines necesary for the prompt or activity.
-Unwanted criticism is not allowed unless the original artist of the piece has specifically requested a critique. 

Art prompts and activities have specific sets of requirements that submissions must follow; each requirement is clearly outlined in the descriptions of the activity.
-Please do your best to adhere to these requirements, as failure to do so can result in your submission being rejected!

Art prompts and ARPG activities may only be completed using characters under your ownership, or official ARPG NPCs (Non-Playable Characters,)
-You are premitted to draw another members character if you are given explicit permission directly from the owner. Some masterlist entries will say "Gift Art Permitted" depending on the owners choice.
-When drawing another users character, users are expected to distribute the completed artwork to its respective owner. Moderators will not deliver gift art on anyones behalf!

The species found within Lockmates.art (Currently only one: Lockmates) are closed species belonging to starbovnd; users are not permitted to make their own without permission. Those found intentionally breaking these guidelines or infringing upon the intellectual property of Lockmates.art will have their accounts terminated.

Despite the "Closed Species" title being most prevalent in these communities, we opt to describe ourselves simply as an "ARPG" in an attempt to steer away from the often negative conotations that come alongside the CS title.

The concepts behind any species on the site are not owned by anyone; If you want to make characters that are similar, go for it! We only ask that you do not claim they are official, or affiliated with our group. 
-We have a zero tolerance policy for scamming. Users who create unofficial designs and trade/sell them as if they were official are considered scammers, and will face a permanent ban from the community.
-Do NOT harass or belittle users who make / own characters with visual similarities to species within this ARPG- Users caught doing so will face disciplinary action.

Deliberate "off-brands" that are intended to harm our community are not permitted. Users who are found to be creating unofficial designs with malicious intent will be banned from the website and subsequent communities.
-Do NOT harass or bully users for making bad-faith offbrands! Users caught doing so will face disciplinary action.

You may create your own character once in possession of an MYO slot. “Make Your Own” slots must be designed according to official guidelines for the species, and approved by moderators prior to being added to our masterlist.

Adoptables may be created by starbovnd, moderators, or approved guest artists. These often come in the form of flatsales, auctions, raffles, and more!

-Sellers reserve the right to refuse service to anyone at their own discretion.

You must be 21 years or older to purchase from the site or any approved vendor, in compliance with website rules.
 
Payment is often conducted via Paypal; depending on the artists perferred payment options. Any Debit / Credit cards and accounts used to complete the purchase must belong to the purchasing party.
-When purchasing an adopt, payment must be sent within 48 hours of your initial claim. Once paid entirely, full ownership will be transferred and the masterlist updated.
-Payment plans are available only at the discretion of the seller.

Refunds are not available after payment has been sent, but buyers are encouraged to turn to the community to trade / resell characters they may no longer want.

Auctions occasionally occur within our community, allowing members to bid against one another for ownership of a character.
-When bidding in an auction, you must have the funds available at the time your bid is placed. Failure to pay your offered amount will result in a bar from future auctions.
-Private bids are available, and must be sent to the host of the particular auction directly.
-Payments must be sent within 48 hours of your initial claim. Once paid entirely, full ownership will be transferred and the masterlist updated.
-Do not attempt to outbid ABs (Autobuys). Once an AB has been placed, it's final! No extra amount of money can change that.
-Be respectful! We understand the dissapointment that comes with losing an auction, but do not harass and bully the winners!
-If multiple ABs are placed simultaneously, a small raffle will be held to determine who wins the auction overal.

DTE (Draw to Enter) adoptables are unique types of adoptables where users are required to draw the character in question to be entered into a raffle. The winner of the raffle obtains not only rights to the character, but the artwork that was drawn for it. Please do not participate in these events if you are not comfortable with this exchange.

 

When you own a character assiociated with lockmates.art, you retain ownership to the personal rights to that character. We retain the commercial rights to the original species as a whole, but do not claim any personal or commercial rights to any characters owned by private individuals / players.

With your characters, you may:
-Change the characters name, pronouns, backstory, personality, etc. at your discretion.
-Use the character to participate in events, games, etc.
-Display your character and its artwork on a 3rd party gallery (Such as Toyhou.se) with proper credits given.
-Create or commission digital art, such as illustration, 3D models, V-Tuber Rigs, writing projects, etc. intended for personal use.
-Create or commission physical, tangible art such as fursuits, plushies, 3D printed / Clay figurines, etc. intended for personal use.
-Sell, trade, gift, or otherwise rehome the character to another user, so long as both parties are satisfied with the transaction.
-Use the character for personal branding  (streaming, account mascots, etc.)

Only starbovnd reserves the rights to the branding of any Lockmates.art species for commercial use. You may not produce merch that is intended to pass as official merchandise. Members may not use any official logos, assets, or any intellectual properties for profit.

Commercial rights are only provided to individual characters, depending on if the original designer allows it. Be sure to check with the original designer of your character for permission to use the character commercially!

Owners may create merchandise to sell of their characters only.
-The products must be wholly seperate and do not mention lockmates.art or any affiliated species.
YES: Selling stickers of your individual character, where their face is the center of the frame and their name is spelled in text
NO: Selling stickers of your individual character, featuring site items or NPCs.
NO: Selling stickers of website NPCs, selling acrylic keychains featuring items from the website, selling anything that could be considered "Lockmates.art Merch."

Your character's masterlist entry is considered a certificate of authenticity and can be used to prove legitimacy of your character, as well as protect yourself against scams. Always check for a masterlist entry before trading / selling as to avoid being scammed!

Only one account will be listed under the masterlist entry as the character's owner. Co-ownership is prohibited to prevent scams and shady behavior.

Characters may be redesigned using in-game cosmetics that can be bought for virtual site currency. Redesigns must be submitted through the masterlist for approval.
A character’s redesign MUST be recognizable in some way the original, regardless of how many  changes are made.

Users do not have permission to edit or alter any official art. Do not edit another member’s artwork without their explicit permission.

When trading your character, you are required to link to the official masterlist entry as proof of ownership. Masterlist entries must be updated as soon as the trades / sales are complete to ensure our records are up to date.

Characters can swapped, traded for unrelated character designs, art, site items, or our group currency. If trading your character for another game’s items or currency, the trade MUST respect that game’s Terms of Service as to not cause any issues between the two groups.

If choosing to resell your character, there are no limit on the amount at which you choose, so long as both parties walk away feeling happy and satisfied with the transaction.
-It is generally frowned upon to "scalp" characters intentionally. Remember to be fair, and not ask an absurd price! Absurd pricing would include buying a design for $75.00 USD, and asking $500.00 USD resale with no extra digital or physical art.

"Three-way trades" are when 3 different users decide to engage in a trade. These are allowed, but exercise caution when considering these types of trades. Staff cannot monitor private messages, so we can never verify the legitimacy of the offers.

"Vouchers" are used for purchasing art/characters/etc. for another user in exchange for a character. There is no money exchanged, but rather you trade your character in return for someone buying you something. (Example: "Lockmate for Voucher, seeking [product you want] /  "Offering $50 voucher for a Lockmate")
These types of transactions are allowed, but be cautious and ensure everything goes smoothly! When trading for physical items, you always run the risk of your products being lost in the mail, etc.  Staff cannot help or reimburse you in the event something goes wrong!

Payment plans can be arranged between two parties if nessesary! The two users who engage in a payment plan are responsible for ensuring it goes smoothly, as staff cannot help or reimburse you in the event something goes wrong!

If your character has alternative forms / designs that are all based on the same source character, they all must be traded together. This includes one-offs, designs used for other ARPGs, etc. This is to prevent issues with multiple users owning the same design, and any conflict that may come up as a result of that.

The rules in place are designed to protect our users from potential scams. Remember, you always run the risk of being scammed, so always check the masterlist entries / inventories us users before agreeing to any sort of transactions. It is accepted that you trade at your own risk, as staff are not responsible for scams that occur as a result of an individual making the choice to ignore or break the Terms of Service.