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FAQ (READ BEFORE MAKING A NEW THREAD)

ultraviolet

sorry, i'm never going to stop being mad about it.
Staff member
Pronoun
she/her
Okay since we keep getting the same questions all the time, here's a frequently asked questions thread. Please check if your question is answered here before making a thread. That way, other people don't have to sigh and point at this thread and you don't have to be embarrassed.

Questions about TCoD

The forums won't load for me!
I got an Internal Server Error message!
I got an error 500 message!
I got a server message while trying to post/edit a post!

The server that the forum is on regularly goes down, but we're not exactly sure why (it seems to be related to user traffic, but we're not sure). We're aware of it, but there's not much we can do about it, unfortunately. Do not make threads about it, even if it becomes more frequent.

The forum had an error and made me double-post!
This usually happens when you post, get an internal server error and refresh the page; don't worry about it. Please delete the extra posts.

I posted, but the thread won't go to the next page to view the post!
When I go to the next page of this thread it redirects back to the second-last one!

This is another forum error and nothing to worry about. Posting again will usually get the page to appear (but please delete the extra post afterward).

What are the images that say 'Egg', 'Caterpie', 'Metapod' and 'Butterfree' for?

They're ranks, and they change based on how many posts you have. Everyone starts at Egg. The ranks are Caterpie (50 posts), Metapod (200 posts) and Butterfree (1000 posts).

My postcount went down and I lost my rank! Why?
If your posts get deleted (or a thread you've posted in gets deleted), you'll lose those posts from your postcount, and your rank will go down.

Can I change my username?
How often can I change my username?

Yes, you can do so by going to your User CP, and clicking 'edit password, email & username' (or by clicking here). You can only change your username once a month, unless you've made a typo (in which case, ask a moderator). People's older usernames show up when you hover over their username on one of their posts.

What's ASB?
How do I join ASB?

Animé Style Battling is a post-based pokémon battling game (more information here). For those who know what ASB is and just want to join, this is the link. ASB is currently closed for the time being, however.

There's a glitch in the ASB Control Panel.
My ASB Profile is incorrect.

Problems with ASB profiles should either be posted here or mentioned to Negrek.

Why can't I join a Mafia game?
You need to join the Mafia Players usergroup. Go to your User CP, then click 'Group Memberships' on the right-hand side. Then click 'join group' next to the Mafia Players option. Alternatively, click here and join the group.

Can moderators see private Social Groups?

Yes, moderators can see and read messages in private Social groups, but they aren't actively moderated. If something's so private you'd rather a moderator didn't stumble across it, though, you should use Private Messages.

Questions about BBCode
For reference, the full list of BBCode used at this forum is located here, but here are frequent queries:

How do I create sprites?

With the sprite tags! [sprite=bw]Maractus[/sprite] becomes:
Maractus
You can create sprites for all pokémon (including the small party sprites), some items, and fakemon from ASB. Make sure you spell the pokémon's name correctly, or it won't work. More information on the sprite tags can be found here and here. A list of item sprites used in ASB and a few random pokemon can be found below.
Items that do not have BBCode: medicine, pokeballs, some berries (see below), fossils, collectibles (i.e. shards), sell-only items (i.e. nuggets, mushrooms) key items, TMs/HMs, mulch and mail. The format for the item sprite code is ITEM-NAME[sprite]. 

[SIZE=4]Hold Items[/SIZE][B]
items that do not work: [/B]adamant, griseous, or lustrous orbs; cleanse  tag, everstone, focus band, focus sash, full, luck, odd, pure, rose,  rock, sea or wave incenses; pass orb, soul dew, burn, chill, douse, or  shock drives; scarves.

[CODE][sprite=item]air-balloon air-balloon
absorb-bulb absorb-bulb
amulet-coin amulet-coin
big-root big-root
binding-band binding-band
blackglasses blackglasses
black-sludge black-sludge
brightpowder brightpowder
cell-battery cell-battery
charcoal charcoal
choice-band choice-band
choice-scarf choice-scarf
choice-specs choice-specs
damp-rock damp-rock
destiny-knot destiny-knot
dragon-fang dragon-fang
eject-button eject-button
eviolite eviolite
expert-belt expert-belt
exp-share exp-share
flame-orb flame-orb
float-stone float-stone
grip-claw grip-claw
hard-stone hard-stone
heat-rock heat-rock
icy-rock icy-rock
iron-ball iron-ball
kings-rock kings-rock
lagging-tail lagging-tail
lax-incense lax-incense
leftovers leftovers
life-orb life-orb
light-ball light-ball
light-clay light-clay
lucky-egg lucky-egg
lucky-punch lucky-punch
magnet magnet
metal-coat metal-coat
metal-powder metal-powder
mental-herb mental-herb
metronome metronome
miracle-seed miracle-seed
muscle-band muscle-band
mystic-water mystic-water
nevermeltice nevermeltice
poison-barb poison-barb
power-herb power-herb
quick-claw quick-claw
quick-powder quick-powder
razor-claw razor-claw
razor-fang razor-fang
red-card red-card
ring-target ring-target
rocky-helmet rocky-helmet
scope-lens scope-lens
sharp-beak sharp-beak
shed-shell shed-shell
shell-bell shell-bell
silk-scarf silk-scarf
silverpowder silverpowder
soft-sand soft-sand
soothe-bell soothe-bell
smoke-ball smoke-ball
smooth-rock smooth-rock
spell-tag spell-tag
stick stick
sticky-barb sticky-barb
thick-club thick-club
twistedspoon twistedspoon
toxic-orb toxic-orb
white-herb white-herb
wide-lens wide-lens
wise-glasses wise-glasses
zoom-lens zoom-lens[/CODE]Gems
Code:
[sprite=item]dark-gem[/sprite] dark-gem
[sprite=item]bug-gem[/sprite] bug-gem
[sprite=item]dragon-gem[/sprite] dragon-gem
[sprite=item]electric-gem[/sprite] electric-gem
[sprite=item]fighting-gem[/sprite] fighting-gem
[sprite=item]fire-gem[/sprite] fire-gem
[sprite=item]flying-gem[/sprite] flying-gem
[sprite=item]ghost-gem[/sprite] ghost-gem
[sprite=item]grass-gem[/sprite] grass-gem
[sprite=item]ground-gem[/sprite] ground-gem
[sprite=item]ice-gem[/sprite] ice-gem
[sprite=item]normal-gem[/sprite] normal-gem
[sprite=item]poison-gem[/sprite] poison-gem
[sprite=item]psychic-gem[/sprite] psychic-gem
[sprite=item]rock-gem[/sprite] rock-gem
[sprite=item]steel-gem[/sprite] steel-gem
[sprite=item]water-gem[/sprite] water-gem
Plates
Code:
[sprite=item]draco-plate[/sprite] draco-plate
[sprite=item]dread-plate[/sprite] dread-plate
[sprite=item]earth-plate[/sprite] earth-plate
[sprite=item]fist-plate[/sprite] fist-plate
[sprite=item]flame-plate[/sprite] flame-plate
[sprite=item]icicle-plate[/sprite] icicle-plate
[sprite=item]insect-plate[/sprite] insect-plate
[sprite=item]iron-plate[/sprite] iron-plate
[sprite=item]meadow-plate[/sprite] meadow-plate
[sprite=item]mind-plate[/sprite] mind-plate
[sprite=item]sky-plate[/sprite] sky-plate
[sprite=item]splash-plate[/sprite] splash-plate
[sprite=item]spooky-plate[/sprite] spooky-plate
[sprite=item]stone-plate[/sprite] stone-plate
[sprite=item]toxic-plate[/sprite] toxic-plate
[sprite=item]zap-plate[/sprite] zap-plate
Evolution Stuff
Code:
[sprite=item]dawn-stone[/sprite] dawn-stone
[sprite=item]deepseascale[/sprite] deepseascale
[sprite=item]deepseatooth[/sprite] deepseatooth
[sprite=item]dragon-scale[/sprite] dragon-scale
[sprite=item]dubious-disc[/sprite] dubious-disc
[sprite=item]dusk-stone[/sprite] dusk-stone
[sprite=item]electirizer[/sprite] electirizer
[sprite=item]fire-stone[/sprite] fire-stone
[sprite=item]leaf-stone[/sprite] leaf-stone
[sprite=item]magmarizer[/sprite] magmarizer
[sprite=item]moon-stone[/sprite] moon-stone
[sprite=item]oval-stone[/sprite] oval-stone
[sprite=item]prism-scale[/sprite] prism-scale
[sprite=item]protector[/sprite] protector
[sprite=item]reaper-cloth[/sprite] reaper-cloth
[sprite=item]shiny-stone[/sprite] shiny-stone
[sprite=item]sun-stone[/sprite] sun-stone
[sprite=item]thunderstone[/sprite] thunderstone
[sprite=item]up-grade[/sprite] up-grade
[sprite=item]water-stone[/sprite] water-stone
Berries
berries that do not work:
aguav, belue, bluk, cornn, durin, figy, grepa, hondew, iapapa, kelpsy, mago, magost, nanab, nomel, pamtre, pinap, pomeg, qualot, rabuta, razz, spelon, tamato, watmel, wepear, wiki
Code:
[sprite=item]apicot-berry[/sprite] apicot-berry
[sprite=item]aspear-berry[/sprite] aspear-berry
[sprite=item]babiri-berry[/sprite] babiri-berry
[sprite=item]charti-berry[/sprite] charti-berry
[sprite=item]cheri-berry[/sprite] cheri-berry
[sprite=item]chesto-berry[/sprite] chesto-berry
[sprite=item]chilan-berry[/sprite] chilan-berry
[sprite=item]chople-berry[/sprite] chople-berry
[sprite=item]coba-berry[/sprite] coba-berry
[sprite=item]colbur-berry[/sprite] colbur-berry
[sprite=item]custap-berry[/sprite] custap-berry
[sprite=item]enigma-berry[/sprite] enigma-berry
[sprite=item]ganlon-berry[/sprite] ganlon-berry
[sprite=item]haban-berry[/sprite] haban-berry
[sprite=item]jaboca-berry[/sprite] jaboca-berry
[sprite=item]kasib-berry[/sprite] kasib-berry
[sprite=item]kebia-berry[/sprite] kebia-berry
[sprite=item]lansat-berry[/sprite] lansat-berry
[sprite=item]leppa-berry[/sprite] leppa-berry
[sprite=item]liechi-berry[/sprite] liechi-berry
[sprite=item]lum-berry[/sprite] lum-berry
[sprite=item]micle-berry[/sprite] micle-berry
[sprite=item]occa-berry[/sprite] occa-berry
[sprite=item]oran-berry[/sprite] oran-berry
[sprite=item]passho-berry[/sprite] passho-berry
[sprite=item]payapa-berry[/sprite] payapa-berry
[sprite=item]pecha-berry[/sprite] pecha-berry
[sprite=item]persim-berry[/sprite] persim-berry
[sprite=item]petaya-berry[/sprite] petaya-berry
[sprite=item]rindo-berry[/sprite] rindo-berry
[sprite=item]rowap-berry[/sprite] rowap-berry
[sprite=item]salac-berry[/sprite] salac-berry
[sprite=item]shuca-berry[/sprite] shuca-berry
[sprite=item]starf-berry[/sprite] starf-berry
[sprite=item]tanga-berry[/sprite] tanga-berry
[sprite=item]wacan-berry[/sprite] wacan-berry
[sprite=item]yache-berry[/sprite] yache-berry
Some pokemon are a little hard to guess!
pokemon that do not work: shiny forms. This only covers what the original guide doesn't have.
Code:
[sprite=party]mrmime[/sprite][sprite=party]mimejr[/sprite] mrmime, mimejr
[sprite=party]porygon2[/sprite][sprite=party]porygon-z[/sprite] porygon2, porygon-z
[sprite=party]unown-![/sprite][sprite=party]unown-_[/sprite] unown-!, unown-_
[sprite=party]farfetchd[/sprite] farfetchd
[sprite=party]nidoranm[/sprite][sprite=party]nidoranf[/sprite] nidoranm, nidoranf
[sprite=party]ho-oh[/sprite] ho-oh
[/hide]

Do we have marquee tags?

No. There is a general consensus that they're extremely irritating.

How come some people have more than one signature?

How do I use the tag?
Why isn't my tag working?
), or that you haven't closed the tag properly.

How do I create strikethrough text?

[s]this text has lines in it![/s] becomes: this text has lines in it!

How do I show BBCode without the code working when I post?
With the noparse tag! Wrap these around BBCode if you want to show the code: [noparse][/noparse]

How do I hide text under a cut?
How do I hide triggering content?
The hide tag lets you cover a portion of text that allows people to choose whether they want to view it or not. This is especially useful for blocking content that other users might find triggering. The hide tag requires a description of what it is you're hiding: [spoiler=description]content[/spoiler] becomes:
content
[hide]
won't work. Please mark effectively for triggering content, e.g. "violence" or "content warning: violence" is usually sufficient.

How do I hide spoilers?
[spoiler=Pokémon]you choose from three starter pokémon![/spoiler]
becomes:
you choose from three starter pokémon!
note: changing the colour or size of text in a spoiler tag will make it show through.
The hide tag (see above) can also be used to hide large amounts of spoiler content. Please mark for spoiler content the same way you do for a spoiler tag.

Can I change text colour, size and font in my posts?
You can, but please don't! Because there are different styles for this forum, changing the text colour means inevitably, someone is going to find your post hard to read. Changing the size and font is unnecessary in normal posts unless you're managing your own art thread, safari zone area, etc.
However, you can change these things in your signatures.

How do I make the é in Pokémon?
Windows users can hold Alt and hit 130 or 0233 on the number pad. More information here.
For users of the GNOME desktop environment, the unicode sequence (ctrl + shift + u) is 00e9
The simpler (and universal) compose sequence is ' + e
 
Last edited:
Re: FAQ (read before making a new thread)

This is good, but you could have a brief explanation of what a random tag actually is, because lots of people make a thread about "more than one sig" but they don't actually know what a random tag is.

EDIT: With the noparse, you could always do this.

[noparse][/noparse]
 
Last edited:
Re: FAQ (read before making a new thread)

Good point!

Oddly, I did try wrapping a noparse tag around a noparse tag when I made the thread and the whole thing just disappeared. o.o It works now.
 
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