Art/Character/Species Usage

    My big rule is to not to be clingy or act like a creepy stalker or obsessed fan when talking to me.  I'm laid back and easy to talk to but I'm also a pretty private person so this makes me super uncomfortable when people act like this.  I'm happy to talk to people and answer questions about my headworld, but please don't be one of these people that bombards me with constant notes on a daily basis, be all huggy-feely or be a buttkisser.  I've dealt with way too many people like this in the past.

Artwork Copyrights

• All artwork on this site and linking galleries are copyrighted Traci Vermeesch unless stated otherwise.
• You may print a copy of the artwork for personal use, such as hanging it in your locker or room.
• If you really like a picture, please consider talking to the artist about buying a print of it. Not only will you get a signed version of it without the copyright info, but you will also help support the artist. 
• You may download any artwork for your personal collections or use as a desktop wallpaper.
• You may not use the artwork for any type of personal financial gain unless it is commissioned for that specific purpose and a contract has been agreed on by both parties.
• Unless it is a picture that you have commissioned or you have received written permission from the artist, you may not use the artwork for personal projects even if it is not for any monetary value.  Including but not limited to trading cards, YouTube videos, publications or website banners.
• Unless it is a commission or character you have purchased, do not crop images and use them as your avatar on other sites.
• You may not post my artwork on your websites without permission.  Permission will not be given for commissioned work or artwork of my personal characters or alien species.
• Do not claim that my artwork was drawn by you.  Because it wasn't.
  
• If it is artwork that you have commissioned, then you are free to post the low res version with copyright information on your websites as long as credit is given to the artist.  This includes gallery sites such as DeviantArt and FurAffinity.
• Proper credit should be given to Ulario on DeviantArt, UlarioGryphon on FurAffinity or to my personal website, TraciVermeesch.com

Personal Character Usage

• All personal characters are copyrighted Traci Vermeesch unless stated otherwise.
• I love fanart!  You don’t have to ask if you can draw fanart of my characters.  Just follow the rules and show me what you’re done!
• No pornographic pictures of my personal characters should be drawn.  
• Please no fetish related pictures of my characters unless it is something I have specifically commissioned from you!
• My personal characters should not be used for any purpose that promotes hate.
• You may not write stories about my personal characters.
• My personal characters should not be used for personal financial gain!  The exception would be if I have commissioned you and you’d like to sell a few prints of the commission.  Credits for the picture written on the back of the print would be appreciated, but aren’t required.
• “Shipping” or romantically pairing two characters who do not share such a romance in the Azure wheel canon is not allowed.  Nor is drawing my characters in a romantic relationship with your own. I don’t care if you’d think they’d make a ‘cute couple’, please respect my universe’s canon, the canon relationships and my characters sexuality (or lack thereof)
• You may ask to commission me to draw my own characters for you.  However, keep in mind that any commissions that I do of my own characters must fit their canon.  I will not draw my characters in relationships with yours, change anything about them for the sake of a commission or draw them doing something that they would not normally do.
• You may not ask or commission other artists to draw my characters without my permissions.
• Personal characters of mine are not for sale.  Please do not ask to buy them.

Azure Wheel Galaxy Usage

• The Azure Wheel Galaxy and all alien species in it are copyrighted Traci Vermeesch.
• You may make “fan characters” out of my alien species that are labeled as an open species.  Just follow the rest of the rules.
•  Athenians and Spaceborn are the two most pivotal species in my headworld’s lore and are not available for you to make fan characters out of unless I have given you specific permission.  Use of these species is a gift that I give my close friends.  Please be respectful of this fact.
• Any alien or animal species that have been based on an adoptable that I have purchased will forever be a closed species with no chance of ever opening to the public out of respect for the person that I had purchased the design from.  It would not be right to let dozens of that species running around after I have purchased said species that was designed by someone else.  The same goes with any species that I have created in video games like Stellaris.
• You may not make up new planets, locations, animals or alien species for the Azure Wheel Galaxy!  Period.

Adoptables and Character Design Usage

• These purchased characters are for your personal use.  You are free to change anything you want about them, give them a backstory, write stories about them, use them for roleplay, draw pictures of them, commission others to draw them, etc...
  
• Please consider giving credit for the design when it is used.  It's not necessary, but it would be nice.
  
• You may not use these characters for personal financial gain!  This rule is in place to help prevent a big company (IE Wal-Mart, Hot Topic) from buying a cheap character and using the design to make a lot of money from. 
•  If you are are an individual or small business planning on using the character in a project that you wish to publish, I should be okay with it but please give me a heads up.  I may ask for a copy of it for my personal portfolio.
• If this is for a big project (something you plan on selling 100 copies or more of), then you may need to purchase a commercial license for it. I am flexible with this and try to adapt the price to fit your budget. 
• You can only resell designs for more than what you paid for if it comes with additional art.  If you are going to resell, let me know so I know who the design belongs to now.
  
• You may not claim that you made the original artwork or design. Because you didn’t. 
• You can use the character for pretty much everything else.  No, really.  They're yours.  Have fun with them.

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Rules for Creating a character from one of my open species.

• Remember, it is the specific lore of my headworld that makes the species in it unique.  For example, Skylion are simply anthro space gryphons, but it is their homeworld, lore, species history, etc that makes them unique.  if you want a skylion character, but don't want to follow the rules, you are free to make an anthro space gryphon that is not a part of my headworld.   I do not own that concept.
• Please ask permission from me before you make a character of one of my open species.  I will likely say yes, so don’t be afraid to do so.  I just want to know how my species are being used.  Plus it is just polite.
• These species are for personal use only. Do not use them in any way intended for personal profit.
• Give credit to me for the species. Proper credit would be Ulario (on deviantArt), UlarioGryphon (on FurAffinity) or a link to my personal website. This will help someone who sees your character and likes the species to find me.
• Show me what you've done! I favorite and show off every piece of art related to my universe that others have done and I'd love to see. I'm even considering a 'fan character' page on this Wiki if enough are made.
• You can use your fan characters to draw pictures of, write stories about, or have RP chats with your friends.
• I don't want an army of characters with super rare traits for their species running around.  Please keep traits to mostly common traits, but some uncommon traits are allowed.  If you’d like a characters with rare traits, please talk to me.
• If you create a character of my species, you may not resell it for money.
• You may not use images of my own characters or generic pictures I’ve personally drawn of the species to claim that it is your character.  Because it isn’t.  If you’d like a picture of your character, please consider commissioning one.

Canon

• My headworld is very personal to me.  Therefore, it is important to me that stories related to it remain canon.
• Characters based on non-sapient animals react like animals and cannot speak or have magical abilities.  They also cannot be “antho” unless it’s the “fursona” of a sapient species.
• Non-canon shenanigans with other characters are fine since I do it too.  But any stories that take place in my headworld should remain in the galaxy’s canon.
• Keep your character’s physical, mental and cultural traits canon.  IE - Don't make a member of a species unnaturally colored, give them abilities the species would not normally have, etc.
• If you are unsure about something, please ask rather than make something up willy-nilly about my universe.   I have the final say on what can be canon or not. Usually if you read the rules and adhere to the species' guidelines, then I'm usually cool about it.
• DO NOT CREATE NEW SPECIES OR PLANETS FOR THE AZURE WHEEL UNIVERSE!  If you need a specific type of location for your story, talk to me first.  I most likely have a location in my head that would fit your needs.

On the same lines, I do not allow anyone to write lore about my universe. I may one day write it and if someone else has written about it than things will get awkward and hectic.

• The only exception to these rules is Newie because he’s basically my co-writer. I will also make exceptions for a few close, personal friends and one or two artists that I trust enough to write for my universe. 

Sex and Sexuality

• The universe is still attached to my name, so please no weird fetishy things with my species without permission.  I don't want people to get the wrong idea.
• Different species cannot 'breed' with each other. "Parts" don't always fit together and even if they did, the body of a species will always reject genetic material from other races.   Sorry, but no hybrid species are possible unless it’s explicitly stated in their species sheet.
• All species can be any sexual orientation possible (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, trans whatever) unless otherwise stated in the species lore.

Other Info

• Try to avoid creating Mary Su/Gary Stu characters.  If you are unsure of what this is, please use this guide to help you.  Sues and Stus don't really fit well in the Azure Wheel Galaxy.  Sorry.  >_<
• Keep in mind that I am one person creating an entire universe when I have time between running my day job of owning a pet store, commissioned work, drawing comics and whatever that thing I call a personal life is.  Therefore, it is very much a work in progress, and I am working on completing things when I have time.  Not everything that I have created is available to the public, yet… especially if it contains spoilers for stories I plan to write.