History Main / RulesOfTheInternet

* Rule 14: Do not argue with {{troll}}s -- it means they win. [[labelnote:Explanation]] Trolls are not interested in genuine debate; they just want attention and will never argue in good faith. The only way to defeat a troll is to ignore them, thus denying them attention and any entertaintment they can get from provoking angry responses out of you.[[/labelnote]]

* Rule 14: Do not argue with {{troll}}s -- it means they win. [[labelnote:Explanation]] Trolls are not interested in genuine debate; they just want attention and will never argue in good faith. The only way to defeat a troll is to ignore them.[[/labelnote]]

* Rule 16: If you fail in epic proportions, it may just become a [[EpicFail winning failure]].
%% Sometimes failures are just as impressive as success.

* Rule 19: [[HateDumb The more you hate it]], [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity the stronger it gets]].
%% Hate is pointless. Don't waste your time on it.

* Rule 0: Don't f**k with cats.

* {{Crossover}}: Rules 50 and Rule 44; There are even cases of well-known video game characters, turned into ponies, and then modded into Touhou games. You can control [[VideoGame/SilentHill2 Pyramid Head]] [[MyLittlePony Pony]] in a [[ShootEmUp SHMUP]] that used to feature {{Moe}} anime girls.

* Rule 72: If a song exists, there's a [[VideoGame/{{Undertale}} megalovania]] version of it.

* Rule 9: Anonymous is still able to deliver. [[labelnote:Explanation]] "Deliver" means to do what you promised you would. This means that if we all pitch in we can do amazing things together! Sometimes all it takes is one person doing something right to make a difference.

"Rules of the Internet" is a [[SparseListOfRules loose collection of rules and aphorisms]] spawned by the infamous Website/FourChan {{ImageBoard|s}}. Depending on whom you ask, they are either not meant to be taken seriously or are very SeriousBusiness. Most of them don't apply except for within the community they originated from, and the list is continuously changing, but through MemeticMutation, a handful have become well-known.

* Rule 8: [[{{GIFT}} Anonymous can be a horrible, senseless, uncaring monster]].

* {{GIFT}}: Rule 7, Rule 12, Rule 13, Rule 14, Rule 18, Rule 42 and Rule 43 are pretty {{GIFT}}ed.
** Rule 48 is metaphor for "{{GIFT}}ed people always spoil the fun".

* Rule 46: [[CallBack The internet is]] [[SeriousBusiness SERIOUS FUCKING BUSINESS]]. [[labelnote:Explanation]] Remember the MST3K Mantra: "It's really just a show, I should try to relax..."[[/labelnote]]

* EpicFail: Rule 16

* EpicFail - Rule 15
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: Rule 9001 is "It's [[OverNineThousand over 9000]]!!!"

"Rules of the Internet" is a [[SparseListOfRules loose collection of rules and aphorisms]] spawned by the infamous Website/FourChan ImageBoard. Depending on whom you ask, they are either not meant to be taken seriously or are very SeriousBusiness. Most of them don't apply except for within the community they originated from, and the list is continuously changing, but through MemeticMutation, a handful have become well-known.

* Rule 4: [[IAmLegion We are legion]]. [[labelnote:Explanation]] It sounds threatening, but in actuality it refers to the "many stones make a mountain" principle; if we each do our part, we can make a larger impact than you can imagine![[/labelnote

* Rule 22: Original content is original only for a few seconds before it's no longer original. Every post is always a repost of a repost. [[labelnote:Explanation]] This is because people tend to save and repost things they like. Some even think every idea is a mutation of another idea: in short original content doesn't exist.[[/labelnote[[

* Rule 1: You don't talk about [[Website/FourChan /b/]].

%% It's an old meme... besides, some places you have have to be part of to really appreciate. /b/ is one of them.

* Rule 4: [[IAmLegion We are legion]]. [[labelnote:Explanation]]It sounds threatening, but in actuality it refers to the "many stones make a mountain" principle; if we each do our part, we can make a larger impact than you can imagine![[/labelnote
* Rule 5: [[NeverLiveItDown We do not forgive, we do not forget]]. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Originally it meant "the internet is forever. nothing is ever really deleted so don't be stupid unless you want to be remembered as stupid.", but hactivists hijacked it, turning it into a meme.[[/labelnote]]
* Rule 6: [[Website/FourChan /b/]] is not your personal army. [[labelnote:Explanation]]People tend to go on 4Chan, especially /b/, expecting others to solve their problems or get back at their personal "enemies" for them. The good people of 4Chan have better things to do with their time than dealing with petty things the person posting really should be dealing with on their own. [[/labelnote]]

* Rule 3: We are @/{{Anonymous}}.
%% On the internet everyone is anonymous. It's part of being on the internet! Thus I'm anonymous, you're anonymous...
* Rule 4: [[IAmLegion We are legion]].
%% It sounds threatening, but in actuality it's more like the "many stones make a mountain" principle where if we each do our part we will have a larger effect than you can imagine!
* Rule 5: [[NeverLiveItDown We do not forgive, we do not forget]].
%% Originally it meant "the internet is forever. nothing is ever really deleted so don't be stupid unless you want to be remembered as stupid.", but hactivists hijacked it, turning it into a meme.
* Rule 6: [[Website/FourChan /b/]] is not your personal army.
%% People tend to go on 4Chan, especially /b/, expecting others to solve their problems or get back at their personal "enemies" for them. The good people of 4Chan have better things to do with their time than dealing with petty things the person posting really should be dealing with on their own.

* Rule 9: Anonymous is still able to deliver.
%% "Deliver" means to do what you promised you would. This means that if we all pitch in we can do amazing things together! Sometimes all it takes is one person doing something right to make a difference.

* Rule 10: There are no real rules about posting.
%% Site rules vary and nobody can force you to post or not post anything.
* Rule 11: [[RuleZero There are no real rules about moderation either]] -- enjoy your ban.
%% Caveat to rule 10: If you act stupid or break the SITE rules, remember that the ban hammer is always stronger than you.

* Rule 14: Do not argue with {{troll}}s -- it means they win.
%% Trolls are not interested in debate. They just want attention and will never argue in good faith. The only way to defeat a troll is to ignore them.

* Rule 22: Original content is original only for a few seconds before it's no longer original. Every post is always a repost of a repost.
%% This is because people tend to save and repost things they like. Some even think every idea is a mutation of another idea: in short original content doesn't exist.
* Rule 29: On the internet men are men, [[GuyInRealLife women are also men]], and kids are [[PedoHunt undercover FBI agents]].
%% Remember: we are all anonymous which makes gender a moot point. The few people who point out their genders in an anonymous setting usually have ulterior motives.
* Rule 30: Girls do not exist on the internet.
%% Due to being anonymous and gender being a moot point, saying you are a "girl" usually denotes the poster is not a girl and just saying this to get attention or is a girl really just trying to get attention. Either way, trying to get everyone's attention is a trolling tactic. Ignore them. Girl? What girl? We're all anons!
* Rule 32: You must have pictures to prove your statements/Anything can be explained with a picture.
%% Pictures with timestamps are popular means of showing something is "real" on 4chan due to the ease of someone just using google to find an appropriate image then making things up.
* Rule 33: Lurk more -- it's never enough.
%% When in doubt, don't post: read. Chances are your answer is already somewhere. It also prevents you from ruining "good things" and looking really dumb. Think you know enough to post? That means you probably don't.

* Rule 38: No real limits of any kind apply here -- not even the sky.
%% The internet is all the world, both good and bad, in one place. What you make of it is up to you!
* Rule 39: {{CAPSLOCK}} IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL
%% A classic meme...
* Rule 40: EVEN WITH CRUISE CONTROL YOU STILL HAVE TO STEER
%% ...but please note that it's very easy to overdo memes and look like an unfunny idiot in the process. Please use your internet wit (and caps lock as well) sparingly and with common sense.
* Rule 41: Desu isn't funny. Seriously guys. It's worse than Chuck Norris jokes.[[note]]Originally "It needs more [[Manga/RozenMaiden desu]]. No exceptions" before "more desu" became a DiscreditedMeme.[[/note]]
%% The more you post a meme the less funny it gets. Also, some things never were very funny to start with even though people keep posting them. Posting something over and over doesn't make a meme. These sorts of things are called "forced memes".
* Rule 42: [[IsNothingSacred Nothing is Sacred]].
%% No matter what you hold dear, there are others who don't care about it. Just as you would expect others to respect your liking something, please respect that others may not agree. Learn to let go, ignore, and move on. Also an anti-shout out to the "meaning of life" from the Hitchhiker’s Guide.

* Rule 45: If there is not, there will be.
%% Remember: ideas become un-original shortly after being put to the net and will be permuted forever after.
* Rule 46: [[CallBack The internet is]] [[SeriousBusiness SERIOUS FUCKING BUSINESS]].
%% Remember the MST3K Mantra "It's really just a show, I should try to relax..."
* Rule 47: [[GirlOnGirlIsHot The only good hentai is Yuri, that's how the internet works]]. Only exception may be Vanilla.
%% This is stating the American-focused male stereotype and is not to be taken literally. Remember rule 42.
* Rule 48: [[WhyWeCantHaveNiceThings The pool is always closed]].
%% Slang for when jerks ruin something good - "Pool is closed". It's a reference to a series of raids /b/ carried out on Habbo Hotel, where they would block the entrance of popular hangouts with their black avatars dressed in an afro and business suit; one of the phrases they repeatedly used in chat was "Pool's closed due to AIDS". The raids were in response to rumors that Habbo moderators had a tendency to ban users based on the color of their skin.
* Rule 49: You cannot divide by zero (just because the calculator says so)
%% Nothing will never become something. You have to create things for others to be able to come enjoy them. Also don't try to wrangle the rules to your favor - it won't work.

* Rule 62: [[DigitalPiracyIsEvil It has been cracked]] [[DigitalPiracyIsOkay and pirated]]. [[InformationWantsToBeFree You can find anything if you look long enough]].

* Rule 61: ChuckNorris is the exception, no exceptions.

* Rule 72: If a song exists, there's a megalovania version of it.

* Rule 72: [[If a song exists, there's a megalovania version of it.]]

* Rule 11: There are no real rules about moderation either -- enjoy your ban.

* Rule 14: Do not argue with {{troll}}s -- [[SnarkBait it means they win]].

* SnarkBait - Rule 14

* Rule 42: [[IsNothingSacredAnymore Nothing is Sacred]].

%% It sounds threatening, but in actuality it's more like the "many stones make a mountain" principal where if we each do our part we will have a larger effect than you can imagine!
* Rule 5: We do not forgive, we do not forget.

* Rule 7: No matter how much you love debating, keep in mind that no one on the internet debates. Instead they mock your intelligence as well as your parents.

* Rule 18: Everything that can be labelled can be hated.

* Rule 42: Nothing is Sacred.

%% Remember the MST Manta "It's really just a show, I should try to relax..."

* Rule 48: The pool is always closed.

* RuleSixtyThree: For every given male character, there is a female version of that character (and vice-versa). [[RuleThirtyFour And there is always porn of that character]].
* Rule 64: If it exists, there's an AU of it.

* Rule 8: [[{{Troll}} Anonymous can be a horrible, senseless, uncaring monster]].

* Rule 35: If there is no porn of it, porn will be made of it.

* Rule 38. No real limits of any kind apply here -- not even the sky.

* Rule 39. {{CAPSLOCK}} IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL

* Rule 40. EVEN WITH CRUISE CONTROL YOU STILL HAVE TO STEER

* Rule 41. Desu isn't funny. Seriously guys. It's worse than Chuck Norris jokes.[[note]]Originally "It needs more [[Manga/RozenMaiden desu]]. No exceptions" before "more desu" became a DiscreditedMeme.[[/note]]

* Rule 49. You cannot divide by zero (just because the calculator says so)

* Rule 36: No matter what it is, it is somebody's fetish.

%% Ponies are already covered by rule 44, in the interest of keeping snowclones to a minimum.