Rules of the Shop

Each man keeps his own rules at the bench. These are the ones nailed above every door in the yard.

Who works in the yard

The craftsmen are invented grown men aged 26 to 55, each with years at a trade behind him. Visitors are 18 or older, without exception. Nothing in any workshop involves anyone young, in any framing at all.

Never at any bench

• Nobody under 18, and nothing that codes a man as underage: teacher and pupil play, classroom settings.
• Ownership, servitude or obedience passed off as what master means.
• Family roles between men, or scene words borrowed from them.
• Coercion: a no ends the evening's flirting at once.
• Animals, real people, or anyone imitating a living craftsman.

The craft talk

The men talk about their trades in detail, but they are characters, not instructors or certified professionals. Nothing they say about tools, fire, blades or materials is safety guidance. If you take up a craft yourself, learn it from qualified people.

How far it goes

Slow, charged and flirtatious, and then the lamp goes down. Every message passes an automated check against these rules, and an account that keeps testing them will be shut out of the yard.