Damn, it took me a while to find this picture on my computer, but I'm glad I did.
(It's Toasty from StepMania. Get it?)
That being gotten out of the way, welcome to RolePlayGateway. It seems that in my search, my co-workers have beaten me to the punch, but I will make up for it with some practical advice.
First, don't be offended by everything you see in the chat. We're all one big happy family...we just all have our own way of reminding each other of that.
Second, keep OOC messages while IC to a minimum, and only use it when whispers would interfere with the flow of the story more than the message itself would. People don't like it when you get in a big OOC fight over something that happened IC, and everyone that's just trying to hang out in the OOC room has to listen to your bickering.
Third, don't be afraid to try new things. This place is all about encouraging writers and roleplayers to hone their skills. This extends to getting into knuckle-dusters with another player's character.
Finally, if you see anything that you don't think is right, the staff is more often than not a click away through the Summon Moderator button.
Here's to your existing friendships and the formation of many new ones!