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The Fanfic Board Rules & FAQ - 2005 Edition! Many changes!

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Fig

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This first post is for the rules, the second post will be the FAQ. If you have any questions, go ahead and ask them ,we will add them to the FAQ.

RULES (revised, June 2005)

-All stories (including non-pokémon and NC-17 stories) are welcome in the writer's Café, as are any discussion related to books, reading or writing.

-All threads posted in the writers café must be properly identified as one of the following : ANIME, MANGA, AU (Alternate universe), GAME, ORIGINAL, NC-17, SHIPPING, DISCUSSION, POETRY, CROSSOVER, or NON-POKEMON. Guidelines on what belongs in which category follow. This identification must be presented in the following format : (IDENTIFICATION) Fic Title. For example : (ANIME) The Greater Evil.

-Posters are responsible for any content they chose to view, including NC-17 content (provided it is properly marked as such).

-Plagiarism (claiming another author's work as your own) is STRICTLY forbidden. HOWEVER, as this is the very nature of fanfiction, writing stories based on fanfics by another author is allowed.

-Be respectful of other members. If another member ask you to stop doing something, it is best to stop.

-All chapters of a fic must be posted in the same thread. Thread titles may be edited to reflect the latest chapter posted.
 
THE FAQ

1-HOW TO CLASSIFY YOUR FANFICS
To determine which classification your thread should use, verify which of the following definitions it match, IN ORDER.
For example, an AAML (Ash and Misty love) fanfic featuring graphic sexual content would be NC-17, not Shipping or Anime. If it was an AAML withotu graphical sexual content, it would be shipping, not anime.

DISCUSSION : Any thread which contains no story, and no poetry.
NC-17 : Any thread which contains graphic sexual content.
POETRY : One or more poems, which are not presented as part of a standard storyline.
NON-POKEMON : Any story featuring no character, location or creatures from the pokémon universe.
SHIPPING : Any story almost exclusively about the romantic involvement between two (or more) characters.
CROSSOVER : Any story featuring characters, locations and so forth from multiple fictional universes, at least one of which is a Pokémon universe (this includes fanfiction featuring multiple fictional pokémon universe, eg the Manga and the Anime)
ORIGINAL : Any story in which the main character(s) are all created by the author.
AU : (alternate universe) Any story featuring the canon characters (such as Ash, Lance or Misty) where major elements of their personal history are deliberately changed (for example, a fiction where Jessie and James never joined Team Rocket, or where Ash and his friends live in a medieval kingdom).
ANIME : A story which is a prequel, sequel or retelling of the events in the pokémon anime, featuring the canon characters.
MANGA : A story which is a prequel, sequel or retelling of the events in one of the pokémon mangas, featuring the canon characters.
GAME : A story which is a prequel, sequel or retelling of the events in one of the pokémon games, featuring the canon characters.

2-Why was the rule on graphic sex removed?
We felt that the vast majority of pokémon fanfiction writer are able to handle such fanfiction, and that there is little risk to it provided it is properly labeled as such. Thus, the mods, in a 5-0 vote, decided to remove the old rule.
 
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If I can make a request concerning ratings: I've read summaries where the author states that there's nothing bad in the fic until chapter 4, 5, or whatever and then the rating changes (from PG to R, for example).

No.

I do not go to a PG-rated movie and expect to see R-level violence or sex. If that is what your fic contains, then it is rated R all the way through, regardless of what is or isn't in certain chapters. R-rated movies don't have sex or violence in every scene, but the rating is given based on content in certain scenes; the same should apply to fanfics.

And another suggestion: in the author's notes section at the beginning of the fic, please specify what the content of the fic is for the benefit of your potential readers. If it's NC-17, maybe a line such as: "Warning: graphic sex and/or violence" could be used.
 
Editing your rating is understandable if you had NOT originally planned for certain scenes to occur, though.
 
Well...maybe. But if you're writing what you want to have happen in each chapter, there's no need for a PG-rated fic to suddenly have an R-rated sex scene, is there? Even if there are scenes of sexuality or violence, couldn't the author simply write them in a toned-down version instead of making them graphic, in keeping with his or her original fic rating?
 
Can i make a suggestion that you post a general idea of what each rating would entail for those users outside North America who have a completely different rating system?
 
Um... excuse me, what if the fanfiction is not completely game canon or anime canon as there are some contradictions but is still a pokemon story that doesn't fit into the other catagories?
 
Another Fan, you beat me asking that question. My fanfic is in between AU and original. I will keep the gym leaders and junk but mostly invent my own characters. So what's the catergory?
 
Pokesaur said:
Another Fan, you beat me asking that question. My fanfic is in between AU and original. I will keep the gym leaders and junk but mostly invent my own characters. So what's the catergory?
Click to expand...
You could classify it as both if you want, although if you're using Pokémon characters and having them interact with your original characters, I'd say that this is an AU story. An original story, by definition, doesn't have to be fanfiction.
 
What if my fic will use original characters apart form some game ones? What if it has Animé but game like battles? What category would that be. Oh and what rating would it be if it had some violence, some of which has "almost deaths", which are people about to die but don't. Thanks for reading this and thanks for answering if you do.
 
Excuse me, the threads I try to create allow anyone to create their own fanfic work. What are some rules for creating such threads???

I'm also wanting to write fics but don't wanna be banned for such things. Please tell me what to do so that my fics are presentable, and that I can read it without thinking, "Gee, this is stupid." Also, I like to plan contest threads and stuff. How do I go about that?
 
If you want to do a contest, at least PM a mod and get permission first. Be prepared to explain the contest rules and who'll do the judging.
 
OK, thank you BG, and thank you Barb. I'm pretty sure a beta reader would suit me just fine, and Barb, if I send you a private message I'm pretty sure you won't be able to reply, so I'll change my settings and then PM you.
 
I believe that fanfiction is the one of the few sections that allow bumping. They do take into account the fact that it might take more than a month to write and polish a chapter. So you can bump your thread with a new chapter.
 
Bumping is encouraged in fanfiction, whether it's posting a new chapter or reviewing an old fic.
 
Please note: The thread is from 15 years ago.
Please take the age of this thread into consideration in writing your reply. Depending on what exactly you wanted to say, you may want to consider if it would be better to post a new thread instead.
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