The Fanfic Rules (old thread)

[Togechukku]

THE RULES

1)ANY topic related to writing (fiction or non-fiction) or the fanfic board and its members may be posted here. This includes non-pokemon fiction.

2)Contests, Chain Stories and awards topics must be approved by a moderator prior to posting.

3)All chapters of a fic go in the same topic.

4)Post your fic on TPM, not a link to it, unless you are unable to post the fic on TPM (smiley fics for example). You MAY link to other fics related to the one you are currently posting.

5)Do not flame (insult or mock) other posters.

6)Do not spam (make completely pointless posts). The following are all spam :
-Posting only to advertise your fic
-Posting many minuscule fics at once.
-Bumping
-Posting very short (one or two lines of text) replies in a chain story.
-Do not give 1 line replies with no substance.

7)No gratuitous or overly graphic sex scenes.

--------------------

CHANGES FROM OLD RULES.

-Chain stories are now allowed.
-Rants are now allowed as long as you do not break rule 5.
-You may post your short stories in separate topics.
-You can ask people to read your fics IF and only IF you take the time to write up a decent reply to theirs (or have been replying regularly for a while to that fic)
-You can "chat" in your fic topic as long as it doesn't degenerate to posting "action" one liners (ie *hides from Joe* as the sole content of the post). I don't want to see any "Fanfic prom" though.
---------
What goes where:

and about this sub-forum business we got going on in fanfic..
(quote from BBP's old topic on it)...

"Well, as you can all see we have two more forums just for ourselves now! Ain't it cool? The writers lounge has expanded from a topic into a forum, and we now have a place to archive all our old fanfics instead of pointing to a collection of sites!


Briefly put, this (main forum) is for

1)The update and rules topics.
2)Challenges topics.
3)Fics currently being written and/or short stories that you are currently posting.

The writer's lounge is for any non-fiction topic that would have been legitimate under the old rules. This includes the awards topic, though they will be announced in the main forums. Feel free to talk to your heart's content (about fiction-writing-stuff) since it no longer steals first page room from the fics!

The completed fiction archive is for you to post your completed fics ALL in one go now. Do not post one chapter a day. Post it all.

DO NOT REPLY to fanfics in the archive (other than to post new chapters). Ideally, once everyone has had a few days to post their old fic there, we'll ask Kevin to make it a read-only archive. At that point, the goal of that forum will be simply for us mods to move your completed fics there a few days after they are completed (please PM us about it).

We will delete all replies in fics we are moving, so please save those topics if you want to keep the replies around. The point of the archive forum is to provide a place for completed fic to be read without having to wade through seas of replies."

[Lady Knight of Shaylir]

Good rules. ^_^ 'Twas fun discussing them the other day. ;)

Evil B. I hate him too. Ok, Not really. *glomps wolf*

*clicks on the link just to make Toge happy*

*pats Toge*

[Dark Cloud]

Question: Do the fanfics have to be pokemon related or can it be from something else?

[dratinihaunter13]

It can be from something else, non-poke and poke, both are welcome =). if graphic though, try to provide a rating.

We seem to get that question a lot. Does rule 1 need to be more clear on it? *shrugz* seems ok to me..

[Shigeru]

Is hentai allowed in some cases? And what about Yaoi/Yuri couples?

[Damian Silverblade]

Hentai isn't allowed.

Yaoi/Yuri. well, graphical sex is not allowed, but the pairing types themselves are no problem at all.

[Lion]

Those rules are good!
This is my first ever post here.
I might post a Pokemon FanFic sometime!8)

[GSAce789]

Hey, good set of rules. Two questions, though.

1)Are you allowed to use the first one or two posts on a thread to tell about the fic a bit before you actually start posting the fic itself? Cuz that's what I just did, and then I came and read the rules. I hope so, cuz I have some good original characters and concepts that I wanted to give a quick overview about them before I posted the fic.

2)Can\May you post your fic as a word proccessor file (.txt, .doc...) as the attached file? Would people be able to read it If I did?
Thanks,
-Ace

[dratinihaunter13]

The rules don't say anything forbidding it. They were made to be sorta flexible for these type of situations, so yeah, feel free to use the first couple posts of the thread to intro your fic a bit, if you really need to. Make sure there's enough info ready to be shared, though. We'd rather have topics with actual stories in them ;). I see you've posted two different threads though. It'd save more space for other topics if we kept topics relating to one fic to a minimum, but don't worry about it.

You're welcome to post the fic as a .txt file and the like, but if you are able to post it on tpm, please do (rule 4). If you like, post the .txt, .doc, whatever file also, but some people without the word processor used to write it may not be able to see it. I tried dling yours, for example, but it came out in jibberish cuz my computer's quite teh ghetto >_<. So just for everyone to have a chance to see it, at least post one of the copies of the fic directly on the page.

good luck with it:wave:

[Krystal~Duelist]

Hi! im kinda new here so i have a question: when u want to post your own fanfics, do u have to start ur own thread? or is there a topic were people are free to post and rate peoples's work? id aprecieate it if someone would answer my Q. ~*Krystal*~

[Damian Silverblade]

You have to start your own thread.

[Krystal~Duelist]

thanx silverblade, ill start mine soon. ~*Krystal*~

[MikeNBulbasaur]

ok can i post the start of my story here & leave the rest on my own site?

[Damian Silverblade]

Nope.

[Wild Female Machoke]

Oh yeah, what about swearing and cursing in fanfics? You forgot to mention that in the rules.

[Andrew]

No, in my opinion swearing is ok in fics, besides it may be part of a characters makeup, or perhaps a moment where all you can do is swear. Besides, sometimes the autosensor here blocks it off so you won't be able to read it anyway ;) :P

Besides I've sworn in my fics before, but just warn your readers beforehand the chapter like: By the way readers, there is some swearing in this chapter so please don't be offended.

Hope that was cleared up for you ^^

[Mister Mew]

People who get offended by words not used in a degoratory since toward a real person need to pull the big out from their arses. No offense to anyone, of course ^_^;;

Anyways, here's a good question:

Can you post a promo to, say, the next chapter of our fic or to another fic, related or not, at the end or beginning of the chapters of our fics? You know, kinda like previews before or after movies. (Yes, I've seen previews after a movie, normally for the movie's sequel though.) It could be something to give fans a taste of whats to come or to clue them in on projects you're working on. (Coming Soon, fron the author of this story.. ^_^;;)

[Andrew]

Yes you can Mr Mew, we actually used to have a Fanfic Trailers Topic which may be revived one of these days ^^ but feel free to do that in your own topic. Just keep it in your own story thread.

[Mister Mew]

I have another quick question. If a fic is real long is it ok to, instead of posting it directly here, to post a link to it? I's asking because my IP is craptastic and, if there were a really long post, this stupid thing would cut off the page before I got to the end and I wouldn't be able to see all the responses.

For the record, the first chapter of my fic is currently at 19k and will nearly double in size by the time it's complete.

[Pokemaster Cody]

4)Post your fic on TPM, not a link to it, unless you are unable to post the fic on TPM (smiley fics for example). You MAY link to other fics related to the one you are currently posting.

Maybe you should post a certain amount at a time.

[Andrew]

Mr Mew Nope, no external link allowed :P Besides, getting it online would like take longer than posting! lol And only 19k eh? Some of the writers here have their chapters edge on about 10 pages or more and they kinda deal pretty well. But if its a short story, it should all go in one post. Nice 'n easy

Pokemaster CodyHee, you know the rules!

[Red Angel]

I think rule # 1, covers this, but could someone tell me for sure if I can post fiction on any topic, and not just fanfiction, but entirely original stuff?

...hands...numb...from...keyboard...

[Damian Silverblade]

RA - I'm no longer a mod, but given that I coined these rules, I can give you your answer. Any fanfiction is legitimate, as is original fiction.

[Togechukku]

And to re-iterate what B says, with all of my 'modliness' included, ;) yes, all types of fiction can be posted, be it fan fiction, original fiction, poetry, etc. It doesn't even have to be fiction too, it could just be a narrative of history... <spooky music>

[Wild Female Machoke]

Oh yeah, another question. What about blood and violence in fanfics? The reason I ask that is because some parts in my fanfic may include them.

[Andrew]

Wild Female Machop, GO THE GORE! Blooood = fun ^^ You've gotta love some unprovoked violence every now and then don't you. I know I do, like in the Ring = BEST MOVIE EVER! Anyway, blood and gore is totally Ok by me, as long as you put a warning, its all good...

Excellent... Killing *Heheheheheh*

[Rambunctious Jamirus]

Since this hasn't been answered (or has been but not really explained), if we only make one post in a thread for, let's say, a collection of poems that can fit in one post, can we do that or will it be closed after a while?

[choknater]

What's TPM and how does it work, whatever it is?

[dratinihaunter13]

jamirus: start a thread, first post being a collection of poems? yeah that's fine. won't be closed. the poetry corner is around for people who want to see lots of different poets in a nice collection. if ya wanna post your own anthology like that, it's perfectly fine. don't know what else to explain.. i hope i got your question right >_<;;

choknater who's been here since the 29th of march: still haven't figured it out yet? or is this some attempt to post once in each forum? lol, go to vB help forum if ya need it ;)

[Bjarni Haraldur Sigfússon]

I have one question! I don't wan't to spam, so I'll ask, some moderator of FanFiction! So, please reply! Sometimes at night does I comming is my pokémon advancure! But am I allowed to talk about my pokémon advancure? Or is it illegal? I was just wondering, please some moderator reply, please! My pokémon advancure are sometimes really long! I wan't to know answer! Please reply! Please! I'll be thankful then you do that! ;)

[Dragonfree]

Um... Bjarni, I think that's a bit hard to understand... I don't know what an "advancure" is, but if you're talking about an adventure, that is a fanfic, then yes, you should be able to post it. Although I'm not a mod.

[Bjarni Haraldur Sigfússon]

Originally posted by Dragonfree
Although I'm not a mod.

You are right, you are not a moderator! dratinihaunter13, Mist or OzAndrew can reply! Because they are moderators! :) I just wait for some of them reply! Just wait!

[The Decapitated Mole]

I think dragonfree answered your question pretty well, for what you provided, Bjarni. If you mean that you are writing a story, or "Pokemon Adventure", then it's ok to post here. I've been here quite a while, so I think I know. But what you said is a bit confusing, so if you could specify what you mean, it might be a bit easier for the mods, or even a member, to understand what you are asking.

o_0
jimm

[Bjarni Haraldur Sigfússon]

Originally posted by The Decapitated Mole
I think dragonfree answered your question pretty well, for what you provided, Bjarni. If you mean that you are writing a story, or "Pokemon Adventure", then it's ok to post here. I've been here quite a while, so I think I know. But what you said is a bit confusing, so if you could specify what you mean, it might be a bit easier for the mods, or even a member, to understand what you are asking.

o_0
jimm

Yes, I'm meaning my Pokémon Adventure! But I can't unless dratinihaunter13, Mist or OzAndrew can tell me it's possible, please tell me, mods, please!

Edit: Little_Pikachu can also tell me, she is moderator of all forums! :D

[Krystalline Kabutops]

Originally posted by Bjarni Haraldur Sigfússon
Little_Pikachu can also tell me, he is moderator of all forums! :D


--;

Dude, get it right. Little_Pikachu, AKA Suzie, is a woman, not a man. Maybe once you realize this, you'll get along better with her.

[Bjarni Haraldur Sigfússon]

Originally posted by Opaque Onigoori
--;

Dude, get it right. Little_Pikachu, AKA Suzie, is a woman, not a man. Maybe once you realize this, you'll get along better with her.

We all knows that Little_Pikachu is a woman! You don't need to tell us, ok? :rolleyes:

By the way, please some moderator of FanFiction tell me about it's allowed or illegal, thanks alot! :D

[The Decapitated Mole]

It seems to me that you've gotten your answer from at least two members, both of whom appear to know the rules. As long as it is a story, poem, song, or related piece of writing, it is legal here. It says so in the rules. It doesn't matter what it's called, or really what it's about, just as long as it is some form of intelligent writing.

o_0
jimm

[Krystalline Kabutops]

Originally posted by Bjarni Haraldur Sigfússon
We all knows that Little_Pikachu is a woman! You don't need to tell us, ok? :rolleyes: You sure didn't before you edited your post.

[Laz-E-Boy]

Originally posted by Bjarni Haraldur Sigfússon
Edit: Little_Pikachu can also tell me, she is moderator of all forums! :D

That 'edit' pretty much says it all you knew you made a mistake, lol.

And yeah, even though I'm not a mod, it doesn't take much to realize that you should be able to post fanfics. Just make sure people can actually understand what you're saying...

[dratinihaunter13]

Hi, Bjarni. If you want to write a pokemon adventure, please go right ahead. Make sure you follow the rules in this topic, and all should go fine. Every part of the story must stay within the topic you make for it. We got perfectly capable members here who can help you as much as any of us mods can really, when it comes to these type of questions. Oh, and you don't need to ask permission to write a fic. Although I like it. jk, no really, if you want to write an adventure story go right ahead. Just follow the rules. Great, thanks. Bjarni.

And thanks for helping him out guys.

[Bjarni Haraldur Sigfússon]

Originally posted by dratinihaunter13
Hi, Bjarni. If you want to write a pokemon adventure, please go right ahead. Make sure you follow the rules in this topic, and all should go fine. Every part of the story must stay within the topic you make for it. We got perfectly capable members here who can help you as much as any of us mods can really, when it comes to these type of questions. Oh, and you don't need to ask permission to write a fic. Although I like it. jk, no really, if you want to write an adventure story go right ahead. Just follow the rules. Great, thanks. Bjarni.

And thanks for helping him out guys.

I think I'll start today!

[Chicoslavocia's Revenge]

Originally posted by Bjarni Haraldur Sigfússon
I think I'll start today!


That would be a good idea, yes ^^

BTW, so writing yaoi/shounen ai is allowed? Then I might be able to post some of my fanfics up that I thought would be illegal... ^^

*glomps nearest member that remembers her*

...but then again, who would want to read a Digimon yaoi fanfic? ._.

~Chico

[Troy - Rise and Fall]

Okay, I've read the rules and I do think something is missing. I've been a victim of loong Thread Subjects, but this has to stop (or so I believe).

Anyway, the fiction in this forum (thankfully) doesn't suffer from "~*~*--->> The BIGGER League <<---*~*~ A Fic about a kid who goes onn a journey that's SO BIG" That's like three lines and lotsa needless fancy stuff to highlight the title, which you can do *inside* your thread.

As I said, this forum doesn't suffer too bad from this.

What I really wanted to post about, was the addition of more specific taglines to the title fo a fic. This is used in many other fandoms for ML (mailing lists) based Fanfiction Archives.

I'm not talking about templates inside your Fic that go like:



TITLE:
AUTHOR:
CHARACTERS:
DISCLAIMER:
SUMMARY:
NOTES:


Etc, I'm talking about a little template on your thread subject. For example, if you're going to post a Short story, you add after the title (which shouldn't have fancy highlights) this: "(1/1)"

That means it's part 1 out of 1, it saves space and everyone can understand it. In case the thread is not a Short Story but a story Writte In Parts you should add the number of parts that consist this fic this way "(?/7)"

In that example, this person will post every chapter of a 7 part story inside that thread.

If your case is one which you don't know how many parts it will take you to finish, you can simply add: "(WIP)", an acronym for Written In Parts.

Whenever you want to add a Rant topic or something that DOESN'T consist of any piece of fiction, it should be marked like this: "OT: <subject of thread>".

All of this is supposed to make us readers A LOT easier to know if we're going to read a short story or a multi-part story that's unfinished, besides, it won't make us accidentally enter a thread that doesn't include a fanfic. It's actually really helpful, since noone puts little comments in their sunjects like "(what you've been waiting for!)" and whatever, you can only judge by the title or how many parts it has. We all know you can't judge a book by it's cover so all we have to do is enter the thread, read in the first post any comment that was ommited in the subject, it could be very long or just "read my fic you moron!!", and then the author's piece.

It's simple, it's not annoying and I think it would be a good idea. What do you think?

I'm looking forward to a reply and opinions about this.

- Troy, The Gay Teletubbie

[mr_pikachu]

Well, as you said, that's not too big of a problem here. The way I look at it, if a fic has all that extra stuff, it's probably going to be a newbie fic. In that case you sort of CAN tell a book by its cover, breaking the old rule. Also, we're not allowed to change our title with every passing chapter, so we can't do the thing where we post the chapters and how far we are. And a lot of writers don't know exactly how long the fic will last. It's a good idea, though, it just can't apply to this specific situation. And I haven't really seen any thread that wasn't fiction up here, other than the "Secret Santa" threads. Any others that were not works of literature were closed immediately by the mods, freeing us of that problem.

Overall, you have a lot of good ideas, and in a different setting they might work excellently. I just don't know if they can apply with our basic rules in place. Then again, I'm not a mod, so who am I to talk?

Originally posted by Bjarni Haraldur Sigfússon

You are right, you are not a moderator! dratinihaunter13, Mist or OzAndrew can reply! Because they are moderators! I just wait for some of them reply! Just wait!
You get the picture. :D

[dratinihaunter13]

Yeah it would be a nice little perk, but I don't think it'll work. Perk..work.. ugh. Sorry, but yeah members can't edit their subject titles once their topic is already up, that's why we got the Fanfic Update topic.

I suppose it'd make things easier for the fic browser, but not a whole lot easier. It isn't a lot of work to click on the topic and take a quick look inside. See how far it's along, skim a bit and see if you like the style. That way more writers get views at least, members of all kind have a chance to get read by another browsing member. It would be difficult to get every new member to comply with the (1/1) thing, and I'm sure there'd be lots of topics without these labels. An overwhelming number of writers here don't know how many chapters or "parts" their fic will take, so it would be all WIP next to the titles I bet. It's nice for new people to come in and have the freedom to just start writing, not worry about this extra thing they have to do, makes the setting more comfortable.

Neat suggestion though, thanks =).

[mr_pikachu]

Question for the mods:

I'm thinking about writing a collection of poetry. Would I be allowed to create a thread for this (i.e. "mr_pikachu's Poetry Palace"), or do I need to search through the really, really old threads of Fanfic to find the original "Poetry Corner"? The idea for creating a thread specifically for my poetry stemmed from seeing Pokemaster Ash's "My Complete Works" thread. I understand, though, if I would not be allowed to post a thread such as what I mentioned. I just thought I'd ask. Anyway, thank you for your help in advance! See ya! :wave:

[The Decapitated Mole]

Just a note on that editing title thingy-- Didn't we used to be able to do that on the UBB? What's up with that. *please note that I've always liked UBB better*

o_0
jimm

[dratinihaunter13]

don't really have to reply to those anymore, but they're bothering me >_<;. I think I already talked to you about that idea mr_pikachu. In case I dreamed it, yeah create a thread for your own poetry if you like. and about not being able to edit your titles, just one of the sacrifices of the board move. i wish everyone still could but for some reason this board doesn't have the hack for it. We got the update topic and name-changing topic, but it was easier when we were at the ubb concerning title editing. *shrug* not much to do but deal with it. not a huge prob or anything.