Fanfic Rules
Nov 22, 2015 2:25:11 GMT
Post by Silvie on Nov 22, 2015 2:25:11 GMT
Rules for the fanfic board. Copied from the Flipline Forum as I'm the one who wrote them.
All rules apply to non-FPLC too.
Recent updates are in red.
Important things are highlighted orange.
Label your fics for what age range they're intended for!
If you think they can't pass with an E rating, label them. Don't go over a stretched T or a minimal M (for violence ONLY); fully-M and AO fics should not be here. Violence/gore has MUCH more leniency to it than suggestive/sexual content does, however- you can get away with a bloody battle, but not a sex scene.
Update for clarity: This is based on the American ESRB rating scale. E = Everybody, E10+ = Everyone 10+, T = Teen, M = Mature, AO = Adults Only.
Wanna write a serious issue? Practice!
If you're not good at writing serious fics but want to write something about a serious issue, you should practice writing seriously before you begin with your fic. It's fully possible for something about a serious issue, written in a lighthearted tone (intentionally or not), to be taken as a joke; to quote Classic Sonic, that's NO GOOD!
When in doubt, find another site to put your fic on.
I'd say deviantART is the best bet.
Please stick with one fanfic for at least a few chapters before starting a new one.
This is just a personal peeve of mine, but it's really disappointing to see several fics from the same person not even get a single chapter before a new fic starts up by the same author. Even worse if the cycle repeats. (I'm pointing no fingers; you know who you are)
Update for clarity: It's perfectly fine to have multiple fics going at once! You should just try to make sure they all keep going for at least a few chapters before they die and you move on.
Try not to use an idea that several people have done before.
Bandwagon ideas (i.e. Hunger Games and shipfics) are pretty hard to do nowadays, since they've been done several times already- it gets kind of boring to see the same thing over and over. If you're starting a fic, check to see if your idea has been used already, and if it has, try and make your fic unique! However, if you know what you're doing, it's fully possible to reuse an idea again without tweaking it very much- generally avoid Hunger Games fics though, as everyone and their mother has made one by now.
No trollfics or callout fics.
Want to make a fic just to see what reactions you'll get/make someone mad? Here's step one: Don't. You especially shouldn't call specific forumers out in your fics. It's really not cool; you should respect all users, and making a fanfic just to call someone out or make people mad is the exact opposite of that.
If it's not your idea, either credit it or don't use it!
This one is just in case, and should be common sense, but there's a difference between inspiration and just plain plagiarism. Don't take someone else's idea and call it your own- if you want to try your hand at rewriting someone's fic or taking an idea that never got off the ground, at least credit the original creator. It is okay for your ideas to be coincidentally similar, however- no need to walk on eggshells.
All rules apply to non-FPLC too.
Recent updates are in red.
Important things are highlighted orange.
Label your fics for what age range they're intended for!
If you think they can't pass with an E rating, label them. Don't go over a stretched T or a minimal M (for violence ONLY); fully-M and AO fics should not be here. Violence/gore has MUCH more leniency to it than suggestive/sexual content does, however- you can get away with a bloody battle, but not a sex scene.
Update for clarity: This is based on the American ESRB rating scale. E = Everybody, E10+ = Everyone 10+, T = Teen, M = Mature, AO = Adults Only.
Wanna write a serious issue? Practice!
If you're not good at writing serious fics but want to write something about a serious issue, you should practice writing seriously before you begin with your fic. It's fully possible for something about a serious issue, written in a lighthearted tone (intentionally or not), to be taken as a joke; to quote Classic Sonic, that's NO GOOD!
When in doubt, find another site to put your fic on.
I'd say deviantART is the best bet.
Please stick with one fanfic for at least a few chapters before starting a new one.
This is just a personal peeve of mine, but it's really disappointing to see several fics from the same person not even get a single chapter before a new fic starts up by the same author. Even worse if the cycle repeats. (I'm pointing no fingers; you know who you are)
Update for clarity: It's perfectly fine to have multiple fics going at once! You should just try to make sure they all keep going for at least a few chapters before they die and you move on.
Try not to use an idea that several people have done before.
Bandwagon ideas (i.e. Hunger Games and shipfics) are pretty hard to do nowadays, since they've been done several times already- it gets kind of boring to see the same thing over and over. If you're starting a fic, check to see if your idea has been used already, and if it has, try and make your fic unique! However, if you know what you're doing, it's fully possible to reuse an idea again without tweaking it very much- generally avoid Hunger Games fics though, as everyone and their mother has made one by now.
No trollfics or callout fics.
Want to make a fic just to see what reactions you'll get/make someone mad? Here's step one: Don't. You especially shouldn't call specific forumers out in your fics. It's really not cool; you should respect all users, and making a fanfic just to call someone out or make people mad is the exact opposite of that.
If it's not your idea, either credit it or don't use it!
This one is just in case, and should be common sense, but there's a difference between inspiration and just plain plagiarism. Don't take someone else's idea and call it your own- if you want to try your hand at rewriting someone's fic or taking an idea that never got off the ground, at least credit the original creator. It is okay for your ideas to be coincidentally similar, however- no need to walk on eggshells.
