Fan-Fic Rules

Welcome all to the 3.0 version of the rules! ( 1.0 and 2.0) The Fan-Fiction section is an interesting forum and interesting forums need rules, so let's go over those rules, shall we?

They apply to anything posted in this section. It does not necessarily have to be comic-related, but it has to follow these rules even if you are writing original stories or characters.

What NOT to Do

Do NOT:

• post material of a sexual nature
• anything intensely violent(a high rating is not an excuse to post graphic content)
• Swear(Follow Site Rules and FAQs even in your stories)
• Plagiarize(Plagiarism is considered the copying, in total or in part, of author's work without clear attribution. If you are posting someone else's story, you must have the author's express permission to do so. They must know you are posting their work here)

Espshelly do NOT write stories that use the works of:

• Anne Rice
• Anne McCaffrey
• Mercedes Lackey
• Raymond Feist

Though fan fiction falls officially under the umbrella of fair use by United States copyright law, please do not use these writers' works. They have super-lawyers and do not allow the posting of fan fiction on regulated websites.

What to Do

RATING SYSTEM

Before you push that post button, remember: your Fan-Fic must have a rating. Ratings must be prominently displayed at the top of every post, as well as a breakdown of the reason for this rating. Please rate all stories appropriately. Our rating system should familiar to all of you since you use it every time you pick up a comic book :D

E -- Everyone

Appropriate for readers of all ages. May contain cartoon mischief and/or comic mischief, but absolutely no swearing, sexual themes, or inappropriate violence.

T -- Teen

Appropriate for readers 12 and over. May contain mild violence, language, and/or suggestive themes.

T+ -- Teen Plus

For readers 16 and up. May contain moderate violence, mild profanity (with symbols), graphic imagery or suggestive themes.

M -- Mature

Appropriate for readers 18 and over. May contain extreme violence and cursing with symbols.

DISCLAIMER

When writing about preexisting characters (like Superman, Batman, Dr. Strange, Wonder Woman, ect.) be sure to put a disclaimer somewhere in your post, one a bit like this!

I don't own Thor (Marvel does) but I thought of the story

Ok? Huzzah.

If you have any questions about these rules or unsure about the appropriateness of a topic, feel free to PM myself and or comment below.

@The Poet Question on bad language if your story is given an M rating and you phrase the word like f*** (please don't sue me) Is that okay?

Or is it completely not allowed?

@Irishlad: stories are pretty much the same as any forum activitity on the site.

Words such as hell, damn, or crap, do not fall under this category, but any other words, by site rules, must be censored or removed from a post.

(to quote the 2.0 rules)

@The Poet: Is there copyright on the fan fics ?

@The Poet:

What do you(or anyone else) think about myfirst chapterof "Hawkeye Rectonned?"

@xxxddd said:

@The Poet:

What do you(or anyone else) think about myfirst chapterof "Hawkeye Rectonned?"

That's not the point of this thread. Go to The "Feedback" Joint for trying to get comments on fan fiction.

@TheCannon:

What is the point of this thread?

@xxxddd said:

@TheCannon:

What is the point of this thread?

To tell you the rules for writing fan fiction. What else?

@TheCannon said:

What else?

Asking for input on a thread that isn't receiving any comments.

@xxxddd said:

@TheCannon said:

What else?

Asking for input on a thread that isn't receiving any comments.

Then you didn't bother reading the OP or title.

@TheCannon said:

@xxxddd said:

@TheCannon said:

What else?

Asking for input on a thread that isn't receiving any comments.

Then you didn't bother reading the OP or title.

You could attempt to bring it down a notch there Cannon, it sounds rude. Easily misleading as a new user.

For input head to the feedback joint here: http://www.comicvine.com/forums/fan-fic/8/the-feedback-joint/643281/#762

@TheCannon said:

Then you didn't bother reading the OP or title.

Actually I did, I just didn't read the part about everyone being condescending to a new user on this board.

@xxxddd said:

@TheCannon said:

Then you didn't bother reading the OP or title.

Actually I did, I just didn't read the part about everyone being condescending to a new user on this board.

I'm not being condescending am I?

@CapFanboy: No, it's just that the canon came off as being an ass just because I asked for help.

@xxxddd: Well, if you're ever in need of help, just let me know, or reply to the poet, he'll help out as well :)

@CapFanboy: Can you review my first story?(that I linked you)

Would it count as sexual nature if it is not pointed out as such. Ex: Man walks into married woman's bedroom. Nothing sexual happens yet the husband takes it the wrong way and sues the man for his crimes. Not refered to as sexual assualt though in the story

i dont understand the rules. how can something be mature rated if it is not allowed to put sexual content in it? does this mean no porn pics? (which i would understand) and/or pornografic fanfiction?

@tentacle_man said:

i dont understand the rules. how can something be mature rated if it is not allowed to put sexual content in it? does this mean no porn pics? (which i would understand) and/or pornografic fanfiction?

well, like we would allow the super violent stuff if you have the mature rating.

Think Marvel Max series. That would be considered mature rated (in other words: not stuff you want your 5 year old cousin to read...). We don't allow pornography on the site (infact, now that I actully read the OP I would bar nudity and sexual themes because that's sort of getting close to breaking the rules too (need to actully read what I copy and paste...).

We give writers a lot of leway on the topics they can write about, but something to remember is that we have younger viewers and just have to remember that. So if you think it wouldn't be appropriate for your 5 hypothetical year old cousin then I would say add a rating such as mature.

@funnyfishman said:

Would it count as sexual nature if it is not pointed out as such. Ex: Man walks into married woman's bedroom. Nothing sexual happens yet the husband takes it the wrong way and sues the man for his crimes. Not refered to as sexual assualt though in the story

yeah, that would be fine.

I am in the process of writing an in depth fan-fic movie script about a character. Now I would consider it an origin story. My story isn't by the book but it is based on the origin of this character. Being that I would essentially be rewriting the origin of the character using characters and similar situations to the comic... would that be considered plagerising.

Example: Bruce Waynes parents get shot as he was a child. Would I be able to use situations that have previously been written that are key points to the character? Thanks!

@justiiincredible said:

I am in the process of writing an in depth fan-fic movie script about a character. Now I would consider it an origin story. My story isn't by the book but it is based on the origin of this character. Being that I would essentially be rewriting the origin of the character using characters and similar situations to the comic... would that be considered plagerising.

@justiiincredible said:

Example: Bruce Waynes parents get shot as he was a child. Would I be able to use situations that have previously been written that are key points to the character? Thanks!

well, if you were publish it...sure...it would be considered plagiarism and you could get sued, but here you don't have to worry as much about plagiarism here. You have a lot of freedom in our Fan Fic section. You can write stories which are based on stuff which happen in comics or whatever you like.

Now, I want to clear: if you were claim that a situation in your story similar to say the death of Bruce Wayne's parents was entirely your own unique idea and not based on anything which came before even when it is obviously copied from somewhere else, then we would give you a warning about that.

However, as long as you follow the guidelines and don't break any of the rules (like profanity, sexual themes, etc.) and don't use any thing based on stories by the listed authors then you'll be fine. So, based on what I am hearing I am quite confident I will not have to give you a warning regarding plagiarism or anything on that subject...

Awesome thanks for the reply! Looking forward to the feedback

@justiiincredible: By plagiarism here they mean copying someone else's work word-for-word or near-enough as posting it as your own idea.

@The Poet: So what is pushing it on the gore/violent level? My story has some description of gore but im not sure if it is to much. Can you give an example of violence that is pushing it but okay.

@InnerAssassin: honestly? I think it would be very hard to get a story which is "intensely violent" (most of this I just copied from the 2.0 thread so I question some it's phrasing...)

If it is vivid description of say beheadings, then maybe put a rating, but I have to say it would take something out of this world for me to give a warning about content (I don't permit swearing, but if you have good discription then it's fine just as long as it has a rating). If you think it's really violent maybe put an M rating or pm me to see if I think it breaking any rules, but as far as examples go I can't give anything which is really pushing the warning button for me...)

I actually feel like an idiot for not reading these rules first. Is there any kind of penalty for not following them? Oh, and do I have to put the rating and disclaimer on each and every post?

@The Poet: Okay thank you. I don't think im pushing past a 16+ age rating now.

@knightofthechronicle: There's not really a penalty. it's more for content which might not be approiote for some age ranges (not that the internet is the safest place for some age ranges, but we can discuss that in another place and time...)

My personal rule of thumb is the little cousin rule. Have a little sibling/cousin/friend's little kid? now picture him/her reading your story. If you don't think they should read it, then add a rating.

I'm not going to ban anyone who doesn't add rating (I would ban almost everyone in the FF section if I did that :P ) it's more of a suggestion for writers unless they have something which isn't great for all age groups...

@The Poet said:

Hello All! The Fan-Fiction section is an interesting forum and interesting forums need rules, so let's go over those rules, shall we?

This is the 3.0 version of the rules (Typingkira did the 2.0 version and Methos did the 1.0 version). They apply to anything posted in this section. It does not necessarily have to be comic-related, but it has to follow these rules even if you are writing original stories or characters.

What to Do

RATING SYSTEM

Before you push that post button, remember: your Fan-Fic must have a rating. Ratings must be prominently displayed at the top of every post, as well as a breakdown of the reason for this rating. Please rate all stories appropriately. Our rating system should familiar to all of you since you use it every time you pick up a comic book :D

E -- Everyone

Appropriate for readers of all ages. May contain cartoon mischief and/or comic mischief, but absolutely no swearing, sexual themes, or inappropriate violence.

T -- Teen

Appropriate for readers 12 and over. May contain mild violence, language, and/or suggestive themes.

T+ -- Teen Plus

For readers 16 and up. May contain moderate violence, mild profanity, graphic imagery or suggestive themes.

M -- Mature

Appropriate for readers 18 and over. May contain extreme violence.

DISCLAIMER

When writing about preexisting characters (like Superman, Batman, Dr. Strange, Wonder Woman, ect.) be sure to put a disclaimer somewhere in your post, one a bit like this!

THOR AND ALL CHARACTERS AND SETTINGS ARE THE PROPERTY OF MARVEL INC. AND THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, I THOUGHT OF THE STORY BUT THESE AREN'T MY PEOPLE.

Ok? Huzzah.

What NOT to Do

Do NOT:

1. post material of a sexual nature(you will receive a warning and then a ban)
2. post material that is intensely violent(a high rating is not an excuse to post graphic content. You will be given a warning then a ban if you continue)
3. Swear(Follow Site Rules and FAQs even in your stories)
4. Plagiarize(Plagiarism is considered the copying, in total or in part, of author's work without clear attribution. If you are posting someone else's story, you must have the author's express permission to do so. They must know you are posting their work here)

Espshelly do NOT write stories that use the following:

• The works of Anne Rice (she does not permit fan-fiction)
• The works of Anne McCaffrey
• The works of Mercedes Lackey (she only permits fan fiction in official fanzines)
• Raymond Feist

Though fan fiction falls officially under the umbrella of fair use by United States copyright law, please do not use these writers' works. They have super-lawyers and do not allow the posting of fan fiction on regulated websites.

Conclusion

Helpful Tips

• Fan-Fic board: 5 things I think make a great user (by CapFanBoy)
• How To Write Fan Fiction (by the FF Community)
• How to Comment (by Joygirl)

Helpful Links:

1. New to the Fan Fiction?The NEW writer's thread! (Reboot)
2. Need something to read? :Fics of the Month Showcase Thread
3. Need feedback for a story/idea? :The "Feedback" Joint
4. Want to join a group?The Vine Collection of Current Fan Fic Groups
5. Need an editor?Editing fan fics

If you have any questions about these rules or unsure about the appropietness of a topic, feel free to PM a mod like myself and ask. Or comment below.

Here you go @SteveMcQueen36

I thought this was a place where we talked about "Fan flicks" why was my post moved to off topic? It was a fan flick. lol

@breatheagain said:

I thought this was a place where we talked about "Fan flicks" why was my post moved to off topic? It was a fan flick. lol

well, RPG is for role playing stuff, Artist showoff is for artsy stuff, fan fic is for writing, general is for comic related stuff and off topic collects everything else (videos and everything). I moved it there because off topic is the place place to write stories and, although you might laugh and disagree with my decision, I can tell you it would get more views/comments there than here.

sidenote: I would have responded faster if you had replied me or the pm I automatically sent you when I moved your story...

So is rating your fic required?

I'm going to be lazy and repost what I said earlier while editing so it's directed to you...

it's more for content which might be inappropriate for some age ranges (not that the internet is the safest place for some age ranges, but we can discuss that in another place and time...)

My personal rule of thumb is the "little cousin" rule. Have a little sibling/cousin/friend's little kid? now picture him/her reading your story. If you don't think they should read it, then add a rating.

I'm not going to ban anyone who doesn't add rating (I would ban almost everyone in the FF section if I did that :P ) it's more of a suggestion for writers unless they have something which isn't great for all age groups...

that being said I would strongly suggest you do add a rating to any stories you write because we might become more strict in rating in the future but then it's really easy to add this sort of stuff so I figure it really won't be a problem.

if a fight has blood the FF should be rated T´ plus or M?

@shadowpro: I don't think it really matters that much...My best advice is to go with your gut or think about the amount of details or flip a coin. Not the best advice, but I don't think it matters that much ...

@the_poet: Doesn't max have nudity in it

@epicbeast3000: you mean Max the publisher? I guess I'm not sure what you mean by "max".

If you mean

M -- Mature

Appropriate for readers 18 and over. May contain extreme violence.

then...no. You can imply stuff like that (showing without showing). However, the moment you step over the line between implying and discribing then you are breaking our rules. So, be aware of that if that is what you mean...

I have wrote a horror story but I haven't posted it yet because I want you to see if it's ok or not.

I realize that I am most likely beating a dead horse in questioning this, but I am an individual that does not buy into making material family friendly. Grimm's fairy tales, the original stories not the comic books or the movies, had much more value to their stories before Disney took them and made every girl idolize princesses. Snow white was raped and had two children before prince "charming" finally kissed her and woke her up. The witch ate Hansel and Gretel. The world is filled with beauty and horror, grey morality, sex, and violence.

the_poet, your personal rule of thumb might work for most people but, personally, I find the stipulations lacking. I will not sugar coat the world for my children because I wish them to understand that beauty comes from dealing with the misfortune our world throws at us. I wish for individuals to realize that sex is not taboo. Violence is sometimes a means to an end and if forced upon my children, I want them to realize that it is alright to fight back but not to become the monsters that this world is capable of birthing. I will follow the guidelines I suspect you intended to implement on this website but understand that by limiting our writing one potentially handicaps the reader. Lastly any individual whom is capable of entering this website is just as capable of entering an alternative that is filled with pornography or recorded murders, but they ended up here because they wished for an engaging story or inspiration.

I apologize if this came off as snide but I wished to make a point. I see graphic novels as well as any other form of communication such as literature or film to be entirely viable as both mature or childish and to many people reapply stigmas against graphic novels, specifically, as an intellectual media.

Sincerely, DrTank09

@drtank09: You are saying the guidelines are limiting, but some wonderful stories have been written here. We do not have many rules (heck I think I threw out a few when I redid them). The rule about sex and pornography is not one just for the Fan-Fic section, but the entire site. We welcome users of various ages. We realize such users are equally capable of going to other sites filled with porn or real murders, but we do not want to see it here. You may teach your kids anything you want, but we are staying with this rule against anything intensely violent and pornography. Fact: I have NEVER had a problem with anyone regarding this rule.

Allow me to explain something: You said you will follow "the guidelines I suspect you intended to implement on this website", but let me be clear: I DID NOT IMPLEMENT these rules. These were originally assembled by the users for the users in combination with the site's general rules (check them out: Site Rules and FAQs). Users chose and contributed to these guidelines and so when you are complaining about me and the rules you are complaining about the community and I'm sorry the community will not change. Sure, I suger coated that reply you quoted, but let me tell you something: threads are rather simple: they are either allowable or they are not (at least in this section). I have never had problem with people over stuff in this section. I have, I will admit, warned a number of users and locked a number of threads, but I have not had a problem with anyone enough for them to banned. That is a statement which cannot be said about any of the other sections. We are a welcoming community. We love new users and we try to encourage a diverse writing community.

We just have some simple rules:

• don't writing anything related to the listed writers or claim ownership of someone else's characters/stories (that's sensable...it's their stories right?)
• don't curse/post stories of a pornagraphic nature (if you want to curse/write stories about sex this is NOT the place for you)
• and don't post stuff which is supper violent (been here for a few years now and I have not once read a story which is so detailed/grusome that I had to ban someone and if I did I would more likely ask that user to include a rating prior to their story so that users reading would be aware of the further content as long as it does not get out of hand)

so yeah. those are our simple rules. huzzah

@the_poet: I understand, I did not wish any form of offense. I simply wanted to make sure that before I start writing that I do not waste my efforts as I just beginning to write and I know that I enjoy dark styles. I thank you for your speedy reply.

@the_poet: @drtank09: I use this at the beginning of my fic posts:

The general rules ask for a few simple things, and to cover them, I put them at the beginning of my fics (where the rules ask us to place them, by the way).

We have to have a disclaimer. I don't like a big block of words before my story starts, so I made a blanket disclaimer page, and I have a link to it on every fan-fic post.

I put a rating on every post, and that link on the "Rating" heading goes to another page I made for myself, that quotes and summarizes Poet's rating info (from the rules page). If I rate something "T+" instead of "T," then I want folks who might care about that to be able to easily find the info on why I chose one over the other.

In the Rating Explanation box, again, I don't like large blocks of text before my story, so I give the briefest of explanations. I actually try to be really general there, so that I don't spoil the story. There's been one story that I felt needed a more specific explanation, but also felt it would spoil the story. So I put the explanation in a spoiler block, and the rating outside of the spoiler. I said, "The rating is M, but the explanation blows the story. If you still need that, click the spoiler."

The other boxes up there are just things I like to put in my blogs- they don't really apply here.

Point is: it's not hard to meet the rules/guidelines here, and still have the story you want. Rating your story M doesn't keep it from having the story elements you want. I posted a story on here about a young girl being sexually abused and committing suicide over it, staying within the guidelines, and managed to win one of the Character Creation Contests with it. So you can write "dark" without being overly graphic. I've seen your writing. It's good- you've got the skills to write dark up to the line without going over. It just requires a bit of refinement in your editing process, and I've seen everything to indicate you have the skills for that as well. This shouldn't even be a hard thing.

Thanks for this man, I'll pin this in my bookmarks and use it with all my writing.

@drtank09: Not sure if you meant me or Poet, but if me, cool. Just make your own "Disclaimer" page- mine blankets all my fics, but is specific to the stuff I write...that makes no sense without looking at it, I suppose. Feel free to link to the "Rating" page- that's set up for whoever wants to link to it.

@cbishop: You doll face.

@the_poet:

What is the stance on any drug use? Would that require a rating?

@bronze_surfer: Sorry for the delay.

Good question. So if you were to say create a thread promoting drug usage or drugs in general (minus talking about characters like Roy Harper's drug usage), you would be breaking Site Rules (see #2), but here in the Fan Fic I can't exactly say "Do not post material with drugs in it" because then you can't post stories involving Bane, Roy Harper, or that Breaking Bad fan-fic you know you want to write. Now, I should say there is a difference between a character smoking a joint in one scene and having the entire story suround the idea of drugs being good for you. So if you promote drug usage, your thread would be locked (that being against site rules), but if it is subtle usage I'm not going to say no.

I would suggest (as a writer not a mod) that you show without showing (maybe don't use the lingo or whatever), but that's merely a suggestion. I admittedly haven't had a problem on the subject of drugs, but if you have a story with a scene with a character which could be out of the movie Scarface then it is probably a good idea to add either a rating of T+ or M to the beginning. I hope all this made sense :)

Ok, so what if sexual content is suggested, but not exactly done? Like, for example-

'The Captain left the bed, putting on his flight jacket as a Ralaran slave slept tiredly.'

Is that too much, or is it fine?