Jedi Council Forums - Question about the rules

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Author	Topic: Question about the rules
Slaign Registered: Sep '08	Date Posted: 9/9/08 4:57pm Subject: Question about the rules - Date Edited: 9/9/08 5:04pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Slaign
	Hi guys, I'm new around here, and I've recently decided to undertake a fairly large fanfic writing project. I'd like to share it with all of you, but I have a few questions about the rules. First of all, the way I'm writing this story is a Wordpress blog. This way I can have a page for each chapter where people can comment, and it makes formatting a breeze. It's much easier to format a story on the blog than it is on forums, from experience. Plus this way, there is an ease of navigation with a table of contents, etc. So my question is, can I start a thread in the relevant area and just post the link to the story's blog, and update with links to chapter pages as they are released? Or, if that isn't acceptable, is it okay if I lead off each chapter post with a link to the blog and then copy the chapter over to the forums as well so people can choose where to read it? I don't have any ads on the website, or any links to other websites (though I could add a link back to here if that would help.), so I don't make any money from this. I just genuinely feel it's easier to read and write there. I can post a link to the blog so you can see exactly what I'm talking about upon request, but I don't want to do it without permission in case it breaks the rules. My next question is about the rules surrounding homosexuality in the stories. You see, my two leads are females, and while not in any sort of relationship, there is some flirtatious interaction between them. In the future of the story, they may or may not become an item, and I want to make sure I'm not going to get in trouble for something like that. Let me be clear, I will never go into anything more explicit than a passionate kiss. The relationship between the two is a part of the story but it is not it's focus. Just like Han and Leia or Luke and Mara, they may have feelings for each other, but that's not really the centerpiece of the story. I have read the rules and I came away with conflicted messages. I'd also like to point out that there has been a confirmed canon homosexual marriage between two mandalorians, and I believe somewhere in the rules it said something about whats acceptable in canon is acceptable here. I'm not really sure, that's why I ask. My final question also has to do with the relationship between my leads. One is Devaronian, and one is Twi'lek. The rules around this are pretty complicated and I want to be clear. My Devaronian is based on the art of Jan Duursema. She has fine fur covering her body, but it's so fine that unless you look close, it's not really noticable. From what I understand, this may get some mods on my tail for some kind of beastiality complaint if my characters develop a love interest, even a non-explicit one? I guess I don't really see why, since I myself am covered practically head to toe in hair. I think the main thing of beastiality is the idea of a relationship with a being that can't really consent. Both my characters are fully sentient, intelligent, and humanoid. Any person in a real relationship can tell you that you fall in love with the person, not their body, and in the GFFA, a person can be housed in all sorts of bodies. At least she's not a wookie. :P I'd also point out that Cade Skywalker was shown flirting with Kee in Legacy. (She's a Devaronian, he's human.) And that in a few novels there have been flirtatious actions between similar people of equally different species. (As an example off the top of my head, humans and falleen.) Anyway, I'm not trying to cause a problem or argue the rules, I'm just seeking clarification, and explaining my story and stance in hopes of approval. I don't want to just start posting my story and then get in trouble. So I'd like to reiterate, the story isn't about their relationship, and it's never going to go into the realm of explicit. The average chapter will only delve as far as flirtation, and the furthest the story would ever go is a passionate kiss, even that wouldn't happen often, if at all. Basically, you won't see them do anything Luke and Mara have never done in a canon source. I do want to be free to explore a relationship between the two in a reasonable manner. I'll leave you with a couple resources to consider: Kee, one of Jan's Devaronians: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Kee_(smuggler) Confirmed canon homosexuality: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Goran_Beviin I apologize for the long post. Don't take it as an indication I plan to test the limits, my plans for my story are really rather tame. I just wanted to be clear on everything before I started posting here. I don't want to start just to run into problems down the road. If you guys deem my plot points against the rules, I won't understand but I will obey. I won't be able to restrict my story, so if you tell me no, I guess I just won't be able to post it here. That would be a shame but I will respect your decision.
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mavjade Title: Fan Fiction Manager Registered: Sep '05	Date Posted: 9/9/08 5:46pm Subject: RE: Question about the rules
	Hi, Slaign and welcome to the boards! You ask some great questions, but unfortunately not all the answers are black and white. First off, no I don't think it would be allowed for you to only post only a link with updates, it does actually have to be the story posted in the era threads. You would be allowed to link to the story at the beginning of each chapter as long as you are not linking to somewhere that violates the TOS (Terms of Service) for these boards. As for Same Sex Relationships, the rules state in the Fanfic FAQ that... As defined by the TFN Archive lexicon, slash fiction is "fanfic featuring people of the same gender romantically involved." The JC does not permit such stories, including fiction of other genres that while not technically slash contain some of the elements that make up a slash fic. As they are used in officially released material, allusions and innuendo are permissible so long as they remain ambiguous and are in reference to original characters. So in other words it has to be very vague, and yes there is an SSR in cannon, and this point has been argued many, many times but as unfortunate as it is, the owners of the boards do not want obvious SSR here. You can find some discussion on this topic in the SSR Fanfic Index as well as some links to stories that are good examples of what can be done here. As for the Interspecies relationship, yes I do believe a Decaronian and a Twi'lek could be in a relationship From the Fanfic FAQ: Alien/Alien pairings - where the participants are sentient beings of opposite sexes - are allowed. but remember Labeling is required. Therefore, if you have a fic that involves an interspecies pairing, please label this in your subject line so that people who wish to avoid such fics may be warned. The label suggested is "ISRR" for Interspecies Romantic Relationship. If something is questionable you might want to PM a mod with an example before you post, just to make sure! I hope that helped and again, welcome! -----signature----- * "It's me, I'm a freak. But thanks for loving me, 'cause you're doing it perfectly."
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beezel26 Registered: May '03	Date Posted: 9/9/08 7:43pm Subject: RE: Question about the rules - Date Edited: 9/9/08 7:58pm (1 edits total) Edited By: NYCitygurl

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Slaign Registered: Sep '08	Date Posted: 9/9/08 9:34pm Subject: RE: Question about the rules
	So if they were romantically involved, it's not okay? Hmm, I hope there's enough tolerance in that rule that what I want is okay. I might have been able to go back and change the race of the characters if needed, I don't know that I would have, it would be a hard choice to make. But there's no way I can change the sex of either character, it would change the character entirely. I'm really not writing some sort of cheezeball sleezy story meant to be about lesbian aliens trolloping about the galaxy. The idea of their homosexuality is never even going to be addressed. They'll never struggle with it, or have anyone persecute them. It won't even be mentioned, because in the story it's not significant or odd and worth mentioning. Their just two people who love one another, a couple like any other. There's so many more pressing issues and different cultures in the GFFA, I don't assume anyone would even notice, so it won't even come up. It just is. I'm also not planning on eluding to any sort of sexual conduct. It could be assumed a relationship like theirs might go there some time, but that's not somewhere the story will delve. That's an aspect of the characters personal life that belongs off paper, for the reader to draw their own conclusions or ignore as may suit them. The relationship itself isn't even planned to be addressed directly. There's no sappy scene where one of them says something like "I want to be with you!" and they hug and become girlfriends, and blah blah. They just start as a different kind of partners and their relationship evolves in a natural way. I would be lying if I said it wouldn't be obvious, but it's also not shoved down the readers throat. Unfortunately this is one thing I just cannot change. The characters can't change that dramatically, and without the prospect of a love interest between them, parts of the story fall flat. It's not the premise of the story, but it is an important supporting element. So that's exactly where I lie on this, is that acceptable?
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dianethx Registered: Mar '02	Date Posted: 9/10/08 4:43am Subject: RE: Question about the rules
	Talk to a mod about it. You may need to send them the chapters. Sorry but the owners are quite adament about the homosexual pairings. I don't agree with them but they own the site. So see what the mods have to say. -----signature----- Betrayal - http://boards.theforce.net/s/b1/10935143 updated 11/2/09 jedidas3's Master Merlin - Diplomatic Immunity - http://boards.theforce.net/nswff/b10808/30459852
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Slaign Registered: Sep '08	Date Posted: 9/10/08 5:35am Subject: RE: Question about the rules
	Anyone specifically I should send a PM to? As I said I'm knew around here so I don't really know who I would ask.
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MsLanna Title: CR GSFF Central Registered: Jul '05	Date Posted: 9/10/08 6:10am Subject: RE: Question about the rules
	If the FAQ didn't answer your questions, pm a mod. They are in the ehader of the forum: VaderLVR64 The_Face Jedi Trace -----signature----- "What would you have me do?" "Endure." . Proud Master and buir'ika of Commander_Ducky. Alcohol is not a solution – it's a compound. Master of spycoder9
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Jedi Trace Title: • SouthEast RSA • FanFiction Manager Registered: Dec '99	Date Posted: 9/10/08 7:38am Subject: RE: Question about the rules
	Welcome! Mavjade, dianethx and MsLanna have given you good answers and links and I’m basically repeating them here: About the Wordpress blog: No, we don’t allow threads with links to outside forums for story content. Our boards are not the most format-friendly for fanfic, but they’re what we’ve got. You would need to post the story here. About the same sex relationship: Even with homosexuality being canon in profic, this is a privately-owned site and the owner has made his stance on this issue very clear. We don’t have any control over it. Sorry. About the inter-species relationship: Devaronian/Twi’lek would be okay. -----signature----- "Laughter, like love, has power to survive the worst things life has to offer." - Harry Dresden
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Seremela Registered: Jul '08	Date Posted: 9/10/08 8:01am Subject: RE: Question about the rules
	Okay... now I want to know as well. The SSR fanfic thread says: SSRfanficIndex posted: As defined by the TFN Archive lexicon, slash fiction is "fanfic featuring people of the same gender romantically involved." The JC does not permit such stories, including fiction of other genres that while not technically slash contain some of the elements that make up a slash fic. As they are used in officially released material, allusions and innuendo are permissible so long as they remain ambiguous and are in reference to original characters. There are a whole slew of fan fics that abide by these rules, over the years some of them have been award winners and nomeniees, and it's time that they are at least gathered together for easy parusal. Now for the disclaimers: A) The title of this thread says it all. If you don't like SSR's in Star Wars, this thread is absolutely NOT the place for you. B) Respecting the rules of our boards, any SSR's must be limited to Fan fic author created OC's ONLY, ergo, Luke/Han/Liea/Obi/Qui ect ect ect (including characters from the published EU) are OFF LIMITS. This is in deference to the 'laws of the land', and are non negotiable. ETA: This includes the characters in the published novels who are in a same sex relationship. Yes, I know there is a gay mandalorian couple in published canon, but no, we cannot write about them because Philip Wise said so and he pays for this site. So since in your stories it's about OC's, Slaign, and you don't seem to be planning to go further than what's stated here (at least, that's what I get from your posts) this makes me think that your story is okay. For those who know: am I right in that assumption? But I guess it's always safest to ask a Mod first. -----signature----- Winner of WWTF round 2
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NYCitygurl Title: Manager of SFFBC, C&G, NSWFF, and Icons Registered: Jul '02	Date Posted: 9/10/08 10:12am Subject: RE: Question about the rules
	No, Trace is correct; was he has planned is over the owner-set limit. Slaign, if there are some questionable bits, best to PM Trae, The_Face, or VaderLVR64. -----signature----- I agree with RJ Officially Idri's Muse I approve of Qui-Gon_Reborn's sig
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Jedi Trace Title: • SouthEast RSA • FanFiction Manager Registered: Dec '99	Date Posted: 9/10/08 11:02am Subject: RE: Question about the rules
	Slaign posted: I would be lying if I said it wouldn't be obvious, but it's also not shoved down the readers throat. (underline added by me) NYCitygurl is correct. It’s the "obvious" part that is the problem. You can have two original characters of the same sex in a relationship, but the rule states that the relationship must be ambiguous, meaning that the nature of the relationship is open for reader interpretation. -----signature----- "Laughter, like love, has power to survive the worst things life has to offer." - Harry Dresden
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Seremela Registered: Jul '08	Date Posted: 9/10/08 4:45pm Subject: RE: Question about the rules
	I see... but a hetero relationship can be alluded to, as long as it's not too explicit, right? -----signature----- Winner of WWTF round 2
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ratna Registered: Mar '07	Date Posted: 9/10/08 4:47pm Subject: RE: Question about the rules
	To get a handle on the level of ambiguity you need, I would suggest take a look at this story as an example. Spindrift Hope it helps. -----signature----- “What we measure affects what we do. If we have the wrong metrics, we will strive for the wrong things.” Joseph E. Stiglitz
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Slaign Registered: Sep '08	Date Posted: 9/10/08 6:10pm Subject: RE: Question about the rules - Date Edited: 9/10/08 6:33pm (2 edits total) Edited By: Slaign
	Thank you guys very much for your help here. I'll read over Spindrift and see what I can do with my story to adjust it within the parameters of the rules. I really don't want to change my story, but the opportunity to share it here is a little hard to pass up, and I'm confident enough in my writing skills that I can make it work. It would have been nice to stick with my original plan, but it's not entirely inflexible. I hope to have my story adjusted and posted ASAP and I look forward to becoming a more active member here. I may not agree with the rules, but I will respect them. Edit: I read Spindrift, and it was marvelously executed. I'd question both my skill in executing something like that, especially over the length I wish to accomplish, and the ability to do it with my characters. My Twi'lek is, well, a Twi'lek, it's not in her nature to be subtle. She's a habitual flirt. So, I've come to the conclusion that I'll be going back and changing the story I have written thus far to make one of my leads a male and avoid the issue all together. It will be a little extra work, but I think it's worth it for the opportunity to share it here, and I don't think it will break my story.
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Jedi Trace Title: • SouthEast RSA • FanFiction Manager Registered: Dec '99	Date Posted: 9/10/08 9:06pm Subject: RE: Question about the rules
	Seremela posted: I see... but a hetero relationship can be alluded to, as long as it's not too explicit, right? Hetero relationships are fine as long as the content is G or PG rated. -----signature----- "Laughter, like love, has power to survive the worst things life has to offer." - Harry Dresden
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