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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

MOD Classification of Story Eras Discussion

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction and Writing Resource' started by Briannakin , May 10, 2014.

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  1. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Hello Star Wars Fanfic readers and writers

    Given the news that the Expanded Universe will now be considered “Legends” (more info can be found here) to make way for the new movies and associated books of the new canon, and with predicted influx of episode 7 fics as more and more announcements are made, we at Fanfic need a new system of categorizing fics. The current system of “Before,” “Saga,” and “Beyond” simply will not work.

    Mavjade and I, along with a couple former fanfic mods, have come up with a couple different ideas. We personally like some options more than others, but would like your opinions on all these ideas. We would also like any ideas that you have regarding this. We are very open to input, however, we will make the final decision based on what we think is best. We are aware that no matter what we do, it’ll be confusing.

    Idea #1 - Multiple Tags
    There is a Xenforo mod that will allow threads to have multiple tags (so we can just add a Legends tag and other tags if wanted) so that people can tag their stories (both old and new) with the tags that apply. This is our best option, however, it would have to wait until our next update (which hopefully will be around mid-June) before we can go ahead with this.

    Idea #2 - Similar tags with some changes
    - Before: stays as it is, for now, so anything before Episode 1
    - Saga: Episodes 1-9 and all official canon based inter-trilogy fics
    - Beyond: new canon beyond Episodes 1-9
    - Beyond Legends: anything based on the pre-April 25th 2014 EU, so basically what is considered Beyond now

    Idea #3 – Overhaul of the system to one based on the BBY/ABY system
    - BBY: any story that takes place before A New Hope (pre-prequel, prequel and anything that is between ROTS and ANH)
    - ABY Saga: any story that includes or takes place between A New Hope and Episode 9
    - Beyond: Anything that fits after Episode 9
    - Beyond Legends: anything based on the pre-April 25th 2014 EU, so basically what is considered Beyond now

    Both ideas 2 and 3 are based on the assumption that the “Legends” announcement only applies to the post-ROTJ EU, however, with both these ideas, a “Before Legends” or a “BBY Legends” can be added if needed.

    Another issues on the table along with ideas 2 and 3 is creating a new fanfic board that will apply these changes VS keeping both the old classification and new classification system on the same board and having a switchover date (so all stories posted before this date would still go by the old system). We as mods are not sure if we even want to create another board, but if we did, the old board would turn into a reply-only board (so updates and comments whould still be allowed on existing fics, but all new fics would go on the new board, plus we would move existing fics to the new board if requested).

    Idea #4 - Go back to the old IGN system of having 3 separate boards.
    Each board could have it's own tags.
    -Before: Before Disney Canon and Before Legends
    -Saga: PT, OT, NT and inter-trilogy
    -Beyond: Beyond Disney Canon and Beyond Legends

    Idea #5 -Merge Before and Beyond into a Legends tag, and then Before/Saga/Beyond would be the Disney canon.

    Idea #6 - Leave everything as is. Saga would include episodes 1-9 and it would be up to authors to distinguish the story/category further in the title
     
    ardavenport likes this.
  2. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    I like idea #2 and #5. When Before & Saga were combined for award nomming purposes, it didn't seem confusing, so lumping those two together into one era of stories and having Beyond be Legends and 'canon' seems like it would cause less confusion. [face_thinking]
     
  3. Kahara

    Kahara FFoF Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2001
    If I'm reading these correctly (big "if"), option # 1 sounds best to me. Adding a new tag to the existing system sounds easier to understand than completely revamping the way it's organized. Personally, I've liked being able to check up on all eras in one board and would not like to see them separated again.
     
    whiskers likes this.
  4. SabyneAmberle

    SabyneAmberle Jedi Grand Master star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 16, 2004
    Ideas 2 and 3 appeal the most to me.
     
  5. Tarsier

    Tarsier Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2005
    I like options 1 and 6. If we have separate boards, I would prefer a Disney and a non-Disney board.

    As I'm reading the options there seems to be an assumption that Saga stories will all be part of the Disney Canon - is that correct? Would a Mara as Emperor's Hand story go under Saga or Beyond?
     
  6. Draconarius

    Draconarius Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2005
    I think option #1 is the best plan. It won't require being altered if the entirety of the EU gets Legend status, and I don't think having to wait for the update will cause many, if any headaches.
     
  7. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Saga will probably move to cover episodes 1-9. Something like an Emperor's Hand story would have to be up to the author. Probably be under Saga, but with a note from the author.

    Woah. Way to make my brain hurt.
     
  8. Tarsier

    Tarsier Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2005
    Thanks, Bri.

    So, since it looks like the era tags are going to be pretty complicated no matter which option is chosen, has anyone considered that we go in a whole different direction? Instead of era tags, we could have character or genre tags. Or maybe you could combine era and character tags - something like PT characters, OT characters, ST characters, TV characters, EU characters.... I know this idea was shot down before, but I believe the reasoning was that era tags were simpler, and it appears that may have changed. Just thought I'd throw the idea out there.
     
  9. TheChosenSolo

    TheChosenSolo Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 9, 2011
    I kind of like ideas 3 and 4, primarily 4. Personally, I'd find it more organized having more boards with fewer tags in each, similar to how there are different boards for Ep. VII, PT, CT and Saga. Of course, I do realize that that'd be the idea that would take the most work, which is why I also like 3, which fixes things along the lines of designating story tags that I'd come across. For instance, something that takes place around the time of Jedi Apprentice would TECHNICALLY be Before, but because of its proximity to Saga and having Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, I'd sort of feel it belongs in Saga, and the BBY/ABY system would fix that up nicely.
     
  10. Space_Wolf

    Space_Wolf Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2007
    I will probably look upon the new movies (and the material that it is based on) as an AU.

    The one thing which I would like to know though is this:

    Will the characters that were created by authors like Zahn, Stackpole, Anderson, etc, still be featured in the Disney stuff? (It would be really weird watching the next movie and having characters like Coran Horn, Mara Jade, Kyp Durron, Jacen Solo, etc, not exist.) I could handle different stories and different fates for said characters, but not having them completely would be strange.
     
  11. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    Do you mean have actual character tags, as in a Han tag, and Leia tag, etc. or the tags saying PT characters, OT characters, etc?
    The former really isn't possible, even with multiple tags, there are just way to many and forums are not set up to work that way, but the latter is something to consider.

    That's not really what we are discussing here, there is new canon and we are trying to find a way to merge that with what we have now. But the short answer to your question is, it's doubtful. They can use anything they want from the EU, but they aren't beholden to it. HERE is the press release.
     
  12. Tarsier

    Tarsier Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2005
    I meant both. I kinda figured there would be too many single character tags, especially if there is just one board, but it sure would be a nice way to index things, especially if we could have multiple tags per fic. But I can see how that could get messy in a hurry. I do think group character tags (e.g., a tag for "OT Characters" meaning the main characters in this fic are mostly from the original trilogy, and "EU Characters" meaning this fic has EU characters in prominent roles) could be a decent replacement for era tags given the current canon confusion.
     
  13. Jade_Pilot

    Jade_Pilot Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2005
    What if Disney uses some of the EU?
     
  14. taramidala

    taramidala Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 1999
    Since we won't know what goes where until the movie comes out, and since that's over a year away, my vote goes for the easiest option - #1. This doesn't have to be reinventing the wheel.
     
  15. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    I think we should do #1 and have a Legends tag. This way if the movies have some flashback or historical reference that invalidates something that happened in the Before or Saga era books they can use the Legends tag also. What I want to know is what happens after the movies come out and somebody writes an AU based on characters of the new canon and Legends? May be we can have a hybrid tag. :p
     
  16. Goodwood

    Goodwood Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 11, 2011
    After watching this thread for a day or two I'm finding myself agreeing with taramidala. There's plenty of time either to sort this mess out, or for LFL/Diznee to reverse their asinine decision.
     
  17. taramidala

    taramidala Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 1999
    Well Goodwood, I will also admit that my choice is partially motivated by the fact that I'm old and don't want to be bothered to learn how to use and navigate a whole new system. :p
     
  18. jcgoble3

    jcgoble3 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2010
    If we can do multiple prefixes, that seems to be the best option. Failing that, my second choice is #2, modified to account for the fact that the entire EU is Legends, not just the post-ROTJ EU (see this tweet from Jennifer Heddle)
     
  19. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    We really won't know that until the movie comes out (of course), so if they do use substantial amounts of the EU, it would really be up to the author. We will try to make tagging guidelines as clear as possible no matter what system we go for, but there will be some grey areas that authors will have to use their own discretion. We are hoping that our 'fix' will work long term, but we may have to re-evaluate once the movies come out (but that's still 18 months away).

    Thanks for that. In that case, all the options can be fixed to include some sort of Before and Saga Legends.
     
  20. ginchy

    ginchy Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 25, 2005
    I think option #1 is best, with #2 being a close second. ;)
     
  21. Sokolniki

    Sokolniki Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Jan 7, 2014
    Options 2 and 3 would be preferable from an organizational standpoint.
     
  22. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2007
    It seems to me until further notice that just adding a "legends" tag will be easier. But that is just me.
     
  23. Revanfan1

    Revanfan1 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2013
    I'm a fan of #5; I think (to me) there would be less clutter if we just had four categories–"Before," "Saga," "Beyond," and "Legends." The only problem I see is that Legends would apply to before and beyond stories, which means someone looking specifically for, say, post-ROTJ Legends stories would have to sort through them first (but that could be eliminated by putting something like [post-ROTJ] or [Old Republic] in the title). That's my preference but I'm okay with anything.
     
    Lady_Misty likes this.
  24. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2007
    I agree with Revanfan1 that if the groups are separated that the "Legends" Board should have filters for when it takes place.
     
    jcgoble3 and Revanfan1 like this.
  25. WeAreJedi

    WeAreJedi Jedi Padawan star 1

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    I like ideas #2 and #5 the most.
     
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