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Guidelines

FanficTalk (FFT) is first and foremost a multi-fandom community for fanfic writers and readers to discuss fanfiction, writing, and fandoms overall; connect with each other; and participate in site activities. Our site values +inclusive behavior and fun, open discussions. We are run by a group of volunteers whose number one goal is to make this site an online home for our members. This document is not exhaustive nor is it meant to cover every scenario for content on this site, rather it is to set the overall spirit and tone of FFT.

 

General Rules and Guidelines

Ratings on FFT

  • All (A): Content appropriate for all readers. It should contain no reader advisories on the archive.
  • Teen (T): Content appropriate for teen readers. It may include most profanity and limited discussion of sexual content, violence, and potentially sensitive material (including addiction, self-harm, or sexual assault). Content posted in public areas on the forum and the archive must not exceed this rating.
  • Mature (M): Content appropriate for mature readers. It may include profanity and slurs; detailed descriptions of sexual content, violence, and other potentially sensitive material (including addiction, self-harm, or sexual assault).

For more details, please review the spoiler tag below. Please keep in mind that it is a broad overview, and you may need to check out our +staff content tutorials for more information.

Spoiler
  • Language - Most profanity is permitted at the T rating. Profanity restricted to the M rating includes some sex slang; some slurs; and any use of slurs to attack a person on the basis of characteristics like disability, ethnicity, gender identity, etc. Stories containing M-rated slurs require a 'slurs' advisory on the archive.
     
  • Romantic Relationships - Most relationships are permitted on the archive, with a few restrictions around pairings involving minors or incest.

    Minors cannot be romantically linked to a character in a position of significant authority over them (e.g., a teacher or a boss). Minors under the age of 16 may not be more than two years younger than a partner, and 16-17 year olds cannot be more than six years younger than a partner.

    Incestuous relationships that occurred in canon or that do not involve immediate family (e.g., first cousin pairings) may be depicted on the archive. Other incestuous relationships (e.g., non-canonical sibling pairings) may be referenced but not depicted. All references to or depictions of incest require an 'incest' advisory.
     
  • Sexual Content - If the characters are at least 16 years old, sex acts (e.g., oral sex, masturbation) can be depicted at the M rating and require a 'sexual content' advisory on the archive. If the characters are at least 14, making out and references to sex acts can be depicted at the T or M rating and only require a 'sexual content' advisory on the archive if partial nudity is involved.

    Depiction of or reference to sexual situations in which consent is not clearly given (including but not limited to sexual harassment, reproductive coercion, and rape) may require a 'consent issues' advisory.
     
  • Abuse and Violence - Detailed description of most non-fatal violence and limited reference to sustained nonsexual abuse (i.e., not just arguing a lot or not getting along) of a close family member or romantic partner are permitted at the T rating without any advisories on the archive. Depiction of torture and fatal violence are only permitted at the M rating, and require a ‘violence’ advisory on the archive.
     
  • Self-Harm and Substance (Ab)use - Most references to self-harm (including self-injury, eating disorders, and suicide) and addiction are permitted at the T rating and may require advisories on the archive. Depiction of these themes is only permitted at the M rating and requires advisories on the archive.

    Recreational drug use does not require any advisory on the archive. Depiction of common substances (e.g., cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana) is permitted at the T rating, and depiction of harder drugs (e.g., cocaine, heroin) is only permitted at the M rating.
     
  • Slavery - References to enslaved human beings are permitted at the T rating and may require advisories on the archive. Depiction of enslaved human beings is only permitted at the M rating and requires an advisory of the archive.

 

Respectful Posting and Use of Site

Members must treat this community with respect and respect other members' boundaries. Excessive rudeness toward other members is not permitted on the site, and bullying, harassment, stalking, plagiarizing, or other similar activity toward other members is not permitted under any circumstances, on or offsite. This includes but is not limited to:

  • repeatedly encouraging other people to harass, ostracize, sabotage, or gang up on another member because of personal grudges;
  • +personally attacking them using hate speech, dog whistles, or ad hominem attacks;
  • tracking down and/or using another member's personal information (e.g., legal name, email, address, phone number) without their consent; or
  • finding a different way to contact another member to continue a conversation after they've clearly indicated that they're done talking about it (e.g., verbally saying so, blocking/soft-blocking/unfollowing).

Sitewide

  • Members must be at least 16 years old to join. Any member found to be younger than that will have their account deleted.
  • Members over the age of 18 may share personal photos on the forums and link to social media accounts with personal information (e.g., legal name, email, address, phone number) in public areas of the site. Members under the age of 18 may only link to social media accounts that do not include that information. For more guidance about internet safety practices, you may find +staysafe helpful.
  • Double-posting on the forums or reviewing the same chapter multiple times is permitted, but spamming (e.g., many repetitive posts in a short period of time) is not.
  • Members may not review, nominate, or vote for their own stories unless explicitly given permission to do so (e.g., for fic night).
  • Multiple user accounts are permitted unless they are being used to sidestep rules.
  • All graphics on the site must be credited, even if you made them yourself.

Forums

  • Members must read and post in the +welcome thread.
  • Members may not attempt to gain entry into areas of the site they don't have permission to see.
  • Signature graphics may be no larger than 500 x 200 pixels.

Archive

  • All stories submitted by authors without +Certified Author status must go through the +validation process.
  • Submitted poems must be at least 40 words long. All other submitted stories (including but not limited to narratives, letters, newspaper articles, and drabbles) must be at least 100 words long.
  • At least 90% of the story has to be original, and non-original material must be credited. Authors may only reference public figures (e.g., Kit Harington, Barack Obama) in their stories in limited detail, and no plots, characters, or lengthy quotes from Disney are permitted (though pop culture references are fine). Other members can only be used or referred to in a story with their explicit permission, and stories based on another member's work must have the original author's permission to be posted.
  • Authors may have one 700 x 150 pixels banner in their story summaries, up to 15 prize graphics in their story notes, and an unlimited number of graphics in their story itself.

 

Site Operation and Management

Transparency and Distributed Power

  • No single user shall have sole control and access to the running of FFT. At least two members shall have access to systems that run FFT.

  • Any costs attributed to running and maintaining FFT will be made available upon request to provide a clear and understandable insight to the way in which FFT is being run.

  • Specific voting information is accessible by site administrators and is only disclosed to other staff members if the member has broken a rule (e.g., voting for themselves in the yearly awards).

  • Member concerns may be brought up through:
    • Directly contacting a staff member by
      • Using the forum PM system
      • Emailing admin@fanfictalk.com
      • Emailing validator@fanfictalk.com (for archive issues)
    • Publicly posting suggestions or feedback in the +Suggestions & Feedback forum
    • Anonymously leaving feedback through

While we may not be able to make changes based on all feedback provided, it is paramount that members always feel safe stating their concerns, suggestions, and criticism of the site without fear or retaliation or retribution for doing so. Staff will try to address suggestions and concerns as fairly as possible within a time-sensitive manner.

If at any point you feel that staff are not following through on the Transparency and Distributed Power rules as promised or are violating rules in other ways (e.g., member harassment, rudeness), please reach out using one of the above methods, and staff will work to resolve the issue.

Change management on FFT:

  • Technical, behind the scenes changes (such as servers, web hosting, and software) will be made by the site administrators to keep the site running efficiently. Any planned downtime will be communicated on social media and FFT at least 48 hours in advance barring emergency maintenance.
  • Rule changes will be agreed upon by staff and explained to members in an overview post, detailing what has been changed and why (this could include adding/removing words to the profanity list, changing the parameters on images used on the site, etc.).
  • Changes to the site which impact the tone of the community in a significant way will be discussed among members and staff before changes are put in place (these might include deciding on member group themes, what rating content the site should allow, etc.).
  • Staff positions will be filled using an open application process. All members are welcome to apply for positions on staff during the first ten days of each month. Decisions will be based primarily on staffers' application scores. You can read more about that process +here.

Site Groups

  • Member
  • Staff Groups
    • Admin
    • Archive Validator
    • Community Coordinator
    • Deputy Admin
    • Event Coordinator
    • Forum Moderator
    • Inclusion Coordinator
    • Social Media Manager

Enforcement of Rules

When a member's submission on the archive doesn't meet archive guidelines, it will be rejected with a note for what needs to be changed. No disciplinary action is taken.

When a member violates one of the other site rules, a staff member will message them to remind them of the rule (and, if necessary, explain it). More serious disciplinary action (including warning points, removal from a leadership position, suspension, or banning) may occur under the following circumstances:

  1. breaking the same site rule more than 3 times in 6 months;
  2. cheating during a site event;
  3. violating any of our rules around respectful posting and use of the site.

Once the member has gone a year without further rule-breaking, staff will evaluate warn points for removal based on the nature of the rule violation(s) and the member's past history. Accruing five or more warning points may result in a suspension; accruing 10 or more warning points will result in the account in question being reviewed as an appropriate fit for the community. Any incident of doxxing, stalking, or similar activity may lead to an immediate suspension or ban, regardless of previous disciplinary record.

 

recap of blog entries you may find helpful:

+on "safe spaces" | +personal social media | +personal attacks, harassment, and bullying

+archive faq | +certified author status | +site content tutorials

 

Document Authors: abhorsen., Alopex, toomanycurls

Document Advisors: alicia and anne, CambAngst, Gryffin_Duck, HeyMrsPotter, Leonore, MrsJaydeMalfoy, pixileanin, Selene, TidalDragon, TreacleTart, Veritaserum27

 

updated: June 19, 2021

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