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notevendarkyetThis is regarding a recent discussion which started with a question what is the policy on ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
little_chicago and lil_chicago_ooc regarding slash. It devolved into a discussion of something entirely else.
Item one: I'm posting here, because posting on the ooc comm, since I am a mod, may carry more weight; but I really would like to hear your opinions on this, and when things are clarified, I'll make a post that will also be referenced on the profile of the comm, to avoid further confusion.
Item two: I am confused (and maybe - which I shouldn't be - a little angry) at the way my statement was questioned. My original answer came from interacting with writers who are truly outstanding, and through observing how they treat their writing partners. Did I go too far in responding to those comments? If so, I am sorry - but DO let me know if I have.
Item three: At least my idea oflittle_chicago as one of a common playground. Where we, well, play together. It really makes sense to me that when you're borrowing someone else's toys where you play with that someone else, it is polite to ask.
In your own journal, you are free to write characters exactly as you wish. Those would be your versions of the characters.
But where we write together, and where what you post will be part of the expectation in how you RP the character in the comm? I think it is only fair to ask if the other writer is OK with their muse being written in a certain direction.
That doesn't mean you have to have an ok for every bit of dialogue, action, etc. But if I say, I am going to write a piece where Harry did NOT reject Justine when Thomas sent her over dressed only in a bow? (this is entirely theoretical, mind you!) I will ask Harry's mun. Heh, I will probably ask Thomas' mun too, to know how he would react to such a take.
Item four: Well, of course, there are exceptions. The most obvious being if you're doing a 'dissection of a scene' from canon. Or if you and the other mun have discussed a certain situation already and you know what their take is.
Item five: Where we play together, making decisions that you don't know the partner you're writing against agrees with? Isn't that, well, godmodding? (After a brief consultation with Wikipedia, maybe the term I should be using is Autoing. But in either case... something that is not covered by 'playing nice'.)
Item six: Telling you what to write (or not to), and how to write your muse, would be, well, putting it bluntly, censorship. This is NOT what I am aiming at, though I know what I'm describing, if taken to extremes, would be just that.
Once you have the opinion of the other mun, exactly WHAT is in your fic is entirely up to you. I am the kind of person who, if there is a remark about my representation of other muses, will change what I have written, but that is by no means obligatory.
Even if you don't have the other writer's permission, YOU COULD STILL WRITE IT. You can be a member of the comms, you can use the comm's prompts, and write it. Just please don't post on the comm unless you have an OK.
I'd be the person who would be OK with reading just about anything. If I don't think that what a fic implies about my muse is consistent with how I write them, I may ask that there is an author's note that states that the fic is NOT-rp-canon-compliant. I have put such labels on my work even without being asked in some cases.
Item seven: I think it's all about respect. Asking about another person's opinion when IT INVOLVES their muse is courteous - it's respectful. And for any community to function smoothly, respect is a very, very important building block.
little_chicago and lil_chicago_ooc regarding slash. It devolved into a discussion of something entirely else. Item one: I'm posting here, because posting on the ooc comm, since I am a mod, may carry more weight; but I really would like to hear your opinions on this, and when things are clarified, I'll make a post that will also be referenced on the profile of the comm, to avoid further confusion.
Item two: I am confused (and maybe - which I shouldn't be - a little angry) at the way my statement was questioned. My original answer came from interacting with writers who are truly outstanding, and through observing how they treat their writing partners. Did I go too far in responding to those comments? If so, I am sorry - but DO let me know if I have.
Item three: At least my idea of
little_chicago as one of a common playground. Where we, well, play together. It really makes sense to me that when you're borrowing someone else's toys where you play with that someone else, it is polite to ask. In your own journal, you are free to write characters exactly as you wish. Those would be your versions of the characters.
But where we write together, and where what you post will be part of the expectation in how you RP the character in the comm? I think it is only fair to ask if the other writer is OK with their muse being written in a certain direction.
That doesn't mean you have to have an ok for every bit of dialogue, action, etc. But if I say, I am going to write a piece where Harry did NOT reject Justine when Thomas sent her over dressed only in a bow? (this is entirely theoretical, mind you!) I will ask Harry's mun. Heh, I will probably ask Thomas' mun too, to know how he would react to such a take.
Item four: Well, of course, there are exceptions. The most obvious being if you're doing a 'dissection of a scene' from canon. Or if you and the other mun have discussed a certain situation already and you know what their take is.
Item five: Where we play together, making decisions that you don't know the partner you're writing against agrees with? Isn't that, well, godmodding? (After a brief consultation with Wikipedia, maybe the term I should be using is Autoing. But in either case... something that is not covered by 'playing nice'.)
Item six: Telling you what to write (or not to), and how to write your muse, would be, well, putting it bluntly, censorship. This is NOT what I am aiming at, though I know what I'm describing, if taken to extremes, would be just that.
Once you have the opinion of the other mun, exactly WHAT is in your fic is entirely up to you. I am the kind of person who, if there is a remark about my representation of other muses, will change what I have written, but that is by no means obligatory.
Even if you don't have the other writer's permission, YOU COULD STILL WRITE IT. You can be a member of the comms, you can use the comm's prompts, and write it. Just please don't post on the comm unless you have an OK.
I'd be the person who would be OK with reading just about anything. If I don't think that what a fic implies about my muse is consistent with how I write them, I may ask that there is an author's note that states that the fic is NOT-rp-canon-compliant. I have put such labels on my work even without being asked in some cases.
Item seven: I think it's all about respect. Asking about another person's opinion when IT INVOLVES their muse is courteous - it's respectful. And for any community to function smoothly, respect is a very, very important building block.
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no subject
Date: 2008-03-23 10:36 pm (UTC)This comm was pointed out to me (and to the rp-mate of mine who asked most of the questions) as an RP and tangentially fic community. I stayed out of the discussion for the most part, but feel moved to say that while I appreciate your vehemence on behalf of your preferred system, not everyone has played in a community like that.
You cite wonderful communities where things work exactly that way, but please realize that some of us* do come from a pure RP environment and are not part of these wonderful communities. A little understanding would be appreciated.
*the round robin format isn't one I'm comfortable in, and now that I realize that that's the nature of the comm, I'll wait and try to get a feel for the nature of the thing before and if I applied. With a straight or asexual character, of course, lest I 'squick' anyone.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-24 05:40 am (UTC)See, while I think I get what 'round robing' ficcing format would be, nothing that I've observed or been part of has been called that.
The comm that I meant little_chicago to resemble, when I started it (
Some of the blocks posted on hp-random remain one-off pieces of writing. Some inspire other people's fics. Some lead to roleplaying (there are threads with more than 500 comments on the comm).
We have asexual characters, we have straight ones, and we have gay ones and we have bisexual ones.
What we don't have is characters that stand alone and isolated from the rest, ones who don't have touching points to interact with other characters. What we also don't have is mun raising fuss with what is posted regarding their characters, because they've already ok'ed it before it's posted. Actually, the most involved stuff has either been plotted together with, or requested by, the other writer.
Do feel free to stick around and watch and get a feel, that would be great! I guess the idea may feel very odd and constricting when written down and discussed; I never had seen it discussed or questioned before, and I maybe botched it. The other comm... as another mun pointed out regarding it, we lucked out, as a group, with each other. Because some there come from writing background, some from writing/RP, some from RP mostly, and some are (were?) newbies, but we turned out to be on the same wave.
Again, apologies if I came too forceful, to you or to the mun of
I hope this makes things... clearer. Say, the difference between thick mud and mudded puddle... ;)