THE RULES HAVE BEEN REVAMPED!
Though the changes are mostly cosmetic, there are slight changes to the actual tules as well. I have been approached by several people who were disappointed with some of the principles we've set up, and I would like to clear things up. So...
Let's talk about sequels, crossovers, AUs, and our anti-hate policy...
SEQUELS:
Many people seem to be disappointed and put off by our "no sequels" policy. Let me clarify this- the rules of the challenge are that you have to submit a completed, finished story that can be read on its own without any knowledge of the author's previous material.
If your sequel meets these requirements, congratulations- your sequel qualifies for the challenge!
This rule is in place partyl not to mystify artists- the truth remains that for enjoying the majority of the sequels, you need to read their predecessor, and while many artists might not be opposed to reading the author's older works, some people are simply too busy (or just wouldn't want to) to read more than the fic they've signed up for. What we're trying to prevent by applying this rule is artists claiming a fic that's 16,000 words long only for the author to tell them that to understand and enjoy the story to its fullest, you need to read a prequel- which the artist might not be able to for whatever reason- and the artists then being stuck working on a fic they can't even fully understand.
Second reason why this rule is in place is to assure the anonymity of the authors during the claims. Artist will claim their stories based only on their summaries, with no knowledge of who the author is to prevent favoritism and ensure fair conditions for all authors. It might happen that the author might be recognized if their submitted story is obviously linked to their previous work. This is a small fandom after all. It cold happen.
CROSSOVERS AND AUS:
If you've read the Rules & FAQ section, you know crossovers are banned from the challenge. The reason for this is simple- we want to keep this challenge strictly Fullmetal Alchemist oriented.
But the rules also say that AUs, also known as alternate universes, are allowed. Before there is any more confusion about this, let's talk terminology.
I hope you all understand why we've made these decisions, and that you can respect and work with them. Thank you!
ANTI-HATE POLICY:
There have been questions about this, too, and I would like to make somethign very clear right now: we will not tolerate hateful and vicious behavior in any form. We can not and will not police what you post on your personal blogs, but we will not tolerate any targeted hate towards a participant, a group of people, a ship, a genre, et cetera.
Yes, all pairings are allowed in this challenge. All genres are allowed. If you cannot participate under these conditions without making vicious, hateful remarks, don't sign up. If we see you posting tagged hate or god forbid attacking someone personally, we will ban you. Without pardon. Forever.
That being said, the mods aren't actually omniscient- we don't do background checks on our participants, and we don't don't stalk every tag that is used by this fandom. We will try our best to ensure a safe run for everyone thought, and for that we will need your help, your understanding, and your participation. Let's start by agreeing that instead of writing and posting a 300 words long rant about a ship you dislike, you will instead write 300 words for your big bang story, or grab a pencil and doodle something cute and fluffy (or angsty- hey, to each their own!) for your chosen fic, how does that sound?
Thank you for your time and understanding!
Let's talk about sequels, crossovers, AUs, and our anti-hate policy...
SEQUELS:
Many people seem to be disappointed and put off by our "no sequels" policy. Let me clarify this- the rules of the challenge are that you have to submit a completed, finished story that can be read on its own without any knowledge of the author's previous material.
If your sequel meets these requirements, congratulations- your sequel qualifies for the challenge!
This rule is in place partyl not to mystify artists- the truth remains that for enjoying the majority of the sequels, you need to read their predecessor, and while many artists might not be opposed to reading the author's older works, some people are simply too busy (or just wouldn't want to) to read more than the fic they've signed up for. What we're trying to prevent by applying this rule is artists claiming a fic that's 16,000 words long only for the author to tell them that to understand and enjoy the story to its fullest, you need to read a prequel- which the artist might not be able to for whatever reason- and the artists then being stuck working on a fic they can't even fully understand.
Second reason why this rule is in place is to assure the anonymity of the authors during the claims. Artist will claim their stories based only on their summaries, with no knowledge of who the author is to prevent favoritism and ensure fair conditions for all authors. It might happen that the author might be recognized if their submitted story is obviously linked to their previous work. This is a small fandom after all. It cold happen.
CROSSOVERS AND AUS:
If you've read the Rules & FAQ section, you know crossovers are banned from the challenge. The reason for this is simple- we want to keep this challenge strictly Fullmetal Alchemist oriented.
But the rules also say that AUs, also known as alternate universes, are allowed. Before there is any more confusion about this, let's talk terminology.
- Alternate Universe [...] is a descriptor used to characterize fanworks which change one or more elements of the source work's canon. (Source: Fanlore)
- Crossover: A fanfic in which two or more fandoms are combined in some way. [...] In the most common form, characters from Fandom A may meet characters from Fandom B. (Source: Fanlore)
I hope you all understand why we've made these decisions, and that you can respect and work with them. Thank you!
ANTI-HATE POLICY:
There have been questions about this, too, and I would like to make somethign very clear right now: we will not tolerate hateful and vicious behavior in any form. We can not and will not police what you post on your personal blogs, but we will not tolerate any targeted hate towards a participant, a group of people, a ship, a genre, et cetera.
Yes, all pairings are allowed in this challenge. All genres are allowed. If you cannot participate under these conditions without making vicious, hateful remarks, don't sign up. If we see you posting tagged hate or god forbid attacking someone personally, we will ban you. Without pardon. Forever.
That being said, the mods aren't actually omniscient- we don't do background checks on our participants, and we don't don't stalk every tag that is used by this fandom. We will try our best to ensure a safe run for everyone thought, and for that we will need your help, your understanding, and your participation. Let's start by agreeing that instead of writing and posting a 300 words long rant about a ship you dislike, you will instead write 300 words for your big bang story, or grab a pencil and doodle something cute and fluffy (or angsty- hey, to each their own!) for your chosen fic, how does that sound?
Thank you for your time and understanding!