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sherlockbbc Fanworks FAQ draft post
Thursday, 2 September 2010 08:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rosiedoesWelcome to the sherlockbbc Fanworks FAQ!
This post should clarify the most common questions relating to fanworks, including terminology and how best to go about sharing your work.
As always, let us know in comments if you feel anything needs to be added.
Fan Fiction
Q1. What types of fan fiction be posted onsherlockbbc?
A. Any fic which is directly centred on Sherlock is acceptable - whether the over all theme is gen, slash, het or even a crossover with another fandom, provided the Sherlock aspect is central to the story. For stories featuring issues which may trigger personal emotional sensitivity - such as self-harm, drug use, eating disorders, abuse or rape - writers are required to post a warning. Authors failing to do so will be asked to add clear warnings to story headers within the community post. Those who refuse will have their stories removed and in extreme casesmay not be allowed to post in future.
RPF or RPS fic and stories based on other projects by the Sherlock cast is not permitted.
Q2. What do terms like 'slash', 'RPS/RPF' and 'non-con' mean?
A. Slash is a sub-type of fan fiction which focuses primarily on homosexual relationships between characters, which are not necessarily part of the source material.
Canon is a term used to refer to the source material or original works; in the Sherlock fandom, the 'canon' is the TV Series, with some information drawn from the original books. Matters which are not canon, but are generally accepted by fans - for example, a character such as Lestrade may be commonly given the same first name, even if none is confirmed during the show - are often called 'fanon'.
RPF/RPS is shorthand for 'Real Person Fiction' or 'Real Person Slash' which are stories in which the actors, rather than the characters, are the subject matter.
Non-con and the lesser-used dub-con stand for 'non-consentual' and 'dubious consent' respectively. These stories will feature scenes of rape or rough/aggressive sex, for which the consent of all parties involved may not be clear. However, 'dub-con' may also mean stories featuring situations in which one character is intoxicated, for example, and not in a position to give informed consent although the actions themselves are not violent. Readers are advised to take story ratings into account in relation to these fics.
Q3. How will I know how explicit a story is before I read it?
A. Writers posting atsherlockbbc are required to list certain aspects of their stories in headers - this includes a rating, which will help identify the suitability of the story for various audiences.
While writers often use different scales to identify the rating of their story, the more common ratings fall into the following scales:
Q4. What information should I put in my fanfic header?
A. Many things can be included in headers, but you may choose to include the following:
- the title of your story;
- the names of any betas or brit-pickers (if they wish to be credited);
- the rating;
- pairing(s) featured in the story;
- an approximate wordcount;
- warnings about content which people may prefer not to read for personal reasons;
- a disclaimer, to make it clear you are not profiting from the work you are sharing.
Items show in italics are mandatory.
Q5. What are betas and brit-pickers and do I need one?
A. Betas are effectively proofreaders who will read through your fics and point out any mistakes, areas which may be slightly out of character or other discrepancies. They are basically a second pair of eyes to cover anything you may have missed.
Brit-Pickers are similar to beta readers, except their focus is to ensure that writers avoid the cultural and social discrepancies common when writing characters from or living outside of our own countries or regions. In this case, of course, they would look to ensure the accurate portrayal of British language and culture, hence the name.
While betas and brit-pickers are strongly recommended for all writers in all fandoms, as none of us are infallible, they are not a mandatory requirement to post tosherlockbbc.
Q6. Is podfic (recordings of fanfics being read aloud) accepted onsherlockbbc?
A. Yes, and it's very popular when it is posted. However, the same rules apply as with a text based story - include a header along with ratings and warnings, and if you are recording someone else's work, ensure you have their permission and link back to the source material.
Fan Art, Icons & Everything Else
Q1. Can fan art be posted onsherlockbbc?
A. Absolutely, although where explicit images or the situations described above as having the potential to be triggering are concerned, warnings and ratings must be included in a header for the piece.
To preserve the layouts of other users' friends lists, images larger than 400px wide should be placed behind a cut or linked back to your own journal or posting space for the full size version.
In accordance with LiveJournal's terms of service, no images depicting sexual activity with a minor may be posted onsherlockbbc.
Q2. May I post icons for others to use?
A. Yes - thank you for sharing! However, when posting, please try to condense groups of icons so that if you create more on a running theme you update the original post, rather than making two posts on the same series of icons.
Preview icons are welcome, but please avoid posting more than a handful outside a cut.
Q3. What about fanvids (clips from the series edited and set to music)?
A. Absolutely fine. Disclaimers and headers are advisable, however.
Q4. I have made something relating to the series, which is not official merchandise - may I advertise it onsherlockbbc?
A. In the past we have approved posts advertising one-off items hand crafted by our users, and would be happy to do so again. However, users creating cottage industries from manufacturing unofficial merch may be at risk of prosecution by the BBC and the show's creators. The community mods take no responsibility for the consequences of advertising and/or selling homemade Sherlock products.
sherlockbbc Fanworks FAQ!This post should clarify the most common questions relating to fanworks, including terminology and how best to go about sharing your work.
As always, let us know in comments if you feel anything needs to be added.
Fan Fiction
Q1. What types of fan fiction be posted on
sherlockbbc?A. Any fic which is directly centred on Sherlock is acceptable - whether the over all theme is gen, slash, het or even a crossover with another fandom, provided the Sherlock aspect is central to the story. For stories featuring issues which may trigger personal emotional sensitivity - such as self-harm, drug use, eating disorders, abuse or rape - writers are required to post a warning. Authors failing to do so will be asked to add clear warnings to story headers within the community post. Those who refuse will have their stories removed and in extreme casesmay not be allowed to post in future.
RPF or RPS fic and stories based on other projects by the Sherlock cast is not permitted.
Q2. What do terms like 'slash', 'RPS/RPF' and 'non-con' mean?
A. Slash is a sub-type of fan fiction which focuses primarily on homosexual relationships between characters, which are not necessarily part of the source material.
Canon is a term used to refer to the source material or original works; in the Sherlock fandom, the 'canon' is the TV Series, with some information drawn from the original books. Matters which are not canon, but are generally accepted by fans - for example, a character such as Lestrade may be commonly given the same first name, even if none is confirmed during the show - are often called 'fanon'.
RPF/RPS is shorthand for 'Real Person Fiction' or 'Real Person Slash' which are stories in which the actors, rather than the characters, are the subject matter.
Non-con and the lesser-used dub-con stand for 'non-consentual' and 'dubious consent' respectively. These stories will feature scenes of rape or rough/aggressive sex, for which the consent of all parties involved may not be clear. However, 'dub-con' may also mean stories featuring situations in which one character is intoxicated, for example, and not in a position to give informed consent although the actions themselves are not violent. Readers are advised to take story ratings into account in relation to these fics.
Q3. How will I know how explicit a story is before I read it?
A. Writers posting at
sherlockbbc are required to list certain aspects of their stories in headers - this includes a rating, which will help identify the suitability of the story for various audiences.While writers often use different scales to identify the rating of their story, the more common ratings fall into the following scales:
| All Ages | G | U |
| Some bad language/light violence | PG | * |
| Mild sexuality/violence/stronger language | PG-13 | T/Teen |
| Stronger sexual themes/violence | R | M/Mature |
| Graphic descriptions of sex and/or violence | NC-17 | A/Adult |
Q4. What information should I put in my fanfic header?
A. Many things can be included in headers, but you may choose to include the following:
- the title of your story;
- the names of any betas or brit-pickers (if they wish to be credited);
- the rating;
- pairing(s) featured in the story;
- an approximate wordcount;
- warnings about content which people may prefer not to read for personal reasons;
- a disclaimer, to make it clear you are not profiting from the work you are sharing.
Items show in italics are mandatory.
Q5. What are betas and brit-pickers and do I need one?
A. Betas are effectively proofreaders who will read through your fics and point out any mistakes, areas which may be slightly out of character or other discrepancies. They are basically a second pair of eyes to cover anything you may have missed.
Brit-Pickers are similar to beta readers, except their focus is to ensure that writers avoid the cultural and social discrepancies common when writing characters from or living outside of our own countries or regions. In this case, of course, they would look to ensure the accurate portrayal of British language and culture, hence the name.
While betas and brit-pickers are strongly recommended for all writers in all fandoms, as none of us are infallible, they are not a mandatory requirement to post to
sherlockbbc.Q6. Is podfic (recordings of fanfics being read aloud) accepted on
sherlockbbc?A. Yes, and it's very popular when it is posted. However, the same rules apply as with a text based story - include a header along with ratings and warnings, and if you are recording someone else's work, ensure you have their permission and link back to the source material.
Fan Art, Icons & Everything Else
Q1. Can fan art be posted on
sherlockbbc?A. Absolutely, although where explicit images or the situations described above as having the potential to be triggering are concerned, warnings and ratings must be included in a header for the piece.
To preserve the layouts of other users' friends lists, images larger than 400px wide should be placed behind a cut or linked back to your own journal or posting space for the full size version.
In accordance with LiveJournal's terms of service, no images depicting sexual activity with a minor may be posted on
sherlockbbc.Q2. May I post icons for others to use?
A. Yes - thank you for sharing! However, when posting, please try to condense groups of icons so that if you create more on a running theme you update the original post, rather than making two posts on the same series of icons.
Preview icons are welcome, but please avoid posting more than a handful outside a cut.
Q3. What about fanvids (clips from the series edited and set to music)?
A. Absolutely fine. Disclaimers and headers are advisable, however.
Q4. I have made something relating to the series, which is not official merchandise - may I advertise it on
sherlockbbc?A. In the past we have approved posts advertising one-off items hand crafted by our users, and would be happy to do so again. However, users creating cottage industries from manufacturing unofficial merch may be at risk of prosecution by the BBC and the show's creators. The community mods take no responsibility for the consequences of advertising and/or selling homemade Sherlock products.
no subject
on 2010-09-02 08:20 pm (UTC)But otherwise I think it looks fantastic :D
no subject
on 2010-09-02 08:30 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-09-02 08:57 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-09-02 09:45 pm (UTC)I'm about to go back and add podfic to the fanfic section and I'm guessing we need to include vids and fanmixes at least.
no subject
on 2010-09-02 09:59 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-09-02 10:05 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-09-02 10:11 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-09-02 10:16 pm (UTC)Fics do, art does, vids do - people are taking the source material and altering it to make it something new, whereas picspams are broadly posted for comments with no real change to the images.
no subject
on 2010-09-02 10:20 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-09-02 10:24 pm (UTC)That poster was an arrogant, self-absorbed moron. It was all about her, not about what you said - she was just put out that her post had been deleted. It wouldn't have mattered what you said or how you said it, she still would have bitched about it. She was talking out of her arse as it was. Don't let people like her threaten you, dude. You're the one putting in the hours to make this a sane place for other people to enjoy, she isn't.
no subject
on 2010-09-02 10:33 pm (UTC)I think I was less threatened and more worried about how it'd be perceived; you mentioned a few posts back that fandom can be incredibly selfish and vain, and if drama was going to start over what amounted to taking away posting opportunities I wanted to avoid that. But in this case it's more important to carry on being honest and direct, as we have been.
So yeah, picspams put on hold.
no subject
on 2010-09-02 10:34 pm (UTC)I think they might get lolcat.
no subject
on 2010-09-02 10:38 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-09-02 10:39 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-09-02 10:41 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-09-02 10:42 pm (UTC)I'm just thinking it would be a good place to put loads of silly image-based randomness.
no subject
on 2010-09-02 10:44 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-09-02 10:45 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-09-02 10:47 pm (UTC)Also, didn't you need to go to bed, like, an hour ago? :P
no subject
on 2010-09-02 10:48 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-09-02 10:52 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-09-02 08:26 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-09-02 08:29 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-09-03 05:45 am (UTC)