Policy Discussion

[singularitymods.livejournal.com]

Some of Singularity's players have questions about the game policies on AU character applications. This post has been put up to allow players to approach the staff to ask questions, offer suggestions, and voice concerns regarding those policies. The moderators are also available via IM/PM [contact information] if any player does not feel comfortable discussing their concerns in public.

As of the end of this application round (August 15th), AU applications will be closed until this matter can be resolved. This ban on AU apps does not apply to the exceptions listed in the AU policies (malleable protagonists and canon AUs).

Comments

[cousinisdeeeead.livejournal.com]

This is essentially how I feel. I mean, the "better as a fanfic" rule is into place because while I think a great writer can definitely make an awesome story out of "what if" scenarios, it gets a lot harder to determine what is IC for the character after that if there are radical changes. It doesn't make the story/scenario bad, but it becomes harder to determine "is this what they would do" and how would it affect possible castmates already in place.

[singularitymods.livejournal.com]

Pretty much this is why the rule is currently in place. We do allow OCs for a reason.

[quarkylass]

This sounds kind of ridiculous and a more than a little silly, but. A possible example.

Say I wanted to app, for whatever reason, some sort of Jade Harley that was, oh man I can't even make this ridiculous enough -- OKAY say that Jade lived in Japan with two parents who loved her very much and never had a nuclear omnipotent dog or a robotic session-crashing bunny but still played SBURB. Under your rules, this would most likely be a "better as fanfic" idea (and on that, I totally agree for this particularly horrible AU). If I were to change her name and app her in as an OC, changing the name of the game and the lands (possibly even her name), but essentially keeping the story the same -- kids play a game that destroys the world, they fuck it up, they have to Scratch to fix it -- would that be appable?

I know this sounds completely off the wall, but that is kind of what I just got from this conversation.

[singularitymods.livejournal.com]

To be fair, an OC like this would maybe come under scrutiny for plagiarism, but it'd highly depend on how many aspects of the game were just like Homestuck.

The idea of people playing a game like SBURB isn't something super unique to that fiction after all! .hack is another popular fandom that comes to mind, as another to use that concept. Jade's character trope isn't exactly super unique either. The point though with that, since this is an OC and not an AU there's less of a chance of causing a disruption with canonmates, if that makes sense?

[memorymodus.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah it was a horrible example and I would probably tear my eyesockets out writing that application.

Okay, that makes sense! I was just wondering, and that's cleared things up a lot. Thanks.

[ecto-biologist.livejournal.com]

Then maybe the rule should be better clarified to reflect this? Instead of naming it Better As Fanfic and putting down the idea that only two or three points change equal unappability and perhaps revise it along the lines of:

"AU Applications that take a radically different tone in characterization (stealing the example below, brainwashing Aang from ATLA into a bitter angry avenger for the Fire Nation) may not be accepted due to a character's significant changes and deviations from their canon selves." While the setting will factor in to some degree, if the applicant has a good handle on what seems like the character's voice in a significantly deviating setting while retaining their personality (I'd like to point out the AU Karkat as an example here) then it should easily be fair game. Calling it "better as fanfic" causes confusion for players due to vagueness and allows for more wild interpretations of the rule that can cause a lot of insanity on everyone's part.

+1

[barkstabbark]

IMO, if your AU changes major events/setting as well as personality, that shouldn't be allowed. If you keep the basic canon setting/events and alter personality based on other minor changes, that should work. If you change the setting and keep personality the same, that should work too. It's when you change both that you get weird hard-to-judge AUs, since you're changing the character in multiple ways, which is pretty much the problem you keep bringing up.

But I don't think the entire concept of setting-swapped AUs should be banned just because it has the potential to be too off. If the concern is that characters will be too different to be recognizable, that's what it should be judged for.

[totallynotaspaz.livejournal.com]

+1ing this too. Particularly:

"...the potential to be too off. If the concern is that characters will be too different to be recognizable, that's what it should be judged for."

This, in one sentence, sums up everything I am and have been trying to get across in this post. As it stands, the rule and how I've interpreted mod responses on this matter so far make it seem like an AU that has the potential to be too off is rejected on principle, when the AU should be judged on whether it is too off or not.