!Rules!

[~~Kimber <kacoe@xxxxxxx>]

Rules, rules, rules. Who needs stinkin' rules anyway?? Heh, I've never been a real
stickler for them (not even in real life, *grin*) and neither has Rod, but since it's come
up I figured I may as well address a few SEEING AS ROD HAS DUCKED INTO THE SHRUBBERY
AGAIN!!!! Ahem, okay, with out further adieu.....


D a R u l z

1: Flaming.
"NO. Just say no to flaming."
Constructive criticism is encouraged and welcomed without a doubt, but if you are going to
point out a flaw in the story or something that didn't make sense, do it off list and in a
nice constructive way. Don't be mean, some authors (like me) aren't very thick skinned
and believe it or not, your opinion is very important to us.


2: Feedback
"Aww, look at the poor bards in the cage. They must be starving!"
Our lists have been in existence since December 1999. There are three reasons for that:
feedback, feedback and feedback. The more you say you like a story, the more an author
will write. Feedback can be posted to the list and you are encouraged to do so. If other
'lurkers' see that a story they liked was responded to, then they will be encouraged to
encourage the author. Get it?


3: Story lines
"A Slayer, a Hacker, a demon - oh my!"
The names of the lists are BuffyWantsWillow and BuffyLovesWillow. heh. Do the math. Rod
rules supreme and I'm just his lil woman over here - he has encouraged authors such as
Shadowlander that if they wish to post their other fic here they may do so. It's never
been a problem before and I don't see why it should change. Just as long as it's Buffy
The Vampire Slayer orientated - have a ball!


4: Disclaimers
"Joss rules, I suck. He owns 'em, I wish I did."
Even though we know you don't own the characters or their likenesses, you need to put a
disclaimer in your intro. This is to ensure your safety if anyone affiliated with BtVS
came across it. You could get in deep stuff I've seen it happen. For an example, see
rule number 7.


5: Distribution
"The usual suspects, all others ask first."
Also in your header, include anyone's name that is archiving your fic. Us weary
archivists don't always have time to read your lovely story the minute it's posted, so we
just scan the headers to see if it's one that we've been given permission to archive. As
websites go, their a bear to keep up with and personally, as much as I love every author's
work that I archive, I can't remember all 30 of their names off the top of my head.


6: Off-Topic Posts
"OT: I whittled my own stake today and named it Mrs. Pointy!"
Off-topic posts are fine as long as they are labeled as such. Also, keep in mind that
collectively, we are over 500 strong, so you may want to wait in responding to an off
topic post until some other people have replied. That way you can respond to the poster
and the others also.


7: Headers
"Name, rank and serial number please."
All fics need a header. It's a simple little blurb but conveys all the important pesky
details. Authors Notes is optional. Some people us it to dedicate the fic to someone or
just make a random comment about the fic. Here is an example:

TITLE: At Loose Ends (1/1)
AUTHOR: Kimber (kacoe@xxxxxxx)
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. I don't own anything.

SUMMARY: Response to Rod's weekly challenge. . but with a twist. Write a story about
coming back to or for someone.
SPOILERS: Everything is fair game.
DISTRIBUTION: The usual suspects. Anyone else, e-mail me please.
AUTHORS NOTES: A writers end product usually reflects how they feel when they write it.
Angst abounds with my favorite couple. You've seen it before, you know what it means.
Possible tear alert.


8: Subject Line
"Hey can I post this here????"
Subject lines are the first thing we all look at. So in order to sort out the fic from
the discussion, you should try to label your e-mails accurately. For example:

OT: Where's Rod?
FIC: The Trials and Tribulations of a missing List-Dad (1/1)
FF: The True Adventure Of a Listmom in Search of the Missing Listdad (1/?)


9: Posting in parts
"Fic: Da Rulz and such (1/?)"
Parts are fine. Keeping our AOLers in mind, keep your parts below 20K. If you open the
folder your fic is in and go to 'view' then 'details', you can figure out how large it
is. If your story parts are posted more than 3 weeks apart, just give us a tiny synopsis
of what happened in the previous chapter.


10: Ratings
"This is rated NC-17 for acts of wild monkey love."
Let's break it down folks. BuffyLovesWillow is an all ages mailing list which means that
nothing over PG-13 can be posted. We have 'kids' here, possibly around 14 or 15 and while
they may know a heck of a lot more than we did when we were growing up, encouraging the
deterioration of their young brains is an activity best left to the people they interact
with in real life. BuffyWantsWillow, however is an anything goes list. It's only limited
by your funky and down right disturbing imaginations.


11: Respect
"Tell me what I mean to you, but in a good way."
Well, someone once said that opinions are like ***holes, everybody's got one. I think
it's a good point. While we all hold our favorite Slayer and Wiccan in common, we hail
from different parts of the country, as well as the world. We come from different
families, backgrounds, upbringings and values. I may not agree with something you say,
but I can say it in a non argumentative fashion. Translated: Respect how others feel and
they will do the same. Agree that you disagree, make intelligent and valid points for
your side of things and move on.



That's it for now guys. If I think of anything else, I'll let you know but I really doubt
I need to add anything else. This is a pretty laid back list and we all get along really
really well.


--
Your humble bard and list mommy,
~~Kimber

Vice President and Treasurer of the Riley/Oz neutering society and garden club...

E x q u i s i t e + C o a l e s c e n c e
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
http://www.redrival.com/exquisite
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Your source for fanfiction based on the Buffy & Angel shows.

FOR THE BUFFY/WILLOW 'SHIPPERS
"I just realized, that's what I wanna do. Fight evil - help people. I think it's worth
doing, and I don't think you do it because you have to. It's a good fight Buffy and I
want in!"
"I kind of love you."
Willow and Buffy in "Choices"
-----
FOR THE TARA/WILLOW S'HIPPERS
"No candle? I brought you one. It's extra flamey. Tara, I have to tell you. . ."
"No, I understand. You have to be with the person you love."
"I am."
"You mean?"
"I mean. Okay?"
"Oh, yes."
Willow and Tara in "New Moon Rising"