Please discuss any issues relating to the Site Rules here. Please keep in mind that discussing specific rule violations is not permitted on the boards. If you have a question or concern regarding a notification that you have received, please ask in the notification itself.

Thanks.

It seems like the rules have became more vague, can we get a sticky with some things like:

- Inappropriate words not in the filter (such as "Oh my God")
- Examples of what is religiously offensive
- A list of topics that are not allowed
- Clarification of how much can be copied (can I make a thread that someone has already made a thread about?  Can I use the same/similar colors?  If I make a template for a giveaway and leave, can they still use it?  Can I still use it elsewhere?)

And also,

"It is fine to  write about how characters feel, as long as it does not break any rules and is not between two characters of the same gender"

Why can't the same mild level be allowed between two characters of the same gender?  I don't think it is right to only allow writing about "how characters feel" if they are different genders.

In discussions about romance in fanfictions on here, it was mutually agreed that homosexual relationships and implications should not be allowed on here. I'm open minded but I don't think it's appropriate. It is already a great step that the rules have gotten this far, and I give props to the staff. Even LGBT people have said they don't mind if homosexual relationships are excluded.

Well, some of them have said that they don't mind. You can't use a part to speak for the whole.

I'll post here what I posted in another thread regarding this issue.

Same-gender relationships remain a controversial topic on ACC, and for that reason it was decided not allow same-gender romance in fanfics and stories. As with all controversial topics, discussions of this kind still allowed in PTs, as long as all other ACC rules are adhered to. I personally would love it if everyone could be so open-minded and tolerant that same-gender relationships were not controversial. But unfortunately that just isn't the case. We are very conscious that many parents may not wish their children to be exposed to the subject of homosexuality on a website about Animal Crossing. I am not one of those parents, but in our discussions it became very clear that opinions vary widely on this subject.

"Well, some of them have said that they don't mind. You can't use a part to speak for the whole."

It's not a question of "using a part to speak for the whole". However you look at it, this is a controversial subject, and there will always be disagreements and differing oponions. As with all other controversial subjects: we are not taking a stand one way or the other. We are simply chosing to keep such topics off the public boards. If we didn't, I can guarantee you that there will be much flaming, trolling and upset feelings. ACC is not the place for that.

Oh, I agree that it's controversial and that, for the moment, it would be best to keep it out of ACC fanfictions. However, some people have and do disagree, and Liv's statement seems to suggest otherwise.

Apologies that I misunderstood your post. I personally hadn't read Liv's post in that way, but I see how it could have been interpreted that way.

That's fine. I'm friends with quite a few LGBT fanfiction writers on here, and they've said that even though they wish people were more open-minded, they would be okay with not having those kind of things in fanfictions.

I'm glad to see that the "no same gender relationships" has already been discussed.
I have been a member of ACC for a long, long time. I won't lie, when I was younger I was disrespectful to the rules on more than one occasion but I like to think that since then I've grown as a person and have become more mature.

Anyway, what I am getting at is this: While I respect the rules of the community I do wish that we could live in a community where it wasn't a topic of debate ... and that if a user did not approve of same gender relationships they could simply choose not to read said fanfic.

Like I mentioned before, I've been onsite for many years and at one point I did get in an argument because of this topic. I had misunderstood a user and lashed out on them thinking that they had made a direct insult to a member of my family. Obviously that wasn't the case but I will forever be defensive on the subject. I know it's for reasons like arguments that you've chosen not to allow same gender couples... and I don't mean to sound like I'm fighting the rule. I just wanted to say that it is something I feel strongly about.

I'm bringing my post over from the thread on the OT board, but if we want to avoid controversy' let's ban these in fan-fics.

- Gender (women/men being portrayed as higher than the other)
- Participation in the lottery
- Relationships by choice
- Characters having kids without mentioning the parents were married
- Characters of other races
- Different types of economies
- Voting/lack of voting
- Characters buying products being advertised
- Characters using technology
- Characters being religious
- Mentions of the end of the world/2012
- Characters going to co-ed schools
- Characters dating at young ages
- Characters with large age gaps dating
- Characters getting plastic surgery
- Mentioning global warming

Parents are just as likely to have problems with these as homosexuality.

And if it is not "family friendly," there is an E rated Harvest Moon game with homosexual marries.

Do you think that there will be same-gender romances allowed in FanFics somewhere in the distant future? Not necessarily soon.

If you actually read the fanfiction rules, you would see that homosexual relationships are not allowed solely because of the Topics Not Allowed rule, which does not only apply to fanfics but the site in general. Homosexual fanfics are allowed in PTs.

If the staff find any of the things you listed as controversial, a fanfic with the controversial topic will be locked under their judgment. This will not only apply to the fanfiction board but to every other board as well, as the rule goes for the entire site, not just fanfiction.

"And if it is not "family friendly," there is an E rated Harvest Moon game with homosexual marries."

A reply to that:

"Only one Harvest Moon game, the Japanese version of Harvest Moon DS Cute, has allowed players to marry someone of the same sex (termed the "Best Friends" system). The feature was removed from the North American version over concern it's inclusion would have raised the game's ESRB rating."

It seems like it was fine in Japan.  We shouldn't ban things because Americans are more judgmental than others.

But ACC isn't a Japanese site, and our society is very different from theirs, meaning what we consider controversial/not family-friendly will be different as well.

I believe that not allowing homosexuality to be in stories (in general) is like taking a stance against it - it might be better to just leave that part out of the rules and let people interpret it as they will. Or possibly having a warning in the title "f/f, m/m, slash" something like that. This way, those who don't agree with that sort of thing can avoid it. Don't you think it's better for everybody to talk about something that is an integral part of them (and if they don't like it simply stepping around it) instead of having some people oppressed and upset while others walk around triumphantly?

I find it upsetting that I was fined for mentioning my sexuality - being who I am should not be considered controversial or an "offensive topic" (which was what I was fined for).

I'm not looking for a debate; I want my questions replied to by a mod. I don't mind if you disagree, but I'm not here for an argument.

gah, while i totally get why the staff would make homosexual romances against the rules,  and i kinda don't wanna get involved in this but at the same time i wanna get this off my chest...

i just don't understand why you guys are taking the discriminatory side instead of the side that's a bit more... accepting? ; ; (sorry, i'm not very articulate)

No offence but I was asking the admin...
And if you haven't noticed over time, rules have changed and the staff have become more lenient with them. So again, I'm asking if there would be a possibility in the distant future.

And besides, there is no point in arguing about it anymore, the staff have made it clear.

They haven't said if it would be changed in the future.

And the story doesn't even have to be based on homosexuality, but I thinking having characters in a homosexual relationship mixed with other single characters or characters in heterosexual relationships could contribute to the plot.

I believe that a good amount of ACC staff are supportive of the LGBT community, and that their decision to not allow it was the right thing to do. In time, this might change, but because of society now, its not possible.

I'm LGBT, as are others who supported ACC's decision. It's not about what the acc staff or we think is right, it's about what is considered family-friendly in society, and ACC needs to do what it does in order to keep the site 'family-friendly'.

BuZZyReCKy, say it was the 20's and ACC was around, would you say that stories with racial segregation would be okay, or banning characters who were black?  Society back then was very harsh on non-whites.

If it were a controversial subject, then yes.

Its not about whether it's morally right or wrong (as I have said multiple times in the other thread), it's whether society considers the topic to be family-friendly or not. That is what the rule is for.

Well it's up to society, just wait for it to change.

Then I guess we have a strong contrast of how we feel ACC should be moderated.  Let's see what the modmins think of this, they haven't posted since the thread blew up.

" Let's see what the modmins think of this, they haven't posted since the thread blew up."

They already told us how they felt by:

1-Making the rule
and
2-Posting in the Voice Your Opinion thread

but I agree that we should let this sit until iolite or one of the others in charge of the fanfic rules comes.