Have fun!
Thank you.
Temaris
Normal service will resume sometime after the haze clears -- probably the middle of next week. In the meantime, try not to break anything ;-)
Temaris
---
New pairing categories are added if there are a certain number of stories in the archive containing that pairing - at the moment, it's around 10 but changes depending on how big the archive gets. In addition, pairing categories are only added if one (in the case of Character/other) or both (Character A/Character B) characters are included in the list of characters on the site.
A new character is added to the list if they meet the following criteria:
--The character is in several episodes (as in, at least five) of Stargate: Atlantis, where they make some kind of significant contribution, rather than just being the same face in the background or with the occasional line.
--The character must have both a first and last name in canon. (An exception was made in the case of Major Lorne, because he has been in several episodes of Stargate: SG1 as well as SGA, and has made significant contributions, despite never being given a first name in canon. Yet. We're waiting ::g::)
--The character must have had a number of stories submitted to the archive that feature him or her in a significant role.
I hope that explains the process. As usual, if you have any questions about this or anything else to do with the archive, please don't hesitate to contact the archivists. :)
There is a rule against flaming. This rule is enforced, even if you flame anonymously. Not that you will see this message, as I've just banned your IP address.
If you do manage to log on with another IP address and try to flame again, I'll simply ban that one too.
Dear Everyone Else:
Ceiling cat is watching you.
No character bashing stories. Character bashing includes, but is not limited to, making characters look bad because you think that they are a threat to your OTP or your favourite character; making characters look bad because you think it makes your favourite character look good in comparison; characters acting severely out of character - plotting murder, committing rape, beating the hell out of people - for no good reason that is explained in the story when there is no indication in canon that they would behave in such a way. Please note that this does not mean that we don't accept dark stories, but if your canon character reads as though they are cackling wildly and swirling a black mustache, or weeps, wails and has a streak of yellow ten foot wide while someone else saves the day, you've probably crossed the line into character bashing.
I'm putting it here because we've had a very small run of character-bashing stories lately, but a run nonetheless, and it therefore seemed time to remind everyone that it is not something this archive can accept.
Given the above, if you are going to post a story where you feel you need to warn the audience that you are bashing a character, you are breaking the archive rules. Please don't do it. :)
Edited to Add: We are not planning on removing any stories already in the archive--if they are here, it's because we've already gone over them and found them compliant with the archive rules. This was a reminder for anyone considering posting a new story.
A solitary figure slumps desolately over a keyboard, lit with a single spotlight to enhance the ambiance of isolation. The only sound to be heard is an eerie 'tap tap tap'
Author: Please R&R!
Archivist: *sighs*
Archivist: *sends a nicely worded 'please read the rules' mail*
Archivist: *edits story to remove rule breaking and validates*
Act One, Scene Two
Author: Give me feedback or I won't write more!
Archivist: O.o
Archivist: *sends politely worded 'no' letter pointing to the rules and possibly pointing out that this is why we have the rule in the first place*
Archivist: *deletes* *deletes* *deletes*
*clash of dramatic cymbals*
*fade to black...*
The moral of the story: Don't make us into Cybermen, boys and girls.
I'm really sorry this has happened, but please check your stories to make sure that this is an isolated error. As I said, I'm not sure why this has happened so I can't say that it won't happen again. I'm assuming that it's something that happened during the upgrade and just hasn't been spotted until now, but don't quote me on that.
Readers: This is an issue with the site, not the author. I would therefore appreciate it if you could stay polite when pointing out the issue to the author rather than accusing her of being ignorant. The site does have some minimum quality standards in place, and if the author really hadn't known that you needed to both break up chunks of text to make them readable online and that you had to start a new paragraph whenever someone new speaks, the story wouldn't have been added to the archive in the first place.
Thank you.
The SGA Santa is now open for sign-ups. It's a fic only exchange, open to writers of all genres (het, slash, gen, threesomes and moresomes, bitextual - you name it, someone will request it ::g::).
You don't have to have a livejournal to participate, and you can sign up without an LJ here.
And if that's not enough, there's also the Czech is in the Male Zelenka Slash Thing-a-thon. Because I am shameless. Open to writers and fan artists, it's a Zelenka slash only challenge (as the name suggests), but it will be running for a little longer than the Santa, just so you can get that out of the way first.
Like I said, shameless ::g::
We hope you had fun and thank you for playing along. And remember, if you're still feeling piratically inclined we have two new skins for you to enjoy.
We tried our hand at pressgangin' those landlubbers McKay and Sheppard into joinin' our fine piratical crew, but they turned out to be not so nautical in nature - or p'rhaps that was me piloting skills being lackin'. Ne'er fear, though. They'll be back shortly, wi' the other skins that be sailing back into port on the 20th of this fair month. We will also be keepin' the two pirate skins - Teyla and Ronon - around for a bit, so if ye still feel like sailin' wi' those skins, ye'll be able to.
I be headed to me hammock shortly, ready to steer me ship into treacherous waters on the morrow an' doin' me own plunderin' - or bein' plundered, dependin' on how ye view the world o' work - so I'll no be checkin' the site until t'morrow eve, but ha'e fun and remember to be takin' what you can and givin' somethin' back!
If'n ye not be piratical inclined, we be sailin' back into friendly waters in se'endays or so, so make sure yer powder is dry and yer rum is wet, and ride out the storm 'til then.
Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!
So I made one.
I've also moved the stories I could find with that pairing, i.e. those that were obvious, but if I've missed yours, please feel free to move it from the Lorne/other or McKay/other categories across to the new category.
We intend the site to be a safe place for all fans, regardless of their favourite character. We enforce this rule for all characters, from Sheppard through to Caldwell, from Weir through to Kavanagh.
This doesn't mean that you can't write stories where characters do suspect things - that's happened in canon after all. All that we ask is that you stick to characterisation as shown on the show, and that if characters act out of character, then you explain this in the context of your story. An example of this would be Season 2, (Critical Mass or Conversion). See what they did there? The whole 'there is a reason' thing? *is deliberately non-spoilery*
This also doesn't mean that stories written for certain communities won't be accepted. We look at stories, not any surrounding controversy. For example, in the past we have accepted stories that were written for 'kill a certain character' communities because in our opinion the story didn't character bash, regardless of the community for which it was written or which character was killed off.
Our rules are not in any way, shape or form intended to stifle your creativity as authors. You are perfectly entitled to write whatever stories you wish to write, whether they are character bashing or not.
And we're perfectly entitled not to archive them.
We also said that after a little while to give people time to repost their old challenges to the new area, we'd delete the old challenges category. That day has come today.
If you hadn't got around to reposting your old challenges, they're gone, I'm afraid, but you can still post them - or any new challenges - under challenges.
