Crimson Ink (CIML) is a Mailing List whose purpose is to develop and support homoerotic writers and artists of the Slash/Yaoi genre. The goal of this Mailing List is to provide a friendly, contributive environment in which yaoi and/or slash writers can work on developing and improving their stories and art.
Some of the rules below are standard Netiquette, others have been created to specifically meet the needs of Crimson Ink. These rules will be enforced.
If you have questions about any of these rules, please contact a CIML Admin. (See the ML Info page for Admin e-mail addys.)
1) You must be at least 18 years old to be a member.
2) No off-topic posts. On topic posts are any male-male fic, poem, links to male/male pics, crit, response to a crit, or writing related discussion / announcement. Non-m/m is ok only if it's a side story to or part of a larger male/male fic, and must be preceeded by a disclaimer.
Off-topic posts are only permitted if they are written up as "spam fics"-- a little mini-fic that gets the poster's message across.
Examples:
ON TOPIC:
- fics
- poetry
- critique/commentary
- response to critique/commentary
- discussions about writing such as help with grammar, or asking for info about a character or scene if it's a fanfic (*MUST* be fic related, no character debates, canon debates, etc.)
- discussions about good writing resources
- discussions about things pertaining to fics & writing in general or fic "spotlights"
- contests / contest announcements for writing contests, announcements for writing opportunities ie publishing, apa's, etc. ***WITH ADMIN PERMISSION - this is to prevent possible spam*** Once you receive permission you do not have to write it as a spamfic.
- recommendations/reviews of good fics found on the web / good books / good resources
- URLS to illustrations for fics, which are up for critique/commentary
- requests for a beta-reader / editor / private assistance on a fic
- URLS to yaoi art (fan or original) *must be* male/male in subject matter for critique/commentary
OFF TOPIC:
If you must post OT, you must write it up as a spamfic. If you don't you run the risk of receiving a warning, and 3 warnings equals your removal from the list.
- Announcing your webpage updates
- Comparing your favorite characters / favorite series
- Other non-writing related talk of an anime series/tv show/comic book etc.
- Convention announcements
- Announcing your extended vacation (notification of your absences from the list should be made in private to the admin staff, not on-list unless you want to write a spam fic about it.)
- Non-writing contest announcements
- Non-yaoi fan/original art.
- Essays on subjects that are not creative writing (i.e., politics, your pet peeve, yaoi in general)
- In general, anything not related to writing male/male fiction / poetry / art
ABSOLUTELY NEVER OK FOR CRIMSON INK ML:
- Flames - that is, any rude, unjustified and deliberately hurtful remark made against a list sib.
- In Character (IC) /Out of Character (OOC) debates
- Canon/non-canon debates
3) Crimson Ink is a private, closed ML. No fic, pic, or snippet is to be forwarded to any other individual or ML without permission of the original creator/copyright holder. And no *other* CI post is to be forwarded to anyone for any reason.
4) All comments, critiques and replies are to be made on-list. Critiques not only help the original author and/or artist, but others who are working on new ideas, and hopefully, by critiquing online, a variety of opinions will be expressed and Crimson Ink will develop an atmosphere encouraging brainstorming and creativity.
5) MST fics are not to be posted on CI. An MST fic is a critique that does not meet CI's guidelines.
6) Participation is a vital component to the success of CIML and all members are required to post at least once every three months. Gentle reminders will be sent if we have not heard from a member within three months, and continual silence will result in that members removal from CI.
To avoid being removed from the list due to Real Life exceptions, please notify an Admin if you will be unable to post for a month or longer (no need to specify the reason), so we can keep you on the rolls. Consider unsubscribing when you can't check your mail for extended periods. We would be happy to unsubscribe you for the period of your absence and reinstate you on your return.
7) No fiction involving real people (especially musicians and actors) is allowed, for legal reasons. If you'd like to include another listsib or fan in your fiction, please get their permission first.
8) Kiddie porn is a big deal in law enforcement USA. Unfortunately, by its very definition, shonen-ai and most yaoi deals with boys considered 'underage' by societal standards. But we all understand that there is a world of difference between two 16 year old boys doing the wild thing and an adult male seducing a 9 year old boy. Therefore, if your story/post concerns explicit sexual actions involving very young minors, please keep the above in mind and state this in your warning and/or notes. And should for any reason the Admins perceive a fic or pic of this type to pose a problem, legal or otherwise, we reserve the right to request that it not be posted.
9) It is not acceptable to send messages to the ML saying any practice, pairing, or subject matter depicted in a fic is offensive to you. Everyone has different tastes and tolerance levels, and one of the most important underpinnings of CI is acceptance of these differences. The posting template has been designed to allow our members to avoid stories and pictures that do not appeal to them. Negative comments based on a romantic pairing, or the type of fic, snippet or pic, are not acceptable.
10) Plagiarism will not be tolerated on CIML. Confirmed plagiarism will result in the listsib being removed from the list. If you think you have identified a case of plagiarism, do not post your suspicion to the list, contact an Admin.
11) No attached files. Attached files can crash people's systems -- this includes long stories, short stories, pictures... ANY attached file. To send an image to the list, post the URL beneath the posting template header.
12) Change the subject line when you change the subject of a post. When critiquing a fic, add [comment] or [c&c] to the fic's title in the subject line. Likewise, if replying to a discussion, put [discussion] in the subject line. Note that posts labeled [admin] are posted BY an admin ONLY, and it would be wise to read them ASAP. ^_~
13) Keep quoting to a minimum; include just enough text of the original to give a context, or summarize what you are responding to.
14) Signature files are to be no more than 7 lines.
15) Neither flames nor flame wars will be tolerated on CI.
16) One-line posts, including those of the "me, too!" variety, are not useful contributions to the ML and are not to be posted on CI. Repeated offenses of one-liners will result in the offending party's removal from the list.
17) If you feel you are having problems with the server used by CI, contact an Admin. Do not send "test" posts to the ML; if you've posted something and don't see it immediately, don't assume it's failed and re-post it.
18) If your e-mail address consistently bounces messages you will be unsubscribed. (i.e., if your email addy keeps returning failure messages.)
19) Every fic and/or fic url, image and snippet, must be preceded by the minimum posting template header (see template). Be aware of what types of subject matter require warnings, and include any appropriate warnings in your header (see the Warnings section below for more info).
20) When posting a fic or snippet, please observe the following:
- Save your story as a text file, then copy and paste to send via e-mail.
- Limit posts to 500 lines, with a line width of 70 characters (standard e-mail width). Longer stories should be broken up into parts and labeled 01/12, 02/12, etc.
- Skip a line between paragraphs
- Don't use non-standard characters.
- In process fics and snippets do not require grammar to be checked before posting, but must be marked as [WIP] work-in-progress. Completed fics should be grammar checked and beta'd before posting.
- Use the following format for the subject line:
[fic] Title - Part #/of # - rating - fandom-pairing
21) Many people want to be warned about certain types of content. Courteous authors and artists heed those wishes. We have tried to think of all those categories one would wish to be warned against. If your fic, snippet, or pic deals with any of the following, you must include a warning when posting to Crimson Ink.
Warnings:
- Rape or NC (for non-consensual sex)
- Death (for death of a major character)
- Episode spoilers (name the episode)
- b&d (for Bondage/domination scenes)
- s&m (for Sado/masochistic scenes)
- Extreme violence
- h/c (for hurt/comfort)
- Bestiality
- Necrophilia
- Extreme angst
- m/f or het (for Male/Female sex)
- f/f or yuri (for Female/female sex)
There is also the option to say "Other: see story notes", and then explain more fully in the author's notes. You may also choose "None".
