LOCATIONS RULES

[Lexa]

The SS has decided on the following rules for the I/L category:

1.  No Alternate Universes

2.  Real Places:  Tokyo and Tokyo Tower would be NO, but Crystal Tokyo and Megatokyo would be all right as they are significantly different from the real-life place.

3.  Past/Future:  Locations in the past are not allowed, but locations in the future are.

4.  Subdivisions of certain places.  For example, if Crystal Tokyo had had a major place in BSSM I could approve both, but do NOT expect me to approve most buildings and rooms.

5.  Companies/schools:  a few people have applied for companies and schools (especially in Prince of Tennis).  By applying for it in the I/L section, you are just applying for the building itself, not the people inside.  If you'd like both, you MUST cross-list with Characters.  (The Character staffers and I have been cross-listing the Prince of Tennis schools because I/L corresponds to school itself and Characters to the team.)

6.  Items groups:  If it can be broken down individually, no groups are approvable.  This means that even though you see, for example, Usagi's henshin items, you are still not allowed to apply as that topic is being "grandfathered" into the category.  (This basically means that like topics are exempt from the rules as the rules are sort of ex post facto)

If you have any questions or need further clarification, please post here.  I am trying to work through the applications and will be done with them by Monday at the latest (crazy weekend at college, I'm afraid).  It will be a full category update.  :bounce:

[Meli]

Aw, darn... *snaps fingers* I guess that means one of my applications is void. ^^;

If I may ask though, why are locations in the future accepted but not locations in the past? Just curious. :bounce:

[Ami]

I was going to ask the same thing as Meli, actually Not because I want to apply, but there are a few that I'd fancy joining. What about past locations that are real, but take on a whole new role in the canon? :bounce:

[JuuhachiGo]

[quote name='Loki' date='Sep 11 2005, 10:52 AM']I was going to ask the same thing as Meli, actually Not because I want to apply, but there are a few that I'd fancy joining. What about past locations that are real, but take on a whole new role in the canon? :bounce:

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This means Rainbow Bridge is not, also if in the manga it's a barrier, a kekkai that protects Tokyo?

[Lexa]

OK, I'm actually not 100% sure myself, but if I had to guess why past wouldn't be allowed it would be for the following reason:

The word past implies that the present is reflective on what has already happened.  You can't apply for a period of time itself, but, at the same time, what's happened in the past usually involves real places because we know what happened.  For example, Feudal Japan, even though it's filled with monsters and whatnot in Inuyasha, was still an actual time/place--actually, that's more of a time period if you think about it.  Because in the show they're bouncing all over the place... but anyway.

The future is probably OK because we have no idea what it's going to be like, or what's going to happen.  It's more like "a new world" because there is no definite answer for what it will be like.

Like I said, I'm not 100%, but I'll have a Senior Staffer clarify.  :bounce:

[Annie]

Well, just my opinion, but from that explanation above, shouldn't the past be approvable and the future unapprovable? Because you're saying that the past is whats already happened, so we know what it's like and may be a fan of it, but if it's in the future and we have no idea what it's like... you get what I'm saying? hehe, Well anyway, like Loki said, that would rule out a few fanlistings I would have wanted to see and join. Guess I'll wait for the final word  :bounce:

[Rosemary]

[quote name='Annie' date='Sep 11 2005, 03:09 PM']Well, just my opinion, but from that explanation above, shouldn't the past be approvable and the future unapprovable? Because you're saying that the past is whats already happened, so we know what it's like and may be a fan of it, but if it's in the future and we have no idea what it's like... you get what I'm saying? hehe, Well anyway, like Loki said, that would rule out a few fanlistings I would have wanted to see and join. Guess I'll wait for the final word  :bounce:

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I believe Lexa meant that the past would be usually based on a real place (or time period) because it happened already and is then based on that, but normally future locations in series are not based on a pre-existing place because they're happening in a new and unknown time.  Obviously, if a future place in a series is approved you can be a fan of it because it exists in the series and thus you know it - it just isn't know in a realistic 'can overlap with already existing real world places' way.

(Lexa, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's what you were getting at? )

[Dimmie]

[quote name='Rosemary' date='Sep 11 2005, 06:01 PM']I believe Lexa meant that the past would be usually based on a real place (or time period) because it happened already and is then based on that, but normally future locations in series are not based on a pre-existing place because they're happening in a new and unknown time.  Obviously, if a future place in a series is approved you can be a fan of it because it exists in the series and thus you know it - it just isn't know in a realistic 'can overlap with already existing real world places' way.

(Lexa, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's what you were getting at? )

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I'm having trouble understanding this rule too, so does this mean I could apply for a relevant location in a past time just as long as it had some expressive difference from the "real" location as it was in the past? Let's say, a place as it existed some thirty/two hundred years in the past, granted that in that specific universe it was a unique location, with a lot of relevance in the story, without which the plot would have been completely different? (It's hard to come by with actual examples, so let's be hypothetical just for clarification's sake.  :bounce:)

[Lexa]

That's EXACTLY what my inarticulate self was trying to say, thanks Rose.  :bounce:

Dimmie... the fact that it's hard to come up with an example for what you're getting at sort of implies that it might not be that big of a problem...  But I think for now we're just going to stick with no past places, because in theory they are still in existence.  Like, OK:  with the Moon Kingdom in Sailormoon, it existed in the past, but it's still up there presently in the series, even if it's destroyed/not inhabited.

[JuuhachiGo]

And what you exactly mean with Alternative Universe? That if a real location in a manga story has a particular meaning, it can't be approved? ;___;

[Gali]

What about a place like Ten (Heaven)? Considering it's a very much modified heaven in the Saint Beast universe, which is what I'd be applying for.

Sorry, the 'real places' thing sort of threw me on that one..  :bounce:

[JuuhachiGo]

And if a real location has a particular role in a manga and it's implied in the story, such as a Kekkai in X XD, or the scenery of a crucial battle XD?

[Kira]

I think what they're trying to say is that you can't apply for real locations unless they're drastically different in terms of appearance and location.  Otherwise they'd have a million fanlistings for Tokyo in each different series, and it'd be kind of pointless.

[Gali]

[quote name='Kira' date='Sep 14 2005, 07:19 AM']I think what they're trying to say is that you can't apply for real locations unless they're drastically different in terms of appearance and location.  Otherwise they'd have a million fanlistings for Tokyo in each different series, and it'd be kind of pointless.

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Mmkay, that's much clearer. Thanks, Kira. ^^;

[Lexa]

The best thing to do is if you have any doubts about the validity of "real life" places, explain IN DETAIL about how they differ and maybe provide me with a few links that you think would be helpful.  :bounce: