PPC Constitution

The PPC Constitution is the code of conduct for the PPC community — Board, Chat and Wiki. It should be the first thing read by every new arrival, and is to be followed by everyone — if you feel you cannot abide by its Articles, this is not the community for you.

Creation
The current PPC Constitution was created in the first half of 2012 by Huinesoron, and approved first by the Anonymous Constitutional Convention, and then by the Board. The definitive text of the Constitution can be found here, but for convenience, it is also available below.

Preamble
Where is the decent fan fiction? Where are the worthy plots going? They have passed like rain on the mountains Like a wind in the meadow Good fic has gone down in this fandom, Behind ff.net, into shadow. —Beauty in Disguise

Mission Impossible music plays in the background

Our Mission, Should We Choose To Accept It: The mission of the PPC is to encourage goodfic and discourage bad, but we are more than that. We are a community, here to share writing and writing tips, help out fellow writers in need, exchange opinions, and natter endlessly about everything from our favourite canons to apple pie. Mmm, pie... *Drools*

This webpage will self-destruct in thirty seconds.

[Hides; several hours pass]

Never mind, then...

[Comes out of hiding] BOOM!

-_-

To continue our endless mission without breaking into all-out war with each other requires some rules. And so... *Clears throat*

Hear ye, hear ye! (And all that other medieval mumbo-jumbo those town criers say. Forsooth verily!) We, the Members of the PPC, in order to form a more perfect Community, ensure domestic Tranquility, encourage the destruction of Badfic, promote Goodfic, and secure a certain level of wellbeing and (in)sanity for ourselves and those who will come after, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Protectors of the Plot Continuum.

Section One: On The Capacity To Engage In Mature Conversation
1. Discrimination and persecution of any kind will not be tolerated, especially on the basis of sexism, racism, ableism, nationalism, homophobia, transphobia, or religion. We will not tolerate individual people or groups who intentionally oppress, persecute, abuse, other, use or otherwise attack others in any way, shape or form, for any reason.

2. Do Not Flame. There is a distinct difference between 'I don't agree with your opinion and I think that your theory is factually wrong' and 'You're an idiot and your opinion is built on lies and stupidity'. If you find that you're hurling insults around, just stop.

3. Jokes about subjects such as rape, murder, abuse, bigotry and mental health issues will not be tolerated. These topics are considered to be Unfunny and 'it was just a joke!' will not be an accepted argument or excuse under any circumstances.

4. People engaged in any violation of the Constitution, particularly Articles 1 & 2 will be given at least one actual chance to stop and apologise. Telling someone to shut up because their opinion is unwanted does not constitute a chance. Giving someone a chance means informing them their behavior is wrong or unwanted according to our Constitution and why, as per Article 9.

5. All respectful opinions that do not attack, insult, or persecute others (see Article 1) are welcome. We encourage respectful, friendly debates here. Should a debate escalate into an argument for any reason, everyone involved should step back and calm down before continuing. If this cannot be done, it may be best to abandon the conversation entirely.

6. Everyone in the PPC Community should be respected as people, regardless of who they are. The opinions of a newbie are just as valid and wanted as those of someone here for four years. Everyone deserves respect until they show themselves to be unashamedly disrespectful themselves, which means people who show disrespect and discrimination as per Article 1 do not warrant respect based on those views. However, not warranting respect does not mean they do not warrant politeness. This means you are not allowed to descend into flaming and insulting them, but instead should follow Article 9.

7. If someone says something that seems offensive, but you’re not sure exactly what they meant, ASK them first, before jumping down their throats. Astonishingly enough, most people aren’t out to offend anyone. (If they are being deliberately insulting, believe me, you’ll have a lot of backup.) Don't be afraid to ask what someone meant- it isn't silly to want the full facts.

8. If you find it impossible to get along with another member of the PPC, please take it up in private e-mail. However, the rules of civility and respect do not ouside PPC community spaces or while communicating with other PPCers; harassing others by private means is just as serious as harassing them in public- if not more so, and will be treated as such. Don’t engage in bullying behaviour, and don’t say anything about another PPCer you wouldn’t say to their face. Remember, if you have to ask yourself if you’ve gone too far, you probably have. Everyone should do their best to be as civil as possible while in our community.

9. The PPC as a community is responsible for upholding the Constitution. If you see someone breaking any of the rules and guidelines herein, please ask them to stop (politely- remember Article 7!) and explain why. If this doesn't resolve the situation, you will be backed up - and if it continues, a persistent rule-breaker should be shunned or asked to leave. (If you're being accused of breaking a rule, take a step back and, if you are in the wrong, stop, apologise, and move on. Grudges are no fun!)

10. All discovered mimes will be thrown into a pit, which may or may not be filled with various objects such as scorpions upon their availability.

10.5. There will be no clemency for these mimes until they learn the words.

Section Two: On Engaging With Thy Peers

11. Thou shalt maketh yourselves legible. Spell correctly and use good grammar to the best of your ability — remember, the PPC is a force for good writing, and that includes SPaG. Wherever you are in the PPC community, spell, punctuate and grammatise to the very highest standard. Occasional honest mistakes will be forgiven, of course — but everything else aside, it’ll be hard for everyone to understand you and respond to you if you go, "OMG! I cant belive taht newst movie is out! Its so gr8!"

12. The PPC community is kid-, family- and work-friendly — make sure it stays that way. That means no cursing, no graphic violence, sex or whatever. If you feel you have to break this rule, please give a specific warning (and remember, just because you don’t have a problem with something, doesn’t mean others won’t). The PPC shared universe is also kid-, family- and work-friendly, but in this case the rule is to warn for anything that raises your rating, rather than necessarily cutting it out.

13. The PPC is a vast sprawling mess, so it’s perfectly fine to lurk around on the Board and the Wiki for a while before committing yourself. Before you actually post anything anywhere, however, you should post on the Board at least once to introduce yourself and receive whatever gifts people have for you.

14. Stick to one penname across the PPC as far as possible — or at least make it clear that the different names are still you. For instance, your Wiki user page should mention your Boarder name. Please don’t deliberately use multiple names — it’s confuzzling and pointlessly annoying to start an argument with yourself, and we can usually spot it. (Of course, if you’re role-playing, that’s a different matter entirely — see Articles 16, 19, and especially 29!)

15. If you don't understand something, don't be afraid to ask. We won't point, laugh, and go "Ha-ha!" when you don’t know something. We'll help — probably by pointing you at the Wiki, the Original Series, or the various guides we have for newbies, so why not start there? If you have a lot of questions, try saving them up for a single thread on the Board — you could even tack them onto someone else’s question thread!

Section Three: On Thy Topics Of Conversation
16. Silliness and insanity are welcome here — even encouraged. Feel free to leave your sanity at the door. Most PPCers do.

17. Serious discussion is ALSO welcome, nay, encouraged, here. Odd, ne?

18. Don’t worry about your interests being too eclectic for anyone else to be interested in — history has proven time and again that there probably is someone who shares your interests. And on the off chance that there isn’t, there’s somebody who wants to start!

19. There is no Article 19.

20. Randomness is seldom a bad thing, as long as Da Rules are followed. (For an example, see Article 19.)

21. Feel free to shamelessly plug stories, websites, or anything else to your heart’s content, if you think they’ll be of interest to the PPC in general. We’re in dire need of entertainment and good fanfic.

22. Also feel free to share links to badfics you find, if you think they’re worth telling us about. Sometimes we need a good laugh, sometimes we want to offer constructive criticism, sometimes we need something to kill for a mission. Not all badfic needs to be mentioned by itself, though — you can just post it directly to the List of Unclaimed Badfic, or add it to an already existing badfic thread on the Board. (And if you’re replying to a badfic plug, or reviewing it, remember Article 2!)

23. The Board in particular is a fairly small space for the number of people we have, so before you post, see if someone else is already talking about your pet topic. Got a fic you want to plug? Add it on to an already-extant badfic or goodfic thread — there’s usually one floating around. In accordance with Article 6, if someone breaks this guideline a few times, be nice! You may have seen it a hundred times before, but they probably haven't.

Section Four: On Missions, Badfic, And Sundries
24. The PPC dislikes bad fanfiction. This particularly includes Mary-Sues (badly written characters who warp the world they’re placed in to their own ends — male versions are usually called Gary-Stus, or some variant thereof) and bad slash (homosexual relationships between characters — but note the word bad here. Good slash is a different matter), but also any other form of bad writing.

25. In accordance with Articles 11 and 24, if you write fan- or original fiction, you should strive to make it good fiction, with good spelling/punctuation/grammar as well as well-made characters and plot. The PPC is a place for improvement, and if you ask for constructive criticism, we will give it gladly — just make sure you listen to it and do improve.

26. The PPC is a shared fictional universe, and we want everyone to take part in creating it — but we also don’t want people trying to write for the PPC before they know what it’s about. Before you write PPC stories, you will need Permission. Before you ask for Permission, make sure you read that article and meet the requirements.

27. Plagiarism is bad. Don’t plagiarise (stealing another's work for use, intentionally or unintentionally, and not crediting them for said work, either through forgetfulness or deliberate intent to pass it off as your own). If you find someone else has been plagiarised, tell us about it — we all enjoy a bit of righteous anger at times.

Section Five: On We Couldn't Fit This Anywhere Else
28. Trolls (those who create deliberately bad/annoying stories, reviews or comments for the express purpose of irritating or enraging others) will be ignored or mocked for entertainment. That includes PPCers who act as trolls — you have been warned. It is not clever to deliberately antagonise others in the community, and it is not clever to crow about antagonising people outside the community, either.

29. Remember to have FUN. FUN is good.

30. "Do not meddle in the affairs of assassins! They are heavily armed and quick to anger. And not noticeably subtle."

Signatures
The PPC Constitution is fully signable here on the Wiki — please add your name to the table below! However, please resist any temptation to delete others' names, or to edit any other part of the Constitution. Other copies of the Constitution, including the Definitive Version, will have their signatures updated as and when their maintainers get round to it.
 * Huinesoron
 * Kaitlyn
 * PoorCynic
 * EileenAlphabet
 * Antigone68104
 * doctorlit
 * ThatOne
 * TheMadHatteress
 * JulyFlame
 * SeaTurtle
 * Ellipsis Flood
 * Neshomeh
 * Phobos
 * Matthew72
 * Herr Wozzeck
 * ShatteredSanity
 * Shellfur
 * desdendelle
 * Artell
 * Pieguy
 * Elcalion
 * ZekeSturm
 * SingingTheThunder
 * Ponystar17
 * Sergio Turbo
 * Tomash
 * meow139

The First Amendment
''On the 15th August 2012, Section One was replaced in its entirety. The original text follows.''

''1. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. So be nice! Treat everyone else in the PPC with respect! Respect them personally, and respect their opinions, especially when it comes to controversial issues. You don’t have to agree with anyone, of course, and stating your own opinion is encouraged, but no telling other people that their opinion is WRONG. It’s kind of hard for an opinion to be wrong, considering that it’s how that certain individual sees a certain issue. Their opinions are just as valid as yours — and yes, your opinions are wanted, too, however new you are.''

''2. Do Not Flame! It’s one thing to say "I don’t agree with your opinion" to a person, but entirely inappropriate to say "You’re such a flipping idiot for thinking that, you flipping moron!” If you find yourself descending into insults, whether they be aimed at PPCers or anyone else — just stop.''

''3. Part of the wonder of the PPC is the ability of its members to engage in mature debate without descending into flames and fights. If a debate gets too heated and starts going out of control, everyone should step back and calm down, and possibly abandon the discussion if it seems like it can’t be continued calmly and civilly. Remember, disagreement is okay — insults aren’t.''

''4. If someone says something that seems offensive, but you’re not sure exactly what they meant, ASK them first, before jumping down their throats. Astonishingly enough, most people aren’t out to offend anyone. (If they are being deliberately insulting, believe me, you’ll have a lot of backup.)''

''5. If you find it impossible to get along with another member of the PPC, please take it up in private e-mail. Don’t turn our spaces into free-for-all flamefests, don’t engage in bullying behaviour, and while you’re in our spaces, don’t say anything about another PPCer you wouldn’t say to their face. Remember, if you have to ask yourself if you’ve gone too far, you probably have.''

''6. The PPC as a community is responsible for upholding the Constitution. If you see someone breaking any of the rules and guidelines herein, please ask them to stop - nicely: remember Article 4 - and explain why. If this doesn't resolve the situation, you will be backed up - and if it continues, a persistant rule-breaker is likely to be shunned or asked to leave the Board. (If you're being accused of breaking a rule, take a step back - Article 3 - and, if you are in the wrong, stop, apologise, and move on. Grudges are no fun!)''

Original PPC Board Constitution
Affectionately known as Da Rules, the original list of proper Boarder behavior stood as an effective guard against the chaos and infighting that often pervade other message boards for almost a decade. Believed to be written by Saphie, and based on the Chalkie Constitution by Rose and Jean, the full original Constitution can be found here. It also served as the basis for the current Constitution.

Original Signatures
The original Board Constitutional was signable in the dim and distant past, but after the departure of Philosopher at Large, lapsed into stasis. The only PPCer to have signed both the Original and Revised Constitutions is Kaitlyn. Please do not add your name to this list — it is included for reference only. To sign the Revised Constitution, see above.


 * Saphie
 * Cimmoren
 * Cainell
 * Elena
 * Salad the Deciever
 * Krystannya
 * Meir Brin
 * Architeuthis
 * Nath
 * Burrowed Lurker
 * Beauty in Disguise
 * NenyaQuende
 * Ella Darcy
 * Claudia Beth King
 * Grey Lady Bast
 * LeeLee
 * San Antonio Rose
 * Andtauriel Longwood-Baggins
 * Beth/Nerys
 * Al's Waiter
 * Melilot Millstone
 * Sleepy Jean
 * Mercuria Stardust
 * Thalia Weaver
 * Kai
 * ErusDaughter
 * Kazaera
 * Eruantale
 * Leo Dragoness
 * Venya
 * The Moody One
 * Coley
 * Inannle
 * Dragonlet
 * Morgana la Faye
 * Jay Sea
 * Kaitlyn
 * Cerberus Dis
 * DSDragon
 * Kat the Lorekeeper
 * bjam
 * Ojos Verdes
 * Vemi