RULES Of Our Forum

[Admin]

Why the Forum was made

Having participated in several other communities for consanguinamory, I observed that there was no place where people could come to talk exclusively about writing Original Fiction, in genres other than just erotica.

Current media has very mixed representations of consang couples: they are often used for shock value purposes or as side characters in a larger story. The aim of this forum is to support the creation of well-rounded characters that are more true to life, and who challenge existing stereotypes.  

Focus of the Forum

To bring together aspiring writers to discuss our characters and writing, specifically those pairings that would be considered “taboo” in various parts of our world: Sibling and Cousin pairings, straight or gay, GSA or non-GSA, romantic and/or sexual, Canon or very near canon. This forum is not for purely platonic relationships, as lovely as those are.

AMENDED RULE: *Only those who have previously been given an Exception can discuss other relative pairings in their fiction. Please see https://consang-fiction.forumotion.com/t60-rule-change-who-can-join-the-forum.

Who can join?

• *Anyone who is currently writing or is planning to write Original Fiction containing one or more consanguineous couples—major or minor characters.
  
  *You must be 18 or over to join, because there will be mature content and discussions here.
  
  *Aspiring writers of all skill levels are welcome. All genres welcome.
  
  *Anyone with general or specific preferences (e.g. if you like Bro/Sis but you’re not crazy about Bro/Bro, or you only do queer pairs). It's fine. Just be respectful of others’ preferences.
  
  *Anyone who wants to explore the darker side of consanguinamory, where there is a grey area between consent and non-consent, or if you have unhappy endings planned. As long as you are not coming to the forum with a pre-conceived notion that ‘all consang relationships’ are inherently unhealthy and/or are doomed to fail, then you are welcome to explore unhealthy dynamics as well. Exploring grey areas in fiction does not mean the same thing as being ok with abuse. However, IF your pairing is fully abusive or non-consensual, this is not the forum for you. [Only requirement for grey area is please put a trigger warning tag]
  

___How we can make use of the Forum___

This forum is an experimental project. It will be slow in the beginning because community building takes time. It’s a bigger challenge since there are few writers out there who are truly dedicated to handling this subject in an honest and balanced way.

So until we begin to gain members, please be patient with the pace of things. You could also help develop the forum by bringing people here, if you know of anyone that would be a good fit.

There are various ways we can make use of this forum. Here are just some possibilities:

• We could do bi-weekly writing exercises to practice writing scenes and dialogue, to get a good sense of how our characters would act and talk.
  • We could discuss the nature of “double love” and how the familial and the romantic intertwine in a consang relationship.
  • We can discuss stigma, its origins and how the characters deal with it in their societies.
  • We can talk about our own fears or anxieties about writing/publishing fiction containing controversial material, how we could remain strong and dedicated despite the judgment we may face as writers of such relationships.
  • We can do research together (e.g. share links to documentaries, scholarly articles, author/actor interviews, commentary, or other material on this subject) so that our writing could be better informed by facts and existing dialogues.  
  • We can help each other develop points in our fictional character & relationship arcs in a way that suits our individual visions.
  • We can provide each other with feedback on our writing styles so that we can improve the quality.
  • We can discuss fandom and ships… in connection with what we hope do with our original fiction. E.g. What are our fav ships/dynamics? What we can learn from the writers of the past? What can/should we do differently?
  

___Privacy and Confidentiality___

Please be conscious of the fact that this is the Internet. We will aim to build trust with each other, but even with the best of intentions, the mods can’t guarantee that everyone who comes here can be trusted to protect your material. For this reason, you decide how much or how little you share of your material. Try not to share too much, even things like original names… you can use ‘place holder’ generic names for your characters instead.

If you don’t want to share your writing here, you don’t have to. You can still contribute and learn something by participating in discussions.

#1 Golden Rule: Respect each other’s preferences; respect each other’s boundaries.

___Basic Rules all Must Follow___

*Please approach with an attitude of neutrality when it comes to ‘real life’ consang couples (siblings and cousins, for the purposes of this forum), and the willingness to learn, even if some things make you uncomfortable. I want to keep the forum a judgement-free, safe space for all, including those who may come to it with personal experience of consanguinamory.

*No homophobia, transphobia, or racism (again, this must be a safe space for all)

*If you are going to write about relations that occur between people or characters who are minors, the sexual details must be limited within forum posts (obviously in the writing you ultimately publish, you go with your own rules).

*This forum is only for fiction. If you are mixing some non-fiction elements into your writing, please make sure to change names and details to respect people’s privacy.

___Exceptions___

The rules are there to ensure that the forum remains a safe space for writers of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and races. But if you have a character that is homophobic or racist or transphobic, this is fine if used as a necessary part of that particular character’s design/arc.  As long as you, the writer, treat other writers and people with courtesy and respect, all’s good.

___Invisible Forum Sections___

People looking at the forum from the outside will have a limited view. To see a full list of all forum sections, see this post:

https://consang-fiction.forumotion.com/t24-forum-categories-permissions#70