Over the past year, we’ve witnessed several applicants trying to gain an unfair advantage with approvals for popular subjects by taking advantage of our preference for crosslists. For example: by applying for the manga version of a character in the hopes of crosslisting it into the Games category at TFL, applying for the novel version of a relationship in the hopes of crosslisting it into the Relationships category at TAFL, etc. Essentially, applicants are applying for subjects that they otherwise would not have applied for, or are applying for subjects that they have no actual knowledge of or experience with, simply in the hopes of getting an easier approval (via crosslisting) into the Network/Category in which they actually want to be listed.

If you have any questions about this clarification, please feel free to send myself or Jackie a contact form, and we will do our best to answer them.

Members who are discovered to be creating and using multiple identities will be warned; if, even after being warned, members persist in using multiple identities, more drastic measures will be taken, including the removal of fanlistings unfairly gained and/or a network ban. These are not actions that the Senior Staff take lightly – in fact, since TAFL’s inception, we have never had to ban anyone from the network. Obviously, we hope never to have to do so. Again, however, certain members have tried to circumvent network policy by using false identities, despite being warned; as a result, the Senior Staff have identified and removed the fanlistings (listed below) belonging to those false identities.

The Senior Staff hopes that this will be the last time we have to post about such a thing. We want to remind everyone that network rules are created and implemented to ensure a safe, fun, and respectful environment, both for visitors and for staffers. Furthermore, as a precaution, we would like to advise network members to not use multiple names and email addresses when applying for fanlistings. This causes more work for staffers and creates the appearance of multiple identities (even if unintentional). If you need to change your email address or the name that you’re listed under in the database, please submit a Change Email form to the Senior Staff, prior to submitting additional applications, and notify the category staffers if you have pending applications under the old email. If you would like to change your board name, you may request that in the appropriate forum thread as well.

While we will take any step necessary to protect the network and this community, we do not enjoy admonishing or punishing, because that’s not what fanlistings are about. Above all, we would like to remind our visitors that fanlistings are supposed to be fun! It’s great to enjoy them, but please do so responsibly and fairly!

Removed from Network (OPEN for application)

Adult
Characters: Junjou Romantica: Asahina Kaoru
Characters: Junjou Romantica: Isaka Ryuuichiro
Relationships: Junjou Romantica: Miyagi You & Takatsuki Shinobu

Characters 0-M
Amatsuki: Ginshu
Axis Powers Hetalia: China/Wang, Yao
Axis Powers Hetalia: Hungary/Héderváry, Elizaveta
Axis Powers Hetalia: Japan/Honda Kiku
Axis Powers Hetalia: Prussia/Weillschmidt, Gilbert
Axis Powers Hetalia: Switzerland/Zwingli, Vash
Card Captor Sakura: Clow Reed
Deadman Wonderland: Shiro
Death Note: Jeevas, Mail/Matt
Eyeshield 21: Kaitani Riku
Gintama: Kagura
Karneval: Gareki
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! (Home Tutor Hitman Reborn!): Chiavorone (Cavallone) Family
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! (Home Tutor Hitman Reborn!): Fran
Kobato: Fujimoto Kiyokazu
Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler): Maylene

Characters N-Z
Persona 3: Aegis/Aigis
Persona 4: Hanamura Yosuke
Persona 4: Satonaka Chie
Soul Eater: Mifune
Soul Eater: Shinigami
Tajuu Jinkaku Tantei Saiko (MPD Psycho): Kobayashi Yosuke
Tsubasa (Reservoir) Chronicle: Clow Reed
XXXHOLiC: Clow Reed

Magazines
Shûkan Shônen Janpu (Weekly Shonen Jump)

Manga-ka & Directors
Sorachi Hideaki
Umino Chika

Relationships
Axis Powers Hetalia: Austria/Edelstein, Roderich & Prussia/Gilbert Weillschmidt
Bakuman: Azuki Miho & Mashiro Moritaka (Saiko)
Card Captor Sakura: Kinomoto Sakura & Tsukishiro Yukito
Tsubasa (Reservoir) Chronicle: Sakura & Yukito

Series
Karneval (Carnival)

Songs
Higashi no Eden (Eden of the East): Futuristic Imagination (Ending Theme)
Romeo x Juliet: Inori ~ You Raise Me Up (Opening Theme)

Fanlisting graphics should reflect the subject you are approved for.
Your fanlisting’s layout and image codes should feature images that accurately reflect the subject you have been approved for. (For example, if you have been approved for the manga version of a character featured in a movie or a game, your layout should feature manga images of the character, unless you are approved for the other versions of the character as well.) Your image codes should also be clearly marked with the subject you have been approved for. (For example, if you own a series, character or relationship fanlisting, you can not have codes featuring only one character from the series and the word “fan.”)

The code buttons portion of the old rule remains in place. It has been reworded as follows:

Fanlisting codes must reflect the subject you are approved for.
Your fanlisting’s image codes should feature images that accurately reflect the subject you have been approved for. The codes should be clearly marked with the subject you have been approved for. (For example, if you own a series or relationship fanlisting, you can not have codes featuring only one character from the series and the world “fan.”

We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

BUILDING A FANLISTING

Fanlisting graphics should reflect the subject you are approved for.
Your fanlisting’s layout and image codes should feature images that accurately reflect the subject you have been approved for. (For example, if you have been approved for the manga version of a character featured in a movie or a game, your layout should feature manga images of the character, unless you are approved for the other versions of the character as well.) Your image codes should also be clearly marked with the subject you have been approved for. (For example, if you own a series, character or relationship fanlisting, you can not have codes featuring only one character from the series and the word “fan.”)

MAINTAINING A FANLISTING

Your fanlisting must be easy to navigate and join.
Fanlistings that are difficult to navigate, have “hidden” links, and require code words will be placed on the Troubles list as this makes it difficult to join and goes against the network philosophy of accepting ALL fans. (This is not the same as fanlistings using Enthusiast or a management script, which asks for the fan to enter a password, or one is generated for them, so that they can change their information securely. The difference is that fans are added regardless of whether or not they choose to use the Enthusiast password feature.)

Each approved subject must have its own join form and members list.
If you have the fanlistings for two or more subjects hosted on the same site, the use of a single join form with a “Favorite” option to allow members to select the subject they are joining for is acceptable, although it is preferable that each subject have its own join form and member list.

APPLYING FOR A FANLISTING

You may have up to 6 fanlistings listed as upcoming at the network at any time, and up to 3 pending applications in one category.
If you already have 6 upcoming fanlistings, any new application you send will be rejected because you may not be approved for anything else until some of them are finished. Once you reach the limit of 3 pending applications in a category, any new applications you send in will be disregarded until the pending applications are either approved or rejected.

To further explain the first rule — This fits into the ‘ambiguous code’ rule we have been implementing for awhile. This rule simply clarifies the infraction. If a fanlisting is for a character, it is permissible for the code to simply say FAN. If the fanlisting is for a group, relationship/rivalry, series, etc. the code must have the subject name. (If it is a series name, the code can simply say “series”, or an abbreviated form of the series name) This rule also covers fanlisting layout graphics. If the fanlisting subject is ONLY approved at TAFL, only anime/manga graphics are permissible. If the fanlisting is crosslisted, other graphics are fine. If the fanlisting is crosslisted and there are several layout skins available, it is fine as well. (Example #1: I own a Pokemon character fanlisting here at TAFL, but not at TFL. I use game graphics on my fanlisting.) (Example #2: I own a Song fanlisting here at TAFL, but I use manga images in the layout. Exceptions to using manga images for a Song fanlisting is if the song is mentioned in the manga storyline — ie: Gravitation, Full Moon wo Sagashite.)

Troublecheckers will be looking for these problems on all fanlistings in the next month and the Troubles staffers will send all fanlisting owners with violations a warning to fix the problem. THIS EMAIL WILL NOT MEAN YOU ARE ON TROUBLES. You will have a month to fix the problem and any subsequent trouble check will cause the fanlisting to be placed on troubles status if the issue is not fixed.

As stated previously, if you have any questions regarding these new policies, please contact the staffers directly with your inquiries.

Also, all novels and non-manga books based on anime and manga series should be applied for at TFL.org in the Literature category.

Although novels and drama CDs are based on anime/manga, they are not directly related to them, much the same way that fanlistings for Live Action dramas and Live Action movies based on anime/manga series belong at TFL.org in the TV Series and Movies categories.

Your fanlisting must list when it was last updated.
This date should be in an easy-to-find, well marked place. You MUST either write out the month (March 4, 2005) or, if you use a numerical date, you MUST provide a key/legend immediately before or after the date, explaining the format used (4/5/2005 – dd/mm/yyyy). As more than one date format is considered ‘standard,’ you are required to provide a clear way to read the date regardless of the format used. Failing to use either suggested format could result in your fanlisting being added to the troubles list.

This is to make things easier for everyone – dates specific to North America (mm/dd/yy) or Europe (dd/mm/yy) can make your fanlisting look inactive when it really isn’t and cause unnecessary trouble. We would appreciate if fanlisting owners took a moment to make this change on their fanlistings. Thank you.

Your fanlisting should be updated at least once every two months.
This includes adding all pending members as well as dealing with all update information forms. We understand that there are fanlistings that may not get a member once every two months; however, some kind of life needs to be evident at your fanlisting or people may not join. A little dated note on your site saying that no members have joined is sufficient.

This also affects fanlistings on Troubles. To prevent being removed, you must process all join and update forms before the deadline.

Again, this is not a rules change – you have always been required to add all pending members once every 2 months. We received some suggestions that we clarify, so we have. :)

From TheFanlistings.org: “Fanlistings related to FFVII: Advent Children will be approved in TFL: Games first, then automatically cross-listed to the TFL: Animation category. Please also keep in mind the TFL: Games rules that there will only be one fanlisting per character/relationship. As such, you cannot apply for characters/relationships from FFVII: Advent Children who originate from the Final Fantasy VII video game if there are already fanlistings for those characters/relationships in the database. For example, you would not be able to apply for Cloud Strife from the animation since there is already a fanlisting for him.”

Regarding Final Fantasy: Last Order anime OVA:
The Final Fantasy: Last Order anime OVA may be applied for in the TAFL Movies/OVAs category. Related fanlistings, such as characters and relationships, will be crosslisted from TFL: Games to appropriate categories at TAFL, in order to comply with TFL: Games rules. (See above for details.)

Edit: For those of you that have sent in more than six, this one time we will allow you to send in a contact form to the appropriate category and specify which apps to keep (only six!) and which to discard. Since the apply page had an incorrect number listed on that rule (12), and this was an error on our part, not yours, we feel this is a decent compromise. Again, if you have sent in more than six applications, and you wish to select which ones to keep, please contact the appropriate category with your name, email, and which applications you wish to keep. Thanks for your attention, and cooperation.