Done. Does anyone have any other suggestions about wording, etc?
And we live to fight another day.
Mal ,'Objects In Space'
Voting Discussion: We're Screwing In Light Bulbs AIFG!
We open it up, we talks the talk, we votes, we shuts it down. This thread is to free up Bureaucracy for daily details as we hammer out the Big Issues towards a vote. Open only when a proposal has been made and seconded according to Buffista policy (Which we voted on!). If this thread is closed, hie thee to Bureaucracy instead!
§ ita § - Jan 04, 2012 8:56:23 am PST #9637 of 10289
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
aurelia - Jan 04, 2012 8:19:31 pm PST #9638 of 10289
All sorrows can be borne if you put them into a story. Tell me a story.
I would say "a previously existing character" but that may only matter to me.
§ ita § - Jan 05, 2012 5:02:02 am PST #9639 of 10289
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
No problem.
It will no longer be considered a spoiler to reveal guest stars in upcoming episodes of a new or existing show as long as the actor is not playing a previously existing character. The responsibility lies on the poster to verify this information before posting.
The scope of this proposal does not include revealing any character or plot details about the role, just the actor's name.
sumi - Jan 05, 2012 5:52:39 am PST #9640 of 10289
Art Crawl!!!
What happens if a guest star is coming back as a different character?
§ ita § - Jan 05, 2012 6:26:06 am PST #9641 of 10289
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
My point is that new characters aren't spoilers anymore. I don't care who the actor is, just that it's not character and therefore plot information.
Fred Pete - Jan 05, 2012 8:15:00 am PST #9642 of 10289
Ann, that's a ferret.
I'm not sure a "different character" exception works.
To be more concrete, let's say Gareth David-Lloyd does a guest spot on a new season of Torchwood. (For the record, I have no reason to believe that's going to happen. But anyway.) It would be too easy to conclude that Ianto is back somehow (do we really believe death has to be permanent in the Torchwood-verse?), or he's playing a twin/brother/cousin of Ianto, or his character gets mistaken for Ianto. Any one of those possibilities would be a big plot point.
Well, the last could be done as a throwaway shout-out to past seasons. But still....
§ ita § - Jan 05, 2012 8:48:55 am PST #9643 of 10289
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
It would be too easy to conclude that Ianto is back somehow
If GDL comes back to play Ianto, it's a spoiler, don't post it. If GDL comes back and isn't playing Ianto, it's not a spoiler, post it if you want. Checking that out is *your* responsibility. If you aren't sure if it's new character or not, don't err on the side of spoiling people.
According to what I think I've proposed. If that's not clear, I will try and clarify.
Frankenbuddha - Jan 05, 2012 9:35:06 am PST #9644 of 10289
"We are the Goon Squad and we're coming to town...Beep! Beep!" - David Bowie, "Fashion"
If GDL comes back and isn't playing Ianto, it's not a spoiler, post it if you want.
Except that if it's posted in black font, it means he's not Ianto, which may not spoil exactly who he is playing but does say something that could be considered spoilery. Sort of. If I squint.
Kate P. - Jan 05, 2012 9:38:59 am PST #9645 of 10289
That's the pain / That cuts a straight line down through the heart / We call it love
Seems to me that an actor returning to a show s/he has previously appeared on would be considered spoilery, regardless of the character s/he would be playing. But it also seems fairly unlikely for a returning actor to *not* be playing the character s/he was playing before.
Polter-Cow - Jan 05, 2012 9:42:56 am PST #9646 of 10289
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!
I've seen it twice, but, yes, fairly unlikely. And I would guess that especially in sci-fi shows, even if the promotional material states that the returning actor is definitely not, certainly not playing the same character, there is room for a ~*twist*~. But it would be a twist for everyone, so I guess it wouldn't count as a spoiler to parrot the party line.