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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2013 12:51:23 GMT -5
So, I have a short story idea bouncing around in my head about two site characters who happen to be married (okay fine, it's Nabile and Jazan). Would a story with the two of them as protagonists be acceptable Times material if:
a) the plot did not have anything to do with their marital status,
b) there is absolutely no romantic content, implied or otherwise,
and c) they are never referred to as spouses or otherwise in any sort of relationship?
It's just a silly little idea about a Christmas party at the palace of Qasala and an uninvited guest, but if the protagonists' inherent relationship to each other is too problematic, I'd like to know now before I start writing it.
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Post by Coaster on Sept 28, 2013 13:10:15 GMT -5
I seem to remember a particular recent series that started with the marital status and lovey-doveyness and continued for several paragraphs, so a whole story that just happens to feature them working together shouldn't be a problem. |
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Post by PFA on Sept 28, 2013 13:10:36 GMT -5
I think you'd be fine with mentioning them being married, considering that they are canonically married. Other than that, though, yeah, I wouldn't call attention to it too much.
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Post by Omni on Sept 28, 2013 13:20:43 GMT -5
Hey, I've seen people pull off 'someone killed in a fight' and the like by wording it extra cautiously.
Married couples aren't a terribly uncommon sight, particularly if a pet is mentioned as having two parents. You pretty much just have to be careful about not showing off much romance. However, if you want, I bet you could pull off an occasional hug without much trouble. Stuff like 'welcome-home' hugs or 'be careful' hugs - basically showing care without it necessarily needing to be romantic. You could probably even pull off hugs that are a step more 'lovey' than that, just because they're canonically married.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2013 13:22:59 GMT -5
So, I have a short story idea bouncing around in my head about two site characters who happen to be married (okay fine, it's Nabile and Jazan). Would a story with the two of them as protagonists be acceptable Times material if: a) the plot did not have anything to do with their marital status, b) there is absolutely no romantic content, implied or otherwise, and c) they are never referred to as spouses or otherwise in any sort of relationship? It's just a silly little idea about a Christmas party at the palace of Qasala and an uninvited guest, but if the protagonists' inherent relationship to each other is too problematic, I'd like to know now before I start writing it. Ha. I think you could go so far as to have Jazan call Nabile "my Queen" as a pet name. Certainly they could be hosting the party together—why not?  I don't see why it would be any more of a problem than characters having parents that turn up in a story. Go for it.  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2013 13:51:35 GMT -5
Thanks for the clarification, guys. I really appreciate it.
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Post by Herdy on Sept 28, 2013 14:04:08 GMT -5
Like most of the NT rules, no romance seems to be a guideline rather than a hard rule - if it is written well and romance is implied rather than directly stated then it is no problem.
Stating characters are married, especially when they are in Neopian canon, isn't an issue.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2013 22:11:47 GMT -5
Ah, okay. That's good to know.
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Post by Kristykimmy on Sept 29, 2013 10:21:47 GMT -5
Coaster beat me to the cuddliness of Jazan and Nabile in my story. XD
To further break it down, I was able to get away with 'Darling' 'My love', hugging, and a kiss on the cheek. And a lot of punching, because I feel that's how Brynn says 'I love you'. And, on a non-lovely side, many threats to murder Hanso.
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Post by Layla "Nimbus" Karimi on Oct 1, 2013 14:15:46 GMT -5
Canon couples in particular seem to be pretty flexible, really. I know of one NT author who's not only written about Jazan and Nabile as rather clearly a married couple several times, but has written multiple stories set in the future which have heavily featured their children. For that matter, one of those stories also featured Hanso and Brynn as a married couple with a kid. The key, I think, is to not focus too much or too often on the romantic aspect of the relationship between the characters. (I know this topic has pretty much already been cleared up by now, but I just wanted to throw in an example to help illustrate the kinds of things you can do with such characters, heheh)
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2013 16:04:40 GMT -5
Wow, the rules sure have relaxed quite a bit since I was last active in the Times...
Anyway, it's great to know I can proceed with this. Hopefully the project will pan out.
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I don't see why it would be any more of a problem than characters having parents that turn up in a story. Go for it. 
