Folders

I'm tweaking some of the permissions, and will probably continue to find things that need adjusting for some time, but this is just a basic explanation on the folders as I'm using them.
If you can think of any folders that should be added or modified, please let me know.
If you think my explanations are not clear, please let me know.
If you think my permissions need tweaking, or that there's something else that isn't working for whatever reason... please let me know.

The gallery is, or should be, for the members of the group or affiliates.
This is not to say that non-members cannot submit art--assuming I've set the permissions correctly, they should be able to submit to any folder except Featured, Art Requested or For Sale--but admins must vote on non-member submissions.
Anyone, member, admin, or any fellow deviant, can suggest art to Favorites. I'm working on setting up folders there, and thus setting up proper permissions, but I need a better idea of what people want to submit first. And members and admins should be able to request art from non-members, if they see anything


I reserve the right to move items to different folders as I deem necessary, or to modify these folders according to the submissions the group receives most, but here are the folders as members should use them:


Featured
Pretty much like anybody else uses the Featured folder, I would think.
This is the "main" folder for this group, showcasing what I deem to be either some of the best art and writing in this group, or more likely the art and writing that best portrays this group.
Currently I've only got one piece in there--the "shattered waters" draft which is the basis of my idea for the group. Nobody is required to follow the same idea, but I would appreciate if people at least read it prior to submitting anything.
A group icon, if one is provided, could also go into this folder.
This folder should be used, or not, at my discretion only; nobody else should be submitting work here.


Original Work
Character bios, artwork, stories, etc, that is of the artist's own creation, containing no fan art...with one major exception, several examples of which you'll already find in this folder.
And that exception is cameos. For instance, I might have my otherwise original Nicole Winters, in my otherwise original "Wandering One" novel, from my other account encountering the Doctor in a single chapter; I could include it in this folder, provided the Doctor's role in the entire novel is minimal. This, for instance, is not fan fiction; it is an original story that happens to encounter someone else's creation. The reverse, however, is not true--the Doctor Who story in which Nicole appears as a cameo would be fanfiction, no matter what role she has in the story.
Speaking of that example, you may note that many of my own entries here are creature bios, from my Doctor Who fanfics. They qualify for this folder simply because I am rewriting elements of those fics, and re-using the creatures, in my original works. Otherwise they would have been in the next folder....


Fan Art--OC
Fan art, fan fiction, etc, with a focus on original characters created by the deviant.
For instance, Voalt the echidna in my Forgotten War fanfics goes here.
Knuckles and other characters actually in the comics typically don't belong here. (And Voalt the "human", of course, is in the previous group.)
Art and fiction including both fan-made OCs and canon characters could go in this folder, depending on the focus of the work. If you're not certain which folder the work belongs in, either ask, and I can move it to the appropriate folder, or you can simply submit it to the next folder, which is....


Fan Art--non OC
Fan art, fan fiction, etc, with a focus on canon characters created by... whomever actually owns the rights.
Knuckles, etc. belong in this folder under most circumstances.


I see a few likely grey areas to the above categories. I trust everyone to use their own judgement in these cases.
The first is crossovers. These can fit into any of the above categories, according to the nature and origin of the characters. See my "Doctor Who cameo" up above for such an example.
Another is fan art of any of the group members' work. That is, art drawn based on someone else's work, but not as commissions, etc. I'm debating between grouping them with the character versus just marking them as fan art, or even lumping them all in with gifts, and I may make an actual decision depending on how much any of the folders fill up, but for the moment I choose to trust everyone else to use their own judgment.
A third is art styles. Suppose you've created an OC for some fandom or other, drawn in that fandom's style, but the particular piece contains no other sign of that fandom--no canon names, no canon characters, etc, nothing except the style.... Well, this may technically be fan art, but if there is little enough other evidence then it could theoretically go with original work. Please note, however, that certain parts of the "style" are more obviously fanart than others--a Sonic-style fox could still be "original," but a Sonic-style echidna probably would not be, and a pony with a talent-based mark on its rump is almost certainly fanart, no matter what you try to call it.
And the fourth: authorized work in someone else's universe. I'm going with the viewpoint of many a Star Trek author here--they may have been paid to write the story, they may have permission from the actual copyright owners, but the authors themselves do not own the storyverse. Ergo, it is authorized fanfiction... at best, commissioned work. Yes, even if someone like Ken Penders got his butt on here and wanted to submit his echidna characters. It just makes it easier to sort out the characters.


For Sale
The marketing folder.
This folder is currently for prints, published stories (hint hint ), and maybe a few other things you could sell via deviantArt's own built-in system.
I might--might--allow stock (ish) characters, but only if they already have a background suitable to this group. Adoptables will probably not be allowed. (To use my own work as an example again, Swift Shade might qualify; travel is already a big part of his background. Stiletto, who pretty much sticks near Canterlot and Ponyville in my version of events, would not qualify.)
If you've acquired an adoptable or the license for a stock character, and created your own background suitable to the group, you, the buyer, would need to submit the work you've done on it to one of the other folders. (Meaning work including Stiletto could qualify for one of the other folders, if other deviants feel like making her travel... but she would still never go in this one )


Art Requested
Do you have a character bio or story, and you'd like to commission a picture of your character? Or perhaps you've drawn a picture, but you'd like someone to write up a bio?
This is your folder.
If you're looking to offer commissions, you wouldn't submit it to this group, but look here to see if anyone else wants some work done.


Commissions, Gifts, and Trades
Anybody who's created art for other group members could submit it to this folder.
If you're offering commissions, you could also put up a journal or deviation describing your policy and submit that here, if you choose.


Mature
This is my first group ever. I'm willing to look at and read some mature-rated art, but I'm still not sure about what other deviants are willing to see.
As such, I would like to keep this group fairly clean. I will accept some mature-rated art, but it should only be submitted to this folder. I may move or copy some items to other folders if I feel they are mild enough, but the initial submission should be here, and here only.


Miscellaneous
Everything else.
Worldbuilding, headcanon, Wild Mass Guessing, etc. These... do not have to be character focused, nor do they rely on copyright status.


TLDR
Only members and affiliates of this group should submit work to the gallery; everyone else can submit to favorites.

"Mature" art goes into the "Mature" folder.

The "Featured" folder is mine... don't touch!

"Original Work" contains work that isn't fan-made.

"Fan Art--OC" contains fan art/fiction focused on your original characters.

"Fan Art--Non OC" contains fan art/fiction focused on canon/established characters.

"For Sale" contains prints or premium content that you're trying to sell through deviantArt's system. And maybe links to these same pieces elsewhere (e.g. my ebook Rite of Passage is available here, on Amazon, and via Smashwords).
Adoptables will not be sold here.

"Art Requested" is where you put up requests for commissions and the like, along with appropriate descriptions--a character bio, for instance, if you'd like to commission someone for a picture of that character.

"Commissions, Gifts, and Trades" is where you put up your work if you've created it for someone else... such as for one of the character bios in the previous folder.

"Miscellaneous" is everything else, even (or especially) deviations that are not centered around characters.

Grey areas: fan/original status will be based as much on who owns the storyverse as on who owns the particular character... and on whether you asked to use the character, or were asked to do something with them.

If you're not sure where your work should go, use your best judgement or ask me.
I reserve the right to move/copy work to folders other than where they're submitted, or even to multiple folders, as well as to request art from non-members.