2014 challenge rules/faq
Hello, and welcome to the rules/FAQ post for the first challenge year of je_otherworlds! As things are changing due to the new nature of Otherworlds, please make sure to read the post in its entirety, although again, most of it may be a refresher. Nevertheless, it's always good to review!
Basic Rules
1. Fics must be AU.
2. Fics must focus on at least one or more members of Johnny's & Associates.
3. Fics must be 2,000 words or more.
4. Fics must be beta read.
5. No unnecessary wank or drama; this is purely for fun!
FAQ
So, the challenge -- how does it work?
The challenge revolves around the community as a whole. Every person signing up for the challenge will submit one prompt for the master list. Then, participants will be able to choose a top three list of prompts they'd like to write, and prompts will be assigned on a first come, first serve basis. Halfway into the writing time, there will be an option for fanartists and fanmixers to participate by selecting a story they are inspired by to draw or put together a fanmix for. At the end of the challenge, fics will be posted with reveals a week after posting ends.
What's the timeline look like?
As the community will undergo a new challenge revamp this year, the dates are a little more involved than normal:
Prompt submissions: August 1 - 5, midnight EST.
Prompt claims: August 6 - 11, noon EST.
Prompt confirmations: Evening of August 11.
* Optional creative sign-ups: September 1 - 3.
Deadline for all fics and creative work: September 30
Posting: October 6
Reveals: One week after posting ends, depending on number of fics.
What constitutes AU?
For our purposes, the textbook definition of 'AU' would probably work best, and that being an alternate universe in its basic form, in regards to JE -- a world without Johnny's Entertainment. So if you wanted to write an entire fic on what the boys' lives would be like if there was no such thing as JE in Japan, then that would be considered AU. That's probably as close as it would cut it, though. In other worlds, if you wanted them to be idols, singers, whatever, that would also be completely acceptable, but if you wanted to be totally out there and write them as X-Men, or a professional league of car boosters, that's okay, too!
Who can I write about?
Any member of Johnny's & Associates. Non-Johnny's are also acceptable provided at least one Johnny's member is the main focus. So if you want to write Toma/Jun/Shun buddy cop fic, that's okay just as long as Toma and/or Jun are kept as main characters. A fic focused on Horikita Maki as a female firefighter with occasional mentions of Yamapi, however, would not be acceptable within the parameters of this challenge.
Can I have drama characters/settings?
As dramas are pretty much ready made AUs, we're going to have to say no on this one. If you wanted to put your favorite Johnny's into the setting of a drama, that's fine, so long as they stay who they are. So Nino and Ryo in the Ryusei no Kizuna world would still be Nino and Ryo, not Koichi or Keisuke. Otherwise, steer clear of the drama characters.
What isn't allowed in my fics?
Fic based in the current J&A universe and/or focused around non-Johnny's. Also, porn involving people under the age of 18. We understand that some of you may be down with the underages getting down, but as this is a public comm, the posting of explicit materials featuring minors is prohibited in LJ's TOS, so we're putting the kibosh on it.
How will this differ from the exchange?
Honestly? Not much! Of course, the most obvious difference is that this isn't an exchange in its typical form and everyone gets the chance to actively choose what they want to write, but the limitations of their creativity is based on the creativity of your fellow participants! However, most other things stay the same: do not reveal which prompt you are writing to others, please notify me as soon as you can about dropping, and do not post your finished fic anywhere until after reveals are posted.
What are my fic limitations?
All fics must be at least 2,000 words and beta read. If you do not have a beta reader, we will do our best to assign one to you. As this is an English language exchange, all fic should be in English (and in general, please go easy on the fangirl Japanese? Terms like senpai and kouhai are okay, but we'd rather not need a translator to read your fic.)
How/where/when do I submit my fic/art/fanmixes?
All submissions are due September 30, 2014! You can e-mail your finished fic to us any time between now and then, and we accept .doc, .docx, .rtf, and .txt files. For GoogleDocs users, you can also send us your stories that way; just make sure to share the file with je.otherworlds@gmail.com.
As this is a challenge, extensions are not permitted except for extreme and extenuating circumstances. If you need any help, do not hesitate to email us and we will help you all we can!
Really, there are only a few things that will earn you the ire of the mods:
(1) Breaking anon.
(2) Underage porn.
(3) Dropping out and disappearing on us.
(4) Being a jerk in general.
...so as long as you don't do any of those things, you're golden! Really, the main goal is to have fun and be creative. Oh, and produce lots of fun fic, of course! :D
Any other questions can be directed to the mods via a comment to this post, a PM, or an email, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can! Happy AUing!
Basic Rules
1. Fics must be AU.
2. Fics must focus on at least one or more members of Johnny's & Associates.
3. Fics must be 2,000 words or more.
4. Fics must be beta read.
5. No unnecessary wank or drama; this is purely for fun!
FAQ
So, the challenge -- how does it work?
The challenge revolves around the community as a whole. Every person signing up for the challenge will submit one prompt for the master list. Then, participants will be able to choose a top three list of prompts they'd like to write, and prompts will be assigned on a first come, first serve basis. Halfway into the writing time, there will be an option for fanartists and fanmixers to participate by selecting a story they are inspired by to draw or put together a fanmix for. At the end of the challenge, fics will be posted with reveals a week after posting ends.
What's the timeline look like?
As the community will undergo a new challenge revamp this year, the dates are a little more involved than normal:
Prompt submissions: August 1 - 5, midnight EST.
Prompt claims: August 6 - 11, noon EST.
Prompt confirmations: Evening of August 11.
* Optional creative sign-ups: September 1 - 3.
Deadline for all fics and creative work: September 30
Posting: October 6
Reveals: One week after posting ends, depending on number of fics.
What constitutes AU?
For our purposes, the textbook definition of 'AU' would probably work best, and that being an alternate universe in its basic form, in regards to JE -- a world without Johnny's Entertainment. So if you wanted to write an entire fic on what the boys' lives would be like if there was no such thing as JE in Japan, then that would be considered AU. That's probably as close as it would cut it, though. In other worlds, if you wanted them to be idols, singers, whatever, that would also be completely acceptable, but if you wanted to be totally out there and write them as X-Men, or a professional league of car boosters, that's okay, too!
Who can I write about?
Any member of Johnny's & Associates. Non-Johnny's are also acceptable provided at least one Johnny's member is the main focus. So if you want to write Toma/Jun/Shun buddy cop fic, that's okay just as long as Toma and/or Jun are kept as main characters. A fic focused on Horikita Maki as a female firefighter with occasional mentions of Yamapi, however, would not be acceptable within the parameters of this challenge.
Can I have drama characters/settings?
As dramas are pretty much ready made AUs, we're going to have to say no on this one. If you wanted to put your favorite Johnny's into the setting of a drama, that's fine, so long as they stay who they are. So Nino and Ryo in the Ryusei no Kizuna world would still be Nino and Ryo, not Koichi or Keisuke. Otherwise, steer clear of the drama characters.
What isn't allowed in my fics?
Fic based in the current J&A universe and/or focused around non-Johnny's. Also, porn involving people under the age of 18. We understand that some of you may be down with the underages getting down, but as this is a public comm, the posting of explicit materials featuring minors is prohibited in LJ's TOS, so we're putting the kibosh on it.
How will this differ from the exchange?
Honestly? Not much! Of course, the most obvious difference is that this isn't an exchange in its typical form and everyone gets the chance to actively choose what they want to write, but the limitations of their creativity is based on the creativity of your fellow participants! However, most other things stay the same: do not reveal which prompt you are writing to others, please notify me as soon as you can about dropping, and do not post your finished fic anywhere until after reveals are posted.
What are my fic limitations?
All fics must be at least 2,000 words and beta read. If you do not have a beta reader, we will do our best to assign one to you. As this is an English language exchange, all fic should be in English (and in general, please go easy on the fangirl Japanese? Terms like senpai and kouhai are okay, but we'd rather not need a translator to read your fic.)
How/where/when do I submit my fic/art/fanmixes?
All submissions are due September 30, 2014! You can e-mail your finished fic to us any time between now and then, and we accept .doc, .docx, .rtf, and .txt files. For GoogleDocs users, you can also send us your stories that way; just make sure to share the file with je.otherworlds@gmail.com.
As this is a challenge, extensions are not permitted except for extreme and extenuating circumstances. If you need any help, do not hesitate to email us and we will help you all we can!
Really, there are only a few things that will earn you the ire of the mods:
(1) Breaking anon.
(2) Underage porn.
(3) Dropping out and disappearing on us.
(4) Being a jerk in general.
...so as long as you don't do any of those things, you're golden! Really, the main goal is to have fun and be creative. Oh, and produce lots of fun fic, of course! :D
Any other questions can be directed to the mods via a comment to this post, a PM, or an email, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can! Happy AUing!