Nordipalooza FAQ - 2014
FAQ
Have a question? You might find the answer here!
About the Fest
What is the purpose of this fest?
This fest is designed to encourage the production of fanwork exploring all kinds of interaction between the Nordic characters and to provide the challenge of writing to a flexible prompt. The simple format of this fest means that people who participate in it are able to have plenty of freedom to create almost anything they desire while still fulfilling the requirements. Almost anything goes!
What do you mean by "exploring character relationships"?
For the Nordics, the characters most frequently written interacting in fic together are Sweden-and-Finland and Denmark-and-Norway. And that's great! But fanworks focusing specifically on interaction between any other combinations of the Nordic Five - even ones with lots of canon interaction, like Norway and Iceland - are produced less frequently. There are a lot of possibilities to cover here! By having a fest that suggests varied character interaction, it creates the challenge of producing something that you might not have done before, and the opportunity to explore dynamics you might not normally think about.
What is the schedule for the fest?
This is the timeline for the fest:
Signups open: March 23rd
Last day to sign up: April 12th
Prompts sent out by: April 14th
Posting opens: May 9th
Last day to post: May 18th
Posting closes: May 19th 7 AM EST
Any changes made will be announced in the community.
About Signing Up
I don't have a Livejournal account/I would like to participate as Anonyous. Can I participate?
Sure! Please see the Signup Post for more information. You will need to provide an email address so that you can be contacted.
I wasn't able to finish all of the fanworks I wanted to do for last year's fest. Can I submit them if I sign up for this year's fest?
Yes. If you sign up for this year's fest but are still inspired by a prompt list that you received in a previous year, then you can submit based on those prompts instead. This means that you will receive a new prompt list in addition to the old one; you can respond to whichever one you prefer. But you must sign up for the 2014 fest even if you want to submit based on your old prompts.
How do I drop out of the fest if I change my mind?
This fest is designed to be simple, easy, and stress-free for everyone, but we understand that sometimes things come up and you can be left with not enough time to produce fanwork. If this happens, there is no need to formally withdraw. We hope you can participate next year!
About the Prompts
How will I receive my prompt list, and when will it be sent?
Prompt lists will be delivered to the email that you provided when you signed up for the fest. Please make sure that nordipalooza [at] gmail.com is on your safe-list. Prompts will be sent out by April 14th or earlier.
If this is a Nordic fest, why is there an "Any character" option?
By including an "Any character" option, there is the opportunity to explore areas in fanwork that ordinarily are not looked into much, and the possibility of creating work dealing with historical elements that are not often written! If you receive the "Any character" opton, keep in mind this really does mean any character; in addition to the canon Hetalia nations, this option also applies to micronations, region OCs (such as Scania), OCs for nations not included in Hetalia, and human historical/cultural figures.
Why are the prompts randomly assigned?
Characters are randomly assigned using a generator in order to encourage thinking outside the box and trying characters or combinations of characters that a person might not normally think about writing.
Are the themes provided in the prompt lists optional?
No, the themes provided in the prompt lists are not optional. However, feel free to interpret them as broadly or as literally as you like!
Are the time periods provided in the prompt lists optional?
Yes, they are completely optional, and are provided only to serve as extra inspiration. If you receive "1600s or 1800s" in your prompt, but you want to set your fanwork in modern day instead, that's okay!
I like the character combination that I was assigned, but the word-prompt doesn't inspire me, and I have a better idea. Can I change it?
Sure. Send an email to nordipalooza [at] gmail.com with your new idea, and I'll change it in the signup records for you.
None of the character prompts inspire me. Can I get a new set?
If absolutely none of the four combinations assigned to you give you any inspiration, send an email to nordipalooza [at] gmail.com and you will receive a completely different list. You can only do this once, so please be very sure that you really want a new list!
About the Fanwork
Are art submissions allowed? Can I do both art and writing if I want to?
Yes, and yes!
What is the minimum length of written fanwork?
If you are doing two prompts, each must be 500 words. If you want to do only one prompt, then the minimum length is 1000 words.
Is there a "minimum requirement" for art?
If doing two prompts, then there must be at least one piece of art per prompt, but colour is not required. If you are doing one prompt, then colour is required.
Is there a "maximum requirement" for writing or art?
Your fanwork can be as long or as complicated as you want it to be! Furthermore, you are not limited to only producing for two prompts; you can do all four of them if you are inspired to, as long as each fanwork meets the minimum requirement.
Is pairing-centred fanwork allowed?
Yes. Fanwork featuring all kinds of character interactions are allowed, and this does include romance. Feel free to create fanwork centred around any kind of theme, be it general interaction, family, friendship, conflict, or romance, as long as it features the characters in the prompts that you choose!
Are genderbent/Nyotalia versions of the characters allowed? Are AU fanworks allowed?
Yes! Genderbent/Nyotalia Nordics are allowed for this fest. AU fanworks are also allowed; this includes canon AUs, such as Gakuen Hetalia, and fan-imagined AUs of every kind. Alternate History fanwork is also encouraged!
Am I allowed to put nations in my fanwork that are not included in the prompt? What about humans such as historical figures?
Yes, you can. The focus of the fanwork must be on the two characters assigned in the prompt that you choose, but feel free to have any other characters that you want in the fanwork as well. Human characters such as historical/cultural figures are also allowed, but again, the story must mostly be about the assigned Nordic characters.
Does my fanwork have to be written in English?
No, all languages are accepted. However, your summary and content notes need to be in English in addition to whichever language you want to write in. You might want to note which language you are writing in under "content notes" in the header when you post. Also, it is required that the summary and content notes be written in both English and the language that the submission is written in.
How do I post my fanwork when I am finished with it?
After May 9th, when you're finished with your fanwork, you can post it to the community. If you signed up using the "no Livjournal account" or "Anonymous" option, you will need to email your fanwork as an attachment to nordipalooza [at] gmail.com. Alternatively, you can use the Submission function on the Nordipalooza tumblr instead of sending it through email. After that, nordipaloozamod will post it for you. Please read the Posting Guidelines before you post anything.
Can I really create whatever I want as long as it contains the characters and themes from the two prompts I chose and meets the minimum requirements?
Yes! You have the flexibility to create any kind of work, any type of interaction, with any kind of overarching plot, in any time period and any setting, as long as it meets the minimum requirements for fanfiction or fanart.
Other
I have a question that isn't included in this FAQ.
Great! You can reply to this entry, or send an email to nordipalooza [at] gmail.com and I will give you an answer as soon as possible.
Have a question? You might find the answer here!
About the Fest
What is the purpose of this fest?
This fest is designed to encourage the production of fanwork exploring all kinds of interaction between the Nordic characters and to provide the challenge of writing to a flexible prompt. The simple format of this fest means that people who participate in it are able to have plenty of freedom to create almost anything they desire while still fulfilling the requirements. Almost anything goes!
What do you mean by "exploring character relationships"?
For the Nordics, the characters most frequently written interacting in fic together are Sweden-and-Finland and Denmark-and-Norway. And that's great! But fanworks focusing specifically on interaction between any other combinations of the Nordic Five - even ones with lots of canon interaction, like Norway and Iceland - are produced less frequently. There are a lot of possibilities to cover here! By having a fest that suggests varied character interaction, it creates the challenge of producing something that you might not have done before, and the opportunity to explore dynamics you might not normally think about.
What is the schedule for the fest?
This is the timeline for the fest:
Signups open: March 23rd
Last day to sign up: April 12th
Prompts sent out by: April 14th
Posting opens: May 9th
Last day to post: May 18th
Posting closes: May 19th 7 AM EST
Any changes made will be announced in the community.
About Signing Up
I don't have a Livejournal account/I would like to participate as Anonyous. Can I participate?
Sure! Please see the Signup Post for more information. You will need to provide an email address so that you can be contacted.
I wasn't able to finish all of the fanworks I wanted to do for last year's fest. Can I submit them if I sign up for this year's fest?
Yes. If you sign up for this year's fest but are still inspired by a prompt list that you received in a previous year, then you can submit based on those prompts instead. This means that you will receive a new prompt list in addition to the old one; you can respond to whichever one you prefer. But you must sign up for the 2014 fest even if you want to submit based on your old prompts.
How do I drop out of the fest if I change my mind?
This fest is designed to be simple, easy, and stress-free for everyone, but we understand that sometimes things come up and you can be left with not enough time to produce fanwork. If this happens, there is no need to formally withdraw. We hope you can participate next year!
About the Prompts
How will I receive my prompt list, and when will it be sent?
Prompt lists will be delivered to the email that you provided when you signed up for the fest. Please make sure that nordipalooza [at] gmail.com is on your safe-list. Prompts will be sent out by April 14th or earlier.
If this is a Nordic fest, why is there an "Any character" option?
By including an "Any character" option, there is the opportunity to explore areas in fanwork that ordinarily are not looked into much, and the possibility of creating work dealing with historical elements that are not often written! If you receive the "Any character" opton, keep in mind this really does mean any character; in addition to the canon Hetalia nations, this option also applies to micronations, region OCs (such as Scania), OCs for nations not included in Hetalia, and human historical/cultural figures.
Why are the prompts randomly assigned?
Characters are randomly assigned using a generator in order to encourage thinking outside the box and trying characters or combinations of characters that a person might not normally think about writing.
Are the themes provided in the prompt lists optional?
No, the themes provided in the prompt lists are not optional. However, feel free to interpret them as broadly or as literally as you like!
Are the time periods provided in the prompt lists optional?
Yes, they are completely optional, and are provided only to serve as extra inspiration. If you receive "1600s or 1800s" in your prompt, but you want to set your fanwork in modern day instead, that's okay!
I like the character combination that I was assigned, but the word-prompt doesn't inspire me, and I have a better idea. Can I change it?
Sure. Send an email to nordipalooza [at] gmail.com with your new idea, and I'll change it in the signup records for you.
None of the character prompts inspire me. Can I get a new set?
If absolutely none of the four combinations assigned to you give you any inspiration, send an email to nordipalooza [at] gmail.com and you will receive a completely different list. You can only do this once, so please be very sure that you really want a new list!
About the Fanwork
Are art submissions allowed? Can I do both art and writing if I want to?
Yes, and yes!
What is the minimum length of written fanwork?
If you are doing two prompts, each must be 500 words. If you want to do only one prompt, then the minimum length is 1000 words.
Is there a "minimum requirement" for art?
If doing two prompts, then there must be at least one piece of art per prompt, but colour is not required. If you are doing one prompt, then colour is required.
Is there a "maximum requirement" for writing or art?
Your fanwork can be as long or as complicated as you want it to be! Furthermore, you are not limited to only producing for two prompts; you can do all four of them if you are inspired to, as long as each fanwork meets the minimum requirement.
Is pairing-centred fanwork allowed?
Yes. Fanwork featuring all kinds of character interactions are allowed, and this does include romance. Feel free to create fanwork centred around any kind of theme, be it general interaction, family, friendship, conflict, or romance, as long as it features the characters in the prompts that you choose!
Are genderbent/Nyotalia versions of the characters allowed? Are AU fanworks allowed?
Yes! Genderbent/Nyotalia Nordics are allowed for this fest. AU fanworks are also allowed; this includes canon AUs, such as Gakuen Hetalia, and fan-imagined AUs of every kind. Alternate History fanwork is also encouraged!
Am I allowed to put nations in my fanwork that are not included in the prompt? What about humans such as historical figures?
Yes, you can. The focus of the fanwork must be on the two characters assigned in the prompt that you choose, but feel free to have any other characters that you want in the fanwork as well. Human characters such as historical/cultural figures are also allowed, but again, the story must mostly be about the assigned Nordic characters.
Does my fanwork have to be written in English?
No, all languages are accepted. However, your summary and content notes need to be in English in addition to whichever language you want to write in. You might want to note which language you are writing in under "content notes" in the header when you post. Also, it is required that the summary and content notes be written in both English and the language that the submission is written in.
How do I post my fanwork when I am finished with it?
After May 9th, when you're finished with your fanwork, you can post it to the community. If you signed up using the "no Livjournal account" or "Anonymous" option, you will need to email your fanwork as an attachment to nordipalooza [at] gmail.com. Alternatively, you can use the Submission function on the Nordipalooza tumblr instead of sending it through email. After that, nordipaloozamod will post it for you. Please read the Posting Guidelines before you post anything.
Can I really create whatever I want as long as it contains the characters and themes from the two prompts I chose and meets the minimum requirements?
Yes! You have the flexibility to create any kind of work, any type of interaction, with any kind of overarching plot, in any time period and any setting, as long as it meets the minimum requirements for fanfiction or fanart.
Other
I have a question that isn't included in this FAQ.
Great! You can reply to this entry, or send an email to nordipalooza [at] gmail.com and I will give you an answer as soon as possible.