My Slashy Valentine 2010- Signups beginning today!
My Slashy Valentine 2010 Rules & FAQ
From the Years of the Trees through the Fourth Age - it’s time once again to make your Tolkien FPS fanfic dreams come true…
Have you always wanted to read a certain pairing or scenario, but couldn’t write it yourself? Have it written for you - specifically and especially for your own sweet self! And share your own fic gift in exchange -
That’s right, it’s time for the The My Slashy Valentine Fic Exchange! brought to you by the same folks who sponsor the renowned Slashy Santa and Ardor in August Fiction Exchanges.
This year, the exchange will focus solely on the Elves, Men, Valar and Maiar of J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium. Maybe it’s Gildor and Glorfindel you love, or perhaps Boromir-on-Theodred strikes your fancy... or maybe Manwë is your main man - from the First Age to the Fourth, from sultry tales of the Silmarillion to romances in the Ring Wars - spread the word, recruit your friends and fellow authors, and have some fun!
Critical Dates:
- Sign-up period: November 22 - December 6
- Assignments to be distributed: by December 20 (hopefully earlier!)
- Deadline for first-time participants: January 31, 2010
- Deadline for returning participants: February 7, 2010
- Archive opens: February 14, 2010
*NEW for MSV 2010!!* By popular demand, I will reveal to you the name of your recipient at your request. Some people find it easier to write or to personalize a story if they know the identity of their recipient. Other people find that thought absolutely horrifying! Now, you can have it either way. If, at any time during the writing period, you wish to know the identity of your recipient, you may ask me. Since other writers do not want to be "spoiled," I ask that you please keep this information to yourself!
- All stories must be a minimum length of 1,200 words, which translates to roughly 3 full pages in Word. Stories must be complete and in their entirety.
- Submissions must be new and previously unreleased, and written specifically for the assignment you receive.
- If you have defaulted on ANY previous Slashy Santa-sponsored exchanges, you will NOT be permitted to participate in the My Slashy Valentine 2010 exchange. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this rule. This may be a disappointment to some of you, but it is far more disappointing for a hard-working participant who strove to meet the deadline to discover they did not receive a story because their writer dropped out.
- Manners are mandatory!! Be kind to your readers, be kind to your writer, be kind to your overworked admin. Just as you are required to turn in a finished, beta'd story, you are required to acknowledge the person who wrote for you in a timely fashion. If you're going to be out of town when the archive opens, consider making an LJ post to that effect, or alerting the moderator if you think it's going to be more than 3 or 4 days before you can get in touch with your writer. Even if you *hate* the story you are given-- and we certainly hope that's not the case!-- common courtesy dictates that you should at least say "Thank you for writing this for me." If you cannot gracefully thank the author who wrote for you, you may be asked to sit out the next round and contemplate the meaning of the word "Courtesy."
- Stories shall not be released to the general fandom on any group, list, or website until after the archive opens on Feb. 14th. After the publication date on this site, feel free to post or archive your work anywhere you would like. NOTE: By request, we have also added a LiveJournal community this year, where authors may self-load their own submissions after the publication date on this site.
- Authors are responsible for posting their own stories to the Slashy Santa archive on or before the due date at SlashySanta.com. If you have any questions or difficulties, please email the moderator: slashysanta@gmail.com
- ONLY ELVES, MEN, MAIAR AND VALAR are acceptable in the slashed pairing. However, Hobbits, Dwarves, and other creatures may be present in the story as secondary characters.
- No fiction involving a minor in a sexual situation, even in flashback, no matter how vaguely alluded to, will be permitted. Period.
- No songfics.
- No het pairings as anything other than secondary characters or plots.
- No bestiality. (Tolkien characters that manifest as cognizant beings such as centaurs, unicorns, wolves, faeries, etc. are acceptable. If in doubt, ask us.)
- No RPS (real person slash) will be accepted.
- No Mary Sue, Marty Stu, or self-inserts.
Q: Hold on there, what about female characters like Galadriel and Arwen? They were important characters in Tolkien's world! So, you're saying I must ignore them?
A: Not at all. We all know that Aragorn loved and ultimately married Arwen, but he must have been pretty lonely all those years of traveling the wilds of Middle-earth. After a while, Boromir must have started looking pretty good to him. ;)
Q: I just received my assignment and it fits perfectly into part of a series I've been working on. Can I use it anyway?
A: We'd prefer your story to be original and created solely for your recipient, but so long as your submission fits the assignment you received, can be read and understood as a standalone, and it's new and unreleased, then go ahead.
Q: I'm not entirely sure I want to sign up or I missed the sign-up deadline... can you put my name down as just a pinch-hitter?
A: Absolutely. We're always in need of pinch-hitters. Email me and let me know, or reply to this post.
Q: How exactly does pinch-hitting work?
A: If a Pinch-hit is necessary, the assignments will be offered up via email to everyone on our pinch-hit list and will be available on a first come, first served basis. If a pinch-hitter is needed within the last week of the writing period, *ALL* interested pinch hitters may claim the request and the minimum word count will be dropped in the interest of time, in which case a participant may receive two or three short ficlets as opposed to one longer story.
Q: I'm a newbie. Why do I have to turn in my story a week earlier than everyone else?
A: It has been our unfortunate experience that first-time participants are more likely to drop out, and often without telling us they've quit. The earlier deadline for new writers allows us time to find pinch-hitters. WE WANT YOU to be an active participant! If you're a new writer and you become overwhelmed, don't vanish-- talk to us! We will work with you as much as possible so that you can have a successful fic exchange experience.
Q: Yikes! I've been working on my story, but there was a family emergency and I don't think I'll make the deadline. What should I do?
A: Let us know! We at Slashy Santa have families, too, and understand that emergencies sometimes happen. The sooner you tell us, the easier it will be for us to come to a mutually agreeable solution.
Q: Unfortunately, the emergency has turned into something longer term and I won't be able to finish my story after all.
A: Again, please let us know as soon as possible so we can find a pinch-hitter for your assignment.
Q: I signed up for the previous exchanges, but never turned anything in. Can I still participate?
A: No. It simply isn't fair to those who met their obligations, or to the person who didn't get a story.
Q: Do I need to have my work beta read? I don't have one!
A: While we will not strictly enforce the use of a beta, we strongly encourage it. At the very least, please proof read and run spell- and grammar-check. If you need help finding a beta, let us know and we'll direct you to some beta resources. Remember, you're writing a gift for someone, so make your story as perfect as it can be.
Q: HELP! I received the worst assignment in the world! What were you thinking? I can't write this!
A: It was likely an oversight. Please contact us and we will do what we can to find another assignment that is more to your taste and ability. If you already confirmed you would accept it, we can't make promises, but we'll do the best we can to help.
NOTE: In some rare instances, it may not be possible for a request to be filled to the requestor's exact specifications. This may occur if no author is willing to write the elements in the request (some examples are BDSM, fetish, rape, MPREG, or character death). In this case, the participant will be asked to revise their request so that we'll be able to match it.
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So, are you ready to sign up? Good! Click Here!