RULES POST: 2016
A Ficathon Goes Into A Bar
Signups: March 20 to 11:59 PM CDT, April 3 (When is that for me?)
Prompts Distributed: By April 6
Posting Opens: April 7
Last Day to Post/Notify a Mod: May 7
Masterlist Posted: Mid May
FAQ
Even if you have read the rules before, read them again, as some things have changed.
How does this work?
Here's what you do:
1. Pick a character, any character.
2. Pick up to four fandoms that you feel comfortable writing in; the fandom your character comes from can't be any of them.
That is all you need to do. What we will do, using highly scientific methods (and by that we mean Wikipedia, our list of characters, and a bag of dice), is pick a character from one of those other fandoms to meet your character in a bar. You will then produce a fanwork from your prompt (see below for guidelines).
What?
Okay. Let's say you sign up. You pick Kara Thrace, and you feel comfortable writing in Dragon Age Inquisition, Mythbusters RPF, Blake's 7, and Man from UNCLE (2015).
I roll the dice, and through my magical methods, decide that the other character is Gaby Teller. So your prompt is, "Kara Thrace goes into a bar and meets Gaby Teller," and you need to produce a fanwork about it.
Signing Up
Choosing Fandoms
After You Get Your Prompt
Technical Details
Signing Up
What's a fanwork?
For this challenge, a fanwork must be one of the following:
- a story of at least 500 words
- a complete piece of art of a reasonable size (manips and graphics yes, banners and icon sets no)
- a vid of at least forty-five seconds
- a podfic, the text/script of which must be written specifically for this challenge, five minutes long OR five hundred words
- a comic that is at least one page and/or six panels
- any combination of these things
- something else you get mod approval for.
It's dangerous to go alone. Can we sign up as a team?
Yes! You may sign up for two-person teams. Be advised that you must have the equivalent of a complete fanwork for both participants. Co-authors must produce stories of at least 1000 words, a fanartist and a writer must produce one complete piece of art and 500 words, a podficcer and an author must produce 500 words and the recording thereof, et cetera.
In the case of comics, all contributors are considered as comic creators; a comic with a writer and an artist only needs to be two pages/twelve panels, not one page and 500 words.
If you have an idea that requires more than two participants (e.g. a theatripod), consult the mods.
Can I pick a character someone else has already picked?
I don't see why not! But you definitely won't get the same second character as they do.
I signed up before. Do I have to pick new fandoms?
No. You can even copy and paste the same signup if it pleases you. If you end up with exactly the same prompt you had last time, well, don't say we didn't warn you.
I want to write a _____ character! I want to write a ____ pairing!
Unfortunately, we will not fill any requests for specific kinds of characters. Everyone will be assigned randomly from the exact same list. And remember that the prompt you receive is not for a pairing; if they hook up, that's great, but your prompt is just what it says: they go into a bar, they meet someone.
How do you pick characters, anyway?
Please see this comment for a brief explanation of the process.
I have this prompt for this other ficathing! Can I combine it with this and just write one story?
Doesn't bother us. Check with the other challenge, though.
What if I want to create a sequel/companion piece/etc to something I've already done?
If it so happens that the stars and planets align and you can do this, go for it.
Whoops, I didn't turn my story in for the last round!
If you are on this list of people, you are presently ineligible to participate. You will be eligible again in the next round. If you were ineligible in the Spring 2014 round, you are once again eligible.
If you finish your prompt for the last round before signups close and post it to the community, you will regain your eligibility. Go go go!
How many times can I sign up?
Just the once, I'm afraid. But that's good! It's only because we have so many people wanting to participate!
Do I have to write in English?
No! You can write in whatever language you like, as long as you give your headers in English and whatever language you write in. Your signup, however, must be in English.
Be advised that your intrepid moderators only read a couple languages, so if you need to ask a question in another language, you may have to wait a bit or send a translator.
Oh noes! I only have the Dreamwidth! Do I need the Livejournal?!
No! This ficathon is running concurrently on both sites; if you only have a DW account, go here to sign up. If you have accounts on both, please sign up on Dreamwidth. The masterlist will be posted in both places and include entries from both sites.
Oh noes! I have neither the Livejournal nor the Dreamwidth? Can I sign up anonymously?
No. You can use OpenID, but you cannot sign up anonymously. If you use OpenID, please sign up on DW.
Why Dreamwidth, huh?
We've had problems in the past with people having their signups marked as spam when signing up on LJ. If your comment is screened when you sign up on LJ, contact a mod immediately. So for everyone's ease, please sign up at DW if you have a DW account or are using OpenID.
Additionally, some people may have been banned from the LJ comm accidentally during previous rounds. Please contact a mod immediately or use DW if this has happened.
Choosing Fandoms
What fandoms are allowed?
Anything, pretty much. If there's a problem, we'll let you know. If it's a fandom with a really huge canon, narrow it down some, for everyone's sake (see below for more information on how). How specific fandoms need to be for signups is at the sole discretion of the mods. You will be contacted if there are any problems.
Signing up with original characters is not allowed. You may add original characters into your work, but the central focus must be your prompt.
Due to time and knowledge constraints, we are no longer able to accommodate requests for characters from a particular season of any television show, except:
I want to write Doctor Who! How do I sign up?
Smashing! You must sign up one of two ways: by Doctor, if Doctors One through Eight, or by fandom, if Doctors Nine through Twelve. You must take Nine through Twelve as a unit; we will no longer be subdividing New Who.
See this thread for more information as to what characters are included in Classic Who lists.
I want to write an anthology series! (a TV series with a different cast and plotline every season, such as American Horror Story)
Please specify which season/plotline. It is at the mods' discretion as to whether the series qualifies as such; if we decide it doesn't, you'll be contacted.
I want to write MCU! How do I sign up? *Updated!*
We admire your taste. Here are your options, of which you can pick one and only one:
- one movie series (not divisible by film), out of Avengers, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy, Hulk, or Ant-Man
- MCU movies, which includes ALL the movies, as well as the Marvel One-Shots (The Consultant, A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To Thor's Hammer, Item 47, Agent Carter (short), All Hail the King)
- Agents of SHIELD
- Agent Carter (series)
- Daredevil
- Jessica Jones
- the MCU, which includes ALL of the above.
New Daredevil season 2 characters will be included. New Captain America: Civil War characters will not. When signing up for MCU fandoms, please indicate that you want MCU. Otherwise you will be eligible for the Avengers comics in general.
I want to write Star Trek/Star Wars/Stargate/X-Men movies/Spider-Man movies/some other movie/TV franchise! *Updated!*
You can only sign up for one portion of a franchise. If you're curious as to what constitutes a portion of a franchise, please consult this post for a non-exhaustive list. Generally speaking, this is one TV series, one movie and its sequels (see post for clarification on Star Trek movies), or one book series. Please note that Star Wars Original Trilogy, Prequel Trilogy, and The Force Awakens are different fandoms.
I want to write about a comic book! How do I sign up?
For all comic book-related TV shows, animated or live-action, one show equals one fandom, including the shows in the DCAU (excluding Justice League/Justice League Unlimited and other shows that simply changed names between seasons). If there are multiple TV shows with the same name, please specify which you want.
For all comic books, please be as specific as possible (arc, timeframe, etc). If you're not specific enough, you will be asked to clarify. Here are some examples as to what to do and what not to do:
No: DC Comics, Captain Marvel, The Shadow
Yes: Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters, Captain Marvel (DeConnick), The Shadow (Dynamite)
It hasn't come out yet, but-
No.
Is RPF allowed?
Yes, with caveats. The character you choose to walk into the bar can be a real person, no problem; if the character is a real person, you must pick fictional fandoms only for the other character.
If your chosen character is fictional, you can include one (and only one) RPF fandom in your four choices, but you must be very specific. If you aren’t specific enough, one of the mods will let you know. Here are examples:
Yes: Mythbusters RPF, Lotrips, Panic! at the Disco, Penguins (NHL)
No: Discovery Channel RPF, British Actor RPF, Bandom, Hockey RPF
Please note that the rules for MCU RPF follow the same rules as those for the MCU in general.
Why are you so picky?!
What causes us the most trouble are not requests that are extremely specific. What causes us trouble is requests that are extremely broad. We choose a maximum of 20 characters for each fandom, and huge lists of characters make things very difficult. Also, you have a much better chance of getting something that you actually like if you give us a narrow window. Accuracy is key!
For a longer explanation, please see this thoroughly TL;DR comment.
Okay, wise guy, what if I pick a fandom that's connected to the fandom my first character comes from? (eg. picking John Sheppard and asking to write SG-1; picking the Tenth Doctor and asking to write Torchwood)
That would be what we in the business call a dick move, since it goes against the spirit of the challenge. If we catch it, we will ask you to pick a different fandom.
After You Get Your Prompt
What if I don't like/can't write the character I get assigned?
Well, you signed up for it.
If we have made a legitimate error, such as assigning a character from the wrong fandom or assigning a one-shot character from a large canon, please contact us immediately, and we will fix it.
But wait! Where is the bar? What if the characters are from completely different worlds? What if they're from different timelines? Oh god!
It's cool! How you choose to get the characters into the same location is totally up to you. AU, fusion, nexus point between universes, whatever- as long as the characters act like themselves, you can change anything else that you want.
Do the characters have to, y'know, do it?
No! You can write gen, het, slash, femslash, porn, fist fights, love at first sight, old drama, side pairings, side cars, whatever you like.
Does it have to be a bar?
Not necessarily. Any sort of public or semi-public area where people congregate for leisure activities is pretty much fine. Inns, taverns, onsen, rejuvenation centers, parks, rec rooms, frat parties, what have you.
Can other characters be involved?
Why the hell not? Just as long as the interaction between the two characters you're assigned is the focal point of the story.
What happens if I can't finish in time?
If you know you can’t finish, contact one of the mods, either by PM or in the comments to this post. If you don’t finish and don’t contact a mod, you will not be allowed to sign up for the next challenge; you can sign up for the one after that.
I wrote a thing! What do I do with it?
Excellent! You will now need to post your entry to the community. Go directly to this post [coming soon!] and follow the instructions there.
Technical Details
WTF, why did the challenge name change?
Well, not everybody can walk.
Who’s flying this thing?!
That would be me, sabinelagrande. And also dizmo, our masterlist mod ereshai, and our mods emeritae coffeesuperhero and kisahawklin.
Do you have a Fanlore page?
We do! Please feel free to expand it and add memorable works from previous rounds.
OMG I want to help! Can I help?
Basically, don’t call us, we’ll call you. We pretty much have things handled; if it turns out we don’t, you best believe we will ask for more hands.
I am totally on board! Sign my ass up!
Hot damn! Go directly to this post and sign your ass up!
Please, pass it around! The more the merrier!
I has a question!
Please use the comments of this post to ask! You can also PM a mod for help. Please make sure your journal is set to accept PMs from non-friends, or we may be unable to respond.
Signups: March 20 to 11:59 PM CDT, April 3 (When is that for me?)
Prompts Distributed: By April 6
Posting Opens: April 7
Last Day to Post/Notify a Mod: May 7
Masterlist Posted: Mid May
FAQ
Even if you have read the rules before, read them again, as some things have changed.
How does this work?
Here's what you do:
1. Pick a character, any character.
2. Pick up to four fandoms that you feel comfortable writing in; the fandom your character comes from can't be any of them.
That is all you need to do. What we will do, using highly scientific methods (and by that we mean Wikipedia, our list of characters, and a bag of dice), is pick a character from one of those other fandoms to meet your character in a bar. You will then produce a fanwork from your prompt (see below for guidelines).
What?
Okay. Let's say you sign up. You pick Kara Thrace, and you feel comfortable writing in Dragon Age Inquisition, Mythbusters RPF, Blake's 7, and Man from UNCLE (2015).
I roll the dice, and through my magical methods, decide that the other character is Gaby Teller. So your prompt is, "Kara Thrace goes into a bar and meets Gaby Teller," and you need to produce a fanwork about it.
Signing Up
Choosing Fandoms
After You Get Your Prompt
Technical Details
Signing Up
What's a fanwork?
For this challenge, a fanwork must be one of the following:
- a story of at least 500 words
- a complete piece of art of a reasonable size (manips and graphics yes, banners and icon sets no)
- a vid of at least forty-five seconds
- a podfic, the text/script of which must be written specifically for this challenge, five minutes long OR five hundred words
- a comic that is at least one page and/or six panels
- any combination of these things
- something else you get mod approval for.
It's dangerous to go alone. Can we sign up as a team?
Yes! You may sign up for two-person teams. Be advised that you must have the equivalent of a complete fanwork for both participants. Co-authors must produce stories of at least 1000 words, a fanartist and a writer must produce one complete piece of art and 500 words, a podficcer and an author must produce 500 words and the recording thereof, et cetera.
In the case of comics, all contributors are considered as comic creators; a comic with a writer and an artist only needs to be two pages/twelve panels, not one page and 500 words.
If you have an idea that requires more than two participants (e.g. a theatripod), consult the mods.
Can I pick a character someone else has already picked?
I don't see why not! But you definitely won't get the same second character as they do.
I signed up before. Do I have to pick new fandoms?
No. You can even copy and paste the same signup if it pleases you. If you end up with exactly the same prompt you had last time, well, don't say we didn't warn you.
I want to write a _____ character! I want to write a ____ pairing!
Unfortunately, we will not fill any requests for specific kinds of characters. Everyone will be assigned randomly from the exact same list. And remember that the prompt you receive is not for a pairing; if they hook up, that's great, but your prompt is just what it says: they go into a bar, they meet someone.
How do you pick characters, anyway?
Please see this comment for a brief explanation of the process.
I have this prompt for this other ficathing! Can I combine it with this and just write one story?
Doesn't bother us. Check with the other challenge, though.
What if I want to create a sequel/companion piece/etc to something I've already done?
If it so happens that the stars and planets align and you can do this, go for it.
Whoops, I didn't turn my story in for the last round!
If you are on this list of people, you are presently ineligible to participate. You will be eligible again in the next round. If you were ineligible in the Spring 2014 round, you are once again eligible.
If you finish your prompt for the last round before signups close and post it to the community, you will regain your eligibility. Go go go!
How many times can I sign up?
Just the once, I'm afraid. But that's good! It's only because we have so many people wanting to participate!
Do I have to write in English?
No! You can write in whatever language you like, as long as you give your headers in English and whatever language you write in. Your signup, however, must be in English.
Be advised that your intrepid moderators only read a couple languages, so if you need to ask a question in another language, you may have to wait a bit or send a translator.
Oh noes! I only have the Dreamwidth! Do I need the Livejournal?!
No! This ficathon is running concurrently on both sites; if you only have a DW account, go here to sign up. If you have accounts on both, please sign up on Dreamwidth. The masterlist will be posted in both places and include entries from both sites.
Oh noes! I have neither the Livejournal nor the Dreamwidth? Can I sign up anonymously?
No. You can use OpenID, but you cannot sign up anonymously. If you use OpenID, please sign up on DW.
Why Dreamwidth, huh?
We've had problems in the past with people having their signups marked as spam when signing up on LJ. If your comment is screened when you sign up on LJ, contact a mod immediately. So for everyone's ease, please sign up at DW if you have a DW account or are using OpenID.
Additionally, some people may have been banned from the LJ comm accidentally during previous rounds. Please contact a mod immediately or use DW if this has happened.
Choosing Fandoms
What fandoms are allowed?
Anything, pretty much. If there's a problem, we'll let you know. If it's a fandom with a really huge canon, narrow it down some, for everyone's sake (see below for more information on how). How specific fandoms need to be for signups is at the sole discretion of the mods. You will be contacted if there are any problems.
Signing up with original characters is not allowed. You may add original characters into your work, but the central focus must be your prompt.
Due to time and knowledge constraints, we are no longer able to accommodate requests for characters from a particular season of any television show, except:
I want to write Doctor Who! How do I sign up?
Smashing! You must sign up one of two ways: by Doctor, if Doctors One through Eight, or by fandom, if Doctors Nine through Twelve. You must take Nine through Twelve as a unit; we will no longer be subdividing New Who.
See this thread for more information as to what characters are included in Classic Who lists.
I want to write an anthology series! (a TV series with a different cast and plotline every season, such as American Horror Story)
Please specify which season/plotline. It is at the mods' discretion as to whether the series qualifies as such; if we decide it doesn't, you'll be contacted.
I want to write MCU! How do I sign up? *Updated!*
We admire your taste. Here are your options, of which you can pick one and only one:
- one movie series (not divisible by film), out of Avengers, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy, Hulk, or Ant-Man
- MCU movies, which includes ALL the movies, as well as the Marvel One-Shots (The Consultant, A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To Thor's Hammer, Item 47, Agent Carter (short), All Hail the King)
- Agents of SHIELD
- Agent Carter (series)
- Daredevil
- Jessica Jones
- the MCU, which includes ALL of the above.
New Daredevil season 2 characters will be included. New Captain America: Civil War characters will not. When signing up for MCU fandoms, please indicate that you want MCU. Otherwise you will be eligible for the Avengers comics in general.
I want to write Star Trek/Star Wars/Stargate/X-Men movies/Spider-Man movies/some other movie/TV franchise! *Updated!*
You can only sign up for one portion of a franchise. If you're curious as to what constitutes a portion of a franchise, please consult this post for a non-exhaustive list. Generally speaking, this is one TV series, one movie and its sequels (see post for clarification on Star Trek movies), or one book series. Please note that Star Wars Original Trilogy, Prequel Trilogy, and The Force Awakens are different fandoms.
I want to write about a comic book! How do I sign up?
For all comic book-related TV shows, animated or live-action, one show equals one fandom, including the shows in the DCAU (excluding Justice League/Justice League Unlimited and other shows that simply changed names between seasons). If there are multiple TV shows with the same name, please specify which you want.
For all comic books, please be as specific as possible (arc, timeframe, etc). If you're not specific enough, you will be asked to clarify. Here are some examples as to what to do and what not to do:
No: DC Comics, Captain Marvel, The Shadow
Yes: Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters, Captain Marvel (DeConnick), The Shadow (Dynamite)
It hasn't come out yet, but-
No.
Is RPF allowed?
Yes, with caveats. The character you choose to walk into the bar can be a real person, no problem; if the character is a real person, you must pick fictional fandoms only for the other character.
If your chosen character is fictional, you can include one (and only one) RPF fandom in your four choices, but you must be very specific. If you aren’t specific enough, one of the mods will let you know. Here are examples:
Yes: Mythbusters RPF, Lotrips, Panic! at the Disco, Penguins (NHL)
No: Discovery Channel RPF, British Actor RPF, Bandom, Hockey RPF
Please note that the rules for MCU RPF follow the same rules as those for the MCU in general.
Why are you so picky?!
What causes us the most trouble are not requests that are extremely specific. What causes us trouble is requests that are extremely broad. We choose a maximum of 20 characters for each fandom, and huge lists of characters make things very difficult. Also, you have a much better chance of getting something that you actually like if you give us a narrow window. Accuracy is key!
For a longer explanation, please see this thoroughly TL;DR comment.
Okay, wise guy, what if I pick a fandom that's connected to the fandom my first character comes from? (eg. picking John Sheppard and asking to write SG-1; picking the Tenth Doctor and asking to write Torchwood)
That would be what we in the business call a dick move, since it goes against the spirit of the challenge. If we catch it, we will ask you to pick a different fandom.
After You Get Your Prompt
What if I don't like/can't write the character I get assigned?
Well, you signed up for it.
If we have made a legitimate error, such as assigning a character from the wrong fandom or assigning a one-shot character from a large canon, please contact us immediately, and we will fix it.
But wait! Where is the bar? What if the characters are from completely different worlds? What if they're from different timelines? Oh god!
It's cool! How you choose to get the characters into the same location is totally up to you. AU, fusion, nexus point between universes, whatever- as long as the characters act like themselves, you can change anything else that you want.
Do the characters have to, y'know, do it?
No! You can write gen, het, slash, femslash, porn, fist fights, love at first sight, old drama, side pairings, side cars, whatever you like.
Does it have to be a bar?
Not necessarily. Any sort of public or semi-public area where people congregate for leisure activities is pretty much fine. Inns, taverns, onsen, rejuvenation centers, parks, rec rooms, frat parties, what have you.
Can other characters be involved?
Why the hell not? Just as long as the interaction between the two characters you're assigned is the focal point of the story.
What happens if I can't finish in time?
If you know you can’t finish, contact one of the mods, either by PM or in the comments to this post. If you don’t finish and don’t contact a mod, you will not be allowed to sign up for the next challenge; you can sign up for the one after that.
I wrote a thing! What do I do with it?
Excellent! You will now need to post your entry to the community. Go directly to this post [coming soon!] and follow the instructions there.
Technical Details
WTF, why did the challenge name change?
Well, not everybody can walk.
Who’s flying this thing?!
That would be me, sabinelagrande. And also dizmo, our masterlist mod ereshai, and our mods emeritae coffeesuperhero and kisahawklin.
Do you have a Fanlore page?
We do! Please feel free to expand it and add memorable works from previous rounds.
OMG I want to help! Can I help?
Basically, don’t call us, we’ll call you. We pretty much have things handled; if it turns out we don’t, you best believe we will ask for more hands.
I am totally on board! Sign my ass up!
Hot damn! Go directly to this post and sign your ass up!
Please, pass it around! The more the merrier!
I has a question!
Please use the comments of this post to ask! You can also PM a mod for help. Please make sure your journal is set to accept PMs from non-friends, or we may be unable to respond.