Histories Ficathon VII: History's Greatest Monster
It's the MOST WONDERFUL TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME OF THE YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAR...
ANNOUNCING THE SEVENTH ANNUAL thisengland HISTORIES FICATHON AND LOVEFEST
You know, this ficathon originally got started in honor of the previous RSC history cycle (2007-08). The wheel is come full circle; I am here.
Last year, we started posting the fics at the Archive of Our Own, and this made life so much easier that we're going to do it again this year. Signups will still be done as in the past -- we thought about doing them on AO3 but I couldn't make heads or tails of the setup even with a tutorial, and this is still a small enough ficathon that it should be manageable -- but when it comes time to post your fics, you can do it yourself. This should make everyone's lives a little bit easier. All administrative business will take place here, and links to ficathon fics will still be posted to this community, so we're not going anywhere!
A few clarifications and ground rules:
1. "Histories," for ficathon purposes, means "stuff categorized as histories in the 1623 Folio," which means "medieval and early Renaissance English histories." Which means the two tetralogies (Richard II/Henry IV/Henry V and Henry VI/Richard III), King John, and Henry VIII.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE:
a) Please be advised that Macbeth, King Lear, and Cymbeline are ineligible for this ficathon, as are the Roman histories.
b) The Merry Wives of Windsor is attached closely enough to the second tetralogy that if you want fic about it, that's fine. (I don't think anyone has ever asked for fic about it.)
c) The possibly-partly-Shakespearean Edward III and Sir Thomas More have enough claim to being Shakespeare that they count (if anyone wants fic about them).
d) Crossovers with other early modern texts are permissible, but not other crossovers (for instance, with media properties such as Doctor Who or Harry Potter -- I'd happily read either one, but please don't request or submit them for the ficathon). Incorporating historical knowledge of the play's time period or historical backstory on the characters is perfectly valid (indeed, encouraged) and does not make the fic a crossover.
e) Requests for radical AUs (i.e. AUs set in completely different time periods and/or locations) are, as always, also permissible (and really, if you have ever done this ficathon you probably know that this fandom LOVES them).
f) Early modern history plays by other authors that engage with the same events/characters as Shakespeare's histories are also permitted (although in the entire history of the ficathon there has never been such a request in a non-crossover context). Although you won't need it if you have a request in mind, there is a comprehensive list of known early modern history plays here, arranged chronologically by content.
g) We anticipate that interest in this ficathon may well be increased by the recent high-profile productions of history plays, including The Hollow Crown, the RSC's Richard II starring David Tennant, and the RSC Henry IVs currently being broadcast throughout the UK. Fics inspired by or based on these productions are welcome! Please remember that not all participants, though, have access to them; you are therefore welcome to include optional details based on any of these productions, but be aware that your writer may or may not be able to accommodate them.
TL;DR: If you're not clear whether something is acceptable, please ask! However, all signups MUST include at least one prompt from one of the two tetralogies (Richard II, 1 & 2 Henry IV and Henry V OR 1, 2, & 3 Henry VI and Richard III) in order to facilitate matchups.
2. While rule #1 permits requests for AU fic, we'd like to ask participants not to request fic in pre-existing AUs. Fic taking place in pre-existing AUs may be written for Histories Ficathon Madness, but not for the main ficathon. If you wish to write in an AU not your own, please contact the mods so that we can ask the original creator(s)!
3. As always, this is a fic exchange. Assignments will go out as soon after the deadline as possible, once lareinenoire and I have had a chance to look over the entries.
4. We're open to pretty much whatever genre -- gen, het, slash, femslash, giant hilarious orgies, whatever, so feel free to request whatever you like.
5. All ficathon administrative posts will appear here at thisengland.
6. Word limit for fics is 1000 minimum, as in yuletide.
7. Ficathon fics will be hosted at the Archive Of Our Own. I have created a collection for this year's Histories Ficathon entries; once assignments have gone out, I will give all participants access to it and link it on thisengland. Links to all fics will be posted on thisengland as well.
Things to let us know when you sign up:
1. What you want (be as specific or not as you want. Please give at least three prompts, to make matchups easier and to give your writer a bit of a choice). All signups must include ONE prompt from one of the two tetralogies.
2. What you prefer to write -- include plays, characters, genres, what you will.
3. What you would rather not write. Please be sure to specify plays and genres (e.g. deathfic, romantic comedy) as well as kinks; the former is generally more helpful for the purposes of assignments (we get very few requests for kink in this ficathon).
4. Whether you need an AO3 invite.
5. Whether you're willing to pinch-hit
To sign up:
Email all of this info to me at strangebrooch AT gmail DOT com, AND lareinenoire at lareinenoire AT gmail DOT com, by WEDNESDAY JUNE 18. Don't forget to include your handle if it's not clear from your email and/or I don't know who you are. The final deadline for fics is tentatively set at THURSDAY AUGUST 21. (This is negotiable if it's a bad time for participants.) Once everyone's assignments are in, we will post all unwritten prompts at thisengland for anyone to write fic of any length (even if you weren't originally part of the exchange) and open the collection to all comers -- much like Yuletide Madness, in other words. All fics will then be made available onSATURDAY AUGUST 23. Authors will be revealed on SATURDAY AUGUST 30.
ANNOUNCING THE SEVENTH ANNUAL thisengland HISTORIES FICATHON AND LOVEFEST
You know, this ficathon originally got started in honor of the previous RSC history cycle (2007-08). The wheel is come full circle; I am here.
Last year, we started posting the fics at the Archive of Our Own, and this made life so much easier that we're going to do it again this year. Signups will still be done as in the past -- we thought about doing them on AO3 but I couldn't make heads or tails of the setup even with a tutorial, and this is still a small enough ficathon that it should be manageable -- but when it comes time to post your fics, you can do it yourself. This should make everyone's lives a little bit easier. All administrative business will take place here, and links to ficathon fics will still be posted to this community, so we're not going anywhere!
A few clarifications and ground rules:
1. "Histories," for ficathon purposes, means "stuff categorized as histories in the 1623 Folio," which means "medieval and early Renaissance English histories." Which means the two tetralogies (Richard II/Henry IV/Henry V and Henry VI/Richard III), King John, and Henry VIII.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE:
a) Please be advised that Macbeth, King Lear, and Cymbeline are ineligible for this ficathon, as are the Roman histories.
b) The Merry Wives of Windsor is attached closely enough to the second tetralogy that if you want fic about it, that's fine. (I don't think anyone has ever asked for fic about it.)
c) The possibly-partly-Shakespearean Edward III and Sir Thomas More have enough claim to being Shakespeare that they count (if anyone wants fic about them).
d) Crossovers with other early modern texts are permissible, but not other crossovers (for instance, with media properties such as Doctor Who or Harry Potter -- I'd happily read either one, but please don't request or submit them for the ficathon). Incorporating historical knowledge of the play's time period or historical backstory on the characters is perfectly valid (indeed, encouraged) and does not make the fic a crossover.
e) Requests for radical AUs (i.e. AUs set in completely different time periods and/or locations) are, as always, also permissible (and really, if you have ever done this ficathon you probably know that this fandom LOVES them).
f) Early modern history plays by other authors that engage with the same events/characters as Shakespeare's histories are also permitted (although in the entire history of the ficathon there has never been such a request in a non-crossover context). Although you won't need it if you have a request in mind, there is a comprehensive list of known early modern history plays here, arranged chronologically by content.
g) We anticipate that interest in this ficathon may well be increased by the recent high-profile productions of history plays, including The Hollow Crown, the RSC's Richard II starring David Tennant, and the RSC Henry IVs currently being broadcast throughout the UK. Fics inspired by or based on these productions are welcome! Please remember that not all participants, though, have access to them; you are therefore welcome to include optional details based on any of these productions, but be aware that your writer may or may not be able to accommodate them.
TL;DR: If you're not clear whether something is acceptable, please ask! However, all signups MUST include at least one prompt from one of the two tetralogies (Richard II, 1 & 2 Henry IV and Henry V OR 1, 2, & 3 Henry VI and Richard III) in order to facilitate matchups.
2. While rule #1 permits requests for AU fic, we'd like to ask participants not to request fic in pre-existing AUs. Fic taking place in pre-existing AUs may be written for Histories Ficathon Madness, but not for the main ficathon. If you wish to write in an AU not your own, please contact the mods so that we can ask the original creator(s)!
3. As always, this is a fic exchange. Assignments will go out as soon after the deadline as possible, once lareinenoire and I have had a chance to look over the entries.
4. We're open to pretty much whatever genre -- gen, het, slash, femslash, giant hilarious orgies, whatever, so feel free to request whatever you like.
5. All ficathon administrative posts will appear here at thisengland.
6. Word limit for fics is 1000 minimum, as in yuletide.
7. Ficathon fics will be hosted at the Archive Of Our Own. I have created a collection for this year's Histories Ficathon entries; once assignments have gone out, I will give all participants access to it and link it on thisengland. Links to all fics will be posted on thisengland as well.
Things to let us know when you sign up:
1. What you want (be as specific or not as you want. Please give at least three prompts, to make matchups easier and to give your writer a bit of a choice). All signups must include ONE prompt from one of the two tetralogies.
2. What you prefer to write -- include plays, characters, genres, what you will.
3. What you would rather not write. Please be sure to specify plays and genres (e.g. deathfic, romantic comedy) as well as kinks; the former is generally more helpful for the purposes of assignments (we get very few requests for kink in this ficathon).
4. Whether you need an AO3 invite.
5. Whether you're willing to pinch-hit
To sign up:
Email all of this info to me at strangebrooch AT gmail DOT com, AND lareinenoire at lareinenoire AT gmail DOT com, by WEDNESDAY JUNE 18. Don't forget to include your handle if it's not clear from your email and/or I don't know who you are. The final deadline for fics is tentatively set at THURSDAY AUGUST 21. (This is negotiable if it's a bad time for participants.) Once everyone's assignments are in, we will post all unwritten prompts at thisengland for anyone to write fic of any length (even if you weren't originally part of the exchange) and open the collection to all comers -- much like Yuletide Madness, in other words. All fics will then be made available onSATURDAY AUGUST 23. Authors will be revealed on SATURDAY AUGUST 30.