HP Traditions Fest, 2009
Hi all! I have some good news for you: jairissa and I have decided to run this fest again in 2009.
Just like this year, the 2009 schedule will be as follows:
January 1 - Signups open.
January 31 - Signups close if maximum number isn't reached.
February 15 - Assignments sent out.
April 15 - Fics due.
May 1 - Posting starts.
May 31 - Posting finishes.
If you participated last year and did not complete your assignment, you will not be accepted into this year's fest, as per the rule posted last year: Please note that if you drop out or fail to complete your assignment you will not only not be welcome back next year, you will also not receive your gift and your name will be posted publicly at the end of the fest. The same goes for this year.
RULES
1. All fics must contain a plot and must be heavily based around some form of tradition. This doesn't necessarily mean it needs to be tens of thousands of words long and have months of research put in. While we do expect some form of research to at least get the basic idea of the tradition you are writing about, what we mean by plot is that it has to have some form of story to it. Even if that story/plot is as simple as 'character A wishes to celebrate tradition Y. They convince character B to join them. The following fun is had.' All fics must be at least 2500 words long, and are to be spellchecked and beta-read.
If your fic doesn't meet these requirements, or if it does not meet the requirements of the original assignment, we reserve the right to return it to you. At this point you are welcome to either re-do it so that it does fit our requirements or decline to participate, it is entirely up to you.
2. Signups will be capped at 100 participants. We highly doubt our humble fest will receive anywhere near that amount of interest, but wishful thinking is always good. Should it get to that we will cap it, although if you manage to sneak in before one of the moderators notices, we probably won't kick you out.
3. This is an anonymous exchange, which means that you won't know who wrote each individual fic until all of them have been posted. In order to maintain this secrecy, please do not post your fic anywhere else until the authors have been revealed. Furthermore, we won't accept any fic that is not complete (ie the first part of a longer fic) or part of an existing WIP.
4. Submissions:
When the fic is completed, please attach it as either a .txt or a .rtf file and send it to hp.traditions@gmail.com. Make sure any special formatting tags, such as italics and bold, are included in the file as we will not add these in manually for you. Please include the following header in your fic's file:
Title:
Author:
Gift For:
Pairing(s):
Summary:
Rating:
Warnings: Does your fic fit any of these categories? [non-consensual, bloodplay or other nonsexual bodily fluids, breathplay, rimming, incest, underage participants (under 18), BDSM, character death, bestiality, necrophilia, violence/disturbing content]
Author's notes: (if any)
5. Once you have received your assignment, please read over it carefully. If we have sent you something you think you absolutely can't write, let us know. If you tell us early enough, we should be able to do some reshuffling and get you an assignment that you can write. We will only change this for legitimate mismatches -- if you told us in your signup sheet that you are happy to write slash and will write anything with Snape or Hagrid in a pairing, then decide upon receipt of your assignment that you can't write Snape/Hagrid, we are unlikely to be sympathetic. That's why we're asking you to be specific to the last detail in your signup sheet.
Also, please plan your time carefully. If you know you're going to be busy in March and April and won't have time to write, don't sign up -- we've created these dates for a reason, and if you know you can't fit into them we'd prefer you didn't waste your author's time.
6. In order to receive a fiction gift, you must create one for someone else. Remember that when you sign up, you're asking another author to spend time writing something just for you. So if you're not willing to take on that obligation for someone else you would be better off trying a prompt or request community rather than this one.
Please note that if you drop out or fail to complete your assignment you will not only not be welcome back next year, you will also not receive your gift and your name will be posted publicly at the end of the fest.
If you have any questions, please refer to the FAQ (below). If your question is not answered, feel free to leave a comment here or contact the moderators at traditionsmods@gmail.com (note the change from last year. Gmail did something strange to the old account).
FAQ (including questions asked last year)
1. Will this fest be held on livejournal or insanejournal? There are communities for it on both places.
Simple answer: yes. More specifically all works will be posted on both communities, although here on livejournal all posts with adult content will be tagged as such and marked as friends only. This is to allow people who are solely on one site or the other to read the fics without causing any confusion.
2. Do I need to sign up at both livejournal and insanejournal?
No. Please only post your signup sheet to one or the other, not both.
3. If I get too busy, don't like my assignment or don't like who I'm writing for, can I just drop out?
Absolutely not. If you're even thinking this please do not sign up here. We want committed, reliable writers for this fest. We don't want to have to chase people down to find out what's happening, to have to reassign fics half way through the fest or to risk people not getting what they've asked for. Seriously, don't do it.
4. What if I do need to drop out then?
Tell us ASAP. If it's early on in the fest, we can still try and find new participants or pinch-hitters. If we don't find out until posting has almost started, this becomes a lot more difficult. Furthermore, unless you're dropping out for a really, really good reason, we will not allow you back into any fest that either of us ever end up running.
5. I don't like the person I'm writing for, what do I do?
You will almost never hear us say this, but deal with it. If you can write the request, ignore who it's for. Just write the story to the best of your ability -- the recipient really doesn't matter. In the end, you've hopefully still got a good story, right?
6. What if I absolutely can't write my request?
Let us know. If we've sent you something that's a real mismatch we'll make sure we rearrange things so that you have something you can write. Just make sure you're really specific on your signup form so we can try and avoid this eventuality. For example, if you say you can't write Hagrid and we send you an assignment with only Hagrid pairings or you say you can't write angst or darkfic and that's all your recipient wants, tell us. We've made a mistake and we'll gladly fix it.
7. What if it's not a squick, I said I could write it but I just...can't?
Once again, tell us ASAP. We've been there ourselves and we will be sympathetic. We'll either try and help you brainstorm ideas to get you going again or see what we can do to rearrange things. We don't want you to be stuck writing something you hate, and we're more than happy to try and help out if we can.
8. I only write het/slash/femmeslash/gen. Can I still sign up?
Sure! Just make sure to mark that on your signup sheet. Your assignment may include a mix of het and slash and femmeslash pairings, but we only expect you to write what you're comfortable with, so just pick one that you can do and go for it.
9. I've signed up and I really want to keep participating, but I need more time. What do I do?
Let us know as soon as you can. We can probably arrange an extension for you (provided that everyone else hasn't also asked for one). On that note, however, please only ask us if you genuinely need it. If you just can't be bothered to finish writing your fic right now, we probably won't be sympathetic and will be pissed off that you've used up an extension someone with a valid reason needed.
10. Hey! I wrote a fic, and didn't get a gift!
We don't anticipate this happening. In fact, we're going to do absolutely everything in our power to make sure it hasn't. But if, for some reason, you didn't get your gift by May 31, tell us nicely and we'll find out what on earth happened. Even if it ends up being late, you will get it.
11. Can I post the fic I wrote elsewhere?
Sure, just wait until after May 31st and we've revealed all the authors, please.
12. Can I post the fic I received elsewhere?
You can rec it, definitely. However, despite the fact that it's 'your' gift, it still remains the work of the author. If you wish to post it elsewhere, ask them first and make sure you credit them.
13. Do I need to use everything from the author's request?
Definitely not. You can use as much or as little as you want, however you do need to chose at least one of their requested pairings and one of the requested traditions. The rest of the kinks/things they'd like to see are just guidelines, although the more you put in the happier your recipient will no doubt be.
14. Can I write something on my recipient's squick list?
Absolutely not. No way, no how. The squicks list is there for a reason -- to help you avoid it. As such any fics that contain even a hint of the recipient's squicks will be rejected and you can either re-write it or leave the fest.
15. Can I use more than one of my recipient's requested pairings?
Yes, and I'm sure they will love you forever for it.
16. Can I write threesomes with one of my recipient's requested pairings and another character?
No. Not unless they specifically requested it anyway.
17. What about art? Are artists welcome, as well?
Art may be included in later rounds, but for now we're restricting this fest to fic only. Both of your mods are authors, and we aren't really sure how to incorporate art into a fest like this.
18. Could you clarify a bit on what "traditions" means? Do you mean broad things, like "celebrating Christmas" or specific traditions, like "breaking a wineglass at a wedding"? Or historical traditions, or family traditions ... what exactly is the scope of what you're looking at here?
Broad traditions are fine, as are specific ones and historical ones. Basically anything that is a non-family tradition would fit. So celebrating Christmas would be a tradition, but heading off to Aunt Mergatroid's for breakfast, Grandma's for lunch and Uncle Fester's for dinner wouldn't be the sort of thing we're looking for.
19. Do religious traditions count? Also, can I make up my own Wizarding traditions?
Religious traditions definitely count, but we would prefer that you didn't event any new ones. Making up unique ways that one wizard celebrates an already established tradition, however, is more than welcome.
20. Am I safe in assuming that you will accept reqs of all spectrum, including if the recipient wants PG fluff all the way up to NC-17 darkfic? (This is assuming the author is willing/capable of fulfilling the request).
That's exactly right.
Just like this year, the 2009 schedule will be as follows:
January 1 - Signups open.
January 31 - Signups close if maximum number isn't reached.
February 15 - Assignments sent out.
April 15 - Fics due.
May 1 - Posting starts.
May 31 - Posting finishes.
If you participated last year and did not complete your assignment, you will not be accepted into this year's fest, as per the rule posted last year: Please note that if you drop out or fail to complete your assignment you will not only not be welcome back next year, you will also not receive your gift and your name will be posted publicly at the end of the fest. The same goes for this year.
RULES
1. All fics must contain a plot and must be heavily based around some form of tradition. This doesn't necessarily mean it needs to be tens of thousands of words long and have months of research put in. While we do expect some form of research to at least get the basic idea of the tradition you are writing about, what we mean by plot is that it has to have some form of story to it. Even if that story/plot is as simple as 'character A wishes to celebrate tradition Y. They convince character B to join them. The following fun is had.' All fics must be at least 2500 words long, and are to be spellchecked and beta-read.
If your fic doesn't meet these requirements, or if it does not meet the requirements of the original assignment, we reserve the right to return it to you. At this point you are welcome to either re-do it so that it does fit our requirements or decline to participate, it is entirely up to you.
2. Signups will be capped at 100 participants. We highly doubt our humble fest will receive anywhere near that amount of interest, but wishful thinking is always good. Should it get to that we will cap it, although if you manage to sneak in before one of the moderators notices, we probably won't kick you out.
3. This is an anonymous exchange, which means that you won't know who wrote each individual fic until all of them have been posted. In order to maintain this secrecy, please do not post your fic anywhere else until the authors have been revealed. Furthermore, we won't accept any fic that is not complete (ie the first part of a longer fic) or part of an existing WIP.
4. Submissions:
When the fic is completed, please attach it as either a .txt or a .rtf file and send it to hp.traditions@gmail.com. Make sure any special formatting tags, such as italics and bold, are included in the file as we will not add these in manually for you. Please include the following header in your fic's file:
Title:
Author:
Gift For:
Pairing(s):
Summary:
Rating:
Warnings: Does your fic fit any of these categories? [non-consensual, bloodplay or other nonsexual bodily fluids, breathplay, rimming, incest, underage participants (under 18), BDSM, character death, bestiality, necrophilia, violence/disturbing content]
Author's notes: (if any)
5. Once you have received your assignment, please read over it carefully. If we have sent you something you think you absolutely can't write, let us know. If you tell us early enough, we should be able to do some reshuffling and get you an assignment that you can write. We will only change this for legitimate mismatches -- if you told us in your signup sheet that you are happy to write slash and will write anything with Snape or Hagrid in a pairing, then decide upon receipt of your assignment that you can't write Snape/Hagrid, we are unlikely to be sympathetic. That's why we're asking you to be specific to the last detail in your signup sheet.
Also, please plan your time carefully. If you know you're going to be busy in March and April and won't have time to write, don't sign up -- we've created these dates for a reason, and if you know you can't fit into them we'd prefer you didn't waste your author's time.
6. In order to receive a fiction gift, you must create one for someone else. Remember that when you sign up, you're asking another author to spend time writing something just for you. So if you're not willing to take on that obligation for someone else you would be better off trying a prompt or request community rather than this one.
Please note that if you drop out or fail to complete your assignment you will not only not be welcome back next year, you will also not receive your gift and your name will be posted publicly at the end of the fest.
If you have any questions, please refer to the FAQ (below). If your question is not answered, feel free to leave a comment here or contact the moderators at traditionsmods@gmail.com (note the change from last year. Gmail did something strange to the old account).
FAQ (including questions asked last year)
1. Will this fest be held on livejournal or insanejournal? There are communities for it on both places.
Simple answer: yes. More specifically all works will be posted on both communities, although here on livejournal all posts with adult content will be tagged as such and marked as friends only. This is to allow people who are solely on one site or the other to read the fics without causing any confusion.
2. Do I need to sign up at both livejournal and insanejournal?
No. Please only post your signup sheet to one or the other, not both.
3. If I get too busy, don't like my assignment or don't like who I'm writing for, can I just drop out?
Absolutely not. If you're even thinking this please do not sign up here. We want committed, reliable writers for this fest. We don't want to have to chase people down to find out what's happening, to have to reassign fics half way through the fest or to risk people not getting what they've asked for. Seriously, don't do it.
4. What if I do need to drop out then?
Tell us ASAP. If it's early on in the fest, we can still try and find new participants or pinch-hitters. If we don't find out until posting has almost started, this becomes a lot more difficult. Furthermore, unless you're dropping out for a really, really good reason, we will not allow you back into any fest that either of us ever end up running.
5. I don't like the person I'm writing for, what do I do?
You will almost never hear us say this, but deal with it. If you can write the request, ignore who it's for. Just write the story to the best of your ability -- the recipient really doesn't matter. In the end, you've hopefully still got a good story, right?
6. What if I absolutely can't write my request?
Let us know. If we've sent you something that's a real mismatch we'll make sure we rearrange things so that you have something you can write. Just make sure you're really specific on your signup form so we can try and avoid this eventuality. For example, if you say you can't write Hagrid and we send you an assignment with only Hagrid pairings or you say you can't write angst or darkfic and that's all your recipient wants, tell us. We've made a mistake and we'll gladly fix it.
7. What if it's not a squick, I said I could write it but I just...can't?
Once again, tell us ASAP. We've been there ourselves and we will be sympathetic. We'll either try and help you brainstorm ideas to get you going again or see what we can do to rearrange things. We don't want you to be stuck writing something you hate, and we're more than happy to try and help out if we can.
8. I only write het/slash/femmeslash/gen. Can I still sign up?
Sure! Just make sure to mark that on your signup sheet. Your assignment may include a mix of het and slash and femmeslash pairings, but we only expect you to write what you're comfortable with, so just pick one that you can do and go for it.
9. I've signed up and I really want to keep participating, but I need more time. What do I do?
Let us know as soon as you can. We can probably arrange an extension for you (provided that everyone else hasn't also asked for one). On that note, however, please only ask us if you genuinely need it. If you just can't be bothered to finish writing your fic right now, we probably won't be sympathetic and will be pissed off that you've used up an extension someone with a valid reason needed.
10. Hey! I wrote a fic, and didn't get a gift!
We don't anticipate this happening. In fact, we're going to do absolutely everything in our power to make sure it hasn't. But if, for some reason, you didn't get your gift by May 31, tell us nicely and we'll find out what on earth happened. Even if it ends up being late, you will get it.
11. Can I post the fic I wrote elsewhere?
Sure, just wait until after May 31st and we've revealed all the authors, please.
12. Can I post the fic I received elsewhere?
You can rec it, definitely. However, despite the fact that it's 'your' gift, it still remains the work of the author. If you wish to post it elsewhere, ask them first and make sure you credit them.
13. Do I need to use everything from the author's request?
Definitely not. You can use as much or as little as you want, however you do need to chose at least one of their requested pairings and one of the requested traditions. The rest of the kinks/things they'd like to see are just guidelines, although the more you put in the happier your recipient will no doubt be.
14. Can I write something on my recipient's squick list?
Absolutely not. No way, no how. The squicks list is there for a reason -- to help you avoid it. As such any fics that contain even a hint of the recipient's squicks will be rejected and you can either re-write it or leave the fest.
15. Can I use more than one of my recipient's requested pairings?
Yes, and I'm sure they will love you forever for it.
16. Can I write threesomes with one of my recipient's requested pairings and another character?
No. Not unless they specifically requested it anyway.
17. What about art? Are artists welcome, as well?
Art may be included in later rounds, but for now we're restricting this fest to fic only. Both of your mods are authors, and we aren't really sure how to incorporate art into a fest like this.
18. Could you clarify a bit on what "traditions" means? Do you mean broad things, like "celebrating Christmas" or specific traditions, like "breaking a wineglass at a wedding"? Or historical traditions, or family traditions ... what exactly is the scope of what you're looking at here?
Broad traditions are fine, as are specific ones and historical ones. Basically anything that is a non-family tradition would fit. So celebrating Christmas would be a tradition, but heading off to Aunt Mergatroid's for breakfast, Grandma's for lunch and Uncle Fester's for dinner wouldn't be the sort of thing we're looking for.
19. Do religious traditions count? Also, can I make up my own Wizarding traditions?
Religious traditions definitely count, but we would prefer that you didn't event any new ones. Making up unique ways that one wizard celebrates an already established tradition, however, is more than welcome.
20. Am I safe in assuming that you will accept reqs of all spectrum, including if the recipient wants PG fluff all the way up to NC-17 darkfic? (This is assuming the author is willing/capable of fulfilling the request).
That's exactly right.