inception30daychallenge

[inception30daychallenge]

The winners of the Inception 30 Day Challenge are @gessorosso and @ladysarai!

Each of you will receive a calligraphy quote from @flosculatory as a prize! You will be contacted on tumblr for more details.

Congratulations to our two winners and thanks to everyone who participated! In total we had 16 participants share their ideas and Inception recs, in a total of 249 posts. This was the highest level of participation since we started the new format of the 30 day challenge! Extra congratulations go to @darlingandmreames, @gessorosso, @ladysarai, @occhiolissimo, @thenwhatthefukcisthis, and @valerileygreen for filling all 31 days of prompts.

That’s it for us! Be sure to check the blog or click through the links on the original prompt list to explore some of the ideas and works created for the event. If you create anything based off these prompts, tag @inception30daychallenge so we can promote your work! Thanks again!

[inception30daychallenge]

Inception Olympics AU Fanwork Fest!

The other day I posted a little interest check, and it looks like there is some interest! So here we go!

Day 26 of @inception30daychallenge this year was "Which summer Olympic sport would each character compete in?" and the fandom answered with countless AMAZING ideas! Between that and the actual Summer Olympics happening in Paris, I went searching for Olympics AUs for Inception. I found some, but not nearly enough!

I am putting out the call to Inception fandom: Bring us Olympics AUs!

I've created a collection over at AO3: Inception Olympics AU Fanwork Fest | Archive of Our Own

The collection is unmoderated and open for posting! For fanworks that can't be posted to AO3 (or for those who don't have AO3 accounts), please post here on Tumblr and use the hashtag #inceptionolympicsAUfest.

As inspiration and a gift, I have found and bookmarked all of the existing Olympics AUs I could find on AO3, here! There are 14, 5 of which are part of a series! And, as per usual with this fandom, they are all of them EXCELLENT. Do yourself a favor and go enjoy them, then create some of your own!! (If I have missed a fic, please let me know!)

I figure this can run for the month of August. If you're inspired or have started something and haven't finished it by then, that's okay! The real goal of this fest is to create more fun AUs and amazing fanworks. So let's have some fun!

FAQ and more info under the cut.

What can I work on for this fest?

This is meant to be a collection of fanworks, including:

fanfics (no word limits (min or max), no deadline or start date)

fanarts

fan mixes

gif sets

a collection of prompts up for adoption

Rec lists

literally anything accepted...

Gen or ANY pairings

Whatever!

Anything goes!

Are there any prompts?

Not officially! But here are some ideas:

Men's gymnastics AU (I mean, look at this shit!)

Fencing AU!

Equestrian events! Any/all of them!

Wrestling/Boxing/Judo AU!

Swimming AU!

Diving AU!

Bicycling AU!

Shooting AUs--guns or archery!

Tennis AU! (Look. Dom and Arthur as a duo. Maybe up against Eames and Yusuf? GUARANTEED CHAOS.)

Rowing AU!

A full list of all Olympic sports to choose from!!

Competing coaches! Good coaches, bad coaches!

Are your faves on a team together?

Or do they compete against each other in the SAME SPORT?

Do they compete in DIFFERENT sports and support each other??

Are there career ending/threatening injuries leading to hurt/comfort??

Does everyone win a gold medal?

Does NO ONE win but get to go home with something better than a medal??

JUST THINK of all the shenanigans that can be got into in the Olympic Village!

PARALYMPICS!!! Why are they competing the paralympics?! Is it one character or several?!

What are the Rules?

Create a thing, post it to this collection! If you're on Tumblr, tag a post with #inceptionolympicsAUfest

Make sure the thing you make is for the Inception fandom.

Make sure the Olympics or Paralympics are somehow part of the story. (Even if the story is that they don't qualify for the Olympics!)

Be kind to each other.

Let your imagination run wild!

Have fun!

That's it.

Is there a deadline?

Currently I'm thinking this could work as a month of August 2024 thing, but obviously anything submitted at any time will be welcomed! And I can guarantee I'll want this again come the Winter Games. I know myself.

[inception30daychallenge]

@inception30daychallengeinception30, Day 19: Your favorite bit of fanon.

UGH ONE FAVORITE???? I can't.

I mean. I obviously subscribe to Team Dream Husbands. If Arthur and Eames weren't a couple during the movie, they used to be, or they will be.

The idea that Arthur was Mal's friend. Whether it was that they met first, or that they were best friends, whatever--I love it like burning. It adds so much dimension to the lengths Arthur is willing to go to (and has clearly gone to) for Cobb, especially given what we the audience knows about Mal and Cobb. (And why are there not more fics where Arthur Finds Out? Because I need that.)

Arthur having a military background. I know, he explained the whole military background of shared dreaming, and he's generally the audience's teacher, but he also used a military issue gun and... I just love it, for so many reasons.

[inception30daychallenge]

A late Day 27: A self-rec! (anything from art to a funny Tumblr post you made!)

AI is so weird.

Happy Inceptiversary, anyway!

Hope people had a blast🔥!

&;o*

[inception30daychallenge]

Day 11: Mal’s favourite fairytale.

Jack Frost and the Snow Queen.

She loved all those elements that inspired her mind; the enchanted winter realms, intricate frost patterns blooming on the ferns and windowpanes, lacy snowflakes drizzling down from the night skies, glittering silver and diamonds in the pale sun. They were like nature's architects for her, and she had always been drawn to people who can conjure up things from their hands and from the depths of their imaginations.

[inception30daychallenge]

@inception30daychallenge day 5: your favourite line in the movie:

It's absolutely impossible to choose one, so I'll go with the one that always makes me smile:

[inception30daychallenge]

@inception30daychallenge days 29-31

Day 29: Something Yusuf keeps hidden in his desk.

Munchies and a gun

Day 30: If the characters were all in a band, what instruments/roles would they play?

Disclaimer I know nothing about music.

Ariadne: bass

Arthur: lead guitar

Dom: lead vocals

Eames: trumpet?

Mal: drums

Robert: other guitar?

Saito: the money guy who’s also a groupie

Yusuf: synth and also probably writes a lot of the music?

Day 31: A letter to Inception fandom.

I’m sorry I’m so bad at this stuff. Words are hard!

So it’s been 14 years and some of you I’ve known that whole time which is crazy to me. So much life has happened in that time and y’all were there whenever I needed an escape from the bad stuff or an outlet for the good stuff.

Y’all are so smart and talented it’s inspiring. And on top of that y’all are really encouraging. All the writing/art sprints, sharing ideas and asking others to share theirs. Sometimes I get down on myself because I feel like I’m not very talented or whatever but y’all don’t even allow that feeling to linger because you encourage everyone around you. I’m usually pretty quiet so most of the time I’m not even on the receiving end of it but I see how y’all lift each other up and I dunno it just makes a difference.

Also the amount of interests I’ve collected thanks to your fanworks is insane. I know so much more about art and architecture and clothing and food and the world thanks to these fanworks.

Uh so yeah. Y’all have really helped shape my life in some ways, probably more than I even realise. So I just wanna say thank you, I love you, and keep being awesome!

[inception30daychallenge]

@inception30daychallenge, Day 31: A letter to Inception fandom.

Dear Inception Fandom,

Friends, I am Old. I have been around the block and back again. I am old enough to have read fanfic on the computers in the school library and printed out fics for my friends because they did not have computers at home. I read fanfic on dial up. I cut my teeth on fanfic on FF.Net, on AngelFire websites, and on AOL Message Boards.

I say this ONLY because I want you all to know How Long I have been in Fannish Spaces, and how many fandoms I have been involved in, so that you can believe me when I say: I have NEVER encountered a fandom like this one.

If you look at my AO3, you'll see that most of my posted fics are dated prior to 2010. I spent most of my 30s not being particularly fannish. I didn't post fics. Once LJ made the move to DW, I lost track of fandoms and friends (and never really grasped Tumblr, tbh), and whatever writing I did, I kept to myself. I thought I had lost the ability to get fannishly obsessive over a piece of fiction. There are a lot of Real Life reasons for this--jobs, health, family crap, mental health, selling my home and building a new one, working in healthcare during COVID... And I was put on a medication a few years ago that, it turns out, basically induced depression, but I didn't realize it until February of this year, when I stopped taking it.

It was like a switch was thrown in my brain, and I suddenly wanted to read fanfic and create again! It was great! And one day I was rereading old fics by a favorite author and thought "what else did they write?" and saw they had Inception fics. I thought "huh. That was a fun movie. It provided the premise for the very best RP game I've ever been involved in. Why not?"

As they say, the rest is history. I fell down the rabbit hole of Inception fanfics, discovered an obsession with Arthur/Eames, and dragged my bestie @nutterzoi down with me. I swear that in April, I watched that movie basically every other day for the entire month. And then we started writing fics. I have now posted FOUR Inception fanfics since the middle of June. With Zoe, I'm working on a Big Bang and on several other fics. We literally have a gdoc of ideas for fics because otherwise we will forget them all.

This is all great, Sara, but what about the fandom? Guys. Friends. Zoe and I have been writing fanfic together basically nonstop since before Y2k. We have not posted any of our fanfic since prior to 2010. UNTIL NOW. And the reason I am happy to write and post fanfic? For other people to see and read?? Is because of YOU, the fandom.

This movie is 14 years old, but the fandom is alive and active. Arthur and Eames have about 3 minutes of screen time together, but over 8,000 fics on AO3! @inceptiversary came along just as I was finding my footing here on Tumblr, and MAN, the things everyone has come up with for @inception30daychallenge just blow my mind! The creativity, attention to details, impressive meta and gorgeous fanart and graphics are incredible. Maybe some of the reasons this fandom is so calm and comforting is that I missed the early growing pains, but it is FUN to come into a well established fandom with so much to read and see!

But even more than that... this fandom is KIND, and WELCOMING. I point out again that I am Old. I have reached the point in my life that I do not want to spend time around people or spaces that are not comfortable, especially online, which is where I go for my escapism and fun. Every single person I have interacted with in the Inception fandom has been friendly and encouraging. I hope you all know just how rare this is for both a fandom and for an online space. THANK YOU for being so wonderful. In more ways than one, you have restored my faith in fandoms and fannish spaces, and in my place in them. I certainly hope you're all okay with being stuck with me, because I do not see myself going anywhere.

Thank you for giving back a part of myself that I thought was lost and gone forever.

Love,

Sara

[inception30daychallenge]

Oops, my fingers slipped and I did a thing. ...Okay, not really, I've been poking at this for a WHILE but I finished it in time for the end of @inceptiversary!

@inception30daychallenge, Day 17: How did the team spend the rest of the week on the first dream level?

Debriefing (1781 words) by Lady Sarai Chapters: 1/1 Word Count: 1,781 Fandom: Inception (2010) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Arthur/Eames (Inception) Characters: Arthur (Inception), Eames (Inception), Ariadne (Inception), Yusuf (Inception) Additional Tags: That week in Level 1 after inception but before they wake up, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Secret Relationship Summary: During the week the team is stuck in Level 1 of the dream, Eames manages to slip away from Fischer and find a moment with Arthur. Written for Day 17 of Inception 30 Day Challenge on Tumblr, "How did the team spend the rest of the week on the first dream level?" …Except it's mostly Arthur and Eames. Oops.

[inception30daychallenge]

Day 31: A letter to the inception fandom.

@inception30daychallenge

Wow. To think I never would’ve met you guys at the time I did if I hadn’t seen Oppenheimer in theatres last year and completely fell in love with the movie, a choice that led me down the winding rabbit hole that is the world of cinema and ultimately ending up in front of the grand masterpiece that is inception. 

After 6 months of keeping my love for these characters close to my heart, I thought, why should I limit myself to quiet appreciation when there are others out there with whom I can share my passions and my creations openly? And so here I stand, six months later, surrounded by wonderful, kind, talented people who have created for themselves a beautiful and nurturing community in which I am given the opportunity to love something passionately and share this love with all of you. 

I’m so lucky to have joined right in time for this year’s inceptiversary- my first!- and to see what your lovely brains are able to create. Thank you all for being such incredible, talented individuals and for sharing your gift with all of us. 

Love,

Celeste

[inception30daychallenge]

@inception30daychallenge Day 31: A letter to the Inception fandom.

Dear Inception fandom,

It's been a wild year. A busy year. A lot of things happened for me- I moved, I finished my degree, I got a job, I got covid, I passed my licensure exam. I had so much to do and so much that still needed to be done and I often didn't have a lot of time to engage in my hobbies. Through it all, though, you were there. I had fun metas to read and beautiful art to look at and messages on the discord to distract myself with when things were stressful. I've gotten to meet new faces and hear new ideas and even though I didn't have a lot of time to engage on a fandom level, the community was still there. Over a decade in and this community isn't just still present, it's thriving. Whether you're actively posting or just watching from the sidelines, whether you've been here for a decade or just joined last week, this community is still here and growing and thriving and I love it. I love the enthusiasm. I love the creativity. I love the kindness and support. I love Inception, and the people who love it with me.

Keep it up, y'all. You're amazing.

-Newt

[inception30daychallenge]

Inception 30 day challenge 2024

day 31: a letter to the Inception fandom 💓

Dearest friends,

I’ve never seen anything like this before.

everyone, no I mean everyone I’ve ever crossed paths with here had been incredibly kind and supportive and very very talented. each and every one of you inspire me and put a smile on my face every time I open this app or travel to ao3. such a lovely gathering of good people. good and crazily talented!

the events year around!, MY GOODNESS! so well thought out and executed, which almost makes us forget that there are working/learning busy real life people doing this for FREE! I have nothing but respect and admiration for all of your behind these events! you guys are the backbone of the fandom, creating safe and encouraging environments for the creators to thrive :D

also something I truly admire is how this fandom doesn’t seek out validation from its creators. yes, a few excited individuals (I’m looking at you joseph), do make remarks time to time, but almost nothing is explicitly confirmed over the years. the fandom does not need anyone to tell what’s canon or not. respecting real human beings is something that everyone here practices and I believe that it’s one of the reasons that it has continued to stand the test of time.

for me, this fandom also has given me some of my firsts; my first time making an ao3 acct, my first time being able to read and actually enjoy smut, my first time venturing in to other ships except the ship I like the most,... in short, my first chance of being unapologetically excited about something I love.

I do a very little here except scream like a banshee when a new fic is posted or a new art is dropped, or obsess over an actor, but despite that, I’ve NEVER felt like I’m too much or unwanted here. As a relatively newbie (been here almost a year now holy shitts), I’ve only ever felt a sense of belonging. and so much of happiness. thank you to all of you for giving me that. i was desperately in need of it.

in summary, all I can say is, that I’m so very glad my co worker decided to randomly mention that she has never watched inception, on a slow mid-week day in august 2023.. I should send her a fruit basket.

with love, Dee

p.s : @inception30daychallenge -last day of the challenge! I’m so proud of myself for completing it :D and congrats on everyone else for participating in it too! thank you for the mod/s behind this acct for this amazing event!

[inception30daychallenge]

@inception30daychallenge

Day 31: A letter to Inception fandom.

It's been a year since I joined the fandom, and it's been an incredible experience, even from the fringes of rarepairing. Inception is such a compelling source, and the fandom is equally so. I think I've rewatched it like fifty times by now xD But there are always new things to discover about the movie, and I love that it can be a space to escape to when I need a break, just by scrolling through the tags and discord chats.

Also, Inceptiversary is such a wonderful time - the watch parties are legendary, and the events are so cool! I love seeing everyone's thoughts and art and headcanons about the movie. People are so talented, and I'm endlessly inspired.

To many more years ahead, and sweet dreams!

Chels

[inception30daychallenge]

@inception30daychallenge day 31: a letter to the Inception fandom

Gosh. It's been nearly four years since I rewatched Inception during a lockdown-induced bout of boredom, thinking, I kinda liked those two bickering dudes and the Sadness™ and went down a fic-reading rabbit-hole, and almost three years since I officially signed up for my first event (shoutout to @inceptionreversebang) and wrote my first Inception fic.

My love for the fandom and these characters has only grown since then. I know it like the back of my hand, but sometimes it just hits me how we really are so profoundly lucky in this fandom; we're all just here to chill, and cheer each other on. We have such a wealth of talent and love and passion. I think I've mentioned before, perhaps in a similar love letter, that it feels like a village here. That some built the houses and created the blueprints, and some have come and gone since then and now, and others have come and settled in like me and tread its pavement.

I'm so grateful for every wonderful person I've met and for every story I've read, for every edit I've seen, or headcanon I've greedily inhaled over these four years. I hope to see much more. There really is something special about the Inception fandom, and the people it attracts. Something unique. Everyone is so... talented, yes, but most importantly, so kind. Thank you for all of the love that you all share with us <3 Inceptiversary is almost over -- again. Next year is 15 years. Can you believe it? x

- Ash.

[inception30daychallenge]

@inception30daychallenge day 31: a letter to the Inception fandom

Dear Inception fandom,

You're all amazing. With all your love and enthusiasm for this movie and its characters, you've been keeping the fandom not only alive but absolutely thriving for all these years, and hopefully many more to come as new members keep joining every year.

I’m one of them, one of those late comers. And so THANK YOU! From the bottom of my heart.

Thank you for being here for all the people who, like me, needed a place like this, to find.

I'm having so much fun here, more than in any other fandom I've ever been in. I found so many lovely people who have helped me find my voice, which is a new and exciting thing for me, a leap of faith we can say.

And that's because you’re all so welcoming and genuinely joyful and excited to be here, and supportive, relaxed and accepting of everyone regardless of their opinion about this character or that ship, everyone just wants to have a good time and enjoy themselves together. And that's even without mantioning how talented and creative you all are. It's awesome.

It sort of feels like a home. And I’m so very glad to have become part of it.

Thank you again for all your hard work, whether it's organizing all these wonderful events or sharing content in any way or just cheering people up from behind the scenes. Thank you for your passion and your openness. My heart is full!

Lots of love,

Val

P. S. We’re here! We did it! I hope you all had a wonderful Inception month! 💛

[inception30daychallenge]

@inception30daychallenge, Day 30: If the characters were all in a band, what instruments/roles would they play?

Arthur: Lead singer, used to be half of a duo with Mal. He plays the guitar and is the one who writes the song lyrics. Eames: Bass guitar and backup. Writes the music to go with the lyrics. Ariadne: DRUMS, MOTHERFUCKER. Robert: Piano. He can go from classical to rock without breaking a sweat. Yusuf: Sound Engineer. He's responsible for all of the instruments and equipment and making sure things sound the way they need to. Cobb: He’s the manager, ala Tom Hanks' character in That Thing You Do. Saito: Went to a show, decided he wanted to sign them to a record deal. Bought a record company. It was simpler. Mal: Originally lead singer with Arthur, who left to be a solo act when she and Cobb divorced because he was too controlling.

[inception30daychallenge]

@inception30daychallenge Day 30: If the characters were all in a band, what instruments/roles would they play?

Dom: band manager. Has gotten a lot more distracted and a lot less reliable since his divorce. Is looking for someone to replace the role of lead singer.

Mal: used to be the lead singer until she and Dom had a falling out, ultimately resulting in divorce.

Ariadne: new singer brought in to try and be the lead.

Arthur: drums. Rhythmic, methodical, always precisely on time and keeping the rest of the band on track, and fueled by a barely contained rage.

Eames: lead guitar. Flamboyant and loves putting on a show, but also highly talented and able to absolutely disappear into a song when he needs to.

Yusuf: bass. Do I really need to say more?

Saito: owner of a record label that really wants to pick up the band but they need to get their shit together first, and also find a new lead singer. Gets somewhat unwillingly roped into helping them get their shit together.